The gear aisle wants to sell you fifty things. A first camp needs about ten. Here is the honest list, learned over many wet weekends.
The non-negotiables
A tent you have pitched once at home, a sleeping bag rated for the season, a pad between you and the ground, a lantern, and more water capacity than feels necessary. Everything else is comfort, and comfort can wait a trip.
One stove, one pot
A single burner and a 2 L pot cook ninety percent of camp meals. Skip the folding kitchen units until you know how you actually cook outdoors – most people discover they mostly boil water.
Skip for now
Camp wardrobes, gadget multitools and the second cooler can all wait. The chair, however, is not optional – the difference between a log and a real seat is the difference between a long evening and an early night.
The one splurge worth making
Buy the good sleeping pad. Nobody remembers the fancy spatula, but everybody remembers the night the ground won.
