Getting Started
Camping 101
Start here. The first half of this guide is true no matter how you camp — tent, RV, cabin, safari tent or the back of a truck. The second half picks up where your chosen style gets specific.
Part one — applies to everyone
The six things every camper needs to understand
Whether your shelter costs $80 or $80,000, these are the same.
Camping is three problems, solved
Every trip — tent, RV, cabin or luxury safari tent — comes down to sleep, food and weather. If you can stay warm at 3am, feed yourself twice a day and stay dry when it turns, you are camping successfully. Everything else is comfort.
Book before you buy
New campers buy gear first and end up with a garage full of it. Book one night, close to home, and borrow or rent what you can. The trip tells you what you actually need.
Close is better than epic
Your first outing should be under two hours from home and within cell range. If it goes sideways you bail and try again — that costs a night, not your interest in camping.
Arrive with daylight
Setting up in the dark is the single biggest source of first-trip misery. Aim to be at your site three hours before sunset, no matter the camping style.
Warm is a system, not a bag
Cold nights come from the ground, not the air. Insulation under you (pad, mattress, cot with a pad) matters as much as the bag or blanket over you.
Water is the quiet limiter
Plan a gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking, plus more for dishes and washing. Confirm before you go whether your site has potable water.
The sequence
How a first trip actually runs, start to finish
Follow this order and very little can go badly wrong.
- 1
Pick a date and a nearby place
One or two nights, a state park or private campground with a bathhouse. Weekdays and shoulder seasons are quieter and easier to book.
- 2
Read the reservation fine print
Check-in and check-out times, quiet hours, fire restrictions, pet rules, max vehicle length, whether the site is reservable or first-come.
- 3
Build the packing list a week out
Use a checklist rather than memory. Lay everything on the floor, then load. Anything you can't name a use for stays home.
- 4
Check weather 3 days, 1 day and morning-of
Look at overnight lows, wind and rain probability — not just the daytime high. Overnight low minus 10°F is the temperature rating you actually want.
- 5
Do a driveway dry run
Pitch the tent, run the stove, unfold the awning, test the lantern batteries. Discover missing parts at home, where a hardware store is five minutes away.
- 6
Set up in a fixed order
Shelter first, sleep system second, kitchen third, lighting fourth, fire last. The same order every trip means nothing gets forgotten at dusk.
- 7
Cook something you've cooked before
Camp is a bad place to debut a recipe. One hot dinner, one easy breakfast, snacks in between, and a backup that needs only boiling water.
- 8
Leave the site cleaner than you found it
Pack out all trash including micro-litter, drown the fire until it's cold to the touch, and do a final sweep with a headlamp before you drive off.
Getting it right
Campground etiquette
Never cut through a site
A campsite is someone's living room. Walk the roads and paths, even if it doubles the distance.
Quiet hours are real
Usually 10pm–7am. Sound carries much further outdoors than you think, and generators are the top complaint in every campground.
Point lights down
Headlamps at face height blind everyone. Use red mode after dark and keep string lights modest.
Only local firewood
Moving firewood moves invasive insects. Buy it within about 50 miles or at the campground itself.
Leash and clean up after pets
Even the friendliest dog off-leash makes neighbours nervous and can end your stay early.
Share the dump station
Prep before you pull in, keep it under 15 minutes, and rinse the pad when you're done.
Non-negotiable
Safety basics for every style
Tell someone your plan
Send a friend the campground name, site number, vehicle and return time. Cell service is unreliable and this costs nothing.
Food storage
In bear country: everything scented goes in a hard-sided vehicle or locker overnight. Elsewhere: sealed bins keep raccoons and rodents out.
Carbon monoxide
Never bring a stove, grill, generator or propane heater into a tent, RV interior or awning enclosure. This is the one mistake that kills campers every year.
First aid basics
Blisters, burns, cuts and headaches cover 90% of camp injuries. Carry moleskin, burn gel, antiseptic, tweezers and pain relief.
Storms
Lightning means get into a hard-sided vehicle or building. High wind means drop awnings and tarps before they take the whole shelter with them.
Water safety
Assume any natural water source needs filtering or treating, no matter how clear it runs.
The one rule we repeat the most
Speak the language
Camping glossary
Boondocking / dry camping
Camping with no hookups — no water, power or sewer connection.
Hookups
Site utilities. Partial usually means water and electric; full adds sewer.
Vestibule
The covered area under a tent's rainfly, outside the inner tent — for muddy boots and packs.
R-value
How well a sleeping pad blocks cold from the ground. Under 2 for summer, 4+ for shoulder season, 5+ for winter.
Footprint
A ground sheet cut to your tent's shape, protecting the floor from abrasion.
Pull-through
A drive-in, drive-out RV site, no reversing required.
Shore power
Plugging your rig into campground electric via a 30 or 50 amp pedestal.
Grey / black tank
Grey holds sink and shower water; black holds toilet waste.
Leave No Trace
Seven principles for camping without leaving damage behind.
Shoulder season
Spring and fall — fewer crowds, better prices, colder nights.
Dispersed camping
Free camping on public land outside developed campgrounds.
Bear hang
Suspending your food between trees where hard-sided storage isn't available.
Part two — pick your path
Continue your 101 by camping style
Choose the way you plan to camp and the rest of the guide changes to match.
Not sure yet? Take the camp style finder — sixteen questions and you'll have an answer.