What to take dispersed camping
Free camping is free because nothing is provided. No water, no toilet, no power, no one to call. This is the short list of what closes those gaps.
Carrying and treating water
Only a couple of dozen sites in this guide are recorded as having drinking water. On most of the rest, nobody has written it down either way. Carry what you need. Plan on about a gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking. Make it more in the desert in summer.
- A rigid water container, 4 to 7 gallons Rigid beats collapsible for anything you will refill often. Collapsible bladders fail at the seams and always at the worst moment.
- A smaller day bottle or two So you are not lifting the big container every time you want a drink.
- A filter or purifier Only if you plan to draw from a creek or lake. If you are carrying all your water in, you do not need one.
Going to the toilet properly
Most of these sites have no toilet. This is the single thing that gets dispersed camping areas closed down, so it is worth doing correctly.
- A trowel For burying waste 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails.
- Waste bags In some desert and canyon areas these are not optional. Nothing decomposes there and burying is not allowed.
- A bag for used paper Paper does not break down quickly. It comes out with you.
Getting there and getting out
A good number of these sites sit at the end of an unpaved forest or desert road. Recovery is on you: there is no phone signal and no one coming.
- A tire repair kit and a compressor The most common way a trip ends badly is a flat on a rough road.
- A traction board or a decent shovel For sand and soft ground.
- A paper map or offline maps on your phone Download the area before you leave the pavement. Assume no signal.
Power and light
Almost nowhere in this guide has a hook-up. Assume you are carrying your own power.
- A power bank or portable power station Sized to how long you are out and whether you are running a fridge.
- A head torch Hands free matters more than brightness.
- A folding solar panel Worth it once you are three days out. Below that, leave it at home.
Fire, and not starting one
Fire restrictions apply across all five states for much of the season, and they change week to week. Check with the agency that manages the land before you light anything.
- A gas stove Usually still allowed when open fires are banned, though not always. Check.
- A fire blanket or extinguisher Small, cheap, and the difference between an incident and a catastrophe.
Now find somewhere to use it
464 places to camp on public land across Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Arizona and Montana. Most are free, and every page says which.