Woman lists 10 things you should know if you're a lady camping alone in the wild

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 24, 2021. It has since been updated.

Camping alone can be an incredibly scary experience for women. Maggie May, a content creator on TikTok, wants to help guide women who are looking to camp by themselves. May listed out ten practical tips that can help not just women, but anyone looking to camp by themselves in the wild. Maggie May speaks from experience having explored beautiful locations in Canada. Maggie May goes by the handle @nutritionbitespodcast on TikTok and posted a video listing the practical tips that included deception, creativity, and planning, reported Bored Panda.

“So I like camping alone in the woods as a woman,” she said before listing out the tips, which included hanging boy clothes near your tent, carrying a pocket knife, and gadgets capable of making a lot of noise. At the start of the video, she revealed that her family was quite paranoid about her camping in the wild but she said it 'all turned out okay.' May said her surroundings were a huge inspiration for her stepping out on her own. “We have such wonderful nature in Canada and it’s always been an interest of mine to explore it,” she said. 

After going on her solo camping trip, Maggie decided that she wanted to help any woman who wanted to try camping alone. Camping alone can be quite daunting and she decided to make a video that could help someone take that leap. “I threw together a little video and put it out there. I never thought it would attract as much attention as it has, but overall I’m really happy people are seeing it and I hope it encourages more people, not just women, to try solo camping!” she said.

She had gone camping with her friends for years but had never contemplated doing it alone. "I always thought I lacked the skill to do it by myself and was worried about my safety," she said before adding that she decided to do it alone only because of the circumstances. She wanted to go camping earlier this year but couldn't get anyone to go with her. May added that she was inspired by Reese Witherspoon's WILD. “I practiced a few camping skills while I was still home to feel more comfortable and also made the trip short in case I experienced any issues,” she said.

May said the hardest part about camping alone was navigating the responses from others after telling them she was going camping alone. She began to doubt herself as they warned her. May's post also caused a lot of division with some thanking her for the tips, while some criticized her for focusing on women's safety. “In reality, all of the tips I shared can be used by anyone camping alone — regardless of their gender,” she said. The majority of the people who criticized her were men and they assumed the tips were to protect against wild animals. It's mainly to protect against men. She responded to the criticism, by inviting them to camp, "I didn't know people could get so salty about safety tips, but here we are. Let's all go outside and take a breath of fresh air. 

 You can catch her content on Tiktok and check out her podcast Nutrition Bites.