Never went camping before and thought you would try it? Here are 5 quick tips that will help make your 1st time a more memorable experience. These 5 tips are by no means the only ones to follow. How and where you decide to camp and what you bring with you is your preference. We just want to help you get started in the right direction, so that you can make a fair assessment on whether or not you like camping.

Plan Just a night or weekend

Plan to go for just a night or a weekend and stay close to home at first. You may find out that you don’t like camping. For some people camping is being outside to much without the connivances of home. You don’t have to be a nature lover to enjoy camping, but it helps. By staying close to home, acts like a security blanket. If for some reason you don’t like camping, it’s easy to pack up and head for home.

Save your money
	Don’t spend your hard-earned money on a tent or camper right away. See if you can borrow a tent from a friend or search your area to see if there are places where you can rent a pop-up for the weekend. If you find out that camping is not your bag of tea, you won't have invested a lot of money in gear you will never use.

Camp with friends or family
	Go camping with someone that is somewhat experienced in camping. They most likely will have much of the camping gear needed to make camping a much more enjoyable experience, and you can enjoy the uninterrupted time with them. They can also give you tips, know how’s and suggestions on what kind of gear to get if you find your are interested in camping.

Quick trips to camp store

In all my years of camping, I still find that no matter on how well you plan your camping trip, you still end up forgetting something. Some campgrounds and State Parks have small camp stores where you can get the basics of bread and butter, paper products etc. Just don’t be shocked when you see the prices. Camp store prices usually are about 10% to 20% higher than what you would pay for them at a regular store. The other option if you can’t bring yourself to pay the higher price or the park does not have a camp store is to go to town. When my wife and I camp at a park we have never been at or in an area of the country we are unfamiliar with, we always check out the nearest city or town. Our first choice for stores is Wal-Mart because we know what kind of products they most likely will have along with the pricing. Most super Wal-Marts have a nice selection of camping supplies not to mention the availability of grocery items. Just be prepared, you will usually end up making at least one quick trip to the store for something that was accidentally forgotten at home.

Stay close to home

Stay close to home the first couple of camping trips. If you stay in familiar territory, you are more apt to feel relaxed and at ease since home is only a short distance away. You can also have family and friends out to your campsite for a barbeque lunch or supper or both. If you have never been camping, please check out our camping etiquette link. This is a short list to help make camping fun for everyone.

Enjoy yourself
	Go camping and find out why so many of us really enjoy it. I can only write so much about it, but to really know about camping is to experience it. It does not matter if you stay at a State Park or a private campgrounds, you will find other campers that will be very helpful and knowledgeable, so don't be afraid to ask.