CampFI Rocky Mountains Review 2022
In July 2022, Darren and I attended a 3-day CampFI conference in the Rocky Mountains. We had achieved financial independence (FI) from W2 work before learning about FIRE and the FIRE community during the COVID pandemic. Since leaving our careers in 2020 and 2021, we were looking to meet others in person on the journey to FI and those who have already achieved FI.
We attended CampFI to meet and connect with like-minded people. We wanted to learn from those further in their FI journey about life after reaching FI. We were also looking forward to talking to people earlier in their journey and answering questions on topics like global health insurance, geo-arbitrage, and drawing down on assets.
What is CampFI?
CampFI (Camp Financial Independence) is a 3-day all-inclusive retreat for 50 or so participants with a focus on personal finance. As of our attendance in July 2022, there have been 30 CampFI events in the US. CampFI was started by Stephen Baughier in 2017. Stephen had attended Camp Mustache and wanted to bring a similar event to the Southeast United States. Since that initial CampFi in 2017, the event has spread to several locations in the US.
Here’s a short video on the story behind CampFI:
You may also want to check out the CampFI page to see if there’s a CampFI coming soon to a location near you.
Who Should Go To CampFI?
People on the Journey to FI
Camp FI is a great place to learn more about FI and FIRE, particularly for those actively pursuing financial independence. Before going to CampFI, it would be helpful to already know some of the basics of financial independence. However, the event is all about sharing and learning, so the organizer, facilitators, and attendees are happy to explain a term or concept if it is new to you. At FI, we discovered that community members are all at different phases and come to personal finance from many origins.
People Skeptical of FI
It’s quite common in a partnership or marriage to have one person quite passionate about FIRE and another person skeptical or perhaps against it, as the pursuit of financial independence and thinking about leaving a career early is counter-cultural.
A spouse or partner who is skeptical about financial independence may want to consider attending CampFI as a means of better understanding the values and motivations that attract their partner to the pursuit and community. In a group event such as this, you can’t help but meet at least one person with some healthy skepticism. We appreciate that this community truly exemplifies sharing of information, something that is not always celebrated in our individualistic society.
People Who Are Already FI
The journey to FI may feel like a long, slow slog. On the other side of FI, it’s great to find others who’ve also arrived.
After achieving FI and perhaps walking away from W2 work, the circle of people around you will change. You may no longer be surrounded by coworkers and the same people you’ve interacted with for quite some time. If you’ve been with the same company for several years before reaching FI, your coworkers may also be the circle of friends that you hang out with outside of work. Once you choose to leave your W2, that circle will likely change. Many of your friends may still be going to their 9 to 5 while you have the time and freedom to do new activities. Perhaps you even choose to move to a new location. All of this can lead to a lot of change and a lot of “unlearning” as you transition from an all-encompassing career to a new phase of your life with more freedom and flexibility.
At CampFI, “Post-FI life” is a big topic discussed among participants. Traditional retirees frequently have questions such as how to spend their time, how to find purpose, and how to make new friends. These questions are not unique to traditional retirees, as they also apply to anyone stepping away from their career, regardless of age. At Camp FI we found rich conversations on these topics as well as walking away from a career in midlife and making the most of the limited time we have here on earth.
What Should I Bring to CampFI Rocky Mountains?
CampFI is all-inclusive. However, there are a few things we found it helpful to bring, including pens, a notebook, and favorite snacks and drinks to share. Several participants also brought books to give or swap.
CampFI is very casual, many participants wore T-shirts and shorts, as well as a light jacket for the evening. Consider bringing hiking shoes or sturdy tennis shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and hiking poles. We brought insect repellent, but it was windy and we ended up not using it.
You’ll need to bring any toiletries you like to use, as well as earplugs and any special pillow (if you are picky about pillows).
Most importantly, you’ll want to bring curiosity, vulnerability, and an open mind.
What to Expect at CampFI Rocky Mountains?
CampFI Lodging
Your registration fee includes simple but comfortable lodging at the Franciscan Retreat Center on the outskirts of Colorado Springs near Blodgett Peak.
Rooms typically have twin beds. There are a few rooms set up for small families. You can work with the event coordinator to let them know you are traveling with a partner, friend, or spouse so that you can room together. If you are traveling solo, expect to be paired up with one other person of the same sex to share a room.
Rooms have a closet, shower, soap, paper products, towels, bedding, fans, and windows, but no AC. It cooled off nicely each night so our room had nice mountain air in it when it was time to rest. Our room was about 200 square feet, not including the bathroom.
Meals
The meals are typical Midwest fare, offered in a buffet-style. Think college cafeteria or a Sodexo buffet on a large corporate campus minus the grill. When you register, you can inform the organizer if you are vegetarian, gluten-free, or have a food allergy so that your needs can be accommodated.
Coffee was available near the conference room starting at 8 am. If you require coffee before 8 am, there’s a coffee closet near the conference room to make an individual cup.
You won’t starve at a CampFI. Many people bring snacks and beverages to share, and these snacks were available all day and night in a snack room. In the evenings, there was also plenty of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages to consume with the snacks.
Fitness
The beauty of this location—Pike’s Peak and Colorado Springs—attracts CampFI participants to this location not only from Colorado but also from many other areas of the United States. There’s plenty of great hiking in the area. Blodgett Peak is immediately adjacent to the retreat center and there is no entry fee for the park. If you don’t like hikes with elevation gain, walking around the retreat center campus is also an option.
Meeting Format
We arrived at the camp around 3 pm on Friday. We had a couple of hours to settle into our room and mingle as attendees trickled in. Dinner was served at 6 pm followed by introductions to the camp and fellow campers. It was nice to hear from each participant— where they were in the journey to financial independence, what they could share with the group, and what they were looking for at CampFI.
Saturday and Sunday started with breakfast, then we organized into hiking groups (organized by various distances and elevation gain choices). Lunch was at noon and presentations started at 1 pm or 1:30. After lunch, there were two presentations, typically led by bloggers, vloggers, or writers in the FI community.
There were also breakout sessions on topics voted on by the attendees. During our time at CampFI, four topics were selected and participants could go to two sessions total since two were held concurrently. The four breakout topics discussed at the Camp FI we attended were Life after Reaching FI, Taxes, Side Hustles, and Real Estate.
In the evenings, a couple of podcasters set up their equipment and recorded some live podcasts with the live audience of attendees. There was plenty of time and space to socialize in the evenings following the afternoon sessions. One evening also included karaoke.
What Are the Fellow CampFI Attendees?
Our camp had about 50 members. In age, participants ranged from teenagers to people in their 50s. There were people attending from all over the US, including Washington state, New York, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, California, and a large contingent from Longmont, Colorado.
There was a nice mix of people from different ethnic and economic backgrounds, as well as diversity in marital status, gender identities, and parents vs childfree people. I’d assumed most participants would be white, male, and in technology or engineering. However, participants included more teachers, freelancers, medical professionals, entrepreneurs, and real estate investors than we expected.
All-in-all, the event had a laid-back vibe with a great mix of structured and unstructured activities.
What Did You Learn at CampFI Rocky Mountains?
While our main focus in attending CampFI Rocky Mountains was to meet people in the FI community, we also learned a lot from the presentations and fellow campers. Here are a few of our key takeaways:
Though real estate investing was not part of our FI journey, we learned a lot about investing in houses for rentals, commercial real estate, and syndicates. We look forward to reading some books recommended to us by speakers on this topic.
We learned how different people are reaching FI through side hustles, creating YouTube and blog content, and utilizing dog walking sites like Rover.
We learned that almost everyone who reaches FIRE is continuing to work on something. Nobody we met had FIRE’d and was not “working” on something. These activities can include volunteering, making art, teaching, hosting a podcast, blogging, taking care of a parent or children, and more.
We discovered many new podcasters and books to read (exciting!). We also made lots of connections and friends who understand this counter-cultural thing we are so passionate about!
Would You Go To CampFI Again?
Yes, we will be going to CampFI again, and likely CampFI Rocky Mountains in July 2023 as we have family in the Colorado Springs area.
We learned a lot during the weekend, made some new friends, and encouraged fellow campers on the journey to financial independence. We learned that there’s a wide range of people interested in FI. We found that most people where happy to share their successes and challenges, including relationships and physical & mental health challenges on the way to and after reaching financial independence. We were grateful for the openness and wisdom of this community.
We look forward to returning for a second CampFi experience. If you have an interest in signing up for a CampFI, go to this page and sign up via Eventbrite. Who knows, we may see you there!
