Camping has been a big part of my life for many years. Trips to Yellowstone, Glacier, Bryce Canyon, and Zion have made important memories for me. I’ve made even more great memories camping in local areas, and even camping while headed to other destinations.
Camping, if approached properly, can be a great experience for anyone. Of course, if you’ve never done it before, it can sound daunting. I’ll walk you through the basics, and go over the best ways to appreciate the experience.
What you Should Know About Camping
Planning for camping can easily feel overwhelming. For example, I went camping with friends about a month ago and none of them had been camping before. Part of the planning included deciding who would bring what. That’s totally fair, as it evens out the contributions and costs.
What I noticed, though, is how much they expected to need. We were camping for two nights, but the spreadsheet quickly turned into this massive document full of items. It’s good to plan ahead and be prepared for anything, but beyond basic needs there isn’t a lot to worry about.
Supplies
Ultimately, what you’re bringing should be tailored to where you’re going. Campsites in developed campgrounds (like most of the ones I go to) have bathrooms, often including showers. Other than some toiletries, you won’t need to bring a lot for that. Also, firepits are often premade. (Check fire restrictions for the area before you go!)
If you’re in a state or national park, you can usually get supplies from ranger stations or other nearby stores.
Here are the main things to consider:
- Toiletries: dental hygiene products, soap, feminine products, anything else you might need)
- Shelter: tents, a motorhome, or a camper
- Food and a way to prepare it: if you plan on cooking, either bring a propane stove or a way to cook over the fire. If you’re bringing a propane stove, make sure you have propane!
- Firewood and something to light it with. (This can often be purchased at ranger stations.)
- Sleeping supplies: sleeping bags, pillows, blankets
- Entertainment: for me, this is often a book, but I also bring cards or a board game. I used to bring video games when I was younger, but it kinda defeats the purpose of being outdoors. Often, your entertainment will comprise hiking, fishing, or the many other outdoor activities at your destination.
- Clothing
- Lights (flashlights, lanterns, etc.)
- Chargers/ Batteries: while you won’t be on your phone the whole time, you’ll still want it for emergencies, pictures, and the flashlight, if nothing else.
- Other considerations specific to your destination. (See the paragraph below)
Now, those are all useful supplies to remember. If you’re planning to camp in the middle of the wilderness (i.e. outside of a campground), though, there’s more to it. I have personally never done wilderness camping, and would not recommend doing that the first time you go camping. You should be prepared for a lack of amenities and needing to handle everything yourself, though, and will need more survival supplies.
Camping Etiquette
When you’re camping, there are certain things you’re expected to do (or not do). From my own experience, here’s what to expect from others, and how you should plan to act.
People around the campground are generally going to be pretty friendly. In my experience, though, you won’t usually be bothered in your own campsite. Campers prefer to keep to themselves if they’re in their campsite and it’s best to keep to yourself unless there’s an emergency.
One thing that I often find annoying (and I’m sure many others do as well) is loud camping groups. When I was camping with friends, there was another group camped nearby. Every night, they stayed up really late, talking and drinking and blasting loud music. It’s all well and good to be excited and have fun with your friends, but it’s also good to be considerate of other people. Ultimately, though, if you do decide to be loud, nobody can really stop you. You won’t make many friends by doing that, though.
One final point here is to clean up after yourself. There’s a common phrase for outdoor activities: “Pack it in, pack it out”. Anything you bring with you to your campsite should leave the campsite with you.
Reservations
At most campgrounds, you’ll need to make reservations. If you’re camping in the wilderness, this won’t be necessary, of course. There are also many campgrounds without reservations, but there’s no guarantee there will be space for you.
If you’re reserving a campsite, make sure to do it well in advance. We try to do it at least 6 months ahead of time to make sure there’s availability somewhere in the park. If it’s a popular destination like Yellowstone, you should try to make reservations even sooner. (Sometimes reservations don’t open before a certain time, so make sure to check!)
If you’re going to a first-come-first-serve campground, it might be a little more complicated. When I went to one of these recently with friends, here’s what I did:
- I went out a week in advance and made sure I knew where it was. This won’t be as easy if the campground is far away, of course, in which case you should just make sure you know how to get to the site. You might not have signal where you’re headed, so downloading the map through Google Maps ensures that you can still navigate.
- I arrived as early as possible to the campground. We were going out on a Friday when most people would be headed out to go camping. So, to make sure we got a spot, a friend and I went to the campground no later than noon. Most people would be working and unable to make it there before us, meaning we could find a decent spot.
Finding Activities
This is one of the most important parts. When you’re planning your camping trip, make sure you look into the activities in the area. Round Lake State Park, for example, is frequented for its fishing. It’s located in North Idaho, and the rangers put sterile trout into the lake every year for people to catch. There’s also a hiking trail around the lake and, of course, swimming and other water activities.
If fishing or swimming aren’t what you’re looking for, then you might not have a lot to do at a place like Round Lake. Maybe you’re looking for hikes to beautiful vistas. If so, look for a place with a lot of hiking, or easy-to-access views.
Ultimately, your activities will have the biggest effect on your camping experience. Make sure there’s plenty of things to do that you enjoy doing.
Camping with an Adventurous Mindset
If you’re camping, traveling, or doing anything, really, you’re going to run into setbacks. For me, camping setbacks often come in the form of forgetting something important or running out of something. This can make the experience worse, especially if it’s a setback that costs you most of a day. The important thing is to take them in stride, treating them as part of the experience instead of a hindrance.
Many unexpected things can happen, good and bad.
You might also discover opportunities and experiences you didn’t know about. Some national and state parks put on various shows or lessons at their campgrounds. When I camped at Farragut State Park for the first time in 2020, my friend and I discovered a ropes course in the trees that we could pay to do. So of course we had to do it!
During the same camping trip, my friend and I went hiking. Every time we came to a fork in the road, we took the advice of Robert Frost and took the one that looked less traveled. Our experience was certainly different!
Conclusion
Camping is a great experience. It’s relaxing sitting in front of a fire or on the shore of a lake just taking in your surroundings without worrying about other things. So why introduce more things to worry about? Sure, there are bugs. Sure, there’s stuff you might be missing. But most of those things have workarounds. Enjoy the experience. Get rid of worry. That’s true camping.
I love this article! The last idea about true camping is so true!