Camping can be a great chance to see the great outdoors with friends, by yourself or leading young children. Take a page from the Boy Scout handbook and be prepared for a day trip or multiple-day outing by considering whether or not you'll have ample access to everyday conveniences such as hot, running water, clean restrooms, a gas or electric stove or oven, and stable electricity.
Fire
If you will rely on a campfire for cooking, you'll want matches in a waterproof container or lighter. While you may have access to wood, you'll want to make sure you have tinder or paper to get large logs or pieces of wood going. If you are bringing a grill, make sure you have plenty of charcoal or propane. If you're using briquettes, put a dozen in a coffee can half-filled with lighter fluid a day or two before your trip, and use one or two of these saturated coals to help start the rest each meal. Be careful how you transport this container of combustible material. Check your propane supply if you are a using a gas grill several days before you leave to give yourself time to get a refill. Once it's full, start it to make sure it works. Scrape the metal grill on which you'll place your food to remove any rust, dirt or other debris.
Cooking
In addition to your food, you'll need plenty of bowls, plates, cups, utensils and other items you may take for granted until you're out of doors. Keep a pad and pencil on the kitchen counter the week before your trip and ask family members to write down items you will need for the upcoming trip. Many a camping trip has been made difficult because someone forgot a can opener. Bring several coolers and other items to securely store food. Animals can smell food through paper bags and cardboard boxes, so invest in a metal cooler or heavy plastic container, as well as several smaller boxes or storage containers with sealing lids.
Food
Storage is key for camping food. You won't want to bring food that needs freezing or cold storage, if possible, which mean less fresh food. If you are hiking, freeze-dried foods are light and make a filling meal when reconstituted and cooked. Take cereals, flour, pancake mixes and other packaged items out of their boxes and put them in marked, plastic containers for easy use and storage. Bring powdered drink mixes instead of cans and bottles of drinks. Salt, pepper and condiments will go a long way to making bland cookout foods more palatable. Peanut butter and jelly make a familiar food if kids get don't want to eat fish or game you catch or take. Pasta, especially mac and cheese, and powdered potatoes are easy to store and provide a favorite side dish.
Hygiene
Don't wait until the last minute to pack your toiletries. Bring toothpaste and toothbrushes, including extras. Bring soap, shampoo, washcloths, towels and deodorant. Bring more rolls of toilet paper than you think you'll need, and put them in separate backpacks or boxes to ensure you have enough.
First-Aid
Even if you will be near a town, staying in a cabin or near a lodge, make sure you have a first-aid kit with the basics: aspirin, bug spray, small and larger bandages, wound ointment, iodine, sun lotion, baby wipes or foil wet naps, stomach ache medicine and thermometer.
Bedding
If the weather changes by even a few degrees, your planned night under the stars can turn uncomfortably chilly. Bring extra blankets and comforters. Inflatable mattresses or pool floats are easy to transport and make a great bed on hard ground or floors. If you use full air mattresses, bring a foot pump to inflate. Don't forget pillows and extra pillow cases, which can be easily soiled at a campsite.
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