First Time Camping? Here's the Gear You Actually Need

Camping for the first time is exciting and slightly terrifying. You're sleeping outside. On the ground. On purpose. And every camping gear list on the internet is 47 items long, which makes it seem like you need a truck full of equipment just to spend a night in the woods. You don't. For a basic car-camping trip — where you drive to a campsite and set up — you need a tent, a sleeping bag, a way to see in the dark, and a way to eat. That's the core. Everything else is comfort and convenience, which you can add on future trips as you figure out what kind of camper you are. We've kept this list short on purpose. Buy the essentials, go camping once, and then you'll know exactly what you wish you'd brought. That's way smarter than buying everything upfront and realizing half of it stays in your garage.