Campsite Security: When things go bump in the night while car camping, overlanding, boondocking 

Just happened to me ten days ago. We were miles from anything. At 10pm a truck stops on the road about 200 yards away. A guy with a flashlight starts walking toward our camp. I had a pistol in my hand and a flashlight. When he was about 30 yards away, I hit him with the flashlight and yelled, "what are you doing ". Caught him completely off guard. He said he was picking up trash. He went back to his truck and left. Who picks up trash in the middle of nowhere at 10pm! He did not know I was holding a gun on him. I had my son with me who was also armed. I'm glad I was not alone.

You are correct about firearms being a touchy subject. Glad you had the courage and ethics to cover the topic. I could not agree more, especially in today's World with some jurisdictions refusing to press charges against criminal, thereby encourage more criminal behavior. Cheers.

I regularly dispersed camp in CO and I can’t imagine not having a firearm with me. I’ve never had a sketchy experience at a campsite, however I’ve had bad experiences driving along the roads to get to the dispersed areas. I’ve seen broken down/parked cars in the morning rolling into camp and then those same vehicles later in the afternoon had bullet holes and were flipped over. Best advice I can give anyone looking to camp in a high traffic area where drug addicts and drunk hooligans regular visit (within 25 miles of any major city), is to camp far from the main roads/trails. Ideally find a camp site along a rough, rutted trail away from the main road. On the more difficult trails you’ll typically only run into other off roaders and people willing to travel further for that extra solitude. Stay safe out there in the wilderness. Your biggest threat no matter where you are is typically other humans.

I am an old(er) lady that is an avid camper/hiker/kayaker. When I kayak, I am on the water solo without my canine companion. To kayak camp, there are many undesirable two leggeds that like to engage in nefarious activities, they think that they are ten feet tall and invinsible. I do carry a firearm, bull horn, pepper spray, knife, and a few other goodies that are always within reach and on my person, no matter where I am located in camp. When I land-camp, I always have my four legged best friend with me, along with the aforementioned items. I agree with you, if you carry a knife and/or firearm/weapon, you should learn/know how to use them in an emergency situation.

Heres a few tips, i frequently camp in bear country so, never bring a woman on her period ( the scent draws apex predators like bears, mountain lion,wolf coyote right into your camp. Very dangerous. 2) when sleeping i keep a .44 magnum revolver on a lanyard tied to my right wrist and i dont completely zip up my bag. 3) i keep a pump 12 guage with a built in high intensity tactical light built into the pump and its NEVER more than 3 feet away from me. 4) i always deploy a hidden game cam watching your whole campsite. 5) i always use a perimeter tripwire system !! ( noise makers) Those are my prime tips

Great video and tips. I have built my rig to keep all my extra gear mostly inside the camper. Nothing on display. Especially nice when we want to stop in a big city for lunch and leave the truck parked. Always lock up. And always stay armed when dispersed camping. Lots of sketchy folk out in the boondocks. Better to stay armed and not need it then wish I had it. Great video

I was all set up for the night in a lovely place in the middle of nowhere when a beat up old two wheel drive car with a broken windshield comes past me and stops suddenly. They drove away slowly, and I knew they were scum up to no good. I debated standing my ground but knew it would be a sleepless night clutching my pistol in the dark. So I bugged out.

Great discussion. I can't count all the times I've had vehicles drive near my remote campsite in the middle of the night. I never camp without at least one handgun and a 12 ga shotgun within arm's reach.

We've only had Rottweilers. Greatest family dogs ever. Ours rarely barked. They growled. They are enthusiastic about protecting their family. The sight of them keeps people at a distance. I have no allergy to weapons, I have an addiction, and a shotgun or AR is always in tow. We also CCW.

For what it's worth, night vision equipment is reasonably cheap nowadays. I have one from Wish, its actually very good and records.

All good tips here. I know not everyone is up for camping with loaded firearms and the potential responsibility that comes with that but I did just see a pistol by a company called Byrna that shoots a variety of non-lethal projectiles such as a pepper spray/tear gas combo. Seems to be a very effective way of immobilizing someone for a decent amount of time. They say it’s 50 state legal and no license required. Definitely considering one myself.

look I was a cop in the academy they make you get sprayed and you have to fight your way out of a course before they let you rinse off the spray. I can confidently say the spray made me ANGRY and it fought way harder because it hurt. I was the nerd and studious one of the class before that day.

I like your chill vibe so I am subscribing. Re: firearms: if you are comfortable with the possibility of using it on a human or other animals they are always a good idea. What I always tell people & my kids is if you know yourself and you won’t use it then don’t own it or pull it out. When my former husband brought firearms into the house I knew I could never kill a 16 year old looking to steal my TV. But I also knew if I had to protect myself or my daughter that I would pull that trigger. So I mentally practiced telling someone to “get the f**k off my property” for 14 years and I ran through the scenarios where they didn’t leave or were too scared to. I practiced their freeze response and would imagine telling them to face away from me and interlock their fingers behind their head while I called the police. I also practiced pulling the trigger if they moved toward me or my daughter. Well 14 years later a man and firearm owner who owned a gun shop in town chased me and my daughter into our house through our backyard and door. Once I had the firearm in my hand I pulled back the slide and stepped back and he pushed open the door and stepped toward me. I screamed what I had practiced over and over with the firearm aimed at his chest with my finger next to the trigger. When he stepped towards me again I stepped back, put my finger on the trigger and aimed it at his head. I knew this man was emotional and not in his right mind. He eventually backed off and left as he realized the police were on the way. He left with his life and so did we but at one point I was ready to protect myself and my daughter if he continued to advance. You must be mentally prepared or you will kill someone with unclear intentions or the weapon may be used on you. Even though I did not pull the trigger it was immensely traumatic holding someone’s life in my hands like that. I have been the first on the scene in many accidents and it’s a similar feeling of helpful helplessness. Meaning you are helpful by protecting yourself but also helpless to make that other person keep themselves alive by leaving you alone. If you cannot truly deal with the aftermath and feeling of helplessness firearms are not the answer. Also keep in mind state laws. In Oregon you cannot just shoot someone breaking into your camper even if you are inside or it is your house. They need to be inside and you have to have no other escape. Similar to being in the wilderness if you can escape or get help you cannot just shoot another human. A jury will decide if you could have gotten away or not. So know your laws. 💜💜💜

Great tips man. Its always best to camp with a group of armed buddies who are proficient shooters as well. Especially when kids are present. I also think camping with friends who have great situational awareness rather than thinking everyone who passes by is a nice .

thank you for confirming my concerns,, being from Canada our ability to arm ourselves are limited. It's sad that we have to be concerned about our safety when we are venturing to relax and get away from it all. We recently returned from a trip from Yellowstone and was followed for over 20 kms by someone in Idaho.. We lost him after a number of stops only to find him following us again. By the time we got to our awesome campsite in Washington, I was too spooked out and decided to drive back to Vancouver, BC at 1 in the morning. Lots of unstable people out there, take away from this would be prepared and strength/defense/deterrence in numbers. stay safe everyone !

When me and a buddy overland, we typically like dispersed camping. We both have a firearm on our hip. We also like to park our vehicles in a direction which will grant a quick exit (not having to back up first). You just never know when you'll have an odd encounter with another person in the middle of the woods, desert, etc...

I carry a long stun baton with a belt clip. The baton has stun strips down the sides so if grabbed, it still delivers 10,000 volts, as well as the typical stun spot on the end. It has a flashlight and a strobe too.

I use a driveway alarm with all four sides of my vehicle .It has 4 different sounds so you know which side is set off or sounds off the display ĺets you know which side.

Trail Hobo are a real threat. Have come across them in Yosemite. At O’Dark Thirty three of the four were burglarizing the bear boxes for food and any equipment etc. in the morning we showed the Ranger video, but the Hibiscus were long gone.

Left my Mazda 3 last year with roof tent on near Austria - Germany border. FW2F+QJW Ehrwald, Austria, where a lot of people hiking and cycling passed by. Bags inside, cameras, roof tent on top without security locks. Left for 10 hours hike to Zugspitze. Nothing happened, not even a scratch when i returned.

Agreed on many things you mentioned. I remotely did off-road and off-grid camping with my wife and kids, beside many methods of security, recovery, gears, vehicle, etc….legally firearms (CCW and riffle) are always with me just in case to protect my family and myself. 2A is our American right to protect our freedom, lives

I knew I liked you man. Way to be real, and responsibly. 👍

You can also push your seat forward and see if you can put a padlock on the runner under your seat so that large person‘s not gonna be able to sit in that seat and driveway. You can also while you’re setting up your camp put a dog bowl outside your campground put some water in it throw a doggy toy and let them think you’re out walking around with your dog, I’ve heard of people putting out dog crates

Thanks Roger! Always have the brightest light, something to spray like a skunk (POM, Byrna, 🐻spray, serious⛑ first aid, 🔫where legal. and TRAIN, PRACTICE & HAVE PLAN!

Good video. I think what you covered was on point. I would add that having a mental understanding of your location and having an exit route of the area is also key. This goes on how your park your vehicle and set set up your camp. If SHTF, you might be bettee off driving away even if it means leaving some of your gear behind. For everyone there, like Roger said train and know your firearm. Because if your practice your 2A, then you need to know that in any situation you get there is always going to be a firearm present....

I solo overland mostly in National Forests in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada and rarely in a campground but I am not opposed to it. I really study topo maps and find remote areas and I have never had an issue. I sleep inside my vehicle and have bear spray and sleep with my key fob just in case I need to hit that annoying horn button. The two chairs thing is a good idea too! I also have SOS on my iPhone.

So well thought out. Good for you.

While I choose not to carry for a number of reasons, I respect and agree with the way you approach the discussion.

Good tips, thanks, like.

(a) trail camera set up 20 metres away pointing toward your camp, it will pick up people in the area and record video and pics for the authorities, and (b) slingshot and a handful of coins for close quarters

Another great topic. Glad you are prepared. When seconds count help is minutes/hours away. Hope you are doing well! Keep the videos coming we very much enjoy them

When things go bump in the night, I bump back!

There are motion detector alarms for bicycle security. These have rechargeable batteries and a remote fob controller. My roof rack mounted Maxtracks are connected by hard-to-see zip ties, so they can't just be easily removed. When at camp, I attach the motion detector alarm as well. I sleep better. Got mine on Amazon.

Safety first. Excellent reminder, Roger.

I wish we could carry for protection in Canada when camping. One thing I’ve used before is the vehicles panic alarm! I keep the keys in the RTT and one time I had to use the panic alarm which scared away a bear from my site. Hopefully it’ll work against a human too!

Great job of covering this topic, and not shying away from your 2A stance. Lots of others from other countries that would like to have the rights that we do here ( actually God given, protected by our constitution!) , so we should proudly acknowledge them. Thanks.

I only do reservations only camp sites because of safety reasons.

Thank you for taking the time! ... not many videos about this topic.

Nice ride! Take care of it because it's now a collector's item!

Great advice!

Blessings my brother. It is good to stimulate discussion on such important issues. Sorry about your bad experience. Glad it was only disconcerting and not violent. I love the Bishop area, but haven't been there in quite a few years. Peace be with you and yours.

Great vid, thanx.

I'm packing too. Good on you.

This is so important,thank you for sharing.

Just subscribed like your videos. I love my remote control lights. I also carry a home solar flood light I bungee cord it to a tree.

NEVER go into the wilds without a weapon, you are your ONLY line of defense cops & rangers will not be around or able to get to you in time.

Great Content! Recent Purchase Toyota Sequoia Busy Outfitting Currently Your Channel has been inspiring. Thank you

Thanks again for all of the good content! Keep it coming bro.

New subscriber and looking to start overlanding. this was a concern of mine and glad you addressed it. Can't wait for my first trip. Your channel has been a huge help!

Great video Roger. We’ve had a couple incidents with sketchy people driving up to our site. I also practice the 2A and the site of my open carry likely convinced them to move along.

I backcountry a lot here in Colorado. I never really think about it, kind of like sharks when I swim in the ocean. Last trip one of my friends who lives in the 4 corners area was telling me about a bear attack near where we were. That made it more real. Now looking to get/carry a 12 gauge. I have had stuff come up missing a few times in State Park campgrounds.

Outstanding subject matter. Realistic and logically sound advice, greatly appreciate your opinions on this as a lone camper. Stoked to sub good sir👍

Excellent video, thank you!

Great video!

Good information!

Thank you, Roger! Great content - on my 80 Series I mounted 4 blink cameras tied to a mobile wifi which is continuously kept charged through a solar supported battery supply... I can check on the rig anytime and get notifications of Motion and recordings of that motion 360 degrees around the rig. I share your belief that cameras are really not much of a deterrent but hopefully they might provide good evidence of what took place, should something go wrong. As always, first class work - thank you and happy trails. Cheers, J

It definately is the journey that matters. I think you pretty much covered it all. As you pointed out, be sure you know the laws of all jurisdictions you are driving through. Almost all states I journey through recognize my conceal carry, except one, New Mexico which has no reciprocity with Louisiana. I have to unload and stash my weapon. One point I would add is to always be aware of how you park. Leave yourself an out, both forward and backward. I always try and park facing out and leave space behind me in the event I was to get blocked in, much like eating at a restaurant, I never sit facing away from the door.

Outstanding video - we've carried wasp spray over the years.

Never trust your neighbors to help you. They will disapear like a fart in a whirl wind.

great video.. .I love the fact you stated that not every human threat requires a firearm. Some do of course..but you are far more likely to need a non-lethal method as deterrent before needing a lethal one.

I use magnetic solar motion detector lights on my roof rack. I once drove all the way home with them still mounted by mistake. I don't do well with up close and personal defense methods, so............................... Bryna, just saying.

Great information and good vid! Stay safe!

Well done!!

Pew pew and Night vision

Good tips, but I have found through experience. That after you get ready to go to bed, you have a Totally dark camp site! So you dont attract attention, when you sleep, and I always carry a gun! Because im in AZ!

Air horn, battery operated security lights, never ask for directions near your campsite or tell anyone where you’re going. And last but not least, listen for Banjo music in the distance

We love you GGG4Runner!

Hey Roger-A video on camp safety in severe weather would be good. Heat/rain/snow/wind.

totally suport 2a I'm here in the philippines so we are 'working' on buying our protection but for non-lethal situations i honestly like a nice big can of hornet spray. 1/4" stream up to 25'! you can easily take down a small group of dudes with it. give you time to do what you need to do.

Great information, Roger. Thank you!

One item that I haven’t seen mentioned for personal security is Kimber America (firearms) has a pepper blaster that looks like it would be a great option as well. I personally have found that with the small sprays one has to be extremely mindful of wind 😮

A a solo female overlander, thanks for this video! I conceal/carry a 9MM, have bear spray tucked away in strategic places, and I also have a German Shepard trained in protection services with big teeth and a ferocious bark. What you reminded me that I still need are two things: small portable pepper spray for hiking/MTB’ing and a EDC Tactical Flashlight. Do you recommend the little flashlight you linked? How do you like it?

Love your video buddy! Always very interesting and the way they are just calms me down! I'm new to overlanding (bought myself 2 80series 🙈) build one slowly for some adventures with my partner😊 You're videos are of so much help mate keep it up 😊 When it comes to some security I do have the motions sensors bought them from my local hardware store they are mainly for home uses but managed to install them 😁 and my dober roti mix girl sure gets on high allert when someone (day/night) approaches uss 😅 Once again thanks so much man for your content and keep it up buddy... Love your rig mate 😉

Thank you for this video. No victim of violent crime or attack by a large predator wakes up and thinks, “this is the day I’m going to be maimed or killed”. Despite that, news stories continue to accumulate every year. The number of hikers, joggers and campers that have been attacked by bears & mountain lions with zero means of defense is astounding. It’s just as reckless and naive as drunk college girls leaving a bar alone at 1AM. The rational, responsible discussion of personal protection and self defense should never be “touchy”.

I have carried a fire arm with me when I'm boondocking. Which I do solo, as my wife hates it and wants nothing to do with it. I also sleep in the truck, which makes me feel safer. I have also used game cams hidden around my site in case something does happen. However I once forgot to retrive them the next mornignand drove away without them, HA. As per your suggestion, I WILL get some bear spray and some pepper spray for the next time. Thanks.

It's too bad places like California and NY make it so difficult for law-abiding citizens to carry.

I have been working with a couple of companies to make a rechargeable camp light with a motion sensor that can be turned on and off. If you are sleeping in a tent or RTT turning on at night would help give some security and alert you to potential threats. You have good suggestions.

Being armed, I'm way more worried about a bear than a person :P

I haven’t personally had a bad experience camping but I have always considered options if things went sideways. If I were to ever have a negative interaction I felt wasn’t resolved or could escalate later in the night I would attempt to leave and find a new place. If it was a dead end or for some reason wasn’t able to leave immediately my plan would be to get off the X, perhaps offset from the campsite, likely within visual range but with some cover and concealment. It’s too easy to sneak up on a campsite, a dog would be my number one tool as an early alarm but also the addition of some trip wire alarms could bring some peace of mind. Edit: I forgot to mention, always have a firearm present. Preferably with a weapon mounted light and suitable optic for night time use.

I camp with Glock, Mossberg, and bear spray :)

I have my led on all night 😂

Very good info and not boggy man stuff

A better alternative to pepper spray is hornet/wasp spray. Fires a stream up to 20'. Won't mist and blow back in your face. One can will easily take out several people.

It is worth noting that multiple times during 2020, someone used pepper spray and was shot dead in response, and the courts ruled that the use of pepper spray justified lethal retaliation.

I like 👍 your video on security. May I suggest battery powered security cameras? I have one on each corner of my van wherever I camp. They're quiet, and only scare two legged vermin. Which is what you want. Secondly, I also carry a personal lead propulsion device. I live in an open carry state 😊

I totally agree with you about firearms - bring them and hope to never have to use them. Don't advertise that you have a gun or guns with you to anyone outside your camping party. Even within your group, only adults you absolutely trust can know that you are armed; children, adolescents, and the wider friend group must not know. When boondocking with a camping trailer, I block direct access to the trailer with my truck. Obvious approach lanes can be blocked by pulling dead trees or fallen branches across them, or you can use sticks and rocks to create stumbling barriers. I'm not suggesting to build a fort here, and these obstacles need to be removed and scattered before breaking camp.

2A👍🏽👍🏽

Since i live here in Arizona, we have lots of things that can harm us including humans. Every time we go out at least one of us if not a few us carry firearms or some of us even have semi autos because we can here in AZ. FAFO lol

In Australia. They’ve basically taken our weapons. No rights😢

I'm in Scotland. No fire arms pepper spray, nothing permitted however last time our van is approached which it has been they better run cause I was like a raging bull when they woke e up I couldn't get out to them in time. All I could think of was next time ill wear fine clothes to bed instead of the pj's I had on. 🤣

Can you share that RTT lock? Great idea

I don't understand why ANYBODY would camp at a campsite. For 26 years I've found it MUCH better to boondock. I've never been bothered at all this way, but I have heard many people say they have been annoyed and sometimes really frightened when at campsites.

Remote tent camping with my boys in the mountains many years ago a group came through on foot in the middle of the night. Obviously high and belligerent they were shooting high capacity weapons. As they walked through our camp they stopped and shone a light on our tents. I was laying on top of my two small boys hoping they would just move on and thinking maybe if they did shoot us my body would protect the boys. After what seemed like forever they moved on resuming their wild behavior. I waited until they were gone and called out to my friend who was in his tent with his boys next to me. He did the same thing. Stayed quit and tried to protect his boys by laying over them. In this case if we had tried to use any weapons I’m sure they would have massacred us. I no longer sleep in tents unless I’m in a primitive area where people can’t carry heavy weapons or near my car where we can get I escape if something really bad happens.

Stay armed always, it’s living, not being a victim. Camp tactically.

Sorry that went down near Bishop. Aside from this crazy incident you mentioned, I fish out there and ONLY run into 1st class people. I am going to say, tho, that drug decriminalization/legalization has NOT been kind to my Eastern Sierra, rural California hunting/fishing/backpacking grounds. Read about legal gun ownership in California, and have a gun in your vehicle. (pistols are handy + high lumen flashlight) And pepper spray in your pocket.

I pack a 30-30, but being Canadian, i would never pull that on a person if you know what I mean. Be mindful of pulling a gun on the wrong person.

And I have a black shirt. For camping, if I wake up, I get out of tent right away, woth gun, had hide,look, and listen, I turn the tables

Yes, I too am a supporter of the 2nd amendment!👏👏

Just bring a gun. Any gun, a ruger 10 22 even. Geesh. Like basically anything will work to scare off a critter 2 legs of 4.

I've been considering security a lot recently since I've been doing more solo camping. What are your thoughts on non lethal alternatives like a Byrna? Thanks for making this vid btw!