Two months ago, I shared that I was camping for the first time, this year. I plan to attend Kinnection Campout music festival, where sleeping bags and tents are inevitable. I also mentioned that to reduce the likelihood of embarassing myself at the festival, I would be taking a few camping trips prior to that festival.
Well, I’m happy to say the first one will be this month. I have only a few more camping essentials left to be delivered, and then it’s time to head up into the Georgia mountains to spend a night in the woods. I am as excited as I am terrified to see these plans through.
The camping dates were confirmed just yesterday afternoon. Shortly afterwards, I attended a writing Meetup to work on The Moreau Witches. At the end of the Meetup, we got to talking, and I shared my upcoming camping plans.
One of the authors in the group immediately told me:
Well, if you see a bear — brown, lie down; black, fight back.
That really got me thinking about what other invaluable advice you guys can offer. It will be 30s to 50s on the days I plan to go camping, so any advice on staying warm and dry would be welcome.
I know many of you have been camping for years, and can help me brave the Georgia cold, so I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Figure out a way to string your food up between tree branches at night if you can! That’s a good way to keep all critters out.
I asked him about it, and he said we wouldn’t need to do any rigging this time around. He does have the gear just in case though! Thanks for the headsup, so I could ask him about it yesterday 🙂
Someone else already mentioned a good sleeping bag. You should also have something good under the sleeping bag. I don’t like air mattresses since they retain the cold air. I like a thick foam ground cover – not a wimpy one inch thick one. If you don’t sleep well, you may not ever want to go camping again. As for food…you may want to bring canned food like soup, spaghetti, chili, etc. Foods you don’t have to spend time preparing. I would never have brought tuna where we used to camp. Too many bears and cougars nearby. 😉
I’ve been wondering if I needed to put anything under the sleeping bag. I’ll confirm with Winston in the morning. I have a yoga mat that could come in handy for that.
As for food, I was thinking of tuna and crackers. Also bringing some wraps, because tacos in the woods would be a dream come true! 😄
Baby wipes, a first aid kit and something to read for when you have the inevitable “how to put up a tent” argument and need something to amuse yourself with. You’ll end up taking 3x the amount of stuff you’ll actually need so be ruthless with your packing! Have fun! X
I never thought of baby wipes. I have some at home, so I’ll grab that. I have a first aid kit too, so that’s another thing to add. Thanks!
Winston goes camping quite a bit, so I don’t think we’ll have that argument. But I’ll bring a book just in case! 😄
I’m a light packer, so hopefully that carries over into camping. I usually have one carry-on for my 5-day trips around the US. This is a bit different though. My hotel or a store is usually nearby if I forget something. Can’t afford to forget anything this time! Ruthless, indeed!
😊 Sounds like you’ve got it covered then. I hope you have fun! Camping in the uk is so different – you’re never far from civilisation and there’s nothing that can eat you! X
Really? I guess that makes sense. There are a lot of hiking trails like that in Atlanta, but I don’t think we can camp there. The camping grounds seem to be further out, north of the city by 45 miles or so.
This discussion reminds me of the warning to wear bells around your neck to scare bears. Followed by a discussion of a bear autopsy which revealed a stomach full of bells. As for me, as you know, I am through with camping and only stay in 72 star hotels.
Oh dear! I certainly won’t be wearing any bells. I’ll let the expert camper handle the emergencies and stay close to him!
72 stars??? 😂😂😂 I bet you have plenty of good advice from your glory days of camping though.
Don’t go. Seriously. Bears. Mountain lions. Crazed killers in hockey masks. The Blair Witch. Just don’t.
Haha. But I might find inspiration for the Moreau Witches if I run into the Blair Witch. Isn’t that encouragement enough? 🤔 By the way, I hit the 30k mark last night! 😄
I still say stay away. There are many scary things in the woods. And congrats on the 30k! How exciting!
Haha, the woods isn’t that scary. It’s the snakes that terrify me though.
Socks, water, snacks, more socks, a multi-tool, extra flashlight batteries for your extra flashlight
I have a headlamp and a luci solar light. Would I still need a flashlight? Trying to travel light like that backpacker said in that video.
I’ve also been wondering what would make for good camping food. My bet is on tuna, crackers, and nuts or something. And since it’s cold, I guess the drinks will be naturally chilled. 😄
Tuna, crackers, both good. Nuts, dried fruits, granola bar type snacks, beef jerky (unless you’re vegetarian)
And if you have 2 lights already, then you should be ok. I just can’t ever find a dang flashlight when I need one, so I’d need both of your lights plus a backup, even if the backup is just a keychain LED one
I was thinking of getting some nuts at Aldi tomorrow for the trip. I already have granola bars at home, so I’ll grab a few of those!
Always have a backup plan in case things don’t go as planned. Drink plenty of water and respect the environment. Familiarize yourself with your surroundings and make sure you are able to contact the proper authorities at all times. Take amazing pictures and have fun!
Our backup plan is camping in the backyard. 😂 I’m bringing my camelpak, so that should be enough water to hold me over.
I hope we have signal in the woods in case we do need to contact the authorities!
Hahahaha! If you don’t have a signal use smoke signals or a well-trained falcon.
A well-trained falcon sounds like an excellent idea! Where can I find one? 🤔
Umm…I don’t know. But it is an option.
Cannot help you! Bring bug spray. My idea of camping is a less than 3 star hotel – hahahaha.
Lmao! When Mike goes “camping” at music festivals, he brings a blow up mattress for the tent. He’s a trip. Not sure who’s worse. Him, or you. 😂
At least mine doesn’t involve a blow up mattress. My hubs has been trying to get me to go camping and I keep giving him the side eye. We did agree to try and spend a night in a yurt at an animal reserve here. They are cool!
Does he usually go camping? I don’t think I would ever go, especially for the first time, with someone who wasn’t a pro. I do not want to be in the woods with an amateur. 😂
Sucks teeth! He hasn’t gone camping since he was a teen probably so I’ll just leave that there 😉 I did stay in a log cabin once at the Grand Canyon when I was a child and I was terrified a snake would get me but this is as far as I’m willing to “camp” now: https://thewilds.columbuszoo.org/home/visit/stay-overnight/places-to-stay
That is one very expensive hotel! My goodness! I would never spend that much 😂 That’s more than I’ve ever spent for a week when I travel, for just one night.
A cabin in the Grand Canyon sounds amazing!
It’s not exactly a hotel. It’s in an animal park so you will see (from a safe distance unless you want to take the tour to see them too) and hear the animals around you and they have different levels of yurts. It’s glamping taken to a new level 🙂 That cabin at the Grand Canyon was basic basic. One room, one bathroom, two beds…one for me and one for my parents.
The Grand Canyon cabin sounds more my style, haha. I’m going to Utah this month too. So excited to see the Arches, and to be back in the desert again.
But it will still be cold in March there. Pack carefully. One of these days I will get there too.
Well Vegas at that time of year last year wasn’t too bad, so I’m hoping it’s the same. Fingers crossed!
Seconding the bug spray!
Haha. It’s cold, so I don’t think the bugs will be about just yet.
Dude, the bugs always find me. Heat, cold, rain, draught… the bugs find me and they eat me, one tiny little bite at a time. I’m a bug magnet or something
Haha, I’m the opposite. They always eat everyone else and leave me alone 😂
Get a good sleeping bag rated for the temperatures you can expect and layers to wear. You’re going to get hot during the day even if it’s in the 50s if you’re dancing and moving about, so make sure your layers are light enough that you won’t mind hauling them around with you when you’re not cold. Also, make sure you have some rain gear because you never know. Most importantly, have fun!
Thank you! I have two rain jackets — one for warm weather and one for cold weather. And my sleeping bag is a Coleman built for 30 – 50 degree weather. I’m still trying to figure out how best to layer up for the trip, for the same reason you pointed out. Even in cold weather, if you’re moving around, it gets hot!
I really love drape cardigans, especially for festivals because you can still give that airy vibe. Also sports thermals are great, even if they aren’t necessarily the cutest but you can take it off and stuff into a fanny pack super easily.
I have one sport thermal and a cardigan, so I’ll be sure to pack those. 😊 Thanks again!
Take plenty of warm socks and leggings!
Thanks! Hadn’t thought of the leggings. I’ll pack some for sure.