# Camping Risk > Raise when iteration continues after observable improvement has flattened or inverted, and subjective momentum substitutes for measurable progress. ## Summary Camping is unconscious persistence. It occurs when effort increases but improvement does not. When detected, reassess mode or apply `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/methods/pivot-on-inversion`. ## Trigger Indicators include: - Repeated refinement with diminishing gains - Rephrasing dissatisfaction without structural change - Constraint accumulation without simplification - Increased intensity with declining coherence - "Almost there" language paired with worsening output Camping is a pattern, not a metric. ## Why It Matters Camping produces: - Escalation of commitment - Structural degradation - Illusion of productivity - Emotional amplification It is the failure mode of unconscious persistence. ## Severity - **Shallow plateau** — Suggest reassessment. - **Flat plateau** — Recommend pivot. - **Negative slope** — Interrupt and require explicit mode decision (see `pivot-on-inversion`). ## See Also - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/principles/progress-over-perfection` — camping is the failure mode this principle names as momentum