Camping Fails That Make You Want To Stay Home

Published

5 years ago

August 9, 2019

A nice camping trip can be great for just getting away from our hectic lives and being among nature. But nature doesn’t always behave, and the natural elements can make things extremely difficult when all we’re trying to do is have a good time.

Sometimes, however, it isn’t nature’s fault, it’s just that some people can’t seem to get the hang of it. We’ve compiled the most hilarious camping fails that will leave you both laughing and also shaking your head.

All Downhill From Here

The #1 rule of tent pitching is to always set up on even ground, but clearly not these campers. They got it right with the table, but apparently they prefer to eat on an even surface but sleep at an angle. To each their own, but hopefully these people aren’t prone to rolling around in their sleep!

The Improv Tent

Words cannot describe how make-shift this tent truly is. It was seen at Scotland’s annual Eden Festival, and festival-goers just couldn’t help gawking at such a display of sheer incompetence. Let’s hope there wasn’t a light breeze, because that tent probably couldn’t have handled it!

Drowned Phone

In the days before smartphones were waterproof, you had to be extra careful not to drop it in the toilet or in the pool. At least they knew their chair was waterproof, even if their phone wasn’t.

Sleeping On The Tent, Not In It

Have you ever tried to assemble a tent only to say “screw it” and just give up? That’s what this guy did. It’s perfectly understandable considering how difficult it is trying to put one of those things together. Let’s just hope it didn’t rain!

Don’t Ignore Weather Forecasts

A word to the wise: if you’re ever planning on setting up camp, make sure you check the weather forecast for things like, I don’t know, some light flooding perhaps? Clearly these people didn’t understand that you can’t plunk yourself down next to a river just because it’s a pretty spot.

Blown Away

Some people don’t understand the importance of properly securing your tent. Well, for these campers it was a lesson well-earned. They were camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park and didn’t realize the sheer wind speed that whipped through those canyons.

Grin and Bear It

For those camping in northern areas, it’s important to make sure that your site is bear-proof. Well, clearly these people didn’t get the memo, because they found their entire tent being dragged away along with all their provisions stashed “safely” inside.

Less Mattress, More Tent

Inflatable mattresses are absolutely heavenly when you’re roughing it, but these people forgot to measure their mattress to make sure it would actually fit inside their tent! Needless to say, they headed straight to the nearest Walmart to purchase more roomy accommodations..

Tent Rescue

This woman ended up taking a little adventure after their tent decided to take a little swim on a particularly gusty day. She successfully rescued it, but they definitely made sure to bring extra stakes with them on their next trip.

Living on the Edge

Either these people are completely incompetent or they’re just into extreme living. This area was notorious for its landslides and falling rocks, so wishing only the best of luck to these campers!

Mud In Your Face, You Big Disgrace

This guy hopped in his vehicle to go get supplies and completely forgot it was still set to sports mode. The result was a very muddy campsite and some rather unhappy campers!

Up and Over

Kayaking and canoeing are a staple component of any camping trip, but this woman likely thought twice about trying it again after this incident. There she was, paddling along and enjoying the nice day, when she vaulted right over an unseen branch!

Floating About

This is why it’s so vital to choose the right spot! When this guy’s camp flooded, however, he decided to make the best of it by turning his camping trip into a boating trip. Guess that’s one way to make lemonade when life gives you lemons!

Taking a Quick Dip

This, boys and girls, is why you never forget to leave your car in park. Sadly for this guy, that lesson was hard-earned and ended with him trying his best to fish his car from the lake, but to no avail.

Soggy Situation

“It’s all frowns here at the campsite” this person reported when they discovered that their much-needed toilet paper had been left out and gotten soaked. Those who have ever truly roughed it will know how devastating this can be, especially considering that the only alternative is, well, nature’s natural wipes that grow on bushes.

Quit Lion About

This man certainly wasn’t expecting this up-close and personal encounter while filming a nature documentary. Fortunately it didn’t end poorly, but he learned a valuable lesson about not camping too close to the wildlife.

Honey, Did You Bring The Poles?

This couple was all set for a relaxing weekend when they suddenly came to an embarrassing realization – they forgot to bring the tent rods! Rather than allow their weekend to be ruined, they decided to just convert their vehicle into a tent. Clever, but next time just remember to bring the poles.

Lighten Up

It’s unknown how the fire started, but this couple’s weekend was officially ruined. Fortunately they weren’t too far away from the nearest fire station, but they probably opted for a regular tent on their next trip.

Getting to “High Ground”

When rain and floods threatened to end their camping trip, these people decided to get ahead of the issue by propping up their tents on the highest place they could find. Yes, this location was certainly high enough to prevent the tents from flooding, but they weren’t exactly accessible anymore. Try again, guys.

Extreme Camping

Because why camp on flat ground like a normal person when you can camp totally vertically against a sheer cliff? Even with their safety harnesses, that’s still incredibly daring.

Getting Muddy

Even if you set up camp on high ground, there are other issues you have to worry about when camping during the rainy season – such as the thick, oozy mud this guy found himself stuck in. All he wanted was to run into town to get extra hot dog buns, but mother nature said otherwise.

When You Forget The Tent

And this, kids, is why we always double-check to make sure we remember the tent! To be fair, it wasn’t exactly that they forgot the tent as much as they just didn’t think about how big of a tent they needed to fit everyone. Either way, this guy found himself sleeping out in the cold.

Going Up in the World

Somebody should probably tell these guys that they’re doing something wrong.You could argue that they’re trying to stay ahead of the rain, but based on how dry that ground looks they’d probably do better camping on flat ground like normal people.

Deteriorating RV

RVs are awesome vehicles for exploration and especially camping, essentially allowing you to take a mobile home on the road with everything you could possibly need. Unfortunately, these people seemed to have abused theirs to the point of it becoming a collapsing heap, which surely isn’t to anyone at the campsite’s liking.

Taking the “Pro” Out of “GoPro”

GoPro cameras are these great durable devices that allow you to record all of your outdoor activities… but this person clearly went for the cheaper route. And by “cheaper”, what we really mean is “so redneck that you’re better off just not having it at all.”

In Gator Country

You likely don’t need to be reminded of this, but you probably shouldn’t pitch your tent in the heart of gator territory. Florida may have a lot of them, but there are certainly other campgrounds you can go to that aren’t in the same place as the annual alligator family reunion.

Get Your Head Out of Your Tent

This is probably taking the phrase economic camping to the extreme! Sure, you don’t exactly need a four-room tent to have fun, but something that can fit a little more than just your noggin is probably on the more desirable side.

Camping For City Slickers

It kind of defeats the purpose of “roughing it” when you lug your air conditioner around with you. You can’t exactly blame people for wanting to be comfortable, but the only air conditioning you should be relying on is whatever nature provides.

Things Are Heating Up

The lesson these people learned was to never keep Hershey’s chocolate in the tent on a 95 degree day. Although, it ended up working to their advantage, because it saved them the bother of having to melt the chocolate for s’mores.

Defying the Rules

These law-breaking hooligans clearly don’t know how to read signs! This probably isn’t the most heinous crime to commit, but the fact that they literally used the very sign as tent support just means that they probably aren’t sweating it too much.

At One With Nature

This guy clearly doesn’t understand the concept of camping. If you’re lugging around all that equipment just to stay up to date with work, you might as well just stay home and pitch a tent around your desk.

Oh, Snap

Imagine lounging about in your hammock listening to the sounds of nature when suddenly your head is way lower than your feet! Although that’s probably what you get when you use a tarp as a hammock instead of, you know, an actual hammock.

We Lost Something

This is why overpasses have height restrictions! These people were ready for a relaxing weekend away but never even made it to the campground. Needless to say, they took the scenic, bridge-less route next time.

Reserved For Flooding

Even though they heavily considered pitching there anyway, these people were utterly relieved that they obeyed the sign and pitched elsewhere. Otherwise they would have found themselves in about three inches of standing water! Not a good way to go camping.

Pack It Up

This fail is partially on the design flaw of those teeny-tiny tent bags. But it’s also on whoever attempted to pack up this tent, because they completely forgot to let the air out!

This Isn’t Where We Set Up

These campers were not very happy when they discovered that their tent took a little dip in the river, but they did learn something important – rods and stakes are included in the setup instructions for a reason!

Quit Horsing Around

If there’s one thing that equestrians all have in common, it’s that they really, really love their horses. And usually their horses love them right back – in this case, wanting to get right in with them. This tent ain’t big enough for the two of us!

“A” For Effort

On the one hand, these ladies definitely tried their best to assemble their tent. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine how this tent could’ve come out looking any worse! Needless to say, these people ended up looking for the nearest hotel.

Overstuffed

Imagine being the person who picked out the perfect economic tent and the perfect comfortable mattress only to get out there and discover that you totally forgot to check the dimensions. Don’t forget the small details, people!

Rained Out

Swimming is typically a much-desired part of camping, but not like this. These campers were in for the rudest of awakenings when they completely ignored the weather forecast telling them that massive storms were headed their way. They were NOT happy campers.

Nesting Season Already?

So you finally get around to that camping trip you’ve been looking forward to all year, only to discover that you suck at assembling your tent. Do you A) read the instructions, or B) just say “screw it” and make a nice little human nest?

Mustard With Your Cattail?

We’ve likely all looked at cattails and thought they looked like hot dog plants, but nobody would actually go so far as to apply condiments and actually eat one, right? Well, this person did. In case you’re wondering, cattails taste nowhere near as good as hot dogs.

The Bear Necessities

Most people who go camping are well aware of the rules when it comes to storing your food in a safe, animal-proof location, but these people clearly didn’t get the memo. As happy as that bear family was for stumbling across the all-you-can-eat buffet, the human family was just as unhappy.

Hammock High-Rise

These guys put their heads together and solved the space issue… only they’re in the woods, where space is plentiful. Hopefully those hammocks are secure enough that there won’t be a pile-up in the middle of the night!

In a Rut

When you’re camping during the rainy season, make sure to check the trail! If only that car had four-wheel drive and a handy winch attached to the front.

Pontoon Picnic

This isn’t exactly a “fail” considering how utterly genius this thing is, but it’s no less hysterical. How can you save about $40,000 on a boat? Simple – just buy a picnic table, an umbrella, and a motor. Problem solved.

Disaster Strikes

These poor campers had to endure a night of thunderstorms, including a tornado that suddenly bore down on them. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but it was a good reminder to never camp underneath trees… this being one of the reasons why!

Such Crap Food

You could almost call this contraption pretty genius if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s so disgusting. This really takes the phrase “don’t eat where you crap” to a whole new level! It’s probably better to just get a grill and cooler from Walmart.

Glamping

Let’s not pretend this is normal. People don’t take sports cars on camping trips, and even if they do they certainly don’t use them to hang the wash on. Do yourself a favor, buddy, and trade in the Lambo for a sturdy four-wheel drive.

The Cat’s Out of the Tent

If you’re thinking about taking your cat camping, think again. That’s what these people learned when they thought that their precious feline would enjoy some fresh air among nature. Evidently not.

Soaring High

What camping trip isn’t complete without some time on the water? For this girl, though, she certainly got more airtime than she bargained for!

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