Gear for First-Timers/Newbie Campers

## Details

This isn't an event! It's just a place where we can outline recommended camping gear for these trips to help first-timer/newbie campers.

TL;DR: You don't need to buy a bunch of specialty gear! MOST stuff you already have in your household. The only truly special thing you need is the tent, which we'll talk about below.

Let's get into it...

The Basic Camping Equipment

• Camp chair and/or gaming chair. (You can use the same chair for camping and gaming, but often camping chairs sit a little lower to the ground and they aren't great for playing games for hours. Costco chairs like this work just fine for gaming. A lot of us have a lot of extra folding chairs though, so please do not rush out and by one just yet.
• Tent — more info below!
• Sleeping bag, plus any pillows or extras you want. Some people like to bring an extra sleeping bag or quilt if they're sensitive to cold.
• Air mattress or sleeping pad (camping pad, yoga pad, etc). Depending on your tent size, you can often use a pretty awesome air mattress, no need to be uncomfortable. And don't worry about blowing it up, we have portable power to make inflation quick and painless.
• 5 gallons of water per person (for drinking, cooking, cleaning and putting out fires, etc). You can buy two 2.5 gallon water jugs from any grocery store.
• Lighting (headlamp, flashlight, lanterns, or whatever else works) and extra batteries. Headlamps are the bomb!
• If you own one of those 10x10 shade structures people use to tailgate with or use at kids' soccer games, please plan to bring it with you. These are great for protecting against sun and wind.

The Tent
Now to circle back to the tent... This is the only "specialized" camping equipment you really need for this type of trip.

Want to buy one? Big 5 has constant sales, and you can also get solid tents at stores like Target, Amazon, Costco, and Walmart. You can also find tents and sleeping bags at Goodwill or other thrift shops. REI (Recreational Equipment Inc) has quality gear, and you can often find virtually unused or returned tents in their sale section or online Outlet store. They also run 4 annual sales for members (you probably know one!).

Don't want to buy one? Your parents or friends or kids probably have one that is sitting in the garage that they'd love to lend you. (Please set it up once before the trip however. You don't want to get there and find out you don't have the poles you need or it has sun damage and so it's no longer waterproof. Ask us how we know this!)

Important: Do not spend a ton of money on a fancy tent if you haven't been camping before! You may not like it and then that is money down the drain. Many people start with a cheap or borrowed tent, figure out what they want, and then drop the money on what they want much later in their camping journey.

Food & Drinks
Bring an ice chest/cooler with drinks, any snacks you want to eat, and any food/meals you are making for the group. Ziplock bags are great for protecting anything that might get ruined if it gets wet.
We've spent a lot of time making sure our food stays chilled, so here are a few pro tips to help the ice in your cooler last:

• Buy blocks of ice, not cubes if possible. They last longer, and they're usually available at Water & Ice stores. You can even get block ice molds for your own freezer. If you have ice cubes though, you'll be just fine.
• Cool your cooler before you put your items in. We like to toss in some ice in the day before, then dump that ice and re-fill the cooler the day you leave.
• Cool your food and drinks before you put it in the cooler. Dropping warm soda in a cooler will shorten the ice's lifespan. You can even freeze water bottles or food (e.g. burgers, bacon) you won't eat on the first day.
• We try to keep our coolers out of the sun, and not leave lids open for long periods. It's like a fridge, it stays colder if you get what you need and shut it quickly.
• Note: You do not need a $500 Yeti for the kind of camping we do, so please save your money! We've made food last up to 6 days in a basic cooler, and we can go to the nearest town for fresh ice mid-trip if we need.

Group rule: Please do NOT bring drinks in cans or glass up to the Rim! Why? They spill easily (especially when it's windy) and more importantly they attract bees. Please buy bottles (no glass) with screw top lids for your refreshments. Trust us on this one, we spilled sodas over a few too many games until we wised up.

Kitchen Equipment
Since we can't always have a fire, due to fire restrictions, we already have a nice kitchen set up using propane. However, if we get 20+ people who all will want to eat at around the same time, we probably will need others to also bring up grills/camping stoves up. Once we have the group menu dialed in closer to the trip, we can figure out what is needed and go from there. There's no need to rush out and buy anything.

Clothing and Layers

• Temps can change quickly on the rim. We generally know what the weather will be like about a week before the trip so there's plenty of time to adjust before you pack. It gets hotter on the July and August trips than you would think, though there's usually a breeze and we bring shade structures, though it often gets into the 50s at night. That's why the key to camping clothes is LAYERS. It's great to add and remove layers as the temp goes up or down through a trip.
• You don't need outdoor clothes, bring whatever you're comfortable in! Shorts, pants, tights, jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts... all of these are great camping clothes.
• Some things that are easy to forget: extra socks, a hat, and sunglasses
• If you plan to hike, please bring sturdy, closed toe boots.

Most of the gear and clothes is stuff you already own. Go simple and you will be fine. Civilization is close if needed.

Toiletries
Here's a basic list, but everyone is different.

• deodorant
• moisturizer
• toothbrush and toothpaste
• body wipes (and dry shampoo, for some) help to stay refreshed
• hand sanitizer
• sunscreen
• bug spray
• lip balm or skin cream, it gets dry!

Thought of something that's not on our list?
There are some important consumables (e.g. compostable trash bags, toilet paper, hand sanitizer) that we will be collecting money for and buying in bulk.

Beyond that, if we feel we need any equipment that we can't source from within the group, we will discuss what is needed and figure out how to acquire it.

Please do not rush out and buy anything at this time. We will discuss things as a group and assign folks to purchase what is needed.

Everyone will pitch in how it works best for them. Some would rather give money, others would rather go and be the person that finds, buys and hauls stuff up there. There are lots of ways to engage with these trips and provide value.

## Gear FAQs

Let's talk bathroom...
We bring up one of these. It works great. It's all very civilized. However, we realize if we get more than 12 folks coming on this trip, 1 of these may not be enough. However, please do not rush out and buy one. Someone in the group may already own one and is willing to bring it up to use.

How do we handle the trash?
We bring up several collapsible trash bins for both regular trash and recycle. This means we haul all of our trash back down to the valley and dispose of it there, as is good camping etiquette. If fires are permitted, we burn anything we can, but in the end, we'll be bringing some bags of trash and recycling back into civilization.

What about first aid?
We maintain and always bring a large first aid kit, but it never hurts to carry the medicines you like and may need.

Want a full list of camping "essentials"? No problem, but don't feel like you need to run out and buy all of this.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/family-camping-checklist.html
https://www.virtualkamper.com/camping-checklist/
https://nwtripfinder.com/car-camping-checklist-2/

Wrap Up
We will host a Camping Q&A before each trip so everything will be dialed in and you will know exactly what you are responsible for. On these calls you can meet others attending, be social, and come and get any questions answered.