Some of our readers enjoy camping under the stars—and under the radar

Others slept on restaurant floors, in “a tree house in Western Australia, or “on a beach under my overturned row boat.” There’s a trend in the world of bivouacking that we can’t in good conscience recommend because, by its very nature, it breaks the rules—although it does seem novel and potentially a bit of thrill-seeking fun.

It’s called stealth camping, and it involves pitching a tent or sleeping bag in areas where it's either explicitly or implicitly verboten—like, say camping atop Beacon Hill: a great view, but you’re not allowed.

Some people do it out of convenience or to save a few bucks. There’s a reason for those signs along Cook Street that say overnight parking is forbidden.

Some, like outdoorsman Steve Wallis, get a thrill camping under the radar— inside a pipe as an example—and in places people wouldn’t expect, like in a hedge at a Westshore intersection.

Wallis’s YouTube videos have received millions of views and his campsploits inspired a poll question we ran last week: Where is the most unconventional place you've ever camped?

In a farmer’s field, on a mountain, in the trunk of a car, and up a tree were all popular selections in the poll but many of you went with Other, which garnered half of the votes.

We thought we’d share some of those write-in selections.

Our readers seem pretty hearty and open to overnighting wherever possible: from the caldera or crater of an active volcano to a “remote portion of the Great Wall of China,” and culverts beneath highways in windy Argentina.

From beaches across the Island and world to the rough of a golf course. From under the stars in the Sahara to inside a shallow gravel pit in Newfoundland and Labrador (“With an Ocean View!”).

One of our readers said they once camped on the lawn of a cricket club in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, while another glamped in a game park in Swaziland, replete with rhinos.

You know those garter snakes that make the news—usually during the spring—in Manitoba? One of our readers does.

“Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba. In the fall, when a gazillion garter snakes arrive to spend the winter. Snakes here, snakes there, the snakes were everywhere! On a quiet day, you can hear an endless rustling like wind in leaves, but there's no wind.”

Ssssweet dreamsss if you end up camping with garter snakes. Photo: Canadian Geographic

Our readers said they slept among cows in Switzerland and bears in Strathcona Park.

Some slept on mountaintops: the Rockies, Mt. Kilimanjaro, mountains in Argentina, in a tent at -15C on Mt. Washington. One reader slept 3K metres high in the Rockies at Abbot Pass hut.

Other camping areas visited by Cap Daily readers: A junkyard in Crowsnest Pass; a gravel pit on the Alaska Highway, among the mice on a Saskatchewan island, a Mexican garbage dump, a dry riverbed in Argentina, a logging road near Jordan River, caves in Turkey.

This one sounds like a country music song: “Drunk, asleep in ditch, side of the road,” and this one sounds like a close call: “On a grassy verge (unbeknownst to us) right next to the railway tracks outside Port Angeles. When the express train hurtled past we thought our days were numbered.”

Others slept on restaurant floors, in “a tree house in Western Australia, or “on a beach under my overturned row boat.”

This being BC, there were plenty of stories of camping in VW Westfalias and minivans through Greece, Yugoslavia, and all over the Island. Several made do in cramped minivans and many were pragmatic and cautious like this reader:

“We set our tent on a platform we constructed to prevent bears, rats, etc., from getting close up and personal. This was on Haida Gwaii in the summer of 1969 or 1970.”

This one made for a bit of a surprise in the morning: “In what turned out to be the edge of a graveyard. (We didn't stop until after nightfall and didn't realize where we were until morning. We left hastily so as not to be disrespectful!)”

This one sounded like a bit of a morning eyebrow-raiser, as well: “Didn’t know it but we parked in a golf course in California [that] was dark, looked great. No clue till the next [morning] we heard someone call out ‘Fore!’ Got up and out really quickly. ”

For one reader who served as a UN peacekeeper, a memorable night was spent “on the outskirts of a small village next to a minefield.” Though they say, it wasn't technically "camping."

And there was this story that made us smile:

“Our 1986 Volkswagen Westfalia broke down in North Bay, Ont., while on a cross-country trip. We called CAA and were towed off the highway into a VW dealer in town. We needed a new rotor but none were in stock so it was ordered from Toronto. The dealership was located on a little creek. The staff helped push Westie down to the creek—positioning her just right for the perfect camp spot—and then gave us their WiFi password. We spent the evening cycling through North Bay, ending with a bowl of soup from the fridge and a glass of wine beside the creek. The rotor and a spare arrived first thing in the morning. The mechanics woke us up, let my husband put in the part to save the labour fee, and charged us $35 for the whole experience. On our way out of town, we ordered 2 large pizzas for the staff—it was Friday after all.”