How To Camp

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Michaelson]John Michaelson
Get Started
You are going to need some equipment. If you will not camp often, check with friends and see what you can borrow. Follow that by checking craigslist and eBay for items if time allows. Lastly purchase your items after doing a little research online. I see you are off to a good start there! You found this article. This article is written for the beginner headed to a campsite where the car will be nearby.
Packing List

Tent
Sleeping Bag
Lighting
Food
Water
Cooking Equipment
First Aid Kit
Clothing
Knife
Rain gear

Breaking down gear
Tent
Tents are sized by how many sleeping bags will fit in them. Don't confuse this with double beds or cots. Add a couple sizes up to accommodate your gear. So if you are sharing a tent with someone, then I recommend a four person tent to accommodate your personal gear. This is by no means a hard and fast rule. Check the dimension advertised for the tent and use your own preferences. You definitely would not want to back an overly big tent if you are backpacking and have to carry it. Also make sure the seams are double stitched and the fly goes all the way to the ground for great rain protection.
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping bags come in two styles; Mummy bags for cold weather and Rectangular for standard camping. Also they are rate in degrees A 10 degree bag should allow a person to not feel cold in 10 degree and warmer weather. You can increase this rating by wearing more clothes to bed or by using a bag liner like a fleece. This can increase the temperature rating by 10 degrees or more. So a 30 degree bag is good down to 20 degrees with a fleece liner. But, people are affected by the cold differently so you will need to fine tune this to suit your needs.
Lighting
You should bring a lantern to light your campsite and a headlamp for hiking or working around camp. A lantern can be battery, gas or propane powered.
Food and Water
Make sure you know if your campsite will have water nearby. Take a 5 gallon collapsable water container and a water bottle you can keep on you during warm months. For food check out some recipes online for ideas. Look into foil packs they are quick, easy and delicious. And don't forget the staple s'mores.
Cooking Equipment
You can cook over the fire, use the pit at the campsite if available or bring a stove. Camping stoves can be propane or gas powered. Propane is easiest to operate. Consider bringing a dutch over to do a cobbler in. This will also require you bring some charcoal. Don't forget clean up! Bring some camp suds, two wash bins and a drying rack. Heat water on the stove for the two bins. One is for wash and the other for rinse. Never cook food near your tents and do not take food into your tents. Otherwise, prepare for visitors.
First Aid Kit
Make sure you have a good stocked first aid kit with you. Have bandages, pain killers, neosporin, and mole skin for blisters. Add to it from there.
Clothing
You won't change clothes at camp like you do at home so don't bring your dresser. Do bring some clean dry sleeping clothes to change into at night. Never go to bed with the socks you wore all day, it will make your feet cold at night and can lead to funky feet.
Knife
Now that's a knife! Just a good sharp pocket knife will suffice. Sharp is key here. A dull knife is way more dangerous than a sharp one. Make sure it is a quality knife with a good strong locking blade that will not slip.
Rain gear
Be prepared for inclement weather. A nice rain jacket or poncho can improve the experience of enduring some rain while working around camp. Consider a dining fly big enough to cover you eating area. the 10 x 10 popup shades work great.
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