I always have a firearm and spare magazine on my person, camping/offroading, or otherwise. I've read some of the stories from you guys' experience (skipping several pages of "educate yourself" posts and pseudo-philosophical mumbo-jumbo), and respect each of you that have taken steps (and carry the mindset) to defend yourself, your families, and your property. I have considerable first-hand experience with violent encounters, both armed and unarmed, and the legal consequences of them (from the perspective of Virginia law). All I really care to say on that subject is that some of the stuff that's been said by a couple of people in this thread is dubious, at best.
As for tales from the campsite, I have only one that's kinda/sorta sketchy (really more entertaining), and it's not nearly as interesting as the others in this thread. I was out, roughly near McAfee Knob in western VA, when a rather "hippyish" looking fellow (probably an AT through-hiker) popped out of the woods near where I was set up, and started talking to me about my "breathing". Being genuinely entertained by him, I decided to inquire as to what he meant. He then went on an approximately 5 minute extremely detailed rant about how our body temperatures were rising because of global warming, and that we needed to learn new techniques for breathing, to help us better regulate our body temperatures so that we don't overheat. After a few minutes of this, I said "Ok, well that's good information to know. I'll work on that. Thanks, buddy!" and he wandered back off into the woods, in the general direction of the AT. My girlfriend at the time was sitting there with a "What the F..." look on her face, and I just looked at her and said "Ya got all that?".
He didn't leave me feeling concerned or threatened at all, and despite obviously being out of his gourd, really only seemed concerned for our well-being. However, as a result of the encounter, I no longer set up camp near hiking trails.
A camping trip will usually involve also bringing along my rifle, in addition to my pistol. I also bring spare magazines for both, not so much for some sort of "Heat" style Hollywood shootout in the woods, but because a significant amount of weapon malfunctions tend to be magazine-related. I also bring along a couple of quality knives, and plenty of lighting. If practicable, I try to position my vehicle where the engine block is directly between the entrance to my tent, and the entrance to the campsite.
Beyond that, I just try to relax and have a good time.
