Cowboy camping at a glance
- Carries
- Pad and bag, nothing over you
- Main risk
- Dew soaking insulation
- Best in
- Desert and settled dry weather
What you gain
Time and weight, and a genuinely better night in the right conditions. Nothing to pitch means you can stop when you are ready to stop rather than when you find a pitchable site, and you can be walking again ten minutes after waking. In stable dry weather, in a desert or above treeline on a clear night, it is the best sleep on the trail.
Most people who do it still carry the shelter and simply choose not to pitch it, which is the sensible version. Leaving the tent at home turns a comfortable choice into a commitment you cannot reverse at 1am.
What you are exposed to
Dew is the underrated one. A clear calm night radiates heat to the sky and soaks everything, including your bag, and a down bag that gets wet from dew is a genuine problem for the following night. A bivy or even a light tarp overhead solves it.
Then insects, which have no barrier at all, and rodents, which are the actual wildlife issue rather than anything larger: mice chew through packs for food scraps and they are far bolder with nothing between you and them. Food storage rules do not relax because you did not pitch.
Choosing a spot
Look up as well as down. Nothing dead overhead, no obvious drainage line, and if possible a slight rise rather than a hollow, because cold air and dew both pool at the low point. Durable ground matters more than usual since you are lying directly on it, and the same setback distances from water and trail apply.
What this means when you're choosing
- A pad with enough R-value, since there is no tent trapping any warmth at all
- A quilt or bag with a shell that shrugs off dew, or hydrophobic down
- Somewhere to store food properly, which does not change because you skipped the tent
The common mistake
Leaving the shelter at home rather than in the pack
Cowboy camping is a decision you want to be able to reverse when the wind changes at midnight. Carrying the tent and choosing not to pitch it costs you the weight and nothing else. Not carrying it costs you the option.
Common questions
Is cowboy camping safe?
In terms of wildlife, the realistic issue is rodents rather than anything large, and proper food storage handles that. The bigger risks are weather you cannot escape and dew soaking your insulation, both of which argue for carrying the shelter even when you do not pitch it.
How do you deal with dew?
Pick a slight rise rather than a hollow, since cold air and moisture pool at the low point, and prefer a bag or quilt with a water-resistant shell. A light tarp overhead removes the problem entirely for a few ounces.
Where this is defined
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics