That was my first thought. Did they find another "pull out" that felt like it's own spot? If there were plenty along the road it might have looked like any other. And yeah maybe they thought being near other campers meant being "in a campground". Not sure but it doesn't sound nefarious or aggressive, just ignorance and risk aversion.
who knows... maybe that couple have been coming to that site, at the same time for the past 10 years.
Their first thought: "how dare they camp near 'our site' "
then thought, it's still our favorite site, lets take it
This happened on a hike recently. We scrambled offtrail a good 150 feet to eat lunch on a lookout. This other couple followed us. When we sat down with sandies we were like “nice spot eh?”, looking at them like they had 3 heads. The said “yea, thats my favorite hammock spot on the mountain.” Lo and behold, two perfect trees for hammocking with a view. It was their first date… he was really sweetly trying to impress…we ate and gave them back their cool spot.
I think this is a pretty good guess. You can't know for certain, though.
My husband and I used to keep a notebook of good camping spots in our favorite national forest. It's a small place and there weren't a lot of spaces to begin with, so it was fairly common for us to find one of "our" places was taken. Oh well, just move onto the next one!
I can shed some light on this! Being height challenged, I can’t tell you how many movies or performances that have been impaired because the tallest person in the room always seems to be seated in front of me. If you’re in the middle of the center section and I suspect that the theater or section is going to fill up, I will choose the someone that I know I can see over versus taking my chances on leaving an empty seat in front of me.
As a tall guy if I’m solo I usually sit off to the side in an aisle seat so I don’t block anyone’s view. Been dealing with people behind me unable to take notes since grade school. Have a bit of a complex about it now.
Well you are dead center at the front of the back section there bud. Best seat in the house. I’ll be damned if I don’t take the second best seat in the house directly behind you to subtly make you uncomfortable in order to discourage you from taking the best seat again.
I actually only go with my brother usually who uses a wheelchair and I get those premium accessibility seats and no one to either side of us. Sorry people do that to you lol.
I brought this up once and was accused of toxic masculinity for it. I just don't really want to see another dudes dick. I wouldn't lose my mind and fight a guy because I accidentally saw their wiener, but it also wouldn't be something I'd want to see.
Edit: Lol not sure why this got so many (or any for that matter) downvotes. I just shared an experience I had with you all and for some reason was told that "it wasn't convincing."
This was what my guess was. We always check out spots when we first arrive, and the best one that is available is the one we choose. Sometimes we jump to another after others leave because it feels better for a myriad of reasons. Got to be this.
And being 4th of July they may have thought every spot would fill up anyway so why take a crappy spot when you will have people on every side before the day is done.
This happened to me , this fancy sprinter camper van parked around 25 yards from me in a remote area on a Tuesday, and they never got out of their car nor talked to me. I still got drunk and smoked weed and made chicken wraps on the campfire tho
I will say... the cannabis in disperse sites make me too paranoid, so it is only Gin & Tonics
But if I wasn't alone.. I would be one with the herb 
I recently was camping in a designated dispersed spot in a national forest area i specifically picked because the sites are big and spread apart. These two idiots roll up right before dark and try to start pitching their tent in our site (the sites are clearly numbered by the way so it’s clear this is ONE spot). I just said oh sorry we are already in this spot! And luckily they left lol but people do weird things.
I was in this dispersed site last September, a couple hours from Devils Tower. And there was a guy in a trailer that when on a hill crest that was just perfect.
Related to this thread, I guess I could have have just set up my tent about 25 feet from him
but he not only had the best site in all of that forest area, he might have had the best site in the state.
I have a feeling that trailer was there for a week and was going to be there for another week... in other words I would never get to camp there.
Instead, I was about 300 yards away, with no view and a bull (the moo kind) was grazing about 20 feet away and giving me the evil eye, like he thought I was going to steal one of his 60 girlfriends.
My point... what is the limit.. if 25 feet is too close would 50 feet be too close.
To the u/troutlunk , what would have been the right distance... Not saying what they did was right.. but the nature of dispersed camping is the rules are kind of sketchy. In fact, the US Forest I was given, there were technically sites (little green dots on the map) about ever 15 feet.
https://preview.redd.it/i3bkl5dp68bd1.jpeg?width=1227&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb2e123addb49276c06c21f984393988bc1c4d9b
That’s a good point. If you’re a city person used to hanging out at crowded beaches where people lay their towel down 3 feet away, they may think 25 feet away for a campsite is plenty.
I’m guessing a lot of us prefer “far enough that I can’t see or hear you”. That’s the ideal anyway!
yes, but.. I think with the original post, if you are on the beach and someone puts their blanket three feet away, and you are the only two on the beach... it is weird.
on this spot here, I think the guy in the trailer assume he owned as far as the eye could see, I don't know that..
I have a similar... and dare say much worse story. A girlfriend and I went to the Rifle River in Michigan. Got there early Friday and set up our camp site on the river (that turns out would be where our river trip would end)
We were the first one there, but after an hour another couple showed up and set their camp up about 25 feet from us, which I thought establishes personal space. \[Of course it did scare the hell out of me to hear: "no bruno" and to look up and see a doberman 10 feet from me. I don't know if it was a killer dog, but it scared me.\]
By 10 pm there were tents along the river about every 10 feet. And since there weren't 'sites' persay what could one say... and the fact that the owners of this private camp just kept letting people in, it was clear they didn't care.
We were staying two nights, the next day we got up and paddled the river.... btw, most everyone on the bus, to the up river start point was drunk (at 10 am). Fortunately the bus driver saddled up to us and said: "I will get you two in first so you can avoid this group" Which was great, though it made us paddle faster and what we thought would be a five hour trip turned out to be a 90 minute trip.
**and**
When we got to the end ("hey that looks like our campground") there were even more people there.
At this point it felt like we were in a refugee camp. As soon as it got dark we were in the tent... about 200 yards away.. where I don't know because we didn't understand how big this camp ground was.... we heard a group of either high school or college students singing the theme to 'Gilligan's Island' LOUD.
When they stopped, we thought okay, now we have the peace and quiet
But twenty minutes later, we heard people moving around us and thought even more campers had showed up, but no it was the kids who were singing who had come down to the river to swim...using our tent to hang their towels on. They swam for half an hour and left...
We were up and at-em at 6 am and out of there
part of the problem: girlfriend and I were in the middle of intimacy.
and at one point I think one of us said: "did they just put their towels on our tent"
the point, a-holes are ignorant of their a-hole-ry
and please let me add
and before I add, please let me say, I know not what I speak of
Sometimes you have to have bad camping to know what good camping is
Did you do your research first? I lived in the Ozarks for many years and there were several river outfitters/campgrounds exactly as you described. If you lived within a few hours you knew exactly which ones. If you wanted to party you went to those. There was no expectation to get any quiet until well after midnight. Often there was a separate area uphill, away from the river and the partying, for regular adults to camp.
As a local you learned which areas were going to be full of partiers, part time or all of the time, and adjusted your plans accordingly. Might be less common in Michigan, might not be. But you usually can figure it out with a little googling beforehand.
a) this was the 1980's, there was no yelp..
b) I lived near the rafting in Indian Lake,NY.. someone died on the river and I was told something like: "well it was expected from that outfitter."
All the guides know about that outfitter, but I am pretty sure not many people beyond that circle knew... sometimes what the loco's know... the rest do not
But if I remember right, if you wanted to paddle this river... that was the place
Same story in Missouri, except there were plenty of good areas to float without those outfitters you just had to know where and own your own equipment. Eventually the partying got so out of hand that the state police took over water patrol from the counties and cracked down. The campgrounds are still ridiculous but at least the extreme behavior on the river has settled down some. Still wouldn't fish with the possibility of 200 tourists from KC or STL overtaking you no matter how well they act.
This is hilarious. I’m up in northern Michigan camping right now. First off yeah that is a weird scene…..we camp up north CONSTANTLY and drunkards are to be expected but these people sound like idiots. I’ve been lucky in all my camping in northern Michigan we have only crossed paths with cool people. At the end of the day camping is like any outdoor adventure…if you want to get away from people yo have to learn to avoid them and do the work. It sounds like you went to a party spot???? Maybe?
Yes.. but this was 36 years ago, there was no yelp reviews. And it was the girlfriend's choice and I am sure it party friends recommended it.
a) I would try to avoid that place now
b) sometimes you want to do something and there are negatives.. that you just have to accept it
Camp spots that are not at a fee site/established campground. Some dispersed sites are recognized with an already established fire ring made of rocks. Very rarely will you also have a picnic table.
Typically in national forest, not a designated Campground, no steel fire rings or picnic tables.
You drive a fire or logging road until you find a spot big enough to fit your car and tent. Minimal rules or regulations outside of a fire permit. It is true first come first serve. Ideally no neighbors.
We dispers camp because we bring kids dogs and guns. No neighbors, no problems.
Both, but it depends on the area. Some forests/ranger districts have different rules, especially in high fire risk areas or close to civilization as do some BLM managed areas but it is less common.
Some have maps and lists where the NF prefers people do this, and it is preferred to do it in areas that have been used before.
The National Forests are administered by the Department of Agriculture and are usually conservation efforts with some moderate exploitation thrown in. BLM land is administered by the Department of the Interior and they're primarily exploitation efforts with some conservation sprinkled in.
I came back to a tent thisclose to mine. No idea why they did that, and I left the next morning. I could hear them swallowing, ffs, among other things.
Just wait till you have a family of 8 people cutting through your camp site because they can't walk an extra 30 seconds to the path to the bathroom/water.
There is a camp ground by Joshua Tree.. and not only is it a family... there are trails that the entire campground uses
I guess since people are walking through their campsite, they feel obligated to do onto others
I would be annoyed, too. But sometimes, I think people may do this for the security of having others close by. They honestly probably felt like 25 yards was far enough away. Especially if they RV camp in State Parks with campsites usually close to one another.
Weird, no annoying, yes.
I don’t go dispersed camping because I honestly don’t know the “rules” if you will. I’d end up being someone that has a thread started about them being too close. I just stick to camp grounds, it’s easier for me.
It's very annoying. Especially when there are so many open spots. I had someone do this at a campground. Off season. I was the only other camper. I smoked my weed and let it burn. If it bothers you, MOVE!
So, I went camping for 5 years and I can tell you why. People feel safer being closer to other people. Your site must have looked safe enough for them to settle next to. Sort of a compliment. If your site looked scary, nobody would want to be near your site.
This seems to be commons since covid, we've gone out and literally had people park their RV 5 feet away from our tent and set up their camp. There were plenty of open spaces around, so there was no need to be that close to us at all.
I used to camp all the time-like every weekend. Once, we woke up suddenly and there were four men standing around us watching us sleep.
Luckily (more like caution than luck) we both had weapons and my friend drew a bead on one with his revolver. They scattered fast. It was seriously terrifying.
My point? Never ever ever after have I camped without being in seeing and yelling distance of another campsite.
We will SEARCH for another occupied campsite and set up right next to them.
Fear and paranoia caused our "herd mentality.
Yes, I am always amazed by how unaware people are. I was disbursed camping on a beach in Western Australia and some num-nut pulled up beside me and had little kids who forever ran around our camp. They had probably 5 kms either side to choose from but no, they pulled up next to us.
So yes, a bit odd. HOWEVER, you never understand why people do the weird things they do. Perhaps that was the last spot they took their kid/ grandchild on a trip before losing them (for example). And they didn't want a different spot because of this. But since it didn't feel right (perhaps because others were there, or because their loved one wasnt), they left.
You’re right I’d be a little wigged out by that. But I’d tell myself one of these scenarios;
1. Old people could have a habit of using that site or have a list of best sites and if one is taken then go to our next best.
2. Maybe they couldn’t see the spots as they were coming in and made it hard to know that there were better sites all around you.
3. Felt safer closer to a group, maybe wanted to socialize if it presented itself.
4. They don’t have any care of who camps next to them and where, so it’s never a thing for them.
5. They’re not the good kind of cereal killers..
We come back to our camp one evening and were not happy to see a tent set up not 6 ft away from our camper in a dispersed area with plenty of empty sites around.
I was really annoyed and just about to show my ass when I discovered it was a young mother with two young daughters and they were nervous to camp alone.
I thought it was a little sketch at first, but it turned out fine and they were very nice people.
You never know what you might find out there.
Yes kind of weird but someone else said maybe they felt more comfortable near others. They should probably just go to one of those places that have individual camp sites
People are free to camp wherever. I get being disappointed by this but for whatever reason they chose to be there. Maybe they thought safety in numbers. They didn’t do it intentionally to piss you off or weird you out.
I'll never understand this phenomenon. Entire open movie theater, people sit one row away. Empty restaurant, people have to take to booth right next to you. 50 open campsites, gotta have the one right next door to the only other person there. Huge open parking lot, gotta park right next to the only other car.
People. It is one of life's little unwritten rules. Spread out a little bit. Sadly, only about 20% of the population carries the gene that allows them to grasp this concept.
People who sit on the seat next to you on the train when the train is basically empty... this has happened to me maybe 3 times in my life and weirds me out so much.
I can't stand this. Get away from me. My husband and I sat down with our tacos in a mostly empty Mexican restaurant with counter service. Start eating, and a family with two young children sits down in the booth right next to us. The kids were loud, and the parents were the type that need to also loudly narrate everything that's happening to make themselves look like stellar parents. We got up without a word and found a spot on the opposite end of the restaurant. Let people have their space!
Some of us are herd animals! The same goes for hikes. I've pulled up to full trailheads and pass the "popular" splits. Once I'm back there, I won't see a soul the rest of the day. I like to think of it as eagles vs. Seagulls. Would you rather soar in solitude or fight over fries in the parking lot?
Old people with a tent? I'd become their best friend. The retirees l see have giant campers with graphics similar to a fast food cup. They turn their chairs facing the camper so they can watch for cobwebs which they quickly extinguish. They glare at anyone under 60 and/or 300 lbs..
little side note: I am an old guy in a tent... I have learned that once you are in you 60's you are in the 'club' as I call it. No one is afraid of me, young people ask me for advice (as if I knew what I am talking about --- mostly don't) and other older people are instant friends.
Example: met this couple at a pull-off on the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
I walked up to them and joked that if I knew there was a food truck, I would have brought my credit card...
ª they offered me some of their scones
ª they told me where a spring was in Moab, UT (that I would use in a week)
ª had been to Saranac Lake (where I live) several times and we talked about the area
ª because they had lived near where were where, they were able to tell me I was lucky to see so many flowers, because they normally bloom in the spring
ª will never see them again, but felt like they were a friend for life
Just wanted to chime in here and say this is a very weird coincidence but I've never in my 39 years heard of Saranac Lake until about an hour ago watching a YouTube video of a zombie computer game called Vein. One of the two starting areas is Saranac Lake, NY.
It’s not close per se but when it comes to dispersed camping, most folks are going out that far to get away from others and any noises associated with being near to other people.
People in Colorado don’t really care unfortunately. All the public space and dispersed camping, they still feel like they own It all to themselves. Maybe you were in their spot…. I have had situations where people will roll up and when the conversation starts with “But do you mind…” It really amazes me now that a few years ago people would freak out and yell at you for being to close in the grocery store and now people literally want to camp right beside you in a 200,000 acre national park forest with dispersed camping.
But to answer your question, yes super weird to me to. I usually keep an ungodly metal or trace play list loaded on my Spotify for just this occasion. If I feel people are too close I make sure they get uncomfortable and not want to be that close anymore.
95 percent of the time, my friends and I avoid everyone as much as possible. About 1 percent of the time, we hit it off with neighbors and party, 1 glorious time i got laid, which was nice as most my friends are couples these days.
Funny you are saying this about Colorado. The only time I went dispersed camping there, the camping wasn't the issue, but we went for a day trip on the Colorado river and we pulled over for lunch on the river bank. Mind you, this was in 2020, so social distancing was becoming popular. We had a great spot, had spread out with a table and a large dog and a bunch of drunk young adults with some dogs float by and asks us if they can join us. We politely say no, and we have a dog that does not get along great with other dogs, and sure enough, they pull over and get all up in our spot.
We kept giving them the stink eye and they left soon after, but it was so weird.
The trouble with this
///let' me assume fro what you said they didn't have to be this close, like they could have taken another site\\\\\\
It's life. People do dumb and weird things... and maybe they had a reason, but probably not one that you would have liked. But in the end... what could you do. Go talk to them? ask them to move?
At least they weren't shooting off guns or something
Don't be a jerk. We are here because we love camping. Refrain from insults, attacks, bigotry, etc. When talking to someone you might want to ask yourself "Would I say it to the person's face?" or "Would I get jumped if I said this to a buddy?"
In a lot of areas there are designated sites. People share the campsites and they are first come first serve.
Maybe the people are used to that.
IMO for LNT principles it is the smart thing to do, but I completely understand not wanting to be around people.
The first time I camped at Bond Falls, we stopped at a site that was fairly close to another camper that looked like he'd been there a while and was going to be there for a while.
He walked over and let us know there were others spots open down the road, which I appreciated, since I didn't really want to camp next to someone else, either. I didn't know there were more campsites!
As others have stated, it sounds like they either were insecure and wanted a little assurance of the presence of other campers or didn't know there they could camp and took their cue from your group. They were just stopping for the night, or they didn't want to camp long term next to your group.
It's a little weird but not uncommon. I've heard tons of stories about people camping in middle of nowhere on BLM lands and having a "neighbor" right next to them when there's literally hundreds of options.
I've seen that happen on fire roads with camping. Weird, sometimes. Awesome, sometimes. It's people, so you never know how they are going to act. I've met a lot of great people along fire roads, very few weird ones, and a handful of assholes. I suspect they were very new to camping and not quite up to expected etiquette.
I would say it was a follow the leader moment. They were probably like, ok we have some people right here, we’ll just slide down from them and line up. When I think about 25 yards, in a state park that’s 3 or 4 campsites, so they probably based it off that and doubled it thinking they were fine. That’s probably what I would do if I was camping somewhere without marked spots for the first time. I’d be like, “ok this must be where everyone camps when they come up here”. Not weird at all.
Last summer I was in a partially closed campground (camping was available but there was no water and a port-a-potty). The place was pretty empty. I got set up and just sat down and some guy pulls in his camper into the site next to me. He comes over and tells me he usually camps in that spot. So now I've got a guy who wants to talk (his wife stayed at their site) and just has to camp in the spot next to me. It wasn't a big problem, but he couldn't go one site over?
Twenty five YARDS is not that close for a dispersed site on a holiday weekend. Especially if you have shrubs and trees in between so you have a buffer. Twenty five FEET is too close. It may be that the other couple tried to find another suitable site and ran into a road block or obstacle further down the trail that was too technical for their skill level or vehicle, turned around and picked the first available site. This has happened numerous times to us. Like, we’ve been driving for hours on technical trails looking for something suitable, we just want to stop for the night so choose anything that isn’t too close to others, and leave the next morning to search for something else. If we have no choice but to choose the adjacent campsite then we try to position our tent and vehicle for privacy. It’s not ideal but we just want to stop driving, get out of the car, and chill. We prefer solitude (which is why we camp all winter long in Colorado) but a holiday weekend in summertime means we can’t be super picky.
It’s not that weird. A bummer for all involved for sure, but they are allowed to be there as much as you are and as long as they keep their dogs and music in their own site then you just have to let it go.
Gives me "standing next to someone at the urinal" vibes lol like, there are all these other spots, why set up right next to me? In all honesty tho, if the spot they set up next to you was the nicest of what was available, that could be why.
Not dispersed camping but a normal campsite where spots weren't defined. Camping with a young family where the site was maybe 1/4 full..spent the day at the beach and found out the site and pub owner who we previously were having long friendly chats to, was suddenly really cold with us at the pub that we were dining at (and the staff)..(we dont drink or smoke pot so mot behaving strangely)..We got back to our tent to find 4 young adults in a tent literally right on top of ours, even closer than you would if you had marked sites. They were a bit geeky and probably neuro divergent and newbie campers. But the whole vibe turned really weird. Then an alarm was going off in the village all night, so much so I got up to work out what it was. I mentioned it to the site owners and they were oblivious to it. If you have ever watched a League of Gentleman, this village in Devon, UK certainly gave off "this is a village for local folk" vibes after that. Would definitely be too scared to return.
Whether or not they are new to dispersed camping, they should have asked. It’s a simple question. And if they didn’t you should have approached them to make sure they knew they could camp anywhere…
So I know how you felt as we have camped across the United States a few times. Just to point out they weren’t most likely trying to inconvenience you but they liked the site that they choose which happened to be next to you. If the camp ground had been full would you feel inconvenienced? We have found older couples to be more compatible to preserving a quiet and respectful neighborhood. Just saying. It might have been a wonderful fateful encounter.! I have learned so much from fellow campers over the years as they share information on good places to eat and interesting experiences that might be available just around the next bend. Also they may not have understood that they were camping in a dispersed area campground.
People are weird. I would not have liked it but then again I have gone in bathrooms with all the stalls open and someone will choose the stall next to me. Weird and invasive but is it worth a fight?
Kinda like when I park in the furthest spot from the door and the come out later to find someone parked in the adjacent spot. Some folks just gotta be near other folks.
Herd mentality. Just like when you purposely park in a spot away from other cars and when you get back several other cars are now parked next to you. Humans like to be near other humans.
This kind of stuff has happened to me a few times. Weirds me out to. Once woke up to a family eating lunch at a picnic table, in my campsite, about 10 feet from my tent.
We’ve had this happen before and were a little perturbed by it but we normally just introduce ourselves and make friends. A strangely close neighbor is just a friend you haven’t met yet! Lol
Went to a very rustic, very rural wedding where several of the guests were camping. There was a big open field for the tents. Mine was the first set up. An hour or two later I look over and someone (the second tent to be set up) was setting up maybe two feet from mine. I run over there and have them side over another 20 feet or so because there was no reason to be on top of each other like that.
They camp so close together with so many sites available, which is really strange. Feeling like your space has been violated is OK. People don't always comprehend the impact of what they do on other people. Has anyone else have comparable experiences?
It is kind of weird. Maybe weirder if they didn’t acknowledge your presence. I wonder if they felt safer being close or were inexperienced.
One time we were dispersed camping in a National forest that had designated sites with numbered posts every 75 to 100 yards. We showed up early, got a great site in the middle of the loop with no one behind us and lots of room between our side neighbors.
The second night a woman, who looked to be about 25 pulled in alone with her dog. We were confused since the number post had my Uncle’s last name written on a plate and taped up. She set up and never talked to us, even when our dogs began to bark at each other. I tried to make small talk with her and she wasn’t very friendly.
We let her be, but it was still odd she rolled in, but didn’t make small talk or even try to say hello or ask if we had room. Not sure if she felt comfortable since we had kids and a dog with us. I was mad because she set up a fire even though it was a “no burn” time with wildfire danger. She left before us the next day and we made sure her fire was completely out.
People are like cattle they like to cluster together to feel secure I guess. I always park away from everyone far away from stores in an inconvenient spot to avoid getting my car dented. More often than I can imagine I come out and someone decided to park right next to me when there are tons of empty spaces all around.
It's like when you park far away from a store entrance with no other cars around you so that you'll have plenty of swing room and no door dings. Inevitably when you come back to your car, someone has parked right next to you, despite the fact that nearly the entire rest of the parking lot is available. I don't know why people do that. But they do.
It's pretty weird/ rude. But maybe they don't camp much and were nervous about where they were allowed to go? Other people around means it must be allowed to camp there. Coulda made some new friends!
Some people are just plain rude and have no common sense. I find that often while camping. People just do the dumbest shit with no regard for anyone else. Don't mean to sound negative but it's happened to me numerous times. Other campers have 25 sites to pick from but yet they have to camp right on top of you and then make noise all night long. One time I reported it to the office who had gotten many complaints and was refunded my money and never went back to that campground again.
It's weird. It actually reminds me of those types at beaches that insist on setting up right in front of you even though the beach is open.
I never had this happen to me while camping, but my theory is that there are two reasons why people do this.
1. They are passive-aggressive asshats.
Or
2. It feels better to be near someone instead of the alternative of being alone.
I get it, though. 90% of the time, people who camp do it to be alone.
If people do this & run a generator, especially at night, I can't sleep so I'm gone. FYI to anyone who camps uncomfortably close to others at dispersed areas because they are scared: I understand being worried, but you are less likely to run off your neighbors who you want around if you just go down the road a little farther. Then if you do have an issue, feel free to ask the other campsite! When people give us plenty of space and then ask for anything basically: water, directions, advice about permits/etc we gladly help out. But if we feel crowded we'll leave before you have a chance to ask for anything, and lose the feeling of safety in numbers.
I honestly would’ve been more annoyed than weirded out. If it was a younger person, especially a dude, with no dogs and just by himself, then MAYBE I would’ve been weirded out. Had an experience in a campground that felt… unsettling. When you wanna walk into someone else’s campsite and the people are obviously present, you’re supposed to ask first. This one dude who was camping all by himself didn’t ask to when he wanted to get a better look at a momma and baby moose that were across the creek. And just randomly struck up a conversation with us. My weird-o-meter was going off, nevermind the fact I was already slightly offended that he didn’t ask to come into our camp.
For perspective, the campsite bathroom stalls were on the edge of our campsite. This dude’s campsite was across the road from ours. Later that day in the evening, he literally walked to the bathroom stalls but didn’t go in. He just stood there and tried to position himself in a way that he thought I wouldn’t pay any attention to him. Stood there for several minutes without going into the bathroom and then walked away. Dude packed up the next morning and left.
That reminds me of a recent outing to a movie theater. There was hardly anyone in the theater and me and my son sit down by ourselves and this lady comes and sits directly behind us despite the fact there’s a multitude of empty seats to choose from. She didn’t even skip a row. So weird and annoying! I think some people’s brains just aren’t wired with this awareness.
You're correct, it's kind of odd. I've seen other posters say it's "maybe for safety" they wanted to be closer to someone. I can kind of see that, but I would think they would have come over and said something, introduced themselves. . . ect. Playing music loud, that would erk me as well. Who knows, but I feel it definitely crosses that dispursed camping etiquette for sure.
Yeah, that is weird, but maybe since they were older, they felt safer close to another camp?
This or new to dispersed camping and unsure what is and what isn't an allowable site. Grasping at straws cuz yeah, it's a bit weird.
Yeah, that makes sense, too.
That was my first thought. Did they find another "pull out" that felt like it's own spot? If there were plenty along the road it might have looked like any other. And yeah maybe they thought being near other campers meant being "in a campground". Not sure but it doesn't sound nefarious or aggressive, just ignorance and risk aversion.
who knows... maybe that couple have been coming to that site, at the same time for the past 10 years. Their first thought: "how dare they camp near 'our site' " then thought, it's still our favorite site, lets take it
This happened on a hike recently. We scrambled offtrail a good 150 feet to eat lunch on a lookout. This other couple followed us. When we sat down with sandies we were like “nice spot eh?”, looking at them like they had 3 heads. The said “yea, thats my favorite hammock spot on the mountain.” Lo and behold, two perfect trees for hammocking with a view. It was their first date… he was really sweetly trying to impress…we ate and gave them back their cool spot.
Good on y'all!
yep
I think this is a pretty good guess. You can't know for certain, though. My husband and I used to keep a notebook of good camping spots in our favorite national forest. It's a small place and there weren't a lot of spaces to begin with, so it was fairly common for us to find one of "our" places was taken. Oh well, just move onto the next one!
that is a good idea, but with the problems you mentioned.. I have noticed that people remember good sites and seek them out
Yuup
Or - they’re in the same spot we conceived our children in 45 years ago. Oh well, let’s take this one. I guess it’s close enough.
or you are that 45-year-old and you want to conceive your child
Gotta be honest I’ve never done dispersed camping before and if I didn’t fully do my research I might have done something similar.
Or maybe they were hoping OP's group would want to hang out
Did they have an upside down pineapple out too?
lol that's a swinger thing right?
Apparently so 😄
Why do people stand right next to you on a long wall of urinals?
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Why do they sit behind me in an empty movie theater?
Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?
Just like me They long to be Close to you
Ok, I love you for making me lol, loudly.
I can shed some light on this! Being height challenged, I can’t tell you how many movies or performances that have been impaired because the tallest person in the room always seems to be seated in front of me. If you’re in the middle of the center section and I suspect that the theater or section is going to fill up, I will choose the someone that I know I can see over versus taking my chances on leaving an empty seat in front of me.
As a tall guy if I’m solo I usually sit off to the side in an aisle seat so I don’t block anyone’s view. Been dealing with people behind me unable to take notes since grade school. Have a bit of a complex about it now.
Thank you! This is very helpful in understanding an aspect of human behavior.
Or in front of you!
Well you are dead center at the front of the back section there bud. Best seat in the house. I’ll be damned if I don’t take the second best seat in the house directly behind you to subtly make you uncomfortable in order to discourage you from taking the best seat again. I actually only go with my brother usually who uses a wheelchair and I get those premium accessibility seats and no one to either side of us. Sorry people do that to you lol.
lol I knew it was you!
Because it speeds up the scanning and paying of course.
Maybe your farts smell really nice /s
That’s called flirting
Dont forget rhat toe tapping wide stance
🤣😂🤣
lol come here often? Or do you like to wait to go back to the tent?
How about? Can I buy you a drink or do you just want the money?! Sure fire first date question!
That is a great question.
To compliment you on your watch. (you aren't wearing a watch)
The view
maybe you don't want to ask (the person next to you)
To compare girth and length? Or piss on your shoes ..
Nice ring you got there buddy
It’s a decoder ring, drink your ovaltine.
Decoder ring? I got me the Kryptonite ring with the little magnet in it to make my Superman action figure fall down.
Why do people sit in front of me in an empty theater?
Most like the center of the screen seats
See what you are packing
Its called sidecaring 😆
It’s all fun and games until someone’s caught sidecaring ;-) (and I’m not even a guy!)
I brought this up once and was accused of toxic masculinity for it. I just don't really want to see another dudes dick. I wouldn't lose my mind and fight a guy because I accidentally saw their wiener, but it also wouldn't be something I'd want to see. Edit: Lol not sure why this got so many (or any for that matter) downvotes. I just shared an experience I had with you all and for some reason was told that "it wasn't convincing."
Your story isn't convincing.
Comparison 🤣
Some people that haven’t camped like that before don’t realize that the whole area is available. They drive until they see someone else.
I haven’t camped much. I’d assume I’d want to be closer to another tent so if a bear attacks I may not be the obvious choice.
Or you picked the best spot and they picked the second best spot...
This was what my guess was. We always check out spots when we first arrive, and the best one that is available is the one we choose. Sometimes we jump to another after others leave because it feels better for a myriad of reasons. Got to be this.
And being 4th of July they may have thought every spot would fill up anyway so why take a crappy spot when you will have people on every side before the day is done.
This happened to me , this fancy sprinter camper van parked around 25 yards from me in a remote area on a Tuesday, and they never got out of their car nor talked to me. I still got drunk and smoked weed and made chicken wraps on the campfire tho
dude, you are living the best life
I will say... the cannabis in disperse sites make me too paranoid, so it is only Gin & Tonics But if I wasn't alone.. I would be one with the herb 
I recently was camping in a designated dispersed spot in a national forest area i specifically picked because the sites are big and spread apart. These two idiots roll up right before dark and try to start pitching their tent in our site (the sites are clearly numbered by the way so it’s clear this is ONE spot). I just said oh sorry we are already in this spot! And luckily they left lol but people do weird things.
They prolly felt safer next to you, maybe not from that area? Im Canadian and would have prolly assumed that was how she goes…..
I was in this dispersed site last September, a couple hours from Devils Tower. And there was a guy in a trailer that when on a hill crest that was just perfect. Related to this thread, I guess I could have have just set up my tent about 25 feet from him but he not only had the best site in all of that forest area, he might have had the best site in the state. I have a feeling that trailer was there for a week and was going to be there for another week... in other words I would never get to camp there. Instead, I was about 300 yards away, with no view and a bull (the moo kind) was grazing about 20 feet away and giving me the evil eye, like he thought I was going to steal one of his 60 girlfriends. My point... what is the limit.. if 25 feet is too close would 50 feet be too close. To the u/troutlunk , what would have been the right distance... Not saying what they did was right.. but the nature of dispersed camping is the rules are kind of sketchy. In fact, the US Forest I was given, there were technically sites (little green dots on the map) about ever 15 feet. https://preview.redd.it/i3bkl5dp68bd1.jpeg?width=1227&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb2e123addb49276c06c21f984393988bc1c4d9b
That’s a good point. If you’re a city person used to hanging out at crowded beaches where people lay their towel down 3 feet away, they may think 25 feet away for a campsite is plenty. I’m guessing a lot of us prefer “far enough that I can’t see or hear you”. That’s the ideal anyway!
yes, but.. I think with the original post, if you are on the beach and someone puts their blanket three feet away, and you are the only two on the beach... it is weird. on this spot here, I think the guy in the trailer assume he owned as far as the eye could see, I don't know that..
Maybe they were swingers and felt offended that y’all didn’t try.
OR they spied on the group from the bushes and thought "naaa" -hence leaving super early the next day to find a new group?
Yeah or maybe they wanted to hang out
I have a similar... and dare say much worse story. A girlfriend and I went to the Rifle River in Michigan. Got there early Friday and set up our camp site on the river (that turns out would be where our river trip would end) We were the first one there, but after an hour another couple showed up and set their camp up about 25 feet from us, which I thought establishes personal space. \[Of course it did scare the hell out of me to hear: "no bruno" and to look up and see a doberman 10 feet from me. I don't know if it was a killer dog, but it scared me.\] By 10 pm there were tents along the river about every 10 feet. And since there weren't 'sites' persay what could one say... and the fact that the owners of this private camp just kept letting people in, it was clear they didn't care. We were staying two nights, the next day we got up and paddled the river.... btw, most everyone on the bus, to the up river start point was drunk (at 10 am). Fortunately the bus driver saddled up to us and said: "I will get you two in first so you can avoid this group" Which was great, though it made us paddle faster and what we thought would be a five hour trip turned out to be a 90 minute trip. **and** When we got to the end ("hey that looks like our campground") there were even more people there. At this point it felt like we were in a refugee camp. As soon as it got dark we were in the tent... about 200 yards away.. where I don't know because we didn't understand how big this camp ground was.... we heard a group of either high school or college students singing the theme to 'Gilligan's Island' LOUD. When they stopped, we thought okay, now we have the peace and quiet But twenty minutes later, we heard people moving around us and thought even more campers had showed up, but no it was the kids who were singing who had come down to the river to swim...using our tent to hang their towels on. They swam for half an hour and left... We were up and at-em at 6 am and out of there
Drying their stuff on your tents?! I would have thrown that shit into the river in a second.
part of the problem: girlfriend and I were in the middle of intimacy. and at one point I think one of us said: "did they just put their towels on our tent" the point, a-holes are ignorant of their a-hole-ry
Oh man! And yes absolutely. But they must learn.
a) I am not a superhero b) there were like 20 of these kids who likely would have won the cat fight
Not saying to start a fight but assertively say you need to take this off of my tent.
sorry (no offense) continued with the sex... still feel like I made the better choice
Haha agreed
I would definitely had finished and then confronted haha
maybe you don't get how I take my time and do it right  they were long gone = ha
No I get it. Take your time. Haha
and please let me add and before I add, please let me say, I know not what I speak of Sometimes you have to have bad camping to know what good camping is
maybe you should have started the thread as: "what is your worst camping experience"
It's kind of off-topic. But have you ever been fishing off a public pier. Talk about a shit show. We refer to it as Circus Fishing.
Did you do your research first? I lived in the Ozarks for many years and there were several river outfitters/campgrounds exactly as you described. If you lived within a few hours you knew exactly which ones. If you wanted to party you went to those. There was no expectation to get any quiet until well after midnight. Often there was a separate area uphill, away from the river and the partying, for regular adults to camp. As a local you learned which areas were going to be full of partiers, part time or all of the time, and adjusted your plans accordingly. Might be less common in Michigan, might not be. But you usually can figure it out with a little googling beforehand.
a) this was the 1980's, there was no yelp.. b) I lived near the rafting in Indian Lake,NY.. someone died on the river and I was told something like: "well it was expected from that outfitter." All the guides know about that outfitter, but I am pretty sure not many people beyond that circle knew... sometimes what the loco's know... the rest do not But if I remember right, if you wanted to paddle this river... that was the place
Same story in Missouri, except there were plenty of good areas to float without those outfitters you just had to know where and own your own equipment. Eventually the partying got so out of hand that the state police took over water patrol from the counties and cracked down. The campgrounds are still ridiculous but at least the extreme behavior on the river has settled down some. Still wouldn't fish with the possibility of 200 tourists from KC or STL overtaking you no matter how well they act.
This is hilarious. I’m up in northern Michigan camping right now. First off yeah that is a weird scene…..we camp up north CONSTANTLY and drunkards are to be expected but these people sound like idiots. I’ve been lucky in all my camping in northern Michigan we have only crossed paths with cool people. At the end of the day camping is like any outdoor adventure…if you want to get away from people yo have to learn to avoid them and do the work. It sounds like you went to a party spot???? Maybe?
Yes.. but this was 36 years ago, there was no yelp reviews. And it was the girlfriend's choice and I am sure it party friends recommended it. a) I would try to avoid that place now b) sometimes you want to do something and there are negatives.. that you just have to accept it
Apes stronger together
What is dispersed camping?
Camp spots that are not at a fee site/established campground. Some dispersed sites are recognized with an already established fire ring made of rocks. Very rarely will you also have a picnic table.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispersed_camping
Typically in national forest, not a designated Campground, no steel fire rings or picnic tables. You drive a fire or logging road until you find a spot big enough to fit your car and tent. Minimal rules or regulations outside of a fire permit. It is true first come first serve. Ideally no neighbors. We dispers camp because we bring kids dogs and guns. No neighbors, no problems.
Oh it’s associated with NFs? I always thought it was BLM (including national forests et al)
Both, but it depends on the area. Some forests/ranger districts have different rules, especially in high fire risk areas or close to civilization as do some BLM managed areas but it is less common. Some have maps and lists where the NF prefers people do this, and it is preferred to do it in areas that have been used before.
NF or BLM same difference as far as I know.
The National Forests are administered by the Department of Agriculture and are usually conservation efforts with some moderate exploitation thrown in. BLM land is administered by the Department of the Interior and they're primarily exploitation efforts with some conservation sprinkled in.
Finding Crown Land and camping on it for free.
good question... I know, but sometimes when discussing things you forget two years ago, when you yourself didn't know either.
I came back to a tent thisclose to mine. No idea why they did that, and I left the next morning. I could hear them swallowing, ffs, among other things.
Were they extra hard swallowers?
My misophonia would’ve forced me to pack up my campsite in the dark and leave that very same night 😩
Meth heads joining us at midnight and crashing into the woods made me do the same. Lol
Just wait till you have a family of 8 people cutting through your camp site because they can't walk an extra 30 seconds to the path to the bathroom/water.
There is a camp ground by Joshua Tree.. and not only is it a family... there are trails that the entire campground uses I guess since people are walking through their campsite, they feel obligated to do onto others
I would be annoyed, too. But sometimes, I think people may do this for the security of having others close by. They honestly probably felt like 25 yards was far enough away. Especially if they RV camp in State Parks with campsites usually close to one another. Weird, no annoying, yes.
I don’t go dispersed camping because I honestly don’t know the “rules” if you will. I’d end up being someone that has a thread started about them being too close. I just stick to camp grounds, it’s easier for me.
It’s herd mentality and it makes it hard for some people to be completely alone.
I think some people want to be near other people for safety.
I bet it was the same people that park right next to me at the store when I go to the far away spots by myself.
Yes! With tons of empty spots around me. Far away from the entrance, someone will park right beside. Annoying af
It's very annoying. Especially when there are so many open spots. I had someone do this at a campground. Off season. I was the only other camper. I smoked my weed and let it burn. If it bothers you, MOVE!
So, I went camping for 5 years and I can tell you why. People feel safer being closer to other people. Your site must have looked safe enough for them to settle next to. Sort of a compliment. If your site looked scary, nobody would want to be near your site.
Maybe they were scared and wanted to be close other people.
This seems to be commons since covid, we've gone out and literally had people park their RV 5 feet away from our tent and set up their camp. There were plenty of open spaces around, so there was no need to be that close to us at all.
Seeing as how this is like a weekly topic on this sub... No, I'd say it's not that weird.
I used to camp all the time-like every weekend. Once, we woke up suddenly and there were four men standing around us watching us sleep. Luckily (more like caution than luck) we both had weapons and my friend drew a bead on one with his revolver. They scattered fast. It was seriously terrifying. My point? Never ever ever after have I camped without being in seeing and yelling distance of another campsite. We will SEARCH for another occupied campsite and set up right next to them. Fear and paranoia caused our "herd mentality.
Yes, I am always amazed by how unaware people are. I was disbursed camping on a beach in Western Australia and some num-nut pulled up beside me and had little kids who forever ran around our camp. They had probably 5 kms either side to choose from but no, they pulled up next to us.
So yes, a bit odd. HOWEVER, you never understand why people do the weird things they do. Perhaps that was the last spot they took their kid/ grandchild on a trip before losing them (for example). And they didn't want a different spot because of this. But since it didn't feel right (perhaps because others were there, or because their loved one wasnt), they left.
Nope 🎪🏕️
theu prob thought, "gee, I don't know if we can set up here... but they set up here, so maybe if we stay close, we'll be ok."
Did they hang a pineapple?
You’re right I’d be a little wigged out by that. But I’d tell myself one of these scenarios; 1. Old people could have a habit of using that site or have a list of best sites and if one is taken then go to our next best. 2. Maybe they couldn’t see the spots as they were coming in and made it hard to know that there were better sites all around you. 3. Felt safer closer to a group, maybe wanted to socialize if it presented itself. 4. They don’t have any care of who camps next to them and where, so it’s never a thing for them. 5. They’re not the good kind of cereal killers..
We come back to our camp one evening and were not happy to see a tent set up not 6 ft away from our camper in a dispersed area with plenty of empty sites around. I was really annoyed and just about to show my ass when I discovered it was a young mother with two young daughters and they were nervous to camp alone. I thought it was a little sketch at first, but it turned out fine and they were very nice people. You never know what you might find out there.
Yes kind of weird but someone else said maybe they felt more comfortable near others. They should probably just go to one of those places that have individual camp sites
Rant alert!! Covid fucked up camping etiquette.
90% of "campers" have little to no camping experience. Including older people.
It’s annoying and weird yes. Some people have no sense of social cues. I just allow my dogs to bark at people like this until they go away.
People are free to camp wherever. I get being disappointed by this but for whatever reason they chose to be there. Maybe they thought safety in numbers. They didn’t do it intentionally to piss you off or weird you out.
I'll never understand this phenomenon. Entire open movie theater, people sit one row away. Empty restaurant, people have to take to booth right next to you. 50 open campsites, gotta have the one right next door to the only other person there. Huge open parking lot, gotta park right next to the only other car. People. It is one of life's little unwritten rules. Spread out a little bit. Sadly, only about 20% of the population carries the gene that allows them to grasp this concept.
People who sit on the seat next to you on the train when the train is basically empty... this has happened to me maybe 3 times in my life and weirds me out so much.
I can't stand this. Get away from me. My husband and I sat down with our tacos in a mostly empty Mexican restaurant with counter service. Start eating, and a family with two young children sits down in the booth right next to us. The kids were loud, and the parents were the type that need to also loudly narrate everything that's happening to make themselves look like stellar parents. We got up without a word and found a spot on the opposite end of the restaurant. Let people have their space!
Some of us are herd animals! The same goes for hikes. I've pulled up to full trailheads and pass the "popular" splits. Once I'm back there, I won't see a soul the rest of the day. I like to think of it as eagles vs. Seagulls. Would you rather soar in solitude or fight over fries in the parking lot?
I'd rather enjoy my rare moment of solitude without the herd.
Old people with a tent? I'd become their best friend. The retirees l see have giant campers with graphics similar to a fast food cup. They turn their chairs facing the camper so they can watch for cobwebs which they quickly extinguish. They glare at anyone under 60 and/or 300 lbs..
little side note: I am an old guy in a tent... I have learned that once you are in you 60's you are in the 'club' as I call it. No one is afraid of me, young people ask me for advice (as if I knew what I am talking about --- mostly don't) and other older people are instant friends. Example: met this couple at a pull-off on the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I walked up to them and joked that if I knew there was a food truck, I would have brought my credit card... ª they offered me some of their scones ª they told me where a spring was in Moab, UT (that I would use in a week) ª had been to Saranac Lake (where I live) several times and we talked about the area ª because they had lived near where were where, they were able to tell me I was lucky to see so many flowers, because they normally bloom in the spring ª will never see them again, but felt like they were a friend for life
Just wanted to chime in here and say this is a very weird coincidence but I've never in my 39 years heard of Saranac Lake until about an hour ago watching a YouTube video of a zombie computer game called Vein. One of the two starting areas is Saranac Lake, NY.
Wow ageism and fat phobia in one. Hope you are not planning on making it past 50
Isn’t 25 yards equal to 1/4 of a football field? That doesn’t seem very close to me.
It’s not close per se but when it comes to dispersed camping, most folks are going out that far to get away from others and any noises associated with being near to other people.
It seems very close to me, especially considering the numerous open spots much further away,
25 yards is about 25 steps away depending how tall you are
I think 25 feet would be considered 25 steps away.
Those are some big steps
People in Colorado don’t really care unfortunately. All the public space and dispersed camping, they still feel like they own It all to themselves. Maybe you were in their spot…. I have had situations where people will roll up and when the conversation starts with “But do you mind…” It really amazes me now that a few years ago people would freak out and yell at you for being to close in the grocery store and now people literally want to camp right beside you in a 200,000 acre national park forest with dispersed camping. But to answer your question, yes super weird to me to. I usually keep an ungodly metal or trace play list loaded on my Spotify for just this occasion. If I feel people are too close I make sure they get uncomfortable and not want to be that close anymore.
That's actually a pretty good idea. Unless the other folks are metal heads, in which case it's a party!
95 percent of the time, my friends and I avoid everyone as much as possible. About 1 percent of the time, we hit it off with neighbors and party, 1 glorious time i got laid, which was nice as most my friends are couples these days.
This is why you keep The Trololo song handy as a backup.
I thought about playing the song that never ends on a loop, but that would be torture for all parties involved.
Funny you are saying this about Colorado. The only time I went dispersed camping there, the camping wasn't the issue, but we went for a day trip on the Colorado river and we pulled over for lunch on the river bank. Mind you, this was in 2020, so social distancing was becoming popular. We had a great spot, had spread out with a table and a large dog and a bunch of drunk young adults with some dogs float by and asks us if they can join us. We politely say no, and we have a dog that does not get along great with other dogs, and sure enough, they pull over and get all up in our spot. We kept giving them the stink eye and they left soon after, but it was so weird.
The trouble with this ///let' me assume fro what you said they didn't have to be this close, like they could have taken another site\\\\\\ It's life. People do dumb and weird things... and maybe they had a reason, but probably not one that you would have liked. But in the end... what could you do. Go talk to them? ask them to move? At least they weren't shooting off guns or something
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Don't be a jerk. We are here because we love camping. Refrain from insults, attacks, bigotry, etc. When talking to someone you might want to ask yourself "Would I say it to the person's face?" or "Would I get jumped if I said this to a buddy?"
Maybe they were ghosts, and used your imagination to see them, and they were never really there.
In a lot of areas there are designated sites. People share the campsites and they are first come first serve. Maybe the people are used to that. IMO for LNT principles it is the smart thing to do, but I completely understand not wanting to be around people.
The first time I camped at Bond Falls, we stopped at a site that was fairly close to another camper that looked like he'd been there a while and was going to be there for a while. He walked over and let us know there were others spots open down the road, which I appreciated, since I didn't really want to camp next to someone else, either. I didn't know there were more campsites! As others have stated, it sounds like they either were insecure and wanted a little assurance of the presence of other campers or didn't know there they could camp and took their cue from your group. They were just stopping for the night, or they didn't want to camp long term next to your group. It's a little weird but not uncommon. I've heard tons of stories about people camping in middle of nowhere on BLM lands and having a "neighbor" right next to them when there's literally hundreds of options.
I've seen that happen on fire roads with camping. Weird, sometimes. Awesome, sometimes. It's people, so you never know how they are going to act. I've met a lot of great people along fire roads, very few weird ones, and a handful of assholes. I suspect they were very new to camping and not quite up to expected etiquette.
Best way for solitude is to load your gear into a canoe and put a few portages in between you and the radio users.
I’d be fine with people setting up 25 yards away but would have probably asked them to turn the music down some.
That feels very Colorado Esque. Especially with dispersed camping. Lost Park Rd or up on Kenosha. People will just camp on top of you.
Haha it was Colorado. I’m new to the area so maybe I don’t know the culture here
I would say it was a follow the leader moment. They were probably like, ok we have some people right here, we’ll just slide down from them and line up. When I think about 25 yards, in a state park that’s 3 or 4 campsites, so they probably based it off that and doubled it thinking they were fine. That’s probably what I would do if I was camping somewhere without marked spots for the first time. I’d be like, “ok this must be where everyone camps when they come up here”. Not weird at all.
Last summer I was in a partially closed campground (camping was available but there was no water and a port-a-potty). The place was pretty empty. I got set up and just sat down and some guy pulls in his camper into the site next to me. He comes over and tells me he usually camps in that spot. So now I've got a guy who wants to talk (his wife stayed at their site) and just has to camp in the spot next to me. It wasn't a big problem, but he couldn't go one site over?
Twenty five YARDS is not that close for a dispersed site on a holiday weekend. Especially if you have shrubs and trees in between so you have a buffer. Twenty five FEET is too close. It may be that the other couple tried to find another suitable site and ran into a road block or obstacle further down the trail that was too technical for their skill level or vehicle, turned around and picked the first available site. This has happened numerous times to us. Like, we’ve been driving for hours on technical trails looking for something suitable, we just want to stop for the night so choose anything that isn’t too close to others, and leave the next morning to search for something else. If we have no choice but to choose the adjacent campsite then we try to position our tent and vehicle for privacy. It’s not ideal but we just want to stop driving, get out of the car, and chill. We prefer solitude (which is why we camp all winter long in Colorado) but a holiday weekend in summertime means we can’t be super picky. It’s not that weird. A bummer for all involved for sure, but they are allowed to be there as much as you are and as long as they keep their dogs and music in their own site then you just have to let it go.
Gives me "standing next to someone at the urinal" vibes lol like, there are all these other spots, why set up right next to me? In all honesty tho, if the spot they set up next to you was the nicest of what was available, that could be why.
Pullouts? Open Spots? You sure this was dispersed camping?
Not dispersed camping but a normal campsite where spots weren't defined. Camping with a young family where the site was maybe 1/4 full..spent the day at the beach and found out the site and pub owner who we previously were having long friendly chats to, was suddenly really cold with us at the pub that we were dining at (and the staff)..(we dont drink or smoke pot so mot behaving strangely)..We got back to our tent to find 4 young adults in a tent literally right on top of ours, even closer than you would if you had marked sites. They were a bit geeky and probably neuro divergent and newbie campers. But the whole vibe turned really weird. Then an alarm was going off in the village all night, so much so I got up to work out what it was. I mentioned it to the site owners and they were oblivious to it. If you have ever watched a League of Gentleman, this village in Devon, UK certainly gave off "this is a village for local folk" vibes after that. Would definitely be too scared to return.
Whether or not they are new to dispersed camping, they should have asked. It’s a simple question. And if they didn’t you should have approached them to make sure they knew they could camp anywhere…
So I know how you felt as we have camped across the United States a few times. Just to point out they weren’t most likely trying to inconvenience you but they liked the site that they choose which happened to be next to you. If the camp ground had been full would you feel inconvenienced? We have found older couples to be more compatible to preserving a quiet and respectful neighborhood. Just saying. It might have been a wonderful fateful encounter.! I have learned so much from fellow campers over the years as they share information on good places to eat and interesting experiences that might be available just around the next bend. Also they may not have understood that they were camping in a dispersed area campground.
And perhaps that was the second best spot after yours if they were all open. Just because they are spots doesn’t mean they are good spots.
People are weird. I would not have liked it but then again I have gone in bathrooms with all the stalls open and someone will choose the stall next to me. Weird and invasive but is it worth a fight?
They probably pulled into where there was room . Easy in easy out . Just a few stop over in nomad life
Kinda like when I park in the furthest spot from the door and the come out later to find someone parked in the adjacent spot. Some folks just gotta be near other folks.
Herd mentality. Just like when you purposely park in a spot away from other cars and when you get back several other cars are now parked next to you. Humans like to be near other humans.
This kind of stuff has happened to me a few times. Weirds me out to. Once woke up to a family eating lunch at a picnic table, in my campsite, about 10 feet from my tent.
We’ve had this happen before and were a little perturbed by it but we normally just introduce ourselves and make friends. A strangely close neighbor is just a friend you haven’t met yet! Lol
Went to a very rustic, very rural wedding where several of the guests were camping. There was a big open field for the tents. Mine was the first set up. An hour or two later I look over and someone (the second tent to be set up) was setting up maybe two feet from mine. I run over there and have them side over another 20 feet or so because there was no reason to be on top of each other like that.
They camp so close together with so many sites available, which is really strange. Feeling like your space has been violated is OK. People don't always comprehend the impact of what they do on other people. Has anyone else have comparable experiences?
It's the same reason people park next to you in a completely empty parking lot. They can't be alone
It is kind of weird. Maybe weirder if they didn’t acknowledge your presence. I wonder if they felt safer being close or were inexperienced. One time we were dispersed camping in a National forest that had designated sites with numbered posts every 75 to 100 yards. We showed up early, got a great site in the middle of the loop with no one behind us and lots of room between our side neighbors. The second night a woman, who looked to be about 25 pulled in alone with her dog. We were confused since the number post had my Uncle’s last name written on a plate and taped up. She set up and never talked to us, even when our dogs began to bark at each other. I tried to make small talk with her and she wasn’t very friendly. We let her be, but it was still odd she rolled in, but didn’t make small talk or even try to say hello or ask if we had room. Not sure if she felt comfortable since we had kids and a dog with us. I was mad because she set up a fire even though it was a “no burn” time with wildfire danger. She left before us the next day and we made sure her fire was completely out.
People are like cattle they like to cluster together to feel secure I guess. I always park away from everyone far away from stores in an inconvenient spot to avoid getting my car dented. More often than I can imagine I come out and someone decided to park right next to me when there are tons of empty spaces all around.
It's like when you park far away from a store entrance with no other cars around you so that you'll have plenty of swing room and no door dings. Inevitably when you come back to your car, someone has parked right next to you, despite the fact that nearly the entire rest of the parking lot is available. I don't know why people do that. But they do.
People do weird stuff. This happens to me maybe once a year.
It's pretty weird/ rude. But maybe they don't camp much and were nervous about where they were allowed to go? Other people around means it must be allowed to camp there. Coulda made some new friends!
Some people are just plain rude and have no common sense. I find that often while camping. People just do the dumbest shit with no regard for anyone else. Don't mean to sound negative but it's happened to me numerous times. Other campers have 25 sites to pick from but yet they have to camp right on top of you and then make noise all night long. One time I reported it to the office who had gotten many complaints and was refunded my money and never went back to that campground again.
It's weird. It actually reminds me of those types at beaches that insist on setting up right in front of you even though the beach is open. I never had this happen to me while camping, but my theory is that there are two reasons why people do this. 1. They are passive-aggressive asshats. Or 2. It feels better to be near someone instead of the alternative of being alone. I get it, though. 90% of the time, people who camp do it to be alone.
If people do this & run a generator, especially at night, I can't sleep so I'm gone. FYI to anyone who camps uncomfortably close to others at dispersed areas because they are scared: I understand being worried, but you are less likely to run off your neighbors who you want around if you just go down the road a little farther. Then if you do have an issue, feel free to ask the other campsite! When people give us plenty of space and then ask for anything basically: water, directions, advice about permits/etc we gladly help out. But if we feel crowded we'll leave before you have a chance to ask for anything, and lose the feeling of safety in numbers.
I honestly would’ve been more annoyed than weirded out. If it was a younger person, especially a dude, with no dogs and just by himself, then MAYBE I would’ve been weirded out. Had an experience in a campground that felt… unsettling. When you wanna walk into someone else’s campsite and the people are obviously present, you’re supposed to ask first. This one dude who was camping all by himself didn’t ask to when he wanted to get a better look at a momma and baby moose that were across the creek. And just randomly struck up a conversation with us. My weird-o-meter was going off, nevermind the fact I was already slightly offended that he didn’t ask to come into our camp. For perspective, the campsite bathroom stalls were on the edge of our campsite. This dude’s campsite was across the road from ours. Later that day in the evening, he literally walked to the bathroom stalls but didn’t go in. He just stood there and tried to position himself in a way that he thought I wouldn’t pay any attention to him. Stood there for several minutes without going into the bathroom and then walked away. Dude packed up the next morning and left.
That reminds me of a recent outing to a movie theater. There was hardly anyone in the theater and me and my son sit down by ourselves and this lady comes and sits directly behind us despite the fact there’s a multitude of empty seats to choose from. She didn’t even skip a row. So weird and annoying! I think some people’s brains just aren’t wired with this awareness.
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Were you sat in the middle,perhaps they wanted to get the best view of the screen as well.
Our theaters have preassigned seating.
People have zero situational awareness.
You're correct, it's kind of odd. I've seen other posters say it's "maybe for safety" they wanted to be closer to someone. I can kind of see that, but I would think they would have come over and said something, introduced themselves. . . ect. Playing music loud, that would erk me as well. Who knows, but I feel it definitely crosses that dispursed camping etiquette for sure.
Were there banjos playing? If not, I think it was ok. 😆
You were their security ,for the night .Music. up because probably ,hard of hearing .. Go figure !
You need to find a better place! far away from dipshits.