Solo Female Camping Safety

How to balance solo female camping safety with my big mountain dreams.

I was born with wanderlust knitted into my soul. 

No one could ever label me a homebody, or a stick in the mud, or a city girl, mind you. They’d be lying if they said I wasn’t adventuresome.

The truth is, there are two places in the world that bring me an immediate sense of peace that is untouchable and that’s at church, whether I’m just praying by myself or there’s a mass, and the second place is anywhere that is in the middle of nowhere. 

Whether I’m in the woods or in a desert, at the ocean or fourteen thousand feet above the ocean, or so far deep in the mountains the only sound floating in their air is the sing song of birds, or even cooler; the howl of a predator. 

I just simply feel at home when I’m in the wilderness, so far deep lost into nature that civilization becomes a fantasy, an underlying myth. If I could pick up my roots and never return to see streetlights or massive crowds of people, never hear the sound of traffic, or construction, I don’t know if I would hesitate and disappear into the woods with my inner circle which consists of only a handful of people in this world. 

It’s not that I dislike civiziliation or people, I don’t. Traffic? Now that I could go without. It’s the same reason I always say I could never live in a city. And I couldn’t. 

I simply have a strong desire to explore, to be outside. My goal is to hike all 58 of the Colorado fourteeners. I have 52 to go. Up there, in the highest elevation of Colorado, my mind is at such an all-time high (pun intended), there is no such thing as a problem. 

When I’m camping, my mind seems to quiet, all the whispers of stress that are just hovering beneath the surface seem to suddenly evaporate, unable to survive in the environment outback has to offer.

However, my adventure has been halted. 

Because, despite my passion, at the end of the day I am a single woman in her early twenties. I believe that doesn’t really need any further explanation, unfortunately. Any girl reading this will understand immediately. Nothing has ever outright happened to me specifically, but I want to keep it that way. I’ve heard too many stories, read about too many incidents to risk it, or to keep the fear at a distance.

And while the stress may dissipate in the woods and mountains, the fear doesn’t, and it shouldn’t really. Because there are risks. There are animals that you have to be aware of. Especially out in Colorado, mountain lions, bears, moose, rattle snakes, etc. And there are natural hazards, depending on where you live. Including, but not limited to, mud slides, rockslides, avalanches, thunderstorms, the chance of being struck by lightning, the list goes on. 

And, at last, you have to be cautious of people, as well. Because the chance of them being in the middle of nowhere is low but not completely eliminated. The chances of people with bad intentions being at the trailhead, or campsite are higher.

And being a woman I have to be extra cautious. I’m not one of those people to make such absolute claims; all men are bad; all women are bad – all people are bad in general. Or I’d totally choose the bear. 

No. But there is bad. There are thousands of cases to prove so. I would be incredibly naive to turn a blind eye to that.

And while the fear would be drastically decreased if I were to bring someone with me on my adventures, I can’t always guarantee someone is going to be up for it. And more often than not, I don’t have a buddy for my endeavors. I can’t seem to find people who actually enjoy hiking as much as I do or are up for spontaneous camping trips at the last minute when other plans fall through. I, personally, don’t want to sleep in my bed. Other people do. And that’s fine.

So what do I do? What do we do? Forget it completely and only go camping or hiking on other peoples terms? 

I can’t do that because that means I’d never hike these amazing mountains that are over a three-hour drive from me, that are so tall you need to summit by noon to avoid said natural hazards, where some include a four AM start. And unless I want to wake up at 1 AM to make that drive… I need to camp near the trailhead. 

And I’ve tried to get around it, this fear. 

I’ve tried tent camping or sleeping in a hammock overnight, and let’s say I didn’t sleep much because of the penetrating fear pounding in sync with my heart. And yes, I carry, but its promise of safety still isn’t secure enough as I am small, despite my best efforts in the gym. 

And I’ve tried car camping, too, and while it did feel a lot more dependable than a tent, it still didn’t calm my fears enough. There are many windows in my car, and my locks are untrustworthy, especially if someone knew how to pick locks. And not to mention my alarm is broken and doesn’t sound very often. It’s nearly thirty years old; can I blame it? Not really, but that doesn’t mean I should rely on it.

And truthfully, sometimes I don’t know whether or not I’d choose the bear, but you know what I would choose in a heartbeat? An overland camper, or to be even more specific; the Frontier ROCH pro camper. 

Because not only does it fully lock, with blinds covering both windows so no one can see inside, it offers complete protection from outside elements with its impact resistant composite shell, and R-9 rated insulating the cabin which is much better than my car. And AC for those hot nights and heat for cold.

It’s also incredibly comfortable with its six-inch memory foam RV queen. Compared to sleeping on a car floor: It feels like luxury. The best sleep promised before a hard incline the next morning. And it fits me, which doesn’t really say too much as I am only a couple inches over five feet tall, but there is so much extra room I could even fit both of my dogs in there with me and we’d all be comfortable. 

There’s also a lot of interior and exterior cabinets so I can keep everything organized rather than stuffing everything into my two front seats to make room for me and my sleeping bag to fit in the back. 

And one of my favorite things about it is the fact that it has a solar panel of 110 watts so I can charge my phone, headphones and watch without killing my car battery or leaving it on for hours, wasting gas and money. I could charge everything for hours on end in the camper and it wouldn’t hurt the power at all.

There’s a shower too which is the best thing in the world for me.  I may be a granola girl, but I like to be clean, still, and feel clean. As well as an awning for some shade in the afternoons. 

Not to mention there is a 21-gallon water tank, a fridge, a stove top and propane so I can cook more than my little pack of ramen in my jet boil, which, let’s be honest, isn’t really going to sustain me for my activities.

It’s like an indestructible, portable home created for side quests.

There’s also full LED lighting with dimmable porch lights on both sides, in case I wanted to calm my nerves when I have to get out for some reason during the night, which occurs a lot. 

Frontier Campers are also RVIA members, meaning they have passed inspections for electrical systems, plumbing systems, heating and LP gas systems, fire safety, and structural integrity. 

Not to mention there’s also an easily accessible fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, co detector, a propane leak detector to add that extra layer of calm knowing I am safe. I will make it to my nephew’s fourth birthday next week and make memories in the process. And to me, that level of reassurance and comfort is worth the money. The means of adventure is worth it. 

Because I’ll go to many lengths to keep the adventure alive.