Off-Grid Essentials

Separate "no facility" from "unconfirmed"

A facility shown as unlisted on this site is not necessarily absent. Check the official site or the manager's notice where you can, and ask about what you cannot confirm. For anything unconfirmed, bringing your own keeps luggage from growing too large.

Free sites may lack water, toilets, power, bins or a manager. Treat missing facilities not as a flaw but as something to prepare for.

Water: count drinking water and utility water separately

A tap is not necessarily drinkable. Some need boiling, and some are shut off in winter to prevent freezing. Unless the official notice confirms the water is drinkable, bring your own drinking water.

Estimate the amount from the number of people and nights, adding drinking, cooking, handwashing and washing up. A reference figure with its source is in the gear checklist article. What a portable water filter removes differs by product, and it does not necessarily make every source safe. Do not plan on drinking river or stream water; check the manufacturer's statement and boil if needed.

Toilets: confirm hours and how waste is handled

Even where a toilet exists, it may be closed at night or out of order. Think of a portable toilet kit as a set of waste bag, solidifier and odor-proof bag, and decide the number from how often you will use it. Take used kits home following the site's and local authority's rules. Never leave them where no collection point exists. Bring water for handwashing and something for wiping.

Light: finish pitching before dark and split your backup

With only one light, a failure can leave you stuck. Carry a hands-free headlamp and a lantern separately, plus spare batteries. Compare continuous run time and battery type. At unstaffed sites it is very dark at night, so it is safer to plan to finish pitching before sunset.

Rubbish, washing up and cash

Where there are no bins, take everything home. Bring plenty of bags, separating one for sorting from one for sealing wet items and used hygiene products. Do not pour dirty washing water onto the ground or into a stream; wipe first, then wash. Some sites need cash for a donation or for a designated rubbish bag.

Communication and safety

Mountain and coastal areas may have no signal. Make your map usable offline beforehand, and tell family where you are going and when you will return. Look up the nearest shop, fuel station and toilet in advance. Check the local notice for wildlife sightings, and do not leave food or rubbish outside the tent.

Common mistakes

Underestimating water, flat batteries in the light, too few rubbish bags, a closed toilet and no cash: a pre-departure check avoids all five. Before leaving, confirm whether the water is drinkable, toilet hours, lighting, rubbish handling and fire rules.