The Camping Chronicles This is an attempt to place forth some ideas for an individual wanting to venture out camping who has very small, if any, prior knowledge about the wilderness. These are just my suggestions and opinions based on 5 decades of camping/ survival/ wilderness expertise, having been through a half dozen or so schools for training, and having taught these skills for a few years. My very first suggestion is not to camp in a common campground. Try to get a bit further away so as to get immersed a bit more into raw nature. I would also suggest not camping too far away from your vehicle the very first time out, perhaps only a one hundred to 200 yards or so away. Naturally, you should notify someone back home, before you leave, as to where you will be and your anticipated return time. I would also select moderate weather on your 1st trip out, and not extremely cold weather. You also might want to get a topographic map of the location you are going into so you can commence to understand a bit about topo maps, terrain functions, and reading maps. When preparing the trip, I would recommend taking just fundamental gear and only take essentials. Believe in terms of "less is more". The much less gear you take, the less weight you will carry. Canned goods are heavy so leave them. Also, the significantly less gear you take, the more inventive it forces you to be. No radios or boom boxes either. You are going into nature to attempt to absorb and observe what you can. So here are my ideas for gear. Shelter could be a tarp maybe 6' x 8' or 10' x 10'. You should not need to have any more than that in moderate weather. Precise size doesn't matter and you can get them inexpensive. Choose what you feel may well operate and try distinct configurations when you are out there. Tarps should have grommet holes for tying to saplings or rocks. Bring paracord, or 550 cord if you can get it. Cut it to acceptable lengths on place and burn frayed ends of the cordage with a match to seal it. Bring two or 3 distinct kinds of firestarting devices such as lighter and matches. Bring sufficient water and /or fluids and bring a metal cup, which has many uses. Bring a moderate quantity of food, snacks, trail mix. Believe of easy foods that demand tiny preparation like shish-ka-bob. Do the initial preparation perform at property before leaving and pack in Tupperware or tin foil. When cooking on location, do it before dark so you have sufficient light to see what you are doing. A tiny first aid kit is a excellent thought. You can make your own out of a Sucrets tin if you want. A Sucrets tin is also a good container for a mini survival kit. Go to YouTube and view survival kits for ideas. Bring duct tape for medical emergencies and repairs to gear. Discover five or six basic knots. Do a search on the internet or YouTube. You will use knots sooner or later if you remain in the woods. Bring a poncho or rain gear. Massive trash bags will do, and there are also dozens of other makes use of for them. You can climb inside and stuff them with leaves, pine needles, or other debris for insulation, and use as a sleeping bag. Bring a low-cost mess kit with consuming utensils. As for clothes, if it is colder weather, attempt to dress in layers that you can peel off as you warm up while doing chores around camp. Bring some variety of hat as 80% or so of your physique heat is lost through your scalp. Wear soft tenny footwear or soft sole hiking boots. If your feet get cold, loosen your shoestrings to enable much better circulation.