Preparing For Your First Camping Trip
For those who have not done much camping before, preparing for a trip can be a stressful experience.
One impulse can be to over buy and overpack which can result in a difficult and complicated experience.
One good idea is to make sure that your first major trip is car camping instead of backpacking.
Car camping means that your campsite will not be more than 10 or 20 feet from your car.
In contrast, backpacking means that everything you need to cook your meals and sleep for the night needs to be carried on your back! Needless to say, car camping is easier and more foolproof than true backpacking.
It can be a good idea to borrow equipment and supplies from an experienced friend versus buying everything yourself, especially if you are not sure you will love camping! Based on their equipment, you can learn what you like and what you don't like so that you don't make mistakes when assembling your own equipment.
It's also a good idea to make a checklist so that you don't forget anything and are not bringing a lot of extra or redundant equipment that you will never use.
You don't want to finish setting up your tent only to discover that you sleeping bag is still in your living room at home! Finally, try to bring simple foods that just need to be heated or lightly looked instead of planning a gourmet meal outside.
You may be tired after setting up your camp and going hiking, and cooking an elaborate meal is probably going to seem less appealing than just opening up a can of camp stew and heating it up a bit before diving in!
One impulse can be to over buy and overpack which can result in a difficult and complicated experience.
One good idea is to make sure that your first major trip is car camping instead of backpacking.
Car camping means that your campsite will not be more than 10 or 20 feet from your car.
In contrast, backpacking means that everything you need to cook your meals and sleep for the night needs to be carried on your back! Needless to say, car camping is easier and more foolproof than true backpacking.
It can be a good idea to borrow equipment and supplies from an experienced friend versus buying everything yourself, especially if you are not sure you will love camping! Based on their equipment, you can learn what you like and what you don't like so that you don't make mistakes when assembling your own equipment.
It's also a good idea to make a checklist so that you don't forget anything and are not bringing a lot of extra or redundant equipment that you will never use.
You don't want to finish setting up your tent only to discover that you sleeping bag is still in your living room at home! Finally, try to bring simple foods that just need to be heated or lightly looked instead of planning a gourmet meal outside.
You may be tired after setting up your camp and going hiking, and cooking an elaborate meal is probably going to seem less appealing than just opening up a can of camp stew and heating it up a bit before diving in!
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