1. Freeze Dried Food Is Mighty
There's only so many different types of candy bars and flavored rice you can eat until you begin to hate everything that walks the earth. I was the definition of irritable until my mouth was met with the splendorous witchcraft that is freeze dried chicken Alfredo. Literally the best pasta I've had in my short time here on this earth, possibly due to the circumstances under which it was consumed, but nonetheless it was life changing.
2. You Don't Need That Much Clothes (Aside from Socks. You Do Need That Much Socks.)
Clean underwear every day sounds nice, right? I wholeheartedly agree with you, but after a certain amount of time trudging through swamps and submersing in algae filled lake water, YOU are the dirtiest thing in your tent. Your clothes are simply a bug barrier. Invest in one nice pair of outdoor-type pants that are tough and water resistant because those will become your pants for the week. Oh yeah, and wet socks suck. Bring tons of socks. You can thank me later
3. SILVERWARE
Should be self explanatory. Should be an obvious choice, and the first thing on the list to bring with on a long camping trip. It's not. It is the William Howard Taft of camping supplies. You scoff at the use of sporks until you have a bowl of Ramen and a dirty finger that is your only option.
4. Hope For The Best, Expect The Worst (Weather)
Just because the weather is bad doesn't mean you won't have fun. Unless you aren't prepared for said bad weather - then you will have a miserable, damp, shivering debacle of an outing, and will most likely never want to camp again in your life. Do yourself a favor: if it might get cold, bring things that will without question keep you warm, no "probably." If it might get wet: bring stuff that will keep you dry. DRY WOOD = HAPPY CAMPER. Do not mistake warm for dry, because when your warm things get wet, they may be even colder than your cold things. And lastly, if it may be hot BRING A WATER PUMP. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a wondrous contraption that makes lake water drinkable. In the land of the dry, water is currency. Make yourself rich and avoid dehydration.
5. Pictures Are Nice
Hey, I'm all for living in the moment, and when you're camping I wholeheartedly believe that you will experience some of the best moments of your life (unless it rains). But maybe these moments are so amazing, the scenery so awe inspiring, that you would like to have visual records of them for the rest of your life. What I'm trying to say is I witnessed the most dazzling display of the northern lights known to man above a perfectly reflective pool of Northern Minnesota lake water, and I did not take one picture. Why? Because my cell phone can take pictures just as well as a professional camera, but cell phones like to do this funny thing where they die all the time. Do yourself a favor and invest in a real camera so you can prove to your doubting friends that they truly did miss out.
Camping is great. I'm not saying you're guaranteed to have a good time if you bring these things, but I will guarantee that your time will be less bad.
