Striking Camp

Striking Camp When it’s time to go home you have to dismantle your camp site, pack the gear and clean up the site. This is known as ‘striking camp’. It is best to follow a routine, packing your gear first and taking down the tent last.

After your last meal, wash up and prepare food, if needed, for the journey home. If you used a stove, leave it to cool, then empty and clean it. Take down the tent by removing the pegs, cleaning off mud or soil, putting them in a peg bag along with any loose guys. Fold the tent, making sure there is no debris on it. If it has a loose groundsheet make sure it is dry, before you pack both away in the tent bag. Bring all you rubbish to the recycling bins.

Do a sweep of the campsite and take unused firewood and spars from dismantled gadgets back to the correct storage areas. Leave the site exactly as you found it or better. On arriving home check over all the equipment before it is stored. Air the tent to make sure it is dry or mildew will rot the fabric. Check the tent for any tears and repair them. Air your sleeping bag. Clean your hiking boots. Brush or scrape mud off, then leave to dry before waxing them.

Tips

Never dry your hiking boots by the fire as it can cause the leather to crack. Dry them out slowly by stuffing them with newspapers.

If your tent is damp when you return from camp, it should be thoroughly dried before being packed away. This can be done by draping it over some chairs in your den or a garage etc.