Expectations for Camp Mustache 2025
TLDR
I think I know what to expect. On the other hand, I have no idea what to expect.
Where Are You Going?
For those who are unfamiliar with Camp Mustache, it is a gathering of ~50-60 attendees in the Pacific Northwest for a weekend of speakers, breakout sessions, community, and camaraderie all centered around Financial Independence. The goal of the event is to “meet like-minded badasses and learn about financial independence, in a relaxed outdoorsy environment”. This is one of the original FI gatherings and interestingly CampFI was actually created to expand & build on this event to make this concept more accessible to a greater number of people.
My Experience At Other FI Events
I had heard about various FI events over the years such as Camp Mustache, CampFI, and EconoMe. While each sounded interesting, I never thought I’d actually attend any of them. It always seemed like these were for “other people” or that I might feel out of place hanging out with a group of strangers for an entire weekend (which is the quintessential introvert’s nightmare!). I also felt like I already had a sufficient self-made community consisting of the numerous FI podcasts I listened to, the local ChooseFI groups I was part of, and the online interactions I had in the ChooseFI Facebook group.
So what changed? I had the opportunity to attend a CampFI in 2023 and my opinion of these gatherings was forever altered. To my surprise I met so many people that I easily connected with and had such a great experience overall that I was open to exploring additional FI events.
Stepping Into The Unknown
Although this will be my first time attending Camp Mustache, in addition to CampFI I’ve also attended EconoMe the past couple years. (In fact, EconoMe 2025 was just a couple months ago and you can read both about my expectations and a recap of the event).
From talking to past Camp Mustache attendees and from what I’ve heard through various other sources, I expect the event itself to have a very similar format to CampFI, which I’m familiar with – a mix of technical content (speakers & breakout sessions) along with a lot of casual time to just hang out and get to know the other attendees. As the name suggests, the event takes place at a camp so I am expecting it to be a very laid-back environment.
What I’m Looking Forward To
Community.
It’s all about community.
This is exactly why I love attending FI events. I’m looking forward to meeting a new group of people and learning about their past, where they currently are on their financial journeys, what cool things they may be up to in the world, and what their goals are for the future.
The one thing that’s really stood out to me is that absolutely EVERYONE in the FI community has a distinctively unique story that is inspiring in one way or another – whether it’s overcoming daunting situations such as getting out of debt or doing amazing/non-traditional things that I’ve previously thought were impossible such as traveling the world, taking sabbaticals, etc. I absolutely love hearing these stories because they are not only inspiring, but also because it’s real people doing these things, not just “fairy tales” or a nebulous voice heard on a podcast.
Although I’m excited to meet new people, for those who know me, talking to others (especially strangers) doesn’t come easy at all. While conversations at previous FI events have always turned out well and everyone has been so easy to talk to, I feel that I can definitely improve on my conversation skills. This event will be another good opportunity for me to consciously practice some of the social skills I’ve been trying to develop. In particular I’m hoping to work on a couple specific things that I’ve previously mentioned on the blog – listening to others and trying to keep the topic of “work” out of conversations.
I know it won’t be easy and I guarantee that I’ll naturally slip back into old tendencies from time-to-time, but I also know that this will be good for me. To use a sports analogy, I can start building up my “reps” now so that in the future I’ll be even better. Ultimately I hope that I’ll come away from the weekend a little less socially awkward.
On a personal note, I’m very excited that Camp Mustache is so close to home for me. I’m happy because I can just hop in the car and drive to the event without having to fly anywhere. Also because of the close proximity to home, I’m actually even more excited for the chance to meet other FI people in my local area. So far I’ve only connected with members of various ChooseFI local groups across the Pacific Northwest, but I know that not everyone in the FI community is a member of these specific groups.
What I’m Not Looking Forward To
Being around a group of strangers for the weekend. (Well, hopefully they will only be strangers for the first few hours or so…)
Although I enjoy being around people who I am familiar with, I get anxious and don’t do well in large crowds or even smaller groups of more than just a few people. It’s not that I delight in feeling this way, but unfortunately it’s just the way I am and it’s the hapless reality that I have to live with. (For reference, I still get nervous attending my local ChooseFI group events and I’ve known many of those attendees for years!)
I’m actually pretty nervous since I’ll be going alone this time. The past two big FI events I attended were EconoMe and that was with my wife both times and with The Squire once. CampFI in 2023 was the last event I went to alone, however it turned out fine so I expect a similar outcome this time as well.
The good news is that I’ve actually already met a few Camp Mustache attendees ahead of this event, so at least I’ll see some familiar faces from the start. A few of us also attended EconoMe a couple months ago and we had a chance to meet in-person in Cincinnati. As I would’ve expected, they were great people, nice & friendly too, and it comforts me to know that I should be meeting more of the same type of people this weekend.
Don’t Stop Me, I’m Ready
With expectations set, I’m getting ready to hop into the car and head to the airport to pick up my friend that I recently met at EconoMe. I’m looking forward to our drive to Camp Mustache together, which will give us time to talk and get to know each other better. This will be a good prelude for the weekend and hopefully just the start of more positive things to follow.
Stay tuned, as I will be back next week to let y’all know how things turn out…
Links/Resources
Reader Questions
- Have you attended Camp Mustache (or any other FI event)? If so, what was your experience like and what are you looking forward to at future events?
Leave your answers or comments below – or email us directly at info@epicfinancialjourney.com