Getting Started With Eco-Friendly Camping Prep
So I decided to plan my first totally eco-friendly camping trip last month. Wanted to hit Zion National Park but knew I couldn’t just grab my old gear and go like before. First thing I did? Dug through my storage shed and made a giant pile of all my existing camping stuff right there on the garage floor.
Took me three hours sorting through that mess – tents, stoves, cookware, everything. Pulled out anything plastic and tossed it straight into the recycle bin. Found my old propane stove and went “nope, not for this trip”. Also realized my cheap nylon tent was shedding microplastics just from touching it.
The Gear Hunt Begins
Started researching replacements that wouldn’t wreck nature. Spent a whole week comparing stuff online and asking rangers what they recommend. Finally settled on:
- Bamboo sleeping pad instead of inflatable PVC one
- Cast iron cookware set (heavy but lasts forever)
- Solar-powered lantern with USB ports
Bought a secondhand canvas tent off this retired forest ranger – heavy as hell but zero plastic. Most expensive part? The water filtration system. Got one that screws right onto water bottles so I wouldn’t need disposable plastic ones.
Test Run Disaster
Tried setting everything up in my backyard first. Total comedy show. That canvas tent fought me like a live animal – took two hours and three YouTube tutorials just to get the poles right. Then discovered the solar lantern wouldn’t charge under oak trees. Changed plans: swapped for a hand-crank model that makes this weird grinding noise when you power it.
The cast iron skillet nearly broke my picnic table when I dropped it. My neighbor came over laughing when he saw me struggling with the water filter attachments. “Going eco looks painful!” he yelled. Yeah no kidding.
Actual Park Setup
At Zion, things clicked better. Followed the leave-no-trace rules hardcore:
- Pitched tent on bare dirt, not plants
- Dug cathole bathroom 6 inches deep like guidelines say
- Kept all food in bear-proof steel containers (rented from ranger station)
Cooked rice and beans using the stupidly heavy cookware – took forever but tasted amazing. Washed dishes with biodegradable soap 200 feet from the river like instructed. Wiped everything with reusable bamboo towels instead of paper.
Best part? Breaking camp took under an hour since I’d practiced. Double-checked every square foot for micro-trash. Packed out other people’s bottle caps I found nearby too. Ranger gave me a thumbs up at the exit station when he inspected my site.
What Actually Worked
Turns out the cheap stuff failed and the expensive stuff saved the trip:
- Canvas tent leaked during sudden rainstorm (gonna seal seams better next time)
- Bamboo sleeping pad was comfier than my old Walmart pad
- Hand-crank lantern outlasted everyone else’s battery-powered junk
Learned that “eco-friendly” mostly means choosing gear that won’t fall apart immediately. Still cheaper than replacing cheap plastic crap every season. Already planning my next trip with these adjustments – and leaving the cast iron skillet home unless I bring a pack mule!
