

Ask HN: Camping resources? - Mz

I've never really been camping.  I am considering it for the future.  I am interested in some of the following:<p>Cooking/food while camping.<p>Website with maps for where good campgrounds and the like are -- or any other websites that you deem to be a good camping/planning resource and why.<p>Any tips, personal experiences, etc.
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atgm
For cooking, you can take a portable gas stove and a pot and do
chili/stews/retort foods, or you can eat dried food. A lot of people I know
tend to just pack up tons of junk food and cold canned ravioli and they live
off of that.

As far as tips, take clothes for weather colder than you expect -- night is
COLD -- and prepare for the worst. My mother went camping recently and there
was rain so torrential that it made her tent collapse.

Garbage bags, duct tape, compass, flashlight, multitool/knife, string.

It also really depends on what kind of camping you want to do. Many
national/state parks have campgrounds nearby where you can "rough it," but
there are also lots of more-established campgrounds with grocery stores,
restaurants, entertainment areas, and pools where you just pitch a tent to
sleep in. Which are you looking for?

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Mz
I may need both before it is all done with. I am considering taking a very
long walk and prefer to avoid hotels. With the health issues in the family,
it's important we eat healthy. So I am concerned that it will be necessary to
do a lot of cooking. On the other hand, we are all healthier and more able to
tolerate things like junk food and restaurant food, but so far as an
occasional thing, not something we "live off of".

I don't know all the particulars yet. I am trying to gather information in
part to test the idea, find holes in the plan and so on. There are lots and
lots of unknowns at this stage in my thought process. I didn't think it would
be terribly complicated to ask for some general feedback/resources as a place
to start. :-/

tl; dr

Information on both options would be fantastic! Thank you! :-)

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atgm
Look at state/national parks in the area you want to camp and see if any of
them have nearby/related campgrounds and what kind of facilities they have.
Once you know that, you can figure out packing.

KOA is a chain of popular campgrounds that range from bare bones to almost
resort-like -- look up the area you want to go to there and see what they have
available: www.koa.com

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Mz
Thank you!

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bartonfink
The best idea I've heard is to go with someone who knows what they're doing. I
think you would be unlikely to do something dangerous if you went it alone,
but you could certainly get yourself into an uncomfortable situation without
someone who's done it before. Camping seems to be a highly experiential body
of knowledge, so I suspect trying to study will be of limited usefulness.

My long-term plan was to have a son and get him involved in the Scouts so I
could learn all the stuff I missed as a kid. Unfortunately, the Y chromosome
bit didn't get flipped with this pregnancy, so I'm SOL for the time being...

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Mz
Oh, my plan is to go with people who are just as inexperienced (or more so)
than I am. Not really wanting to camp per se. But thinking that may wind up
being part of other plans which I am hesitant to spell out. So one of my
interests is in gathering online informational resources to aid in my
tentative adventure.

Thanks for the reply!

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trafficlight
You will have a much better time if you go with someone who knows what they're
doing.

What state do you live in?

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Mz
I'm in Georgia. But I'm not really looking to camp here. I'm looking to camp
elsewhere.

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gexla
Wow, dude. Never been camping??? Considering it in the future??? Asking about
websites to help you out??? Grab some pots and pans from the kitchen as well
as a a lighter and just go into the woods somewhere. A sleeping bag might help
or just grab some blankets and sleep in your car / truck. Geez, just give it a
shot and if you screw it up then just drive back home. Some things in life you
just don't need to prepare so much for. Make an adventure out of it.

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Mz
_Some things in life you just don't need to prepare so much for._

a) I am medically handicapped, as is my oldest son. So seemingly small things
can really turn into big issues.

b) I really am trying to think through/plan out a larger thing and don't
really want to get into the details of that. "Camping" is just one piece of it
that I didn't think would be a big deal to ask for feedback on. Perhaps I was
mistaken.

Edit: c) If I had, say, $100,000, I would just go do it and whip out my debit
card if I got into trouble. But I'm not in that position.

~~~
gexla
If you're that worried about having to camp out because of some larger plan
then perhaps try camping on a weekend before that other plan comes into play.

Really, there isn't much to it. You need a place to sleep and a way to cook.

Easiest for sleeping is a tent and a sleeping bag. The tent is mostly for
keeping the elements (rain) and bugs out. The rain is the big thing. As for
insects, the most problematic is mosquitoes. If there were lots of mosquitoes
but no rain then you could just throw a sleeping bag on the ground and get a
mosquito net.

For food, you could go as simple as buying a bunch of MRE's and you wouldn't
have to worry about cooking at all. You could eat canned goods right out of
the can, that also requires no cooking.

Otherwise you need to build a fire and throw some things on the grill. To do
that you need to read up on building a campfire. If you want to prepare ahead
for this you might have to bring some wood (some places sell campfire bundles)
with you. I have always built my fires from wood scavenged in the local area,
but you might not always have that option (you might need to bring an axe!)

To store the food you need to grab a cooler (or multiple coolers,) fill it up
with ice and food. When the ice melts you need to get more ice, so locate a
place nearby which sells ice.

Plan B: Opt out and get a hotel close by. ;)

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Mz
My life has never been that simple. I have special dietary needs and a
compromised immune system. And lung problems. I am considering some kind of
camp stove. Smoke is not good for compromised lungs.

Thank you for the reply.

