Camping is a great way to escape from everything for a bit and just reconnect with yourself. Whether you’re looking for a break from the news with stories about tragedies, the fact that there were 4,450 car crashes with injuries in Brevard County, or you just need to take a weekend to destress from daily life, you’ll find a lot of joy in even a short camping trip.
However, going unprepared will end in disaster pretty quickly. If you want to go camping but are unsure as to what all you need to have prepared, read on for some advice.
Housing
There can be a lot to consider when discussing camping housing based on what you want to do. If you have a camper and don’t mind the cleanup required, you could take that instead of roughing it in a tent.
And, of course, some campgrounds offer cabins with running water and working electricity, so you can go with them instead if you’d prefer a bit of luxury with your nature adventure. But, of course, nothing quite compares to camping in a tent.
From here, you need to decide how large your tent will be. A massive tent can be comfortable and even necessary if you’re chilling with a few of your buddies, but it can be difficult to set up and a bit wasteful for a one-man trip. Smaller tents can have the opposite problem, though and be too cramped and uncomfortable.
Before you go on your trip, decide who all is going with you and count any animals as a person for the sake of simplicity. Then, get a tent that is intended for at least one more person than that to provide everyone with plenty of extra space for movement, necessary items like clothing bags and more.
Trip Duration
You need to know how long your trip will be before you start packing and planning other things like the tent.
If you don’t you may not prepare well enough and be stuck making do with what little you have. While this is vital for all parts of your preparation such as food, it can be especially devastating to have to wear dirty clothing for too long because you didn’t pack enough outfits.
Clothes packing is far from the best part of camp prep, but it has to be done. Running out of clothes will leave you walking around and sleeping in muddy, sweaty clothes. This will feel gross and get more and more uncomfortable over time.
To properly pack, see what the weather forecast looks like and make sure to pack not only at least one extra outfit for each day but also one even more extra set just to make sure you’re as prepared as possible. You could also pack a set of clothes that’s exclusively for sleeping if you’d like to take your prep game up a notch.
Meal Prep
One of the best parts of any camping trip is the food. Nothing quite compares to a burger or hotdog that’s been cooked over an open flame, but that’s not the only way to enjoy food on your trip.
If you don’t want to spend your limited vacation time cooking, consider making meals ahead instead of getting take-out or buying premade junk foods at the local grocery store.
You can do anything from simply packing a few sandwiches to cooking full-blown meals like beans, spaghetti or even lasagna ahead of time and simply reheating them on a grill before chowing down. There are tons of recipes out there, so you’re sure to find at least a small handful that will make your trip much more convenient.
Entertainment
For many, the joy of hiking and just enjoying nature is unmatched. Unfortunately, not everyone is like this and may need other kinds of entertainment.
There are a few ways that you could do this, like bringing some friends and just getting lost in conversations with a few beers. Maybe you decide to forego human companionship and bring your dog along to play and enjoy hiking with them instead.
Or, you could bring your fishing rod and tackle box and go fishing. Nothing can truly compare to sitting on the shoreline of a river, lake or pond and just soaking in the calm quiet as you get lost in your thoughts waiting for a fish to bite.
And, if you happen to catch something and you’re able to keep it, you have a new option for dinner.
Tools
You are already familiar with many of the things you need to pack when you go camping: your tent, sleeping bag, food, clothes, etc. However, don’t leave for your camping trip without plenty of camping tools. Some such tools are subjective.
For example, if all of your meals are pre-prepared, then a sponge for cooking a grill and a spatula may not be necessary, but silverware is. One of the tools you need to bring no matter what you plan to do is a knife.
You may need it for a variety of reasons, from getting through uncooperative packaging to removing discarded fishing line from a nearby tree branch.
Also consider items like an axe to make further processing firewood easier and a flashlight to help you see when it starts to get dark.
Extras
While everything listed so far is completely vital to making your trip as fun and relaxing asspossible, everything mentioned here isn’t technically necessary.
Instead, they’re situational items that not every camper will need on every trip or small conveniences that would make a trip go smoother. These extra items include a wide range of stuff, from bug spray to trash bags to bottles of water.
Trash bags are fairly self-explanatory. Not every campsite has safe drinking water, so you’ll need to bring your own if you go to such a site. Bug spray is one item that many people consider to be a vital tool, but it doesn’t have to be.
For many, it’s a last-resort tool because they don’t like how it feels on their skin or its smell. They instead use lotions, essential oils and more that smell like the plants bugs may avoid.
Mint, lavender, and cinnamon are just a few options. You should also consider a bed net even if you’ll be sleeping in a tent just for a bit of added protection against unwanted guests. Just remember not to overpack.
