I spent 2 months travelling around France this summer. I stealth camped for 90% of it in cities, towns and villages. I got the odd hostel here and there when I needed to get a proper shower and to charge all my power banks/electronics.

Over the 2 months, I was sleeping in bushes inside of parks, through city forested trails/hills/shortcut trails through woodland/fences. I was sleeping behind industrial estates that had barren land next to it. I slept behind bus stations that were located on outskirts of cities. I found a barn with old farming equipment down a lane round the back of a work shed. I managed to sneak into a fancy boathouse on a canal.

I found a massive old abandoned building, a 2 floored office space that had a large industrial engineering mechanics space attached. It had a house at one end of the complex that was broken into and empty as it was probably a worker/owners on site house. I slept in there for a week. Somebody homeless had obviously used this before, left food and clothes but the food was 2 years old so they hadn’t returned.

This place had a fire with wood already sitting waiting next to it so I took advantage of that one night. I woke up the next day, stepped outside and smelled smoke. I could see it in the air. I was shitting it thinking oh no is that the fire I had? I obviously don’t want anyone to know Im sleeping in AJ abandoned house. Turns out it was the wildfires outside Bordeaux over 120 miles away.

I’ve dreamt about having this kind of vagabond adventure on and off since I was 21 when I first got into hiking. I am 33 now and live in Scotland. I have lived outside, camped and hiked round Scotland and the Lake District for 1 and 2 months at a time, many times.

Last year I spent 4 months consecutively outside camping/living as a warm up for this year. I wanted to test my mettle and see if I could handle it outside for that length of time, if I’d even enjoy it enough to undertake such an adventure.

I’d planned on travelling to France previously in 2019… then Covid hit, I lost my entire gear set up, moved cities and ended up crippled with many life obstacles. Didn’t get my gear replaced until 2025.

I intended to do more hiking trails and more rural camping. I planned to do trails such as the Tour du Mont Blanc and possibly travel to the Pyrenees. Last year I met a 50+ year old Czech guy during my 4 month “camping trip” whilst I was in Fort William. We exchanged life stories and he tells me he has been hitchhiking and stealth camping around the entirety of Europe for 20+ years. I was amazed so we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. I told him of my plans to travel round Europe camping myself.

I met this Czech guy in the south of France so we could travel together for a week or three. We could have company and learn from each other how we do our own things. I had never hitchhiked before as there’s not really any culture for it in the UK.

It’s safe to say after a few days, we were starting to get on each others nerves and after 2 weeks hitchhiking around the south of France together… it reached a tense end where we parted ways in not such an amicable way. This is a 50+ year old, extremely autistic guy who’s been travelling by themself for over 20 years. He was stuck in his way and worldviews, was espousing some pretty bigoted ideologies and conspiracies. Everything was propaganda and discussions between us became untenable.

This left me in a strange position. My first time travelling outside of Europe in a vagabond/camping style. In an area of France I didn’t necessarily plan on being and with no real plan. It was at this point I realised I needed to head back to the UK and do it within 2 weeks. I didn’t have the financial capability to get numerous buses, never mind trains or planes. I also didnt want to waste this opportunity presented to me. So essentially I had no other option but to make the decision to hitchhike from the south of France in La Bourboule to Calais so I could grab the ferry to Dover, England, in 2 weeks.

I’d never hitchhiked before this trip, never mind by myself. I was nervous the first couple times but I love to meet new people so it became really fun and exciting to travel this way. 90% of the time I wasn’t waiting longer than 10 minutes for a ride. I remember once I was walking to a spot to get picked up and someone stopped and asked me before I even got there if i wanted a lift. I waited longer than 1 hour twice. Once at the beginning when I was on quiet country roads in the middle of central France. Then when I waited at a tollbooth trying to get from one city to another.

Well I made it with 3 days to spare. At one point I never thought I’d make it. Then one Armenian couple took me over 250 miles to Beauvais which is above Paris and below Calais by 50/100 miles.

Once I got to Calais in the north east tip of France and got the ferry to England, I spent 5 nights in Dover in a mad hostel with permanent live ins such as a guy in his 60s who’s angry at the world and shouts all about it, an on off drug addicted couple, an Australian dude who works there for a room and another 60+ year old guy who has taken on the handyman role, an eccentric madcap individual. This place had children’s bedding, a defunct bar, piss stained urinals, shit stained toilets, creaking cheap bunk beds and the entirety of the place probably not been properly cleaned for 20 years. Definitely not been decorated since the 90s. All ran by a 50 odd year old guy who just lets the place run in pure chaos. It’s like something from a tv show. Some might think these are negatives but I love that shit.

After the mad hostel, I then got another Ferry back to France. I then hitchhiked from Calais all the way down to Bordeaux in the south west of France over the course of 1 month. My flight home is from Bordeaux. I visited Cathedrals in every city I went to. I visited my great great uncles war grave which is located in Le Havre. He died in World War 2 at the battle of Dunkirk. This side of the trip was much more relaxed as it was more organised and I had built my confidence and travel legs. I spent most of the time just smoking weed, enjoying exploring the cities and architecture, trying local cheeses and drinking wine at night staring into the night sky.

On this trip the cities, towns and villages I visited were incredibly beautiful. I was in Paris twice, Amiens twice, Poitiers twice, Limoges, Le Havre, Tours, Clermont Ferrand, Lyon, Beauvais, La Bourboule, Rouen, Padirac, Bretenoux, Rocamadour, Figeac, Marseille, Bordeaux and Tulle. I hope I’ve remembered them all.

I also visited the Puy de Dome/Puy de Sancy which is a dormant volcano in central/south France. Being able to stand and look inside the bowl of a long gone erupted volcano was awesome. So this whole adventure turned into one big amazing unknown. I never knew where I’d make it to the next day. I never knew where I would be sleeping that night. It kind of felt like the tv show Race Across The World. It was stressful at points but it’s an adventure I’ll never forget. All the people that helped me along the way giving me lifts, some even giving me food. They will forever be in my heart.

I only felt unsafe once in the entire 2 months and that was at the end when I was in Bordeaux. I was walking out of an Aldi and a homeless guy clocked me, picked up his stuff and left his posse himself at the same time as me. The way he looked at me was strange. I know that scene from Glasgow so I walked 100m down this straight 3 mile road, looked behind me and there he was 50m behind me. I pretended to do something and let him walk 50m in front of me. I walked slowly and let him gain further metres from me. He looked behind himself and seen me. He kept walking and was probably 120m+ in front of me and I slowed down further, crosses the road then found a bench and sat down. Never seen him again.

The gear I took with me;
50L ultralight hiking bag(900g),
700g Rab summer sleeping bag,
foam mat trimmer vertically and horizontally (300g) my inflatable burst in the 1 month i did in the Lake District before these 2 months in France, trying out new gear.
9ftx7ft silpoly tarp (300g),
Tyvek bivvy bag (200g) I threw this away after getting caught in a major thunder and lighting rain storm. It became sodden with wet dirt. I didn’t really need it either, summer was insane in France. Rained 3 times in 2 months.
2 sheets of polycro (30g each) for a groundsheet,
a travel pillow,
3 t shirts, 1 jumper, 1 pair of tracksuit bottoms, cheap plastic waterproof poncho, 4 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of boxers, 2 power banks 20,000mah and 10,000mah, European plug and a water filter.

I did a short but sweet overnight trip on the Green Gardens Trail in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. The hike is about 5km (3miles) to camp and is mostly downhill, so you’ll have to climb back out on the second day, about 250m(800ft).

There are four backcountry campsites at the end of the trail that are right along the coast! From what I could find, there’s no way to book them in advance, but I had no issues getting a permit on the day of.

There are incredible coastal views throughout the hike, and since the trail isn’t very challenging, it made for a really chill experience. I could take my time, relax, and just enjoy being out in nature along the coast.

Full Video of the Trip: https://youtu.be/JlJQ3amVbW8?si=sIA4stTjohIG402L

I am an experienced backpacker and rock climber. Most of my backpacking trips have been in the Pacific North West of the US. A good friend of mine lives in Monterrey, Mexico and I’m trying to introduce him to backpacking. He has experience biking and hiking in the mountains and is in great physical shape. I’m not sure how technical or rugged his hikes have been. He hasn’t really done much camping and has no experience backpacking.

In February, I will be going to Monterrey for a week and will take him backpacking. I’ve been looking at 3-4 day treks in Cumbres de Monterrey. I’ve been eyeing La Huasteca-Arteaga Trail but am having trouble finding helpful details about the route in terms of trail conditions/terrain, camping, and water to determine if the route is viable. Has anyone done this trail before? If so, what was it like for you?

Any other recommendations for a multi-day backpacking trek in the area that might be more suited to my friend’s experience? I don’t think overall difficulty is as much of a factor but I’m definitely wanting to avoid high exposure and technical terrain for his first trip.

For those who have done the Teton Crest Trail solo, I really can’t plan a late August/early September trip in January - it’s very far off for me to set a schedule for a backpacking trip. I called the backcountry office, and they told me that one-third of the permits are released in January and they go fast. The rest is for walk-ups. The trail is very popular, and there are three offices where you can pick up permits. During that time of year, people apparently line up as early as 3-4 a.m. to get them. I can plan as far as 2-3months in advance not 8-9months to be honest.

Do you recommend planning a 10-day Wyoming/Montana trip around the Teton Crest Trail relying on walk-up permit or is it too risky to build an itinerary around getting a walk-up permit? My plan is to hike the TCT, spend a couple of more days in WY and then head to MT. For those who’ve done this, what was your experience getting permits? Did you manage to get one, and how much flexibility did you need in your itinerary?

Thanks

Hi all! I am a vetted backpacker, hiker and camper and am looking for a sleeping bag with some specifics. Being Reddit I figure this is the best place to ask.

I am looking for a down sleeping bag that's a little roomy, is not REI, ~20-30 degree ratings, and can take anywhere from the back country to regular camping trips. Additionally, I'd like them to be to zip entirely so my partner and I can zip them together and not have to deal with a whole separate toe box situation. And my one qualm is please no backpacking quilts- I have my own and while I like it, I'm looking for full coverage on fall overnights :)

Currently we're using old REI Siesta down 35+ bags from 15 years that we love but are borrowing from immediate family for trips, so would love recommendations!

Dog backpacking, river crossings and hot spring treat at the end of the hike!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share what early October looks like high up in the Northern Japanese Alps.

I just returned from a trek around Karasawa Cirque (涸沢カール), and the autumn colors were absolutely stunning right now. The red Japanese rowan (nanakamado) and golden birch trees against the massive rocky peaks of Mt. Hotaka and Mt. Kitahotaka were breathtaking.

We hiked in from Kamikochi, spent a couple of days surrounded by the colors in the cirque, and did some exposed ridge scrambles up Mt. Hotaka.

If anyone is planning a trip to hike in Japan around this season, happy to answer any questions!

*(I posted more photos from the trek on my blog here if you'd like to see: https://yamatavi.com/20261007-karasawa-kitahotaka-8492 — note that the text is in Japanese, but hope you enjoy the scenery!)*

Im mainly going to be in the LA area. So suggestions more in Southern California would be greatly appreciated!

Am I crazy? Weather doesn't look too terrible at the moment. Looking to do 2-3 nights there this weekend. Any suggestions for best route? I have extensive off trail experience, but never been here before.

So Im in the state of Virginia, will be doing a backpacking trip soon. I’m kind of tired of eating oats for breakfast whenever I’m on the trail I sort of want a omelette sometimes. Anyways was wondering if it would be a bad idea to pack eggs for breakfast for this backpacking trip. I know farm raised eggs are safe to keep un refrigerated, but American store bought eggs are apparently unsafe to keep unrefrigerated. Has anyone done this?