Hello all, I am doing a school project to create a software/app to help with planning for back country camping trips. I figured here might be a good place to ask some of these questions. If you could help a guy out that would be awesome!

How often do you go camping? (Anything outdoors overnight)

Where do you go when you go camping?

How would you describe yourself as an outdoors person?

Whats the biggest pain point when going?

Whats the most time consuming thing when you go?

In your opinion what would a tool look like for planning and organizing a camping trip?

Cool project for school! I'll try and help...

1) I can as often as possible! This year probably 50-60 nights camping.

2) My favorite place to camp - BWCA! But I also try and go out west (I grew up in northern Idaho) and I like trying a least one new place each year. I will occasionally stay in a state campground but mostly I camp in the wilderness as much as possible.

3) As an outdoor person, I love nature! I hunt, fish, take pictures, record sounds, make videos, write in my journal, sit quietly and observe, look for new things, etc. My preferred reading is about the out-of-doors and I get involved in advocacy and fundraising efforts.

4) Biggest pain point - I would like more time to be in the woods! Not sure if that is what you are looking for. I guess I'd note my biggest frustration in the outdoors relates to crowds. The fewer the people the better. I should also add that most of the people I meet in the wilderness are great.

5) Time consuming? For me, sleep, which I love to do in the woods.

6) I use a lot of online resources for planning - route builders, gear weight/optimization website, maps, videos and/or trip reports from others, inaturalist to see what lives/grows in the area, state maps to look for natural areas on my drive to camping destinations, calling forest service people, talking with outfitters, reading fishing/hunting reports, menu planning, etc.

For me I think one of the things that would be helpful is better tools to interact with my kids during the preparation. I modify everything to adapt to their ages but that isn't always easy. I don't mind because it is important to me they help plan a trip they'll enjoy and I think they learn important skills and values along the way.


Good luck with your project! If you do launch a product, drop a line to let folks know!

Thanks for the response! What could I put down for a name for you? (Don't need a last name for this)

Jay

goldsn: "Hello all, I am doing a school project to create a software/app to help with planning for back country camping trips. I figured here might be a good place to ask some of these questions. If you could help a guy out that would be awesome!

How often do you go camping? (Anything outdoors overnight)

Where do you go when you go camping?

How would you describe yourself as an outdoors person?

Whats the biggest pain point when going?

Whats the most time consuming thing when you go?

In your opinion what would a tool look like for planning and organizing a camping trip?"

1. I spend from 10-15 nights a year camping.

2. Most if it lately has been in the BW. I have been known to car camp.

3. I go to the woods to recharge/mental health. I will fish from time to time, but I am not avid. I gave up hunting when I moved to a place with far less opportunity. Seeing new sights. Traveling by canoe. Finding a new route. Serendipity.

4. Planning meals. I prepare the meals for our trips. Meeting the preferences of an aging and diverse group of adults and children (grand) has kept me searching for new recipes. The new food storage rules are adding a new dimension for planning also.

4. The most time consuming thing in camp is cooking and clean up. The time consuming thing during the whole trip is traveling to and from. The most time consuming thing outside of all that is finding a route and permit. My partners cannot give a commitment to a date in January. I am always taking what is left over in April or later.

A tool for a BW trip would include;
*packing lists that you can customize with group lists and individual lists.
*interactive menu planner
*allow you to save PDF's of documents (permit emails, RABC's, outfitter reservations, etc.)
*create a group for communication (Chat?)
*a spot for the group to put in route notes.
*widget for weather as you approach trip dates (choice of Ely or Gunflint Trail?)
*place to store web links for notes the group needs - e.g. fire bans, outfitter notes, trip reports, etc.

I hope others have some different priorities here as well.

Neat idea!

How often do you go camping? (Anything outdoors overnight)
2-3 trips per year, with each trip being around 3-4 nights

Where do you go when you go camping?
BWCA

How would you describe yourself as an outdoors person?
Brandy Drinking, Cigar Smoking, Brook Trout Chasing, Grouse Hunter.

Whats the biggest pain point when going?
Trying to organize a trip with potential trip mates. Scheduling, willingness, ability to commit.

Whats the most time consuming thing when you go?
Most time is probably spent paddling in the canoe, either traveling, sight seeing or fishing.

In your opinion what would a tool look like for planning and organizing a camping trip?
Unsure - I use the site and it's maps section, along with other sites on the net. I use the DNR website for fish surveys and text for organizing a trip with trip mates. Perhaps an app that encompasses all of the above?

Appreciate your response! I go about the same process, websites maps etc… that’s why i came up with this idea!

Thanks for your input it is much appreciated, and it is seeming you guys have the same struggles as me! If I do anything with this idea, will definitely reach out!

This sounds like an awesome project, one you could keep evolving as time goes on. If this will be an online version and you need beta testers, please let me know.

1. 15-20 times a year. Honestly, any excuse to get away, I take it.

2. State parks, national parks, private properties (with permission), and BWCA

3. I am at home and love camping, canoeing, and doing anything outdoors.

4. Probably the biggest pain point is when there is a trip with multiple people and coordinating times, activities, locations, menus, etc.

5. The most time-consuming... Well, For me it is the drive to BWCA, but once the trip starts, I would guess cooking/clean up and basic camp chores.

6. I created a spreadsheet years and years ago that has served me well. Planning and prepping for a trip is half the fun for me. I have tabs for what I have found to be needed planning points;
a. Packing list, items needed for a trip based on time of year, weather, and duration.
b. Packing list of what's where. So I don't have to do a pack dump to find matches.
c. I have a calendar sheet for the duration of the trip with sunrise/sunset times, high/low temps, and the menu. One-stop shop for a view of any particular day.
d. Expenses, I have a tab for the overall trip costs, and how it would be divided by the other members. It gives a good idea of the total costs and what needs to be purchased.
e. I have a tab for the EP and route. This gives an estimated time for travel and gives everyone in the group an idea of what to expect.

Good luck on your project! Here are my answers:

How often do you go camping? (Anything outdoors overnight).
10 to 25 nights per year.

Where do you go when you go camping?
Northern Wisconsin, BWCA, Northern Michigan (UP), Western Ontario (Quetico and points north and west of Lake Superior, southern Wisconsin.

How would you describe yourself as an outdoors person?
I am happy being in the woods and wilds, particularly near or on water during all seasons. While I no longer winter camp, I enjoy skiing and walking in the woods in winter just as much as in summer. I like being away from crowds but love being with my wife and/or family and friends.

Whats the biggest pain point when going?
The drive to and from; getting away from crowds, especially unexpectedly busy locales.

Whats the most time consuming thing when you go?
Prepping and packing, although I enjoy that process as part of the trip itself; Getting to and from the trip location.

In your opinion what would a tool look like for planning and organizing a camping trip?
Different functions to use or not use depending on trip type; a calendaring function to know when it's time to do various tasks like shopping, packing, etc.; a organizer of contacts function for reservations, permits, phone numbers and emails; gear lists that can be reused and customized; a separate food and consumables (batteries, sunscreen, etc.) tab for planning and shopping with a notes function to have after trip reminders and adjustments to be made.

I hope this project is a fun and helpful learning experience. Cheers!

my name is joe

How often do you go camping? (Anything outdoors overnight)
three to four weeks out of the year

Where do you go when you go camping?
BWCA, Wyoming in the mountains, Chequamegon National Forest in the winter

How would you describe yourself as an outdoors person?
I enjoy cooler weather and especially like exploring the backcountry

Whats the biggest pain point when going?
I always forget at least one thing! Or that one piece of gear that was just barely hanging on breaks out in the woods and I have to improvise!

Whats the most time consuming thing when you go?
Getting last minute items before heading in.

In your opinion what would a tool look like for planning and organizing a camping trip?
a meal planning tool would be interesting!

How often? This varies quite a bit. We generally go to the BWCA 1/year. Occasionally we miss and sometimes we go twice. Our trips have varied from a long weekend to a few weeks in length. We have done tent camping/backpacking other places, such as the Grand Canyon, but this type of epic trip comes only once every few years. We have backpacked Isle Royale, however, not for about a decade. We will occasionally car camp at state parks, about 1/year. I have a very old pick-up truck camper, which I will take horse camping (camping at a designated horse campground, with equines, for riding and/or driving on trails). I do this at least once/year. I also will stay in my truck camper if possible if I have an out-of-town meeting or conference. I stayed in my camper in Ashland in October when I attended the Wolf Symposium.
Where: BWCA is our preferred camping destination. As noted above, we sometimes venture elsewhere.
Outdoors person: I love the outdoors. I grew up fishing, hunting, and camping. I like to hike, cross-X ski, and take nature photos. Canoe camping is our top #1 activity of choice. I also drive equines, often on forest roads/trails (cart/carriage in summer, sleigh in winter). We live in a log cabin and heat with wood, so procuring firewood is a big chunk of my time and energy. I also harvest wild rice in the fall.
Biggest pain point: since we have animals, getting a good house-sitter is often the toughest challenge.
Most time consuming: I have a hard time with this, because once we are under way I do not really view anything as ‘time consuming.’ We will tend to trip out of Ely rather than via the north shore as it lessens our drive by about 3 hours. I guess breaking down camp could be considered time consuming. As I age this seems to take longer. Planning and prep is time consuming, but it is all part of the fun!
Planning tool: I have a check list (good ol’ typed out on real paper) that we use for our trips. This does not include food. I have updated this frequently. After every trip, in the back of my journal, I have a “coulda shoulda woulda” page. This helps me fine tune things for the next adventure. I still refer to books regarding routes. I use this site exclusively as far as any on-line resources. I am guessing many folks will prefer something high tech as far as planning goes. I would say some type of basic list or spread sheet of ‘what to bring,’ and a means of calculating food quantities, and some way to calibrate for number of people in the party (for example, size of cookware). A resource list would be great, so newbies would know where to look to determine route difficulty, mileage, etc.

Great project, hope you get helpful information!
Jenny