Spring is fast approaching. And with that, we’re gonna be seeing more warmer weather around (whether or not it’s climate change-induced). This can only mean one thing—camping season.Heck, even folks on Reddit are alreadytalking about it. Albeit, it’s camping horror stories, after Redditor r/Liversojunmy asked thecampers of Reddit, what’s the most disturbing thing you have seen while camping?But hey, consider this a bootcamp, both for your physical prep as well as your mental one.This post may includeaffiliate links.
Spring is fast approaching. And with that, we’re gonna be seeing more warmer weather around (whether or not it’s climate change-induced). This can only mean one thing—camping season.
Heck, even folks on Reddit are alreadytalking about it. Albeit, it’s camping horror stories, after Redditor r/Liversojunmy asked thecampers of Reddit, what’s the most disturbing thing you have seen while camping?But hey, consider this a bootcamp, both for your physical prep as well as your mental one.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
A friend of mine wild camped and found a nice spot.When the sun came up she found out that she was in someone’s backyard and the family was sitting there eating breakfast and watching as she quietly packed up and left. .
Arrived at a campsite around 3 pm in Val Verde, CA area to camp one night with my boyfriend (who is a Black man.. and that is important detail for later) in 2012. Maybe one other family in the whole area, but felt just like us. We set up and we’re chilling until Around 7 pm when like 10 pickup trucks arrive and maybe 30 people congregate. They are immediately loud and obnoxious and too close, but whatever… we only staying for one night so whatever. The huge group start to stack big pile of wood to make a huge bonfire and we start to notice.. hmm, they are all men. White men. Most of them are bald. Hmmmm…Then one younger guy comes over to us and offers us a beer! How nice.. he says hey sorry if we are loud but here’s a peace offering!Then just before he turns back to his group he says “you and that n-word better get out of here before dark”….. it was an Aryan brotherhood meet up. We got out of there so fast.
Went to an empty campground in the mountains in california. The weather was bad, January of ‘16 or ‘17. We were set up near a small river cooking a late dinner in the dark after night fell. My old dog, a huskie, starts absolutely losing his mind. He was screaming and barking at a place beyond our lantern light away towards the river. I flipped on my headlamp, and it was a mountain lion. It stared back at me for a second or two, then turned and I lost it in the brush.Those eyes staring back at me… bring your dog camping with you!.
So, folks on Reddit have recently gathered to share some disturbing camping stories around a virtual campfire that isthis thread right here.
A forever ago my friend and I were camping in a horse pasture (with the owners permission) with my friend’s horse, it damn near crushed me when it decided that he wanted to be in the tent too and see what we were doing.
Not my story, but my childhood friend wandered off with a buddy on a scout trip and found a corpse in the woods. Had a .22 caliber hole between its eyes. The two of them were 13-ish.He went to the trial, and had been advised that he might have to testify, since he discovered a murder victim. But, they ended up not calling either of the kids.
Now,some find camping scaryand that’s OK. Who wouldn’t be anxious about treading into grizzly country with poor reception and intrusive thoughts ofrandosroaming about, looking for fresh meat or something.But, a little bit ofplanning and prepcan go a long way to keeping you sane during camping: pitch your tent during daytime, get familiar with your surroundings, try to drown out the noise (e.g. camp near water),plompyour tent against something so you’re not exposed, or simply bring more friends (animal companions included).
Now,some find camping scaryand that’s OK. Who wouldn’t be anxious about treading into grizzly country with poor reception and intrusive thoughts ofrandosroaming about, looking for fresh meat or something.
But, a little bit ofplanning and prepcan go a long way to keeping you sane during camping: pitch your tent during daytime, get familiar with your surroundings, try to drown out the noise (e.g. camp near water),plompyour tent against something so you’re not exposed, or simply bring more friends (animal companions included).
Was at a campsite in rural Buffalo, NY, when a family of about 5 showed up and unpacked at the site next to us. Seemed like nice people, exchanged pleasantries, and went about our separate business setting up camp.The next morning, when we unzipped our tent and went to prep breakfast, we realized they were all still asleep, ON THE GROUND. No sleeping bag, no tent, just lying down, fully clothed, like they had been raptured. Remember, this is Buffalo, NY - even in the summer, it gets cold at night.That was spooky, but we decided to leave them be and get packed up. Once we got back from a breakfast run, they were up and packing. Seeing that we were back, the father came over to us and introduced himself. Said we seemed like nice people, and that he wanted to warn us about the imminent collapse of the US Economy. He eyed our car and said that it’ll be the only type of currency available once the banks shut down, and that we should be careful, since someone will want it more than our money when “China invades”. He pulled out his phone to try and show us a YouTube video that explains the whole thing, but we somehow extricated ourselves, and booked it. Packed up and left faster than we ever have before. The disturbing thing was not just what he said - it was how calm and genial he was while saying it, as if he was talking about the weather.TL;DR: went camping, saw another family sleep outside with no tent or sleeping bags - just flat on the ground. They then warned us about China invading the US.
I was camping on a beach in Costa Rica. It was beautiful.The first night. I could hear something moving around my tent. I peaked around through the top as best I could. Couldn’t see anything.The sound is non-stop. Something is right next to me. Moving all around my tent. After like an hour, I need to know.Finally, I open the tent and look around. Thousands of crabs we’re heading back to the ocean and were falling of this little 1' wall.Laughed once I figured it out but damn I was terrified.
And, actually, knowing is half the battle with getting over the fear of camping. And there’squite a bit to learn.First, you gotta figure out your camping equipment. It goes without saying that sleeping bags, tents, flash lights, wet wipes, first aid kits and the like are a must. It also helps to have a camping stove, though some prefer going old-fashioned and setting up a fire using the wood they find on site.
And, actually, knowing is half the battle with getting over the fear of camping. And there’squite a bit to learn.
First, you gotta figure out your camping equipment. It goes without saying that sleeping bags, tents, flash lights, wet wipes, first aid kits and the like are a must. It also helps to have a camping stove, though some prefer going old-fashioned and setting up a fire using the wood they find on site.
While hiking in Sweden I slept in a three sided shelter when suddenly at 11pm some people came up to me asking me what I was doing etc. (neighbourhood watch) and telling me, that there are strange people around. An hour or two after, I heard some more footsteps and an old man came close to the shelter - with no pants. Naked. Dong dingeling. Moon was bright. When he saw me sleeping there, he went away after a while….
Went to the forest with some friends one winter. we were completely unprepared and ended up sleeping bunched in a tiny tent in the snow. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing these grunting noises next to my head. I thought it was my friend snoring but then realized there was this giant snout poking the fabric of the tent on the outside and literally breathing in my face. I barely held myself from screaming when the bear got bored of trying to get inside and left.We went outside in the morning and there were massive paw prints everywhere plus the leftovers of our food were gone.Lesson learned the hard way.
My family had some land in a remote part of Colorado. We always had creepy nights up there where it felt like someone was watching us. My brother was up there once and heard footsteps around his tent and got so scared him and his fiancé left in the middle of the night. A few weeks later, 4 of us were up there and we found four rat tails nailed to the side of an old shed we had. We sold the land a few years ago.
Once you have the equipment sorted out, it’s time todecide on a location. While you can’t sort out all of the logistics without actually going to the site, you’d be amazed how much online maps, reviews and general inquiry online could help.Whatever the case, always keep several things in mind, with the first one being water sources. While having a bit of a reserve is good, carrying enough water for the entire camping trip is not practical. So, setting up next to water and sourcing from there (boiling it too) is definitely a good solution.
Once you have the equipment sorted out, it’s time todecide on a location. While you can’t sort out all of the logistics without actually going to the site, you’d be amazed how much online maps, reviews and general inquiry online could help.
Whatever the case, always keep several things in mind, with the first one being water sources. While having a bit of a reserve is good, carrying enough water for the entire camping trip is not practical. So, setting up next to water and sourcing from there (boiling it too) is definitely a good solution.
Went camping as a kid up in the Appalachian mountains somewhere in Virginia with family out there. In the middle of the night we heard a scream that woke us all up that sounded like a woman being murdered. I damn near peed myself. They told me it was some monster which only scared me more. YEARS later I came across a video of a fox screaming and it was the exact same sound.
I went on a family camping trip in Austria as a kid. The camp site was in a forest, and my dad picked a nice spot between some trees. Unfortunately our tent wouldnt fit so we had to move along a bit. That night there was a massive storm and I remember my parents tying the tent to the car and spending most of the night holding the tent down.In the morning we woke up and it was a bright sunny day. We opened the tent to find a 2 foot thick tree laying across the spot we originally picked. If our tent had fitted in that spot we would have probably been killed. My mum cut the trip short at that point.
A couple came to the spot next to ours after we had been camping for a few days. They were there for about two hours after unpacking and setting up camp, just practicing knife throwing and cracking a whip. One of them cut their finger off and the other came and asked if we could watch their campsite until they got back. We did. We also played Indiana Jones for about 3 hours drunk off our a*s trying to swing from a broken branch of a tree with that whip. They never came back and we let the park ranger know to look after their stuff.
Setting up in an area that has trees is also a good idea. Trees provide shelter from the wind, the sun, and extreme weather conditions, all the while giving ample opportunity to use them for traps or hang things on them to deter wild animals from the camp. And if there aren’t any trees, bushes and bigger rocks are better than nothing. Oh, and make sure there aren’t any murderers around.
Not long ago, Me and my friend went camping together. It was a public trail, so other campers were expected. Though, I didn’t expect to wake up at 4am to a balding middle aged man squatting behind a tree about 3 or 4 metres from our tent with a trowel in hand; we locked eyes and he just said “I’d give it 5 minutes.”.
Positioning is also key as, remember, you’re out in the wild. Your tent is your best shelter. And if a thunderstorm or a fog as thick as curdled milk comes about in the morning, you might not like the amount of excessive humidity.Also, there’s this thing called altitude sickness—experiencing discomfort while camping each night in altitudes that differ drastically from each pitch—which happens with higher altitude locations above 8,000 feet. In that case, try to keep your elevation progression at around 1,000 feet between nights.
Positioning is also key as, remember, you’re out in the wild. Your tent is your best shelter. And if a thunderstorm or a fog as thick as curdled milk comes about in the morning, you might not like the amount of excessive humidity.
Also, there’s this thing called altitude sickness—experiencing discomfort while camping each night in altitudes that differ drastically from each pitch—which happens with higher altitude locations above 8,000 feet. In that case, try to keep your elevation progression at around 1,000 feet between nights.
I was looking on FreeRoam for a dispersed campsite near Eugene, Oregon last year during a road trip. There weren’t a ton of options, but it was starting to get dark and I had been driving all day so I went up a forest access road a couple miles to the one site that was closest (about 20 minutes). It was super thick forest then out of nowhere a narrow driveway that opened up to a bushwhacked spot with a fire pit. There was a good amount of garbage and some shotgun shells lying around. That’s not super out of the ordinary, but something just felt off. I opened up my door and let my chihuahuas jump out, they are usually pumped to run around and chase each other, but they both immediately stopped as soon as they hit the ground, stared into the bushes about 20 feet away, and growled. I thought maybe there was an animal back there so I hucked them back into the truck and began setting up my rooftop tent. My stomach started gurgling and I realized I had to do my business….i grabbed my shovel and wipes and started looking for a spot to go down the road. The forest was so thick, there weren’t any good openings so I came back to the site and started walking the perimeter to find a hole to duck into, as things were becoming urgent. I found an opening, right where my dogs were staring and growling, and just out of sight into the brush was a mattress with dirty sheets and a perfectly intact milk carton. I got chills, and I could just feel that someone else was there, just out of sight. It was pretty dark at this point, but I quickly ran back to the road and dug my hole and did my thing, came back and started packing everything back up. There was no cell service, and for all I know there could be multiple people in the bushes waiting for me to go to sleep….and the shotgun shells…we just went into town and got a hotel. Intuition was SCREAMING at me to not stay in that place.
Was with a group of about 8 people. We were in a very isolated location, not a formal campground. We always preferred to hike in and get as far away from other people as possible. Around 9 or 10 it was pitch black and the woods were silent, no wind. We were all pretty buzzed off whiskey at this point and out of f*****g nowhere this dude with a hunting rifle on his back steps into the firelight. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and basically looked homeless, kind of a blank stare on his face. Keep in mind, we were in the Rockies at like 10k feet, so it was not warm…and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The fact that we didn’t hear him meant he had definitely snuck up on us. We went silent and just stared at him. He looked around, didn’t say a word, and backed into the darkness. We slept in shifts that night and kept the fire blazing. We could hear him moving around our camp till sunrise when I guess he gave up. We got out of there at first light and I reported it to park service. Creepy mother f****r.
See Also on Bored Panda
Gotta rewind like twenty five years, the Blair witch project had recently come out, this is pre internet for all intents and purposes, and the rumors were that it was real found footage (silly to say today I know).We woke up in the morning to find stones piled in front of our tent like in the movie.I’m sure it was just some kids from a neighboring camp, but it still freaked us out.
While these are some of the basics, the more you know, the better off you’ll be, so consider learning some survival skills andcamping hacks. You know, things like digging a half-donut shaped hole for your sheltered fireplace, bringing 3 times more firewood than you might think you’ll need, and knowing that a foil packet is ideal for slow-cooking things on hot coal.
As I was unpacking for a solo camping/quail hunt, 2 guys walked into my camp to chat. Dirty and very disheveled, obviously drunk they asked me if “you got bullets for that gun?” When they saw my shotgun case. After a few minutes they turned to walk back to their camp I saw that one of them had his scalp peeled back leaving and open and crusty wound the size of the palm of my hand. That night they drank and threw .22 rounds into the fire and ran. Eventually they passed out, the next day they were arrested and I was told that the one with the scalp wound tried to attack someone with a roofing axe a couple of days earlier and got the Uno Reverse card played and they were up there hiding out.
And if you’re camping in the winter, say, somewhere near ice, note that 4 inches is roughly how thick the ice should be for you to walk on or go fishing in… unless you’re taking a snowmobile which would require 5 inches, a truck which would require 12 to 15 inches, or an AT-AT which would require 60 inches. And if we’re that ridiculous, 12 to 15 is definitely safe for a Tauntaun.
And if you’re not planning on going camping, hey, the knowledge won’t hurt, and I guess there’s a reason for you to focus on other, less serious camping related stuff, like saying “there’s no way they’resleeping like that” whilst looking at camping setups that are obviously there forthe Instagramsand not for actual camping.
One time there were these campers across from us at another site and they were late twenties. They were drinking late into the night which usually isn’t a problem (Corp of engineer’s park) but this one f***r would make this loud scream everytime he took a shot and he wouldn’t stop doing it. At around 2 am finally someone pulled up on a gator and told them all to shut up. This guy wasn’t getting the hint and his friends were telling him loudly not to drink anymore or scream. It got quiet for about 10 minutes and then from inside my tent I saw headlights and heard a car pulling out. I figured someone was taking him home cause he was being annoying and ruining the fun for everyone.I’m finally starting to dose off and WITH MY EYES CLOSED I see a big blue flash and then a loud noise. There was a sub station down the street and I’m pretty sure that guy drove himself into it or something close to it cause it was crazy bright and loud.I would say I feel sorry for the guy but he was the most annoying person I had never met in my life.I probably heard him do his stupid as Mario scream 15 times that night after 1 am.
Mountain lion tracks over our tracks. That was pretty spooky.Same area we camped next to this lake in July, and this rabbit came up and just hung out in our camp. We thought it was something terriyfing sneaking up (bear or aforementioned mountain lion) until this cute little bunny just pops out of the underbrush. He hung out with at our camp for probably 3 hours or so before we went to bed finally.The spooky part of the bunny was: what the fk is out there that this wild rabbit would rather stay super close to the humans. Kept my Glock on me for ps breaks.
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Whatever the case, we’d love to hear from all of you. Got some horror stories to share? Or maybe upcoming camping plans? Share your thoughts and everything else in the comment section below!
We went off for a grouse hunt during our camping trip, things weren’t going so well. We hadn’t seen any signs of chickens, or of any animals for that matter. We didn’t hear so much as a squirrel.The night before was different however. We thought we could hear some kind of low cry, but had dismissed it and stoked up our fire.While we were looking for chickens, we came across a fresh bear cub carcass, chewed to s**t, looked like a pretty rough death.
Went on a heavy drinking camping trip in college and at the end of the night it was just a friend and I up talking into the late night. She opened up to me about her Dad’s suicide and off in the distance about 100 meters away I could faintly see a white glowing entity almost like a person with a white sheet over themselves. I didn’t mention it because I was sorta comforting her and she commented that she saw the same thing I saw. I advised her that it is best we just ignore it and nothing happened.
Me and a friend were hiking on the Appalachian trial in Georgia back when we had just graduated high school. We were on the trail for 3 or 4 days backpacking. One night at one of the shelters, we met this older couple, prob late 30s, 40s camping at the same shelter for the night. Sun was going down, and we made a fire and started to talk to them. There story made no sense. Lomg story short, they were hiking from Virginia down to Florida because their car broke down. Then they started telling us crazy stories about how they used to catch cats, decapitate them and put them on the hood of their car like an ornament. I immediately had a feeling that they were fugitives or predators pr something. Lucky me and my buddy could hold our own and I made sure they caught a glimpse of my pistol after that s**t. They were creeps.Also one time was camping at Sand Rock in Alabama and heard a whole group/cult of at least 10 people chanting in one of the caves there in middle of night. Like speaking in tounges or some kind of gibberish.Ive done a lot of camping all over the country but those two memories stick out as being “close calls” for me.
A bear stealing my beers, i was chasing it drunk and wielding an 8 inch hunting knife.
Fun story, nothing terrible here: it was a bachelor party. We decided to go camping in North Florida. Well, somehow, it turned out to be the coldest time of the year. Well into the 40s and 30s. It was so hard to leave the camp fire to go to bed because any time away from the fire was freezing. I lucked out to be on an air mattress but other guys weren’t so lucky.Day two and we’re all hung over, making breakfast.I’m trying to take a nap in the car when I see snowflakes coming down the windshield. Yeah snowflakes in Florida at like 8am.Well about an hour later, a van pulls into the campsite next to us. It immediately hits a stump and blows a tire. A family with two kids jump out and start to set up. About this time, we are looking at these two little girls and wondering how the heck they are going to make it through a night like we just had. This family looked pretty in prepared.Our suspicions were confirmed when the wife came over asking for a lighter and that her “stupid husband” forgot to pack anything that could make a fire. Oh man… here we go.So fast forward to about midnight or 1 AM when I hear crying and a few minutes later the van running. I figure the family shoved the girls in the warm van. Makes sense so I go back to sleep. Next morning, campsite abandoned and van/family gone. I think they just left all their stuff and went home or to a hotel after just like half a day of camping. Poor family….
Modal closeAdd Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
You May Like“Thanks, I Hate It”: 50 Pics That May Ruin Your Whole Day (New Pics)Justinas Keturka45 Disturbing Photos That Look Normal Until You Find Out What’s Really Going OnEglė Bliabaitė"Candyland Invented During The Polio Epidemic": 30 Wholesome Things That Are Actually DisturbingIlona Baliūnaitė
Justinas Keturka
Eglė Bliabaitė
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Curiosities
