Most people don’t think about the desert as their first camping location.
Camping in the desert can actually be a ton of fun if you do it right!
Bring Friends
The last place you want to be stranded alone is in the middle of the desert!
Friends are there to help you survive and also to make the trip a lot more enjoyable.
If you know that one person who is totally going to be a drag, complain about everything, want to go home early, etc… Pro tip: don’t invite them.
Bring the Right Tools
Don’t go to the desert unprepared. Packing light doesn’t mean you have to leave behind essential tools, and for setting up base camp in the desert, packing light isn’t always the smartest option.
Luckily, you can buy most of the gear you need of eBay for pretty cheap!
You need a shovel to dig a fire pit, bathroom hole, etc. Why would you not bring a shovel with you to the desert?
Chopping wood is essential if you want to be smart with your fire wood. Chop it up into smaller pieces, make it manageable, and use the axe when needed.
Propane Stove with Wind Shield – $20 – $40Â
There aren’t many trees or leaves to protect you from the wind. Cooking is going to be nearly impossible without a wind shield.
Bring Your Loadout and Lots of Ammo
There aren’t very many sights to see out in the desert.
But you can keep yourself entertained with targets, guns, and a good group of friends.
Seriously, there isn’t much to see out there during the day after you setup camp, but there are so many things to do!
Bring a Heavy Duty Tent
This isn’t the time to bring out the trendy, light weight, easy setup tent.
Most deserts get very windy and very cold at night.
You will want to pack a heavy duty tent, preferably with steel support beams. Normal tents blow over at night, get sand and dust on the inside, and are generally not built for the very specific weather conditions of the desert.
While it might be very hot inside a heavy duty tent during the day, you have other things to be doing during the day. The desert isn’t really the right place if you’re into lounging around and doing nothing.
It might be hard to imagine doing much in a wasteland, but with the right group of friends, guns, ammo, targets, you’ll have a blast!
Bring Lighters, Lots of Them!
If you are friends with smokers, this might not be a problem.
Sounds obvious, but you would be surprised. I went on a trip with 5 other guys, we set up the stove, brought out the hot dogs, aaaannnnnnd NOBODY had a lighter.
Fail. No lighter, no cigarette lighter in the car, nothing!
Now I packed a lighter in every bag, sparkers, matches, etc. You can’t stop me from starting that oven now!
Bring Proper Boots
Rocks, cactus, broken glass, all things you can expect to find in the desert.
Boots are designed for hardcore walking and your feet are the very pillars for your whole body to balance.
This is one of the best investments you can make for the outdoor lifestyle.
Bring a Camel Back (With Lots of Water)
The best tool you can have out in the wilderness is an ice filled camel back.
Nothing like sipping ice cold water in the stinging hot of the desert.
