Car Camping: Who does it?

[Swattie87]

That's a big question of mine as well. I'm pretty sure car camping on state forest in PA is technically not legal. You can tent camp but not car camp. But I'm not sure of the potential consequences.

There are approved car camping sites in SF lands. Just need to secure a permit and abide by any fire restrictions at the time.

Google “PA State Forest Camping Sites” and you’ll find a map of the sites. You can either call the local SF district office to fill out a permit, or I think you can do it online by clicking on the desired site and following the screens.

From my read of the “Motorized” camping regulations on the SF’s webpage it appears you can camp in, or near your vehicle, provided you do so at the site designated on your permit, and don’t drive your vehicle beyond the already established areas within the site for parking it. I think you could park and sleep in a small “off grid” RV, so in your normal vehicle should be fine. Again, as long as you secure a permit, so any trip will require a little planning.

Edit: The above only applies to SF’s in PA. State Parks and ANF have their own rules. And you cannot camp in PA SGL’s, unless thru hiking an established trail through them.

 

[Off The Path Outdoors]

There are approved car camping sites in SF lands. Just need to secure a permit and abide by any fire restrictions at the time.

Google “PA State Forest Camping Sites” and you’ll find a map of the sites. You can either call the local SF district office to fill out a permit, or I think you can do it online by clicking on the desired site and following the screens.

Good to know. I will have to look into this.

 

[jifigz]

Those sites book out far in advance.. Plenty are near trout water though. You're allowed to primitive camp anywhere in PA on State Forest land a single night without a permit. This opens up so many possibilities and I have explored and backpacked in to many areas alone before and fished. It's a good time.. There are nearly endless amounts of adventures and fishing to find in PA. The regs are pretty easy to find, too, you just gotta look for em.

 

[Swattie87]

Those sites book out far in advance.. Plenty are near trout water though. You're allowed to primitive camp anywhere in PA on State Forest land a single night without a permit. This opens up so many possibilities and I have explored and backpacked in to many areas alone before and fished. It's a good time.. There are nearly endless amounts of adventures and fishing to find in PA. The regs are pretty easy to find, too, you just gotta look for em.

Note that “primitive” camping has different rules than “motorized” camping under the SF regs. Just for clarity’s sake.

 

[jifigz]

Note that “primitive” camping has different rules than “motorized” camping under the SF regs. Just for clarity’s sake.

I'm aware. But just how far does one have to walk from your vehicle to be "primitive camping?" Hmmm.....chances of you being confronted by DCNR are virtually nil. As I said, everything you need to find and read is easily findable on the DCNR website.

 

[jifigz]

Backpacking and Primitive Camping

www.dcnr.pa.gov

Here are some rules.

 

[Swattie87]

I'm aware. But just how far does one have to walk from your vehicle to be "primitive camping?" Hmmm.....chances of you being confronted by DCNR are virtually nil. As I said, everything you need to find and read is easily findable on the DCNR website.

Agree. There’s some gray there. Clearly, the intent is for motorized camping to be considered to have access to your vehicle while camping. Generally, this means you’re at one of the designated and permitted campsites, and you’re either in your vehicle, or in a tent/hammock/whatever within the established campsite footprint.

Primitive camping is leave your vehicle, hike, camp, and don’t return to your vehicle until you’re done hiking and camping and are heading home.

Though there’s tweeners. I’ve parked at a trail head right at dusk, hiked maybe a 1/4 mile in the trail from the trailhead and set up camp before. Is that ok? I think so, but not 100% sure I guess. I didn’t go back to my vehicle until leaving the next morning.

Conversely, I’ve hiked into some of the larger SF roadless areas in PA and camped a couple days, and at one point, when at a point relatively close to it, made a run out to my vehicle to resupply for a couple more days. Am I now motorized camping because I accessed my vehicle to resupply, even though I never camped within 2 miles of it at any point during the trip?

Frankly, I don’t see a DCNR officer giving you a hard time about either of those scenarios. I do however see an officer taking serious consideration to ticketing the situation of car/motorized camping at a non designated site and/or a designated site without a permit.

 

[jifigz]

Agree. There’s some gray there. Clearly, the intent is for motorized camping to be considered to have access to your vehicle while camping. Generally, this means you’re at one of the designated and permitted campsites, and you’re either in your vehicle, or in a tent/hammock/whatever within the established campsite footprint.

Primitive camping is leave your vehicle, hike, camp, and don’t return to your vehicle until you’re done hiking and camping and are heading home.

Though there’s tweeners. I’ve parked at a trail head right at dusk, hiked maybe a 1/4 mile in the trail from the trailhead and set up camp before. Is that ok? I think so, but not 100% sure I guess. I didn’t go back to my vehicle until leaving the next morning.

Conversely, I’ve hiked into some of the larger SF roadless areas in PA and camped a couple days, and at one point, when at a point relatively close to it, made a run out to my vehicle to resupply for a couple more days. Am I now motorized camping because I accessed my vehicle to resupply, even though I never camped within 2 miles of it at any point during the trip?

Frankly, I don’t see a DCNR officer giving you a hard time about either of those scenarios. I do however see an officer taking serious consideration to ticketing the situation of car/motorized camping at a non designated site and/or a designated site without a permit.

I agree Swattie, no DCNR is going to bother messing with you unless you are doing something terribly wrong. We have a lot of public land options and lots of trout water in PA, so, if you want to escape the crowds and go at it it is quite easy to do. I have camped and backpacked Sproul, Rothrock, Tuscarora, Bald Eagle, Moshannon, and Tiadaghton all for many different reasons and had a great time on most all occasions. Interactions with other people were minimal, the cost of the trip was more or less free, and there are many cool things to discover. Last year I drug my woman out into Moshannon on a hammock hang and a trout fishing adventure. I explored some streams I never had fished, we caught fish, I taught her how to nymph with an indicator (she basically has fly fished about 4 times in her life) and it was a great experience overall. Plus, she almost had a nervous breakdown due to sleeping in the middle of nowhere. Feeling secure while hanging in a hammock or a tent with no one around is an acquired mindset. I find it quite easy, but I have done it a lot.

 

[Bamboozle]

Mt Fisher:

I'm also thinking about trying memory foam.
The mattress in our spare bedroom had a memory foam topper.
The little lady decided it was time to replace that mattress, with a better one.
And I saved that topper.

It is queen sized, and way to big to use in truck as is.
So I cut it in half, and will try it next trip.

Its still pretty bulky.
And will soak up water like a sponge it if gets wet - I do get a little water back there during heavy storms.
But worth a try. Memory foam is very confy

Hands down the most comfortable self inflatable air mattress I have ever slept on are the MegaMats made by Exped.

They are certainly not the least expensive but my wife just slept like a baby on my MegaMat 10 which is saying a LOT of you how fussy she is with beds & comfort.

To make it even more comfortable, I use a twin fitted sheet on mine and place it on a cot, but in a truck bed it would be just fine.

Exped makes bigger sizes, thicker versions and even a sleeping mat designed for certain vehicles.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Hands down the most comfortable self inflatable air mattress I have ever slept on are the MegaMats made by Exped.

They are certainly not the least expensive but my wife just slept like a baby on my MegaMat 10 which is saying a LOT of you how fussy she is with beds & comfort.

To make it even more comfortable, I use a twin fitted sheet on mine and place it on a cot, but in a truck bed it would be just fine.

Exped makes bigger sizes, thicker versions and even a sleeping mat designed for certain vehicles.

Thanks. I just looked at them. I‘ll have to give them a more careful look.

I see that Moosejaw has them, as they also have Hest mats. Moosejaw periodically has 20-30% off sales, plus they give 10% in reward points, which would make MegaMats or Hest mats considerably less costly. (In any case, I value a good night’s sleep over price.)

 

[Tuz]

I sleep in my F-150 crew cab. I prefer the rear bench seat. I have some plastic screen that my wife sewed magnets in a few strategic locations on the edges that I put up so I can lower the windows a little for a nice cross ventilation. Craft stores sell a roll of plastic magnet for bulletin boards. That works too. I can last 2 days but after that I need a shower and a bed. I gotta get a cap. Jet boil for coffee in the morning. Couple of granola bars for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Take a break in the afternoons if there’s a diner close by. If not something out of a can for early dinner, then back on-stream for the evening hatch. Snacks before calling it a night.
Works for me.

 

[Millsertime]

Looks reasonable enough, I’m a similar height (6’0) and have thought about it in the back of my 4R, but my question for this set up is what do you with the rest of all your camping/fishing crap when you’re using most, if not all of the cargo area for sleeping? Not a big deal on dry nights to leave it outside, but what about on the chance of rain. It seems I rarely take a weekend long camping trip without at least some rain, or possibility enough of rain, that I don’t wanna leave stuff out.

Swattie...If you have a 4Runner, you could pitch a blow up mattress in the back assuming you can fold the middle seats down. I have a Rav4 (2008) and use one of those cheap Intex mattresses (queen?) and it fits perfectly between the wheel wells. Very comfortable. The middle seats don't fold flat 100% but I don't notice it much. My setup is very similar to SilverFox's picture.

I store my gear in the front 2 seats and also typically bring a pop up tent with me that goes over the picnic table (if there is one) and it keeps remaining, non-important, gear dry.

I also use a rear hitch carrier for transportation of items like firewood, grill, etc...

Measure your wheel wells (width) and go buy a cheap mattress from Walmart/Amazon and you'll be amazed how comfortable and easy camping can be in your 4 Runner.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I just bought a small rechargeable fan to use while camping in my truck during warm nights. It was very inexpensive, so I’ll have to see how long it lasts, but so far so good after running it on my kitchen table for a couple hours.

The fan has 3 speeds, and the direction of the fan can be adjusted up or down. It can sit on a flat surface or hung upside down using a spring tension clip. I have a couple battery packs that I use to recharge my cell phone, iPad, etc. when traveling and camping, and I can use them to recharge this fan, or plug it into a USB port in my truck while traveling.

I’m going out to my garage right now to take a nap in the back of my truck to test this fan out!

 

[Thunderpole]

Car camping ehh na I'll sleep in my hammock, lightweight easy to set tear down. Or a small backpack style tent. I sleep fantastic in a hammock I try use it as much as possible. I don't need much. Speaker charged a fire and cold beer I'm set

 

[jrmyln]

Nothing beats a pick up with a cap for car camping but if you don't have a pick up this is a nice alternative...

 

[wildtrout2]

Nothing beats a pick up with a cap for car camping but if you don't have a pick up this is a nice alternative...

Looks rather involved.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Looks reasonable enough, I’m a similar height (6’0) and have thought about it in the back of my 4R, but my question for this set up is what do you with the rest of all your camping/fishing crap when you’re using most, if not all of the cargo area for sleeping? Not a big deal on dry nights to leave it outside, but what about on the chance of rain. It seems I rarely take a weekend long camping trip without at least some rain, or possibility enough of rain, that I don’t wanna leave stuff out.

So...IF you had an old school CR-V, the answer is in the well underneath where the built in table goes! It's plenty enough room for waders, boots, my chest box/hip pack. Rod tubes I just stash on the side I'm not sleeping in, along w/ my duffle of cloths, and if I bring a stove, lantern, etc., I suspect I'd use a pop-up canopy. I have a small one.

 

[ISK]

4” thick foam twin mattress topper fits perfectly

In the back of my ‘03 Tacoma (6ft bed)

Great way to camp if you can count on no rain

Make sure you follow the rules and regs when primitive camping.

2hrs after this picture was taken I got slapped w a v large ticket for camping between the trail and the creek and illegal fire (even though I was using a well established fire pit and I had seen someone camped in this spot the week before) I had spent 4 nights out there without a problem but the park ranger came down the path early Sunday morning and informed me my setup wasn’t in regulation..

my ignorance was not innocence - $450 big ones

 

[wildtrout2]

4” thick foam twin mattress topper fits perfectly

In the back of my ‘03 Tacoma (6ft bed)

Great way to camp if you can count on no rain

Make sure you follow the rules and regs when primitive camping.

2hrs after this picture was taken I got slapped w a v large ticket for camping between the trail and the creek and illegal fire (even though I was using a well established fire pit and I had seen someone camped in this spot the week before) I had spent 4 nights out there without a problem but the park ranger came down the path early Sunday morning and informed me my setup wasn’t in regulation..

my ignorance was not innocence - $450 big ones

View attachment 1641226460

At least he didn't take your bottle.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

For those who thought the CRV would be too small for the Squatch to sleep: