Gyroscopic Investing

My wife and I have decided we'd like to finally start camping. Right now we have precisely zero camping equipment and I'd love to hear recommendations from camping aficionados. We're thinking of going with a smaller tent rather than a hujongo complicated multi-room affair, and we prefer spending more for higher quality stuff upfront--within reason, of course!

So what do y'all like?

I'm a lifelong camper.  I love the peace and beauty of the outdoors.  Give me a camping trip over Disneyworld any time, although unfortunately my children would pick otherwise. 

My advice is to take it slow.  I've seen people buy a whole bunch of gear and then find out that they don't really like it.  Craigslist may be a great idea here.  I assume you are thinking of car camping and not backpacking miles away from the car.  If so, I recommend getting a medium size tent.  It doesn't need multiple rooms, but it's nice if you can stand up to change your pants. 

I definitely recommend some kind of pad underneath you to sleep on.  The ones I like are called Thermarest pads.  They are a combination foam and air mattress.  You adjust the softness by how much air goes in.  Too much air, and it feels like concrete.  Too little air, and it feels like you're right on the ground.  You want somewhere in the middle, and then you can sleep like a king, although definitely take a pillow or two for your head.  Other people prefer big thick air mattresses that take 15 minutes to blow up even using an electric pump.  But I sleep as well on the Thermarest as on one of those. 

I'd recommend something like a 30-degree sleeping bag.  Those come pretty cheap and work for most circumstances.  If you decide to go out in colder weather, just take some extra blankets.

Eventually you'll need a stove to cook on and some pots/pans/dishes, but maybe for the first trip just try eating stuff that doesn't need to be cooked and can go in a cooler or outside.

I have spent a lot of my life outdoors so here is my starter advice:

Find an REI or equlivent outdoor store:
Take classes on 10 essentials and navigation (first piece of gear is your brain)

Tent - 3 season tent or 4 if you will camp while it is cold. Use an REI 3 season and get it sized for 1 more than you need.

Cooking - Jetboil for boiling water, this thing is amazing

Clothes - Wool socks from REI, feet are silly important in the bush.  Also, get a nice Shemagh, it is life saver, for me it saves me from Mosquitos.

Tools - i carry a KB2 fixed blade and a SOG trident folder, whistle, Kleen Canteen, LED head lamp, 3 different ways to start a fire, etc.  Learn the 10 essentials and make yourself a core/day pack to carry with you for the rest of your life.  Also, use it one a regular basis to stay profficient.

Food - I like mountain house, cliff bars, and those flavor water squirt things you can get at a grocery store.

Radio - i carry one of those crank weather radios, it is entertainment, back up light, and a way to charge the cell in case of an emergency.

Leave your plans on the seat of your car and with a friend.  Also, if you get lost, find water and never leave it.  Wise advice i got from a SERE instructor, that has saved a few friends.

Check out Craig's YouTubes. He does a bunch of reviews on camping equipment.

If I ever get back into camping I would sleep in a hammock. Off the wet muddy ground, protected from bugs and critters, can put mosquito net up and rain tarp to stay dry. Light to carry and pack and can be insulated to stay warm.

doodle wrote: If I ever get back into camping I would sleep in a hammock. Off the wet muddy ground, protected from bugs and critters, can put mosquito net up and rain tarp to stay dry. Light to carry and pack and can be insulated to stay warm.

No desert camping for you!  I guess that means you really are a tree hugger. 

... Mountaineer

Great thread and well timed!  I went camping this summer and was put to shame by my 15 year old gear..

PS - strongly recommend that you find an outdoor store like REI that rents equipment.  Buy a good pair of hiking shoes and wear them around the house and then on short hikes to break them in.  I'd also recommend a good headlamp.  Then go rent yourself the basics and have fun!  You'll figure out quickly what kind of equipment works for you.  There are endless options for everything, and also a lot of gizmos that are frankly unnecessary.  For example, instead of all those fancy eating utensils I bring a plastic thermal mug from Campmor and a wooden spoon I got in Chinatown.  And a swiss army knife.  And skip the fancy biodegradable soap and use sand and/or baking soda to clean dishes.

You would love Bill Bryson's book about hiking the Appalachian Trail, "A Walk in the Woods".  It's about two newbie, middle aged, under-prepared backpackers.  At one point the author lists all the equipment he bought, not realizing how much his pack would weigh once he got it all on the trail!  Hilarious, and you will definitely be thankful you're buying stuff now and not when that book was written.

Haha! Great advice, everyone. I appreciate it. We're definitely going to start light at established campsites with the car by the tent, especially considering that we'll bring a two year-old. That doesn't make us very EXTREME but oh well.