Camping is a wonderful way to spend a weekend or even a week getting back to nature and letting all of the worries of the real world fade away. If you are going camping for the first time, you need to make sure that you plan and pack accordingly. Nothing can sour a first time camping experience more than underestimating everything that you need.
First, you need to determine where you are going to go camping. Every U.S. state and Canadian province has campgrounds available, but you have to make sure that they allow for tent camping. Some of the campgrounds are only for RVs. National parks and regional parks often have camping areas. It is a good idea to research the location to determine what facilities it offers and how many people are usually there. If you want a rugged experience, for example, you aren’t going to want to go to a campground that has hundreds of tent sites all within a few yards of one another.
Second, you need to know what to bring. For starters, you will need to have a tent, sleeping bags, food and a cooler. Make sure that you don’t keep your cooler and food too close to your camping area, as it can attract unwanted and sometimes dangerous wildlife. You will need implements to start a fire, and in many cases, you will need to bring along your own wood. However, some campgrounds have wood for sale and don’t allow you to bring in your own. Again, make sure that you research where you are going to stay.
After you’ve gone camping a few times, you will be able to determine what you need and what you can afford to leave at home. You might even find that you enjoy primitive camping where the only thing you have is a tent and a little bit of food and water.