Essential Items

Some items you take camping by choice others are necessary to a successful trip. On a recent car camping trip with my husband, I had plenty of time to think about essentials as  I drove one hour to the closest Walmart for supplies I had forgotten. Luckily I found replacements for my missing gear. Make a list and check it twice people. Santa had it right.

If you are going more that 50 steps away from your car and into the woods. Please seek out some more experienced advice than from me. Here is a link a camping checklist from REI, one of my favorite stores (no they don't pay me, except that I am a co-op member and get a dividend, so they kind of do) and their Essential 10. If you are family camping you can check out Real Simple and a google search will bring you tons of ideas.

My Car Camping Essentials:

1. Medicine/Medical needs
Most of the time you can fix a missing item by either picking it up on your way or by simply going back home and ending your trip before it even starts. However some problems, like important health issues, can turn ugly very quickly. If you have any medication (particularly prescription) bring it with you. I have migraines that only happen once every few months, but I always take my meds with me. There is nothing worse that being stuck hours from home (or hours away from your car) and being sick. This also pertains to anything you do to maintain a condition. For example if you have diabetes, make sure packing healthy foods is a #1 priority as well. A first aid kit should also go with you, no matter what.

2. Safety Whistle and Trusted Person NOT with you
Again, you can't fix broken down car or being lost by stopping at a store or driving back home. TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING and when you'll be back. I have never gotten stuck overnight, but I have been lost and I always call my trusted person even for car camping. Be safe people. Aron Ralston's experience relayed in his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a great example of the unexpected going wrong. A safety whistle can also help you be found by members of your party. I have one tied to my pack and my bag of toilet paper.

3. Clean water/ water filter

You will need access to clean water. If you are car camping, you most likely have some near even if you do have to walk to the bathhouse to get it. However, some places may only have non-potable water like my recent trip to a state natural area (even though that was still a car camping experience). Bring a water jug with you or a water filter if you have access to a usable source.

4. Shelter & Rain gear

Live somewhere it doesn't rain often? My personal experience says that's when you'll get into the most trouble. Since moving to a warm and sunny climate, I frequently forget to take my rain jacket on cloudy days when visiting my hometown in Tennessee. It rains alot in the summer in the volunteer state. Nothing can fix wet clothes out in nature expect sunshine to dry them. Until then, you are wet and cold. Doubly worse if you forgot you rainfly and water has gotten into you tent/hammock and onto your sleeping bag. Or you forgot shelter all together and are sleeping under the stars when it rains. Forgetting these pieces of gear is just asking for hypothermia.

5. Something to sleep on & under
You can generally find a store selling blankets on your way, but probably not sleeping pads. You will be miserable and COLD sleeping directly on the bottom of your tent. Hammock camping friends may not see as much need in hot summer climates, but you too can get chilly with wind and a drop in temperatures. Try to remember your sleeping bag or like me you'll be hitting up the local Walmart and having to buy a new one along with extra blankets and layers just to equal the warmth the bag you left at home.

6. Food
I've yet to meet someone who completely forgot this category. However it's important to mention because, while you won't find yourself in dire trouble on a one-night trip, you will be pretty uncomfortable going to bed hungry.

7. Knowledge of the nearest store and emergency room
This is information you want to have before you need it. Hopefully you will not need these two pieces of information. Hopefully you will remember everything you need and not have to drive to a store while out in the middle of "No signal" land. And hopefully you will remember water filtration so that no one gets so sick as to need an emergency room (no-this never actually happened to me personally, but it sounds so awful that I don't feel the need to learn this lesson first hand to believe in its wisdom).

8. Fill up your gas tank
Please remember to fill your gas tank when provided the opportunity. Don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no reception and an empty tank of gas. Be warned, some places are still closed on Sunday and some may only take cash (my husband's personal experience camping around Beersheba Springs Tennessee).