Never been camping, what are the essentials?

Got one nobody else has probably used. Used to take boat down local river every weekend for a whole spring/summer. Couldn't find good fire starter and discovered Doritos! Don't laugh until you try. Serious. You probably have some now. And smells so good it makes you want to slap your grandma!! lol

 

Challenge accepted!!

Edit....Hot damn, it works. Not a big flame but it burns and it burns for quite a while.

 

Common sense and a level head is #1 on my list. If you don't have it bring someone with you that does. When the sh*t hits the fan in the middle of nowhere it's a priceless resource.

 

like Bama said.....do you want to camp with all the features of home or, do you want to camp like days of old.

 

Most important thing is to practice good leave no trace habits. Nothing I hate more than people shitting up the wilderness.

 

This is good advice; start simple and see what develops. Lots of people have camping gear they seldom use. Borrow some stuff to try at first. Start out with a tent with ground cloth, sleeping bag and a pad to go under it. You need the pad for comfort and insulation because the ground will suck the heat out of your body. Do a couple of weekends at an established campground and talk to the other campers. They'll be more than happy to offer advice.

 

FWIW, seems like you've gotten the basic advice from the previous posts. By trial and error and process of elimination you'll figure out what you need for basic gear. If you end up liking it, you can specialize for particular seasons/ weather conditions. (Practice setting up your rain fly in the dark!) Someone suggested REI as a place to go. I completely agree w/ that as we'll. Good information, 10% off non-sale items as a member, and you get to handle the merch prior to purchase. Biggest thing I can comment on is your sleeping bag. Buy a bag that out perform your coldest potential temp. It sucks sleeping in a cold tent!

-Chris

Basic rig for camping with the wife (she hates camping on the ground)


View from the back of the tent at Needle Rock


Silverton Falls cuz it's a cool pic!

 

Did it make you hungry? Yeah flames not giant but it burns hot. Most wilderness camping around here is in Shenandoah National Park. You don't sleep on the ground outside of enclosed tent. Way to many ticks nowadays. Got lyme disease that way. Good advice to start at KOA or similar. If I sleep under the stars it's in a hammock with netting. Also got to pull trash up in the trees to keep pesty bears away from camp. lol