Hiking and Camping

Camping is a discipline that may seem quite simple, camping is setting up your tent in a forest or rural area and spending the night there in the campsite which is the area or space where you place your temporary home.

With current regulations you cannot camp wherever you please. There are a series of rules that make this a controlled practice, always with the aim of not harming nature and the environment. It is key before going camping that you choose a place where you are allowed to set up your tent. You must respect nearby animals, not destroy nature, not make excessive noise and not light bonfires.

There are different types of campsites : A touristic campsite : is a small or large site that is designed and equipped specifically for this practice. For a small fee these types of campsites give you the opportunity to set up your tent on a small plot of land and make use of basic services such as water, toilets, showers, etc. These types of campsites are located inside or just on the outskirts of cities and are a great way to get to know a city as a tourist without spending lots of money. A Rural campsite : This type of campsite is very similar to the tourist ones, but are usually further away from the urban environment. Rural campsites offer greater contact with nature as well as recreational and sports activities. Rural campsites are designed for those campers who want to be much closer to nature. Free camping : It is a quite controversial practice since in many countries a camper cannot simply camp where he pleases without permission from the authorities. In fact, in countries like Spain, free camping is not allowed, but in some regions, they have large spaces where campers can feel freer. Bivouacking : Bivouacking can be considered as an extreme camping modality, in which the mountaineer or mountain expert organizes an improvised camp for a defined time to eat or spend the night. Bivouacking also includes staying overnight without using a tent or sleeping bag, fully exposed to the external elements that surround you. Bivouacking is allowed in many places, though in some parks, it is only allowed from a certain height or if you are sufficiently away from the entrance or parking area of the park.

Camping material : Tents : It is an essential product for spending the night in nature. The most recommended tent is a waterproof double roof one, which has good anchorage to the ground with a plastic flooring that is suitably waterproofed. The weight of the tent is also an important factor to take into account if you are going to walk for many hours before you reach your checkpoint, try to get a tent that weighs less than 3 Kg. Sleeping bag : it is a basic camping element. Try to make it light, no more than 1.5kg in weight and made of the best quality fibers or feathers, these are usually a little above our budget, but can be kept in good condition for more than ten years if you look after it. If you go camping in very cold regions, you should read the specifications of the sleeping bag in question beforehand and check the minimum temperature range that it is able to cover without losing comfort. Mats and mattresses : If your campsite does not require a long walk to your destination, it is also recommended to include a small foam mat or a state-of-the-art inflatable mattress. They allow you to rest much better than sleeping directly on the floor and will provide you with greater thermal insulation between the bag and the floor. Flashlight : If you are going to spend the night surrounded by nature, you need to get a professional flashlight to be able to get around in safety at night, purchase your professional flashlight in our Outdoor Lighting section .

Where to camp? : Knowing where to camp is a crucial factor that is often not taken into account when setting the tent up on land. Never camp on the banks of a river if you don't want to get a good scare from a flood of water. Do not camp next to a hillside where there is a risk of rockfall. Be very careful with dry trees and palm trees, since some branches may fall on the tent and ruin your tent. Find a place that is not very exposed to the wind and place the entrance of the tent in the opposite direction. Try not to place the tent on top of a slope and always try to take advantage of the terrain relief to stay as sheltered as possible. As a final tip, we recommend you not to camp near train tracks, ravines, dams, meadows or private estates as well as protected areas or wetlands that are infected with mosquitoes and insects.