First Time Camping:What to bring?

Cell phone, credit card and a sense of humor. When we first started camping we planned too much and carried every possible tool etc -- now we keep a few essentials but pretty much pack up and go knowing we can always buy/borrow if we happened to forget something.

Pencil & paper for things you want for next time. Walmart nearby for what you need right now.

after 6 years of camping I had to tell myself not to bring anything more! Don't make it a hassle. I found it more of a challenge to find "my kind of campgrounds"
There are quiet,kid friendly,rowdy,woodsy,beach campgrounds, those near amusement parks or places of interest. Look a little on line before you go so you have a good time and don't waste a weekend

A cold beer and a lawn chair and I'm camping!

Thank you all for your advice! There were definitely things I would have never thought of to bring or even consider.

We'll let you know how it goes! Thanks again!

Kansas couple wrote:
My very first camping trip after buying a popup a few years ago went fairly well. However it pained me to have to throw away perfectly good food (the remainder of our evening meal) because I had no way to store it.

Good call. We have a running joke in our family- everything goes in ZipLoc baggies.

Good luck on your first trip. We had the same question on our first RV trip. I googled the issue and there are literally dozens of checklists of things to pack - from food to essentials to extras. We printed out several and went thru them and made up our own list. Likely, you will be like most people and over pack and then weed out things over time as you discover that you don't need or use a lot of items you have packed. Have fun.

I'll ditto everything already said here, then add one more thing.

Never hurts to bring along Tupperware/Rubbermaid/any kind of plastic container which can store leftover food. They're light, don't take up much space, and are good to have if you need them.

My very first camping trip after buying a popup a few years ago went fairly well. However it pained me to have to throw away perfectly good food (the remainder of our evening meal) because I had no way to store it.

Agree w/ Mitch. You will most likely try different things before hitting your own personal sweet spot with what to bring, etc. That's all part of the fun.

It essentially boils down to "what do you want to bring?" Other peoples way of "camping" might not be what yours is?

Since you are starting off with a truck camper, you have some options and you have some limitations...

Do you like to grill outside? Do you sit outside under the sun or in the shade? Do you want a camp fire? Do you like eating off paper plates or use real stuff? What entertainment or activities do you need or want? and on and on.. :)

Bring what you can haul and buy what you forget or find you need once you are 'camping'.. Adjust as you continue your journey into the 'rving' world..

The camper should have it's own kitchen stuff and carry pretty much the essentials to do what you need to do when you set up camp. Everything else is just what you plan to do. Do you hang out in the camp ground? Hike? Bike?

As long as you have covered your essentials to feed, cloth and entertain yourself, the rest is just whatever makes you happy! :)

Good luck and have a great time!

Mitch