After reading a review on this by Suyog, I decided to write my own. Please read his also as it is excellant.
I used to be an avid camper. Camping means different things to different people. Some may use a regular camper which to me is not the idea of camping as it is just like being at home on the road, and of course there are pop up campers, but tent camping in the wild was my’bag’ at the time.
I once camped out for 3 months in the woods. Might be a little extreme for some but it was interesting to say the least. We had many experiences while we were there. For one we took showers in the rain to clean up. Not many would find this fun but being out in the open air and taking a cool shower was a great experience.
Anyway, back to the topic. Choose a spot to go to. You will want one that someone knows where you are in case they need to get you in an emergency but I never went to a camp ground.
I went where my sister had been at one time and she told us how to get there plus she knew how to get us if need be. You had to park your car out of the way and then cross a river on foot to start the trek in.
First of all I learned to put my clothes in something waterproof as I had dropped them in the river and of course it helps if you know how to swim which I do not so luckily I was not alone.
Other things you will want in water proof containers are your matches and anything that could get ruined if it got wet. Not many will be crossing a river on foot but there is always a chance of rain.
Make sure you take some warm clothes and even a blanket as the woods gets very cool at night and if you have gotten wet you will be chilled anyway.
The next part of the trek was climbing some and in the deep woods and it was raining. I did bring a raincoat and hat, however I never thought of bug spray that first time but haven’t forgotten it since.
We finally found the spot we wanted by a part of the river.You don’t want to take a ton of things with you but you do want to be prepared.
You have to put the tent up first. If it has been used before check it before leaving home to make sure there are no tears and that all zippers work. You will need something to pound the pegs in with to secure it down. You will also need a camping lantern and a regular flashlight with extra batteries.
The flashlight is for the trips in the night to a spot you have dug for a toilet. Before leaving to go home make sure you cover this up. You should have a gun with you in case of bears that are agressive.
There were some there but they did not bother us. An air mattress and a sleeping bag makes a nice bed and both roll up so are easy to carry.
The lantern of course gives you light at night in the tent or sitting outside. We did not take a grill, we simply dug a whole and filled it with wood and laid a grill top on it to cook on. The food tastes great done on wood.
You may want a couple of pots depending on what you plan to cook. And of course utensils to eat with and don’t forget the food. A nice cooler should keep everything you will need in it.
We also had fishing poles for fresh fish. Make sure you have enough food but not so much you look like you brought the grocery store with you.
If you take medications be sure you have all you need with you and also make up a simple first aid kit for minor cuts, scrapes and burns. The main idea is to have fun and you will if you make a list of everything you need and double check your list before leaving.