If there is anything I have learned about myself, it is that I belong by the water. Specifically, I belong by the ocean. The sun, the breeze, and the sand just melt my stress away. I absolutely love the sound of the surf as I fall asleep. It helps me wake up ready to take on the day.
It has been a while since I got to camp on the beach, but I recently completed a long-distance survival challenge in the Ozark Mountains and slept on a sand bar next to a creek. It is definitely not the same as camping on the beach, but there are some similarities. It reminded me of the differences between camping on the beach and camping anywhere else.
You will definitely want to change up your plans a little when you are camping on the beach. Heck, it’s hard to even find a legal camping spot on the sand anymore. Almost everything is either private beaches or campgrounds that are booked for months. In this article, we will cover the differences with beach camping and how you can make your trip a great time for everyone.
UV Protection
We do most of our camping in the woods where there are lots of native trees to block the sun and shade our camp. Often the canopy is so thick that we don’t even worry about the sun. However, when you camp on the beach the sun will be a factor. There is typically little shade on the beach unless you bring your own. If you can bring a beach umbrella or beach shelter, that would be smart. Just be sure to stake them down well. The wind can really whip across the beach at times.
When you camp on the beach, you will probably spend some time in the water. In the water, you have UV light hitting you from above and reflecting back up from the surface of the water. That makes the exposure even more extreme. You will want to have a high SPF sunscreen for your body. We also bring products specifically for our faces and lips as they burn differently. Be sure you reapply throughout the day as these products degrade in the water over time. You also want to bring hats to protect your face, head, and neck and loose-fitting clothing to block the sun and keep you cool.
Exposure to the sun without the right protection will result in several medical issues. The short-term concerns are sunburn, heatstroke, and dehydration. If sunburns are bad enough, they can really affect your health. In addition to the pain and blistering you face, you also get cold chills, light-headedness, and a headache. I have actually been so sunburned that I stood up to use the restroom and collapsed unconscious. Thankfully I just needed some water and rest. The long-term effects of repeated overexposure to the sun are skin diseases that can be life-threatening.
Heatstroke happens when your internal body temperature gets above 103F. As your body gets overheated from the sun and from physical exercise, you will start to notice negative symptoms. These include dizziness, confusion, clumsiness, heart palpitations, and possible loss of consciousness. As the internal temp reaches 105F you start to face permanent brain damage. If you notice any of these symptoms you should lie down in the shade, sip cool water, and wrap a wet cloth around your neck to cool down the blood in your major veins and arteries.
Dehydration is actually a more common and dangerous issue partially because it becomes worse when you introduce alcohol. You should never wait until you feel thirsty to hydrate. You should just keep cool water by your side and drink all day to ensure you never get dehydrated. Many of the symptoms are the same with heatstroke and dehydration except that your heart will race, you will become weak, and you will stop sweating. This is when you are really in trouble and need to see a doctor. I have been severely dehydrated on several occasions and at times have had to visit the hospital to get IV fluids. Never assume there will be drinking water when camping on the beach and bring your own.
Can I Get Cold on the Beach?
The very first time I slept on the sand was actually several years ago on a different one of my survival challenges. It was also a long-distance challenge and I had covered about 21 miles in two days with only a handful of wild edibles for food. It was getting dark and I ran across a creek with a sandy shore. With drinking water that close, it was going to have to be my campsite. For the record, I never suggest sleeping right on the shore of a body of water as flooding, insects, and predators can become an issue. Honestly, I was just so tired I didn’t care at that point.
When I came across the creek, the sand just looked soft and inviting. I laid down to drink some water and did like the feel of lying on the sand. Of course, this was when the temperatures were still around 80F. I did not consider the fact that my clothes were soaked with sweat, and I did not consider how the sand would affect my body.
Hypothermia is a condition in which the internal body drops below 95F. I know it seems odd that you could die from high temperatures and low temperatures on the same trip, but that is how the body works. When you become hypothermic you get confused, disoriented, body aches, severe headache, severe shivering, numbness, organ failure, and eventually death. Typically hypothermia happens in cold climates, but not always. I have also been hypothermic on several occasions, and it is no fun.
Humans can become hypothermic in temperatures as high as 60F if their clothes or skin are wet. The internal body temperature drops 25 times faster when it is wet versus when it is dry. This is why it is so common in wilderness survival scenarios. When you are camping on the beach, there is a good chance your clothes could be wet from seawater or sweat.
In addition, sleeping directly on the sand is a bad idea. That sand holds in moisture that will also drop in temperature. That means that even if you stay dry, you have the sand sucking the warmth out of your body. Be sure to dry off before it gets dark and hang your clothes to dry in the wind or over the fire. It is not uncommon to wake up to a pop-up thunderstorm so bring appropriate camping gear. I found that sleeping on the sand is really cold, so bring an insulated sleeping mat to keep you warmer. A sleeping bag and tent are a good idea, but you can always hang a hammock if you want to sleep under the stars but stay off of the cold sand.
Plan for a Sandy Mess
I don’t think I have ever gone to the beach without getting sand absolutely everywhere. You just come to accept it. Sand will be in shoes, clothes, packs, tents, sleeping bags, and anything else it can find its way into. If you can find ways to control the sand a bit, it can make a big difference. Try to have everyone dump their shoes and shake off any sand before they get into cars or tents.
You can bring some extra gear to help you control the sandy mess. It is good to have a broom as well as a handheld brush and a dustpan. Handheld vacuum cleaners are great, and even a leaf blower can help under the right circumstances. Keep all of your food and drinks covered as the wind will deposit sand in everything. Finally, in the middle of the day the sun can get hot enough to leave burns on your feet. Be sure you have some sort of footwear to handle this.
Beware of the Tide
As I stated before, it can be tempting to lie down right near the water and set up camp. Unfortunately, beaches mean tides and that means that you could be swimming in your sleep. Tides rise fast enough that you may not have time to move all of your gear before it washes away. The gear that is not washed away could be ruined, and it could even be a life-threatening scenario. If you were wrapped up in a sleeping bag in the dark and were woken up by a few feet of water, you could get tangled up and drown. When you walk the beach, you should be able to see a flat portion of the sand where the water has leveled everything out. Further up the shore, there will be rougher sand that has been tossed around by the wind.
When you get past the tide line, the sand has much less moisture and is fluffier. It does tend to blow around and get in your stuff more, but that is the price for staying dry. This area should be out of the reach of the tide in most cases. If you want to be more thorough, there are apps and websites that will show you a tide schedule for your beach. This would let you know when the water is at high tide so you can more clearly see the tide line on the sand.
Planning Your Beach Camping Trip
I mentioned previously that it can be tough to find a beach that allows camping. Unless it is a designated campsite, you will deal with lots of private beaches. You can book beach campsites in advance, but be ready for lots of other campers. If you do some research and ask around the area, you can sometimes find privately owned stretches of beach where nobody cares if you camp. However, most property owners are too worried about lawsuits to allow campers.
Campers on the beach tend to get more attention from the law than other campers. Whenever you camp on a beach, you want to try and keep a low profile. Try to keep the music down and avoid large groups of people. Always collect any trash and respect the property. Leave pets at home as nobody likes ‘land mines’ all over the sand. Only build a fire if you absolutely need one and if it is legal. If you do get a visit from the beach patrol you should be nice and move along if they ask you to move. If you keep to yourself, you can often camp several nights before anyone even knows you are there.
You should always be prepared for a scenario in which you accidentally camped somewhere you shouldn’t. To do this, you should be ready to move your camp quickly if needed. If you notice you have drawn negative attention, it may be easier to move your camp than to let the situation escalate. You may want to sleep under the stars so you don’t have as much gear to move. Try to stick to earth tones for your gear so it does not stick out, and keep your gear light so you can easily pack up.
When picking your beach campsite, you should look around for signs of other people. You want to camp away from trails, buildings, vehicles, roads, and other campers. If you see or smell smoke from a campfire, that is a good indicator that other campers are close by. If you really want to keep a low profile, you can limit flashlight use and wait until after dark to set up camp. You can also camp around big rocks or trees to further hide your location.
If you must have a fire, you want to hide it as much as possible. Try to find solid debris to build a wall around your fire. You can also use any gear you brought. This will hide the flames of your fire that would otherwise be visible for miles. Wait until after dark and the smoke should not stand out. If you have a dirt area near the sand you can build a Dakota fire pit. Dig two holes about six inches apart and at least two feet deep. Then dig out a tunnel at the bottom connecting the two holes. Build your fire in the bottom of one hole and it will draw in oxygen from the other. The flames are underground, so they cannot be seen from a distance.
Because it is frowned upon in so many areas, camping on the beach can be a bit of a rush. No matter where you plan to set up your camp, beach camping can be lots of fun and can create lots of great memories. Just be sure to plan for the differences between beach camping and forest camping. If you make the needed adjustments to deal with the sun and the sand, you and your crew will have an incredible time.
Adam Lantelme
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