Everglades Wilderness Gear Checklist
Almost every Everglades wilderness site is reached by water, usually by canoe or kayak, so the pack is built around the boat: dry bags, hard-sided water containers, charts and a compass, and rope for the tides. The kit also changes with the kind of site. A chickee platform needs a freestanding tent and a tarp, a ground site brings more insects, and a beach site is the only place a fire is allowed. Paddlers disagree on hammocks, and the park's own rule is only that nothing may be nailed or staked.
What shapes your gear on Everglades Wilderness Camping
- Three kinds of site
- Chickees are roofed platforms about 10 by 12 feet over the water, with a portable toilet along a walkway. They hold one group of up to 6 people. Ground sites are earth mounds a few feet above the mangroves, they hold larger groups, and the park says they tend to have more insects. Beach sites are on the coast sand, have no tables or toilets at most of them, and are the only place a fire is allowed.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing)
- Water
- There is no fresh water along the coastal part of the wilderness. The park says to bring every drop for drinking and cooking, at least one gallon per person per day, in hard-sided containers because raccoons chew through soft jugs.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing)
- Season
- The park calls June to October a poor time for a wilderness trip because of heat, severe storms and heavy mosquitoes. December to April tends to be more pleasant. One paddler found that mosquitoes and no-see-ums vanish when the temperature falls below 50 degrees.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and National Park Planner
- Pace on the water
- Experienced paddlers plan about 8 to 12 miles a day, and wind and tide can cut that to one mile an hour. The 99-mile Wilderness Waterway usually takes at least eight days and is recommended for experienced paddlers only. For a first trip the park suggests one or two nights, such as the marked Hell's Bay Canoe Trail with a stay at Pearl Bay or Hell's Bay chickee.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
- Tides at the campsite
- The park warns that tidal ranges can exceed four feet in places and says to pull canoes above the high-tide line and tie them down from three points at landings. One paddler reports that canoes have capsized in the night after drifting under a chickee at low tide, then being held under by the rising water.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and National Park Planner
- Toilets
- The park says many sites have no restroom and that those that do are not always serviced regularly. Where there is no toilet, human waste is buried at least 6 inches deep, and toilet paper is packed out.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping, Everglades National Park, Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing)
- How the permit works now
- Reservations are on Recreation.gov, open on a rolling basis about 90 days before the start date, and the confirmation email is the permit. The park says to carry a printed copy or screenshot of the itinerary. Older trip accounts describe getting sites in person 24 hours before the trip. The park says that since January 2, 2023 it holds no sites back for walk-up.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing), Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
What the agency requires on Everglades Wilderness Camping
A freestanding tent on chickees
Nails and stakes may not be driven into any chickee or the Lostman's Five platform, so the tent must stand on its own.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
A gas stove, not a fire, at chickees and ground sites
No campfires are allowed on chickees or ground sites, and grills or stoves that burn wood, charcoal or coal are out too. Gas stoves and grills are fine. Fires are allowed only at beach sites, below the high-tide line, using dead and downed wood.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
All drinking and cooking water, in hard containers
The park requires campers to bring all drinking and cooking water, at least a gallon per person per day. It asks for hard-sided containers because raccoons chew soft ones.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
Food and water kept out of the tent
Raccoons will do nearly anything for food and water. The park says to keep both in hard-sided containers or secured aboard the boat, and not in tents.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
Your itinerary, printed or as a screenshot
The reservation confirmation email serves as the permit. Campers are required to carry a physical copy or a screenshot of the final itinerary, and no one needs to pick up a paper permit.
A bag for trash
Everything is packed out. The park says not to bury, burn, or flush trash, and not to put wipes or insect-repellent cloths in the toilets.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
What hikers carry on Everglades Wilderness Camping
A freestanding tent with a tarp or footprint underneath
Chickee floorboards have gaps and rough edges. Paddlers lay a big tarp so small items cannot drop through into the bay, and one writer says the boards and nails are hard on thin tent floors. The park's no-stakes rule is why every report brings a tent that stands without them.
From Terradrift, The Dyrt Magazine, Unfurling Adventuress and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
Dry bags in several sizes
One kayak trip used two large bags per person plus a small one for things needed in a hurry. A solo canoeist packed a 55 liter waterproof bag for the sleeping bag, spare clothes and electronics, and a hard plastic box for food. A canoeing couple kept sleeping bags in a dry bag.
From Terradrift, National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
Water in hard jugs, sized to the days
The rule of thumb is a gallon per person per day. A solo canoe trip planned for nine days took 10 gallons, with eight jugs frozen in a 48-quart cooler and still some ice left a week in. A five-day canoe loop took a gallon per person per day plus an extra, and kept food in two 5-gallon buckets and trash in a third.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
Nautical charts and a compass
The park calls a chart and compass the best tools for finding the route and the site, and says GPS and phones may fail. One paddler carried charts 11430, 11432 and 11433, which cover the whole Wilderness Waterway, plus two compasses. Salt buildup locked one of them. Another trip used a waterproof trail map on which one inch covered 1.6 miles.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner, Terradrift and Unfurling Adventuress
Insect protection matched to the site
The park lists repellent, a bug jacket and a tent with netting, and says ground sites have more insects. A winter paddler sprayed repellent every couple of hours on top of permethrin-treated clothing and still found a few mosquitoes up the back of a shirt. A kayak writer adds a net for anyone sitting out after dark, and notes that platforms farther from land have fewer mosquitoes.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner and Terradrift
A marine or weather radio
The park suggests carrying a weather radio if possible. A solo canoeist used a marine radio to hear the forecast and rework plans, and a ranger's marine radio gave one couple a warning of 30 mph winds that kept them in their tent for 38 hours.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing), National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
Rope and bungee cords for the boat
The park says a loop of heavy rope can help paddlers climb onto a chickee from the boat. One canoeist used bungee cords so the canoe could rise and fall with the tide under a chickee, and a canoeing couple brought plenty of cord to tie everything down.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
A warm layer and rain gear
Sleeping on open water feels cooler than on land, and the park says to be ready for cold, wind and thunderstorms. A canoe couple packed hats, scarves and light rain gear.
From Terradrift, Unfurling Adventuress and Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing)
Books, a Kindle or small games
Nobody paddles after dark, and a chickee leaves long evenings with nothing to do. Three writers brought reading material, and one finished the only book packed by day three of a five-day plan.
From Terradrift, Unfurling Adventuress and National Park Planner
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Everglades Wilderness Camping
A hammock
Paddlers disagree. One canoe couple carried a hammock and posted a photo of it hung on a chickee. A second writer says hooks and nails are banned on chickees, so a hammock will not work and a freestanding tent is the better choice. The park's own text bans nails and stakes and tells campers to use a free-standing tent.
From Unfurling Adventuress, The Dyrt Magazine and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
Soft jugs and loose food at beach sites
The park says raccoons chew through soft containers. One paddler heard that raccoons at island sites carry off unsecured gear, tear open water jugs, and unzip tent doors while campers look on.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and National Park Planner
A canoe on big open water
A canoe couple say the open bay was a mistake in a canoe and advise staying on the marked Hell's Bay trail. A solo canoeist crossing a two-mile bay in 30 mph gusts met waves as high as the canoe's sides and knew a sideways turn would capsize the boat.
A one-piece kayak paddle in narrow channels
The Hell's Bay channels are narrow enough that a kayak-style paddle will not work, and a writer says it has to be pulled apart before you go through.
Extra footwear left at home
A solo canoeist stayed off the muddy trails on the shell mounds because camp shoes were not packed, and missed exploring some sites.
Gear questions for Everglades Wilderness Camping
How much water do I need for Everglades Wilderness Camping?
The park requires you to bring every drop, at least one gallon per person per day, in hard-sided containers. No fresh water is available along the coastal wilderness. One solo canoeist planning nine days packed 10 gallons.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing), Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and National Park Planner
Can I use a hammock for Everglades Wilderness Camping on a chickee?
Sources disagree. One couple hung a hammock on a chickee. Another writer says the ban on hooks and nails rules hammocks out. The park only says nothing may be nailed or staked and that you should bring a freestanding tent, so a tent is the safe plan.
From Unfurling Adventuress, The Dyrt Magazine and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
Can I cook on a fire during Everglades Wilderness Camping?
Only at beach sites, below the high-tide line, with dead and downed wood. At chickees and ground sites no campfires are allowed and only gas stoves and grills may be used.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) and Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park
How do I get a permit for Everglades Wilderness Camping?
Book on Recreation.gov, which opens each day about 90 days before the trip start. The confirmation email is your permit, and you carry a printed copy or a screenshot. Older trip stories describe an in-person permit 24 hours ahead, which the park no longer uses.
From Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing), Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park and National Park Planner
How bad are the mosquitoes during Everglades Wilderness Camping?
It depends on season and site. The park calls summer a poor time because of heavy mosquitoes. One winter paddler says they vanish below 50 degrees, while a canoe couple found one bay chickee the buggiest place they had ever camped. Repellent and a bug jacket are on the park's list.
From Everglades National Park (NPS): Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park, National Park Planner and Unfurling Adventuress
Sources
- Wilderness Trip Planner, Everglades National Park · Everglades National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Wilderness Camping, Everglades National Park · Everglades National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Everglades National Park Wilderness Permits · Recreation.gov (Everglades National Park listing) · Agency
- Kayak Camping in Everglades National Park: Spend the Night on a Platform on the Water · Terradrift, Alisha McDarris · Blog
- Chickee camping in the World's only Everglades · Unfurling Adventuress · Trip report
- Canoeing the Wilderness Waterway in Everglades National Park · National Park Planner, Drew Boon · Trip report
- You Can Float Over the Everglades by Camping in a Chickee · The Dyrt Magazine, Madelyn Ottem · Blog