From California love camping ! This summer , I managed to spend 47 days traveling to Alaska , across Canada and a good part of the United States . I slept on top of my Jeep . Doesn ' t get much more American than that . I ' ve camped in tents , too . Many of the national parks allow backcountry camping , which is carrying your gear out into the wilderness and camping wherever you find a good spot . For safety reasons , I wouldn ' t take my gear more than a couple miles let ' s say 35 km max from the nearest road where I parked . But here ' s what I bring ! A good sleeping bag . A tent that fits the season . An inflatable sleeping mattress it ' s just a small pad that goes between your sleeping bag and the ground . Makes a world of difference in comfort . Gallons more water than I think I need , especially if camping in the desert . On my road trip , I would routinely have 58 gallons just for myself . A portable little camping stove that uses propane tanks . Some portable cookware and canned food to eat . First aid kit always important to have the basics with you . And a bunch of little tools , pocket knives , utensils , a compass , etc . What do I do ? Hike and enjoy nature . In some areas , like Southern California , it takes serious effort and a lot of driving to really get to nature . Walk around , take pictures , enjoy the sights , bring some friends , be careful . Look for wildlife , too ! Star gazing every time I go somewhere really far from cities , I ' m amazed by the night sky . The light pollution from SoCal really ruins things . But that rooftop tent on the Jeep was amazing , provided you ' re camping somewhere you can drive to . There are plenty of offroad accessible places . In California and probably other states you normally can ' t just go driving off anywhere you want you ' ll damage the environment . But even if you follow paths , you can get quite far from any other people . I like camping by myself quite a bit . I have no problem with being alone .