2torial #0629:
Learn2 Prepare for a Camping Trip

Take a walk on the wild side

If you've never camped before, you may feel you need to buy a lot of stuff and learn a lot of new skills to get started. That's really not true. Camping can be a gearhead's dream, but it can also be a simple, cheap, and incredibly fun way to get out of town for a couple of days. You don't have to buy much (you can borrow or rent most gear), and as for skills, the only real hurdle most beginning campers face is building a good campfire. Almost everything else you have to do is an adaptation of things you probably already know how to do. That goes for packing, too. This 2torial will help you learn to prepare now so you can enjoy yourself later.

Consider taking a trial run: Go for just one night to a campground with all the amenities (toilets, fire pits, drinking water) that's close to home (or at least close to a town). You'll see what it feels like to cook and wash and sleep outdoors, and that will help you plan (and pack!) for more trips. If you're planning on backpacking for the first time, include a two- to four-mile walk wearing your loaded pack and your hiking boots during this "trial" trip.

The most essential packing tool is a list. It may sound mindless, but write down everything you'll need, then cross it off when you've packed it. Better mindless now than match-less later! Add to the list as you consider what shelter, clothing, food, and equipment you'll need.

Assess your needs

Researching where you'll be staying is the key to a positive experience. In general, you'll need to pack differently depending on whether you're driving in to your campsite or hiking in to the backcountry; among other considerations, backpackers have to limit the weight and volume of their gear. Get on the phone, go online, or look in a guidebook to find out about your campground-to-be.

Water and facilities. A developed campground in a national park may provide flush toilets, showers, and toilet paper. In the backcountry, it's dig-your-own-latrine time. Know before you have to go. Find out if the running water is potable, but bring drinking water and a filter or some iodine anyway. Add to your list things like water bottles, a water purification system, iodine tablets, and a trowel.

Weather and critters. Check the weather before you go, both what's usual for the time of year and what's predicted. Going to bear, tick, or poison oak country? Add to your list things like rain gear, calamine lotion, a bear bag (a bag to store your food in--and keep it away from bears) and rope. For further details on keeping bears at bay, check out 2torial #0892: Keep Your Food from Bears.

Maps and guidebooks. Make sure you have clear directions to your campsite. Study guidebooks, road maps, and topographical maps before you go, especially if you're hiking in. Bring them with you, along with a compass.

Fees and permits. If you have a campsite reservation, bring the confirmation with you. Want to hunt or fish? You'll need a license. Some ecologically fragile or heavily used campgrounds have rules about what you can bring to the area and what you can do there, so call to find out the facts before you show up. Backcountry hiking usually requires an access permit, which should also allow you to gather firewood and build campfires. Remember to bring enough money for fees.

Secure your shelter

Unless you're staying in a trailer or some other built shelter, you'll need a tent. You'll also need a sleeping bag for each person. A drop cloth will protect the tent floor from wear and you from wetness. Pillows and sleeping pads or air mattresses can make your night more comfortable.

Tents, drop cloths, sleeping bags, and pads can all be rented from camping supply stores if you don't want to invest right now. Before you leave, make sure you have all the tent pegs and poles. You should also practice setting up the tent at home to familiarize yourself with the process.

Take the proper clothes

For a weekend getaway, pack one or two changes of comfortable clothes, and think layers. For tops, a couple of T-shirts or tank tops, a long-sleeve T-shirt, flannel shirt, pullover sweater, fleece jacket, and waterproof jacket should prepare you for most conditions. For bottoms, bring shorts and pants (one or two pairs of each) and long johns or leggings for warmth or to sleep in. Remember to include enough underwear, as well as a bathing suit, a knit hat, a billed or brimmed hat, sunglasses, and gloves.

Be good to your feet: Bring extra socks and at least two pairs of shoes (especially if you're camping near water or if rain is in the forecast). Unless you're backpacking or doing serious day-hiking, hiking boots aren't necessary. If you're backpacking, they're a must, and they should fit well and be broken in before you venture far in them.

List the toiletries you'll need. The basics are hand soap and a towel, toothpaste and toothbrush, sunscreen, bug spray, and lip balm. Lotion, toilet paper, sanitary products, and prescription medications may also be of use. A basic first-aid kit contains adhesive bandages, tweezers, antihistamines, aspirin or ibuprofen, and antibacterial ointment. If you're hiking, add moleskin (for blisters) and a sports bandage or two (for joint support).

Plan your meals

Planning your meals doesn't have to be as fussy as it sounds: if you want to eat peanut butter sandwiches and baked beans for two days, that's fine. But if you forget the can opener, half your meal plan is shot, so write it down.

If it helps, jot down menus for each meal. Then think about what you'll need to prepare or serve each of these delights, including ingredients and utensils. If you're bringing perishable food or items you'd like to keep cold, you'll need a cooler and ice. Here are some food and drink suggestions:

Some good, easy breakfast foods are bread (or bagels or tortillas), jam, fruit (fresh or dried), granola, instant hot cereal, and tea, coffee, or cocoa (pack sugar, creamer, spoons, cups, and a coffee pot). If you have a cooler, try eggs, pancakes, and bacon (remember to bring a skillet and spatula, and butter and maple syrup).

For lunch, portable, no-fuss food is ideal: bread, lunch meat, cheese, carrots and celery, fruit, and peanut butter and jelly. Fruit, nuts, crackers, trail mix, energy bars, and chocolate are all terrific snacks.

For dinner, canned beans and vegetables, soups and stews, pasta and instant rice, garlic bread, hot dogs and hamburgers, burritos, baked potatoes, grilled fish or chicken, instant pudding, and s'mores are all simple and tasty. Remember to bring the utensils, pots, plates, and any condiments you'll need.

If you like, pack other beverages, but first make sure you'll have enough drinking water, or the means to make water drinkable. Count on about a gallon per person per day.

Backpackers face special food challenges: they need to limit the weight of their packs and they need a lot of energy. Freeze-dried foods are effective, and so are basic fuel foods like peanut butter, cheese, nuts, and jerky. Beyond the basics, many backpackers manage to eat very well in the backcountry. It just takes a little practice.

Assemble a mess kit

Your mess kit is simply the tools you'll need to prepare, serve, and clean up after meals in the wild. Basics include a can opener, frying pan, pot with a lid, coffee pot, sharp knife, cutlery, bowls, cups, and plates. Other useful items include dish soap and a dish rag, a griddle or grill, a spatula, a large fork and spoon, paper towels, and aluminum foil.

A stove? You don't actually have to cook anything when you camp if you don't like, and a well-built campfire will usually do the trick if you do. But if you need morning coffee fast, or if your firewood is damp or sparse, a camp stove is a godsend. They range in size from lightweight, collapsible backpacking models to elaborate portable ranges, and most types can be rented from camping supply stores.

Dealing with trash. One cardinal rule of camping is to leave the campsite as clean as you found it (or cleaner). Most established campgrounds have dumpsters or cans for trash disposal. In the backcountry, you'll have to pack out all your trash with you, disposing of it when you return to the land of sanitation services. Either way, you should have plenty of plastic bags with you to collect and carry your garbage in.

Assemble your amenities

Next, consider what items will keep you comfortable and amused.

Heat and light. If you're planning a campfire, bring dry split wood, kindling (or newspaper), and plenty of matches. Lighting fluid, charcoal briquets, and even artificial logs can help you ensure a quick, steady flame. A good flashlight is essential for finding things in the dark (the bathroom, your shoes); lanterns and candles add atmosphere.

Comfort and entertainment. Camp chairs, folding camp tables, hammocks: If you're car camping and have the space, you can make your campsite luxurious. Books, a radio, playing cards, your journal, art supplies, board games, and musical instruments all add to a cozy domestic camping style. Remember to bring batteries.

What else are you going to do all day? List what you'll need: camera and film, field guides, fishing tackle, binoculars, bikes, kayaks. If you're leaving the campsite during the day, add a daypack or fannypack to your list.

The unexpected. Things break, spill, and start to smell. These items can help you cope. A mutli-use pocket knife is an obvious choice. Rope, twine, or bungee cords can secure items to your car or help you construct a bear bag. An axe or saw will help you gather firewood (if it's permitted where you camp); a shovel puts out a fire with ease.

Plastic bags of all sizes are very handy. You can seal trash or wet socks in them, use them to protect clothes from toiletries, and even fashion an emergency raincoat for you or your backpack out of a big black trash bag.

Pack and load

Assemble your stuff, check it against your list, add things you think of, and remove marginal items you probably won't need. This step is especially important for backpackers, who need to hone their pile down to the bare essentials.

Consider your vehicle. Is it full of gas? Has it been recently serviced? Is it backroad-capable (if it needs to be)? Does it have a spare tire, jack, lug wrench, jumper cables, and coolant? A dependable car is a must. If you have a cell phone, bring it.

Assemble your boxes, bags, and other containers. Group things that logically belong together: for instance, put clothes with toiletries in their own bag or compartment. Try to keep what you'll need first, often, or urgently as accessible as possible. All this will help you spend less time searching around.

Be sure you can physically carry all the gear. This is very important for backpackers, but also a consideration for car campers. As you pack, cross things off your list. Load them into the car, securing fragile or spillable things by placing heavier, bulkier items on the bottom.

Fresh air, gorgeous scenery, sunshine, and starlight: A great camping trip packs many pleasures. Packing right will help you enjoy them all more.

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