Camp Food, Bears, and Boredom: What Nobody Tells You About Camp Life

Camp life for logging, planting, and mill crews means shared food, wildlife encounters, and long stretches with nothing to do between shifts — the part job postings never mention.

What camp food is actually like

Most established camps run a cookhouse with a dedicated cook or catering contractor, and the quality varies more by camp than by company — a well-run contractor camp can feed better than a poorly run company one, and the reverse is just as true. Expect large-format, high-calorie meals built for people doing physical labour outdoors: hot breakfasts, packed lunches you build yourself from a spread the night before or morning of, and a hot dinner. Coffee is constant. Fresh produce quality tends to drop the further the camp is from a supply town, since deliveries run on a schedule rather than daily, and the last few days before a resupply are noticeably heavier on canned and frozen goods than the first few.

Smaller or newer tree-planting camps sometimes run a rotating cook duty among crew members instead of a dedicated cook, which means food quality and consistency depends more directly on who’s cooking that week. If you have dietary restrictions, raise them with your employer before you arrive rather than after — remote camp kitchens have less flexibility to accommodate a special request on short notice than a restaurant would.

Bears, and the rules that come with them

Working and living in the bush means working and living in bear country, and every established camp has rules around food storage and garbage specifically because of it — bear-proof bins, no food left in vehicles or tents, and a clear policy on what to do if you spot one near camp (usually: back away, report it, don’t approach, and never try to feed or photograph-at-close-range). These rules aren’t optional camp culture, they’re there because an animal that’s learned camp equals food is a serious safety problem for everyone who comes after you, not just you.

Bear encounters at a distance are common enough in bush camps that most crews stop being surprised by them fairly quickly; close encounters are much rarer if the camp’s food discipline is actually followed. Bugs — blackflies, mosquitoes, and in planting season specifically, no-see-ums — are the more constant nuisance most new workers underestimate relative to bears. Bring bug dope and a head net before you’re told twice that you needed one.

What to bring to a bush or float logging camp specifically

A bush or float logging camp differs from a bigger oil sands-style lodge in a few practical ways that change what belongs in your bag:

• Caulk boots (or equally effective footwear). WorkSafeBC’s OHS Regulation requires caulked or other equally effective footwear for anyone walking on logs, poles, pilings, or other round timber (WorkSafeBC OHS Regulation, section 8.23, accessed 2026-09-10) — if your role puts you on logs at all, this isn’t optional gear, it’s a regulatory requirement your employer will check.
• Real rain gear, not a city jacket. Coastal and bush camps see sustained wet weather that a fashion raincoat won’t hold up to for a full shift, let alone a full rotation. Bring gear rated for actual outdoor labour, and a spare set if you can manage it.
• A bear awareness kit. Bear spray or bangers where your camp’s policy allows them, and a clear understanding of your specific camp’s food-storage and encounter-reporting rules before your first shift, not after.
• A way to stay reachable without cell service. Smaller bush and float camps are far more likely than a large company lodge to have no cell coverage at all, and some don’t have camp-wide Starlink either — see our staying-connected guide for what a satellite messenger does and doesn’t cover, and don’t assume you’ll have any signal until someone at the camp confirms it.
• Enough of everything, because laundry and power may be limited. Smaller or older bush and float camps don’t always have the laundry facilities or the steady power supply a big permanent lodge has — pack more changes of work clothes than you think you’ll need, and don’t count on charging multiple devices at once.

This is on top of the basics any camp job needs — see our camp life guide for the fuller general packing and expectations list, since not everything below applies to every camp equally.

Boredom: the part nobody warns you about

The physical hardship of forestry work gets talked about. The boredom doesn’t, and for a lot of people it’s the harder adjustment. A remote camp after shift has a rec room, a gym if you’re lucky, spotty-to-decent internet depending on whether the camp has Starlink (see our connectivity guide), and not much else. No town to drive to, no errands to run, nowhere private beyond your room. Weeks of that rhythm wear on people differently — some find it restful, some find it grinding, and most land somewhere in between depending on the week.

Bring things that don’t depend on connectivity: books, a hobby you can do in a small room, a way to work out that doesn’t need a full gym. Off-shift time in camp is limited and shared, and for the rare evening you want something quiet and low-key, regulated online options are compared by province on our regulated options by province page — off-shift only, and never on company networks or devices.

Whatever you pick to fill the hours, plan for it before your first rotation rather than discovering the gap once you’re already there with nothing packed for it. See our camp life guide for the rest of what to expect, and our seasons guide for how the calendar affects camp size and atmosphere through the year.

FAQ

Is camp food actually as good as recruiters say? It varies a lot by camp and by cook, not by company reputation alone — a smaller contractor camp with a good cook can outperform a larger company camp with a rotating crew-cook system. Ask other workers who’ve been at that specific camp if you can, rather than trusting a generic company description.

How dangerous are bear encounters at forestry camps? Distant sightings are common in bush camps and rarely dangerous if camp food-storage rules are followed; close encounters are much rarer and usually tied to a breakdown in those rules (food left out, garbage not secured). Follow your camp’s protocol exactly rather than improvising.

What do people actually do with their downtime at camp? Whatever doesn’t depend on a strong internet connection tends to hold up best — books, fitness, hobbies you can pack small, and conversation with your crew. Streaming and calls home fill the gaps when the connection cooperates, but plan for the times it doesn’t.

What should I bring to camp? The basics any remote work camp needs, plus a few things specific to bush and float logging camps: caulk boots if your role puts you on logs, real rain gear, a bear awareness kit and knowledge of your camp’s specific bear protocol, a way to stay reachable without cell service, and more changes of clothes than you’d pack for a camp with full laundry service.

What should I bring for a camp? Same answer as above — pack for the specific camp type rather than a generic checklist. A bush or float camp with limited laundry and power needs more clothing changes and less reliance on charging multiple devices than a larger, permanently powered lodge.