How to camp?

I've seen DIY's on how to relocate a diff breather
but not DIY's On How To Survive Outside

I think it is a thread worth asking
bonus points if you live in rugged terrain
I am not talking about SoCal on the beach campground with 200 people, bathroom in walking distance with coin-operated shower, and Ralph's around the corner
I mean wilderness
then again maybe it's worth looking into campgrounds (may not be available) but not all of them might have that

What do you bring?
Bonus points if it's affordable
Like for the Normal Man
not the Instagram Youtube Each Video Has 300,000 Views Minimum Man who absolutely bought the $2k fridge

Good camping trip?
"Man we brought cold steak, caught fish and cooked it outside, and had air mattresses"

Bad camping trip?
"All I had was an apple for 3 days. My ground tent was washed away by rain and was attacked by a bear."

So far I have:
-spork
-old GPS that gives wrong directions
-big water jug
-$20 gerber multi-tool from home depot that doesn't really do anything
-not an expert fisherman
that's about it
the more I think about it, the more I realize this may not be enough
it might take more than just adding a gas can

A hotel in the area is probably a ripoff
oh also just remembered, another thing I have:
lack of shower
suddenly, the hotel sounds more appealing


MRE's might help
not sure the best place to get them

 

Showers are overrated if you have a high tolerance for hand sanitizer.

 

that's a new one I've heard of baby wipes

 

Water. Either bring it or have a way to make it- 2 gallons per person per day in non-desert areas.

Then hit up Walmart and pick up a cheap Coleman tent, air mattress, and get on Amazon for some decent flannel sleeping bags (these are roomy and if you are bringing a girl will be much appreciated - you’re welcome).

Bring some sort of portable stove and a grate or something to put over a fire ring.

I’m guessing you haven’t camped often so break it up into categories-

1. water and food. MRE’s suck ass. Bring real food. And stuff to cook it in. Don’t forget trash bags. Pack your shit up.

2. drinks and a cooler (I mean… for food too).

3. Sleeping gear, tent, mattress, bags, extra blankets(yes, your girl will be appreciative… it’s a win win), etc. bring an extra tarp to put under your tent.

4. eating stuff: plates, forks, napkins, etc. also bring lots of paper towels and soap/wipes etc.

5. Stuff to make a fire. Figure it out. You’ll always need more wood than you think. Like 5x more.

6. clothes/personal gear. TP, baby wipes. Dress in layers. Bring a toothbrush for god sakes.

7. camp gear - lawn chairs are mandatory, a hammock is nice, a shade/tarp is great. Cord/rope, bungees, stakes,

8. very important - bug spray and a head net (for everyone) you’re welcome

Everything else is whatever. It’s not like you are going to starve. You can always pack up and pack out. Just don’t plan on eating what you catch - you’ll be guaranteed to go up the day after the Boy Scout convention where they all had to get their “catch a limit” badge or whatever.

 

Pack all your shit out, including your actual shit.

 

Pretty well covered it there.

 

No. Don’t knock a guy who wants to get out and try new stuff. Just be respectful and pick your shit up

 

Yes. Ideally not a single trace of ever having been there

bug spray
got it
I'm writing this down boss

and I thought a 5gal water jug was enough; I guess it must be at least two!
I'll try and Tetris fit it into the bed
thing is it's 5ft so sleep will be tricky
either ground tent
or in the bed with the tailgate open
might take up some room to have more jugs but not much, worth it
was thinking of an air mattress because it'd be more roomy than a sleeping bag, but did consider 0deg sleeping bag
especially if it's cold, that roominess probably doesn't matter as much
Mr Heater is an option but I think it would only work in a closed space like a tent, and not an open tailgate letting the heat escape

gotta start somewhere
can always go 3 days without food at all
done it before
it's not hard
just not enjoyable
a tent is cheaper than $100-300/night. And you get to keep the tent at the end of it
survival is not the same as fun.
slept in a car before. Not hard. Trying to figure out how to make it enjoyable for 1 or more people
Can always go there with 1 apple. Return "man that sucked, next time I'll bring 2 apples"
or in this case I'm sure much more prepared than that thanks to the other informative replies

 

River or lake or an extra 5-gallon container.

 

If you bring a piece of gear - always think “what else do I need to use this”.

otherwise you’ll forget the pump and get up there with an air mattress and have to blow the damn thing up with your smokers lung.

stove? Propane and matches, and cooking utensils, and pots, and sponges/rags to clean up, etc. same with meals.

 

Yeah - if you are bringing a girl you better make sure she can bathe. What can I say except… you’re welcome.

 

was looking at this the other day
I have a ViAir for tires that powers from the battery (to avoid popping fuses via cig lighter)
but it might not work to inflate an air mattress

 

Most stuff covered above. Air pumps usually come with the valve attachments to inflate most everything.
Due to fire restrictions in all the West I now have a Little Red Campfire and a 20lb propane tank - only usable fire now. In higher mountains it was well used evenings and mornings.
Big cooler and buy blocks of ice they last days.
Plastic bin for food with lid.
Body or diaper wipes help when no showers if going for many days.
Tenting get an RV woven rug/mat sure helps under it as well as a plastic tarp under to keep moisture out (make sure tarp is totally under the tent or if it rains it runs down the tent and tarp will funnel it under!) - good rain fly and extra big plastic tarp to cover - it always rains at least 1 night when camping!
5 gallon bucket with toilet seat (sell everywhere) and plastic liner bags - some areas like Moab require human waste special bags.
Make sure you have a malita style plastic coffee basket and correct filters.
Water you can buy gallon jugs at all stores as you go.
Pack a medical kit add moleskin for any blisters while hiking. Hats and sunglasses for every person.
If any kids 2 or more USB chargers to plug in vehicle. Just spent 4 nights camping with 3 teenagers. 1 pair of socks and underware per day per person!

 

If you have a collection of 20V ryobi or dewalt tools, you can bring along an air inflator that can do tires and mattress, impact for tire changes, flashlight, sawzall to cut some limbs and most of their small radios have usb port for phone charging. You can recharge the batteries in the truck outlet if needed. These last 3 items are good investments I have in all of our family vehicles: portable jumpstarter, tire repair kit, cig lighter tire inflator and first aid kit. Lastly, learn how to drop the spare and check the pressure and condition. Tires do have a shelf life regardless if it never touches the ground.

 

It’s the big stuff that can make a trip miserable. It’s the little things that can make it fun and relaxing.


3 teens in a double cab? How? Tell me more.

 

Most of the easily accessible car camping spots in the Sierras are similar. An established campground will often be much cleaner with less of a chance to have to pull broken glass out of my dogs paws.

Have to backpack in to get away from most of that crap.

 

Did anyone mention gas? If you're talking about driving far into the wilderness...Make sure you don't run out an/or have enough to get back to civilization or you're gonna need to figure out how to survive longer than 3 days on that apple

 

go camping with another person that is more experienced than you a few times and learn from them. Its sometime best to not jump in with zero experience.

Try and find a camping place where you can rent a spot for a tent but one that has showers and toilets. Get your feet wet but dont drown. You'll have facilities and clean water while you figure out the tent and camp cooking side of things. Once you're confident in your "semi roughing it" ways then take what youve learned and go into the wild.