8 Eco-Friendly Camping Tips

Sustainable camping is simple with these 8 easy eco-friendly camping tips! Whether hiking your favorite trail or camping at your most treasured camp spot, you want to leave it untouched for the next guy! These super easy tips will help you lighten your impact on planet earth while you explore and indulge in its beauty.

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Sustainable Camping Guide

1. Go Solar

Using green camping equipment and solar powered gear is a great way to stay environmentally friendly! This inflatable solar lantern/phone charger has super bright 300 lumens LEDs and provides up to 100 hours of light on low mode. It will fully recharge in 16-20 hours when placed in direct outdoor sunlight or in 4 hours when plugged in using its USB cord.

Don’t stop with your lights, there are tons of other options to use solar powered camping gear. Check out my Solar Products For Camping post for tips on using solar backpacks, radios, showers, ovens and more!

2. Recycle And Pack It Out

Trash can be a big challenge when you are living by the leave no trace camping rule. We like to have two containers at our campsite: one for recyclables and another for trash. If you are staying in campgrounds with trash and recycling service, you can just empty your bins as you fill them … but, if you are in more remote camp settings, you will have to pack your trash and recycles out with you.

Trash bags are one of those camping items I was always forgetting to pack for our camping trips. I finally decided I needed to quit trying to pack our gear “by memory” and began using a checklist. After that, I never forgot to pack an item again! Get your FREE copy of our checklist for camping!

Another great way to recycle is to simply do propane tank refilling when it comes to your 1 pound camping propane cylinders. If you are unsure about refilling your tanks, these tips will help you determine what to do with empty 1lb propane bottles.

If you use a lot of propane with your 1-pound gear, you may want to think about using a full-sized BBQ grill tank that you connect with a propane tank 1lb to 20lb hose adapter.

3. Quit With The Individual Bottles Of Water Already

Question: How many cases of bottled water does one person need for a camp weekend? Answer: Too many!

Individual refillable water bottles and water hydration backpacks eliminate the use of single serving package container waste. I use gallon jugs to transport drinking water for the weekend and take the empties home to refill for use on our next adventure. To eliminate bad tastes, odors and bacteria in your hydration pack, just use a bladder cleaning kit and dry it after each use.

These are some of my personal favorite sustainable camping products! Packing your gear in a neat and organized fashion makes camping fun and avoids chaos! If you are camping in a camper, check out my camping storage ideas with tips to organize your camper!

4. Stick With The Trail

It’s easy to minimize the potential for soil erosion if you stay on designated trails and avoid crushing plants and vegetation. I like to follow the trail signs and markers but if they are not really clear, it is easy to create cairns or use a Handheld GPS Navigator to track safely back home. This one has a 2.2-inch monochrome display, preloaded with worldwide basemap. It is WAAS-enabled with HotFix and GLONASS support for fast positioning and a reliable signal.

Navigational devices are really great for situational and directional awareness when hiking and enjoying other activities away from the campsite. This is important for kids and adults when it comes to camping safety.

5. Keep Your Campfire Safe

Keep your campfires small in designated fire pits. Control your cooking flames and plan for sparks that might accidentally get out of control. Carry a Multi-Purpose Fire Extinguisher that is fully charged and have it easily accessible at the campsite.

Campfire mindfulness is a top priority for no trace camping! Between human-caused forest fires and years of drought conditions, it’s not surprising that campfires are often restricted or banned in many locations. If you are allowed to have campfires, make sure they are completely out and never leave a campfire unattended.

If you are not allowed to have campfires, abide by the rules. Check out our How To Camp When Camping Fire Restrictions Are Activated post for more helpful tips! Let’s all make Smokey Bear proud! 🐻

6. Let Wildlife Be Wild

Think about how “wild” wildlife can be … Whoa! If there is a race between you and a wild bear, my money is on the bear! 😉 Just sayin’! Avoid close contact and feeding the wild animals you encounter on your camping and hiking trips. Enjoy them from afar using a set of Folding Bionoculars Telescope With Night Vision. These things are lightweight, small, easy to carry and can be used for both day and low-light level night vision!

If you will be camping in a location that is inhabited by bears, check out our Safety Tips While Camping In Bear Country post for helpful info to keep you and your family safe in the great outdoors!

7. Conserve Water & Use Organic Gear

Water conservation is hip, and good for the environment too! Organic camping gear and consumable products are great for camping lightly on the environment. When camping, we reduce our water consumption by taking short showers and rinsing quickly, soap suds happen with the water turned off and by using liquid soap which tends to lather faster than bar soap.

Using a single multi-purpose soap like this Dr. Woods Raw Black Moisturizing Liquid Soap With Organic Shea Butter works as a body wash, facial cleanser and shampoo. It is made from tropical plantain skins, a renewable, sustainable natural resource.

8. Think Green & Leave No Trace

Earth-friendly camping all starts with an attitude. Some rocks and plants are so cool you want to take them home with you, resist the temptation and just walk away empty handed. Remember, you are just visiting so enjoy your experience and leave the environment untouched for the next group of adventurers. You can also use reusable, sustainable camping gear and avoid using plastic and paper products. I love our stainless steel wine tumblers because they have lids and they are great for hot and cold drinks.

We love using insulated cups like this And So The Adventure Begins camping-themed coffee mug. This mug makes great camping gifts for friends and family members who love the outdoors, fun gear and the inspirational sayings. Camp on 😉