Choosing a Site: What Makes a Great Basecamp

A good camp is chosen, not stumbled into. Before you drop your pack, walk the ground and read it the way you would read a map.

Water, but not too close

Camp within an easy walk of a water source, but far enough back to stay clear of flash floods and morning wildlife traffic.

Read the wind

Pitch with your entrance angled away from the prevailing wind, and avoid the lowest point of a valley where cold air pools overnight.

Chase the light

An east-facing pitch means a tent that warms with the sunrise. Small decisions like this are the difference between a good night and a great one.