Lantern, Wood, Ice, Water and All the Other Essential Items for a Successful Camping Trip

I love camping, but somehow, in my excitement to get the car packed up and get into the woods; I always manage to forget some essential camping item. Nothing sucks more than getting to your destination, setting up the tent, and then realizing you have no way to start a fire. So, for those of you who tend to be a bit forgetful like me, here's my personal list of essential camping items I always seem to forget.

Camping item 1: Wood. It's difficult to have a campfire without wood and camping without a fire is just un-American. I have become very skilled at scavenging wood from abandoned campsites and finding fallen limbs and dead trees to burn, but nothing beats knowing you'll have enough fuel for at least a small fire during your trip. It's usually best to bring some from home (or acquire some from a friend with a woodstove if you don't have one), but you can usually buy wood (at an inflated price) from a grocery store or at your campground if you're staying in one.

Camping item 2: Hatchet/Saw. You remembered the wood? Awesome! Did you bring kindling? You didn't? Exactly how are you planning to start your fire? A hatchet is essential for making your big pieces of wood into smaller pieces of kindling. Also, if you've forgotten to bring wood and want to chop up some bigger pieces you have scavenged, you're going to need a hatchet or a saw. You can usually buy kindling at the same places you can pick up wood, but it's a lot cheaper just to chop up a few pieces of wood yourself.

Camping item 3: Newspaper. Wood and kindling are awesome, but it's hard to start a fire without newspaper. Former boy scouts can probably use moss or bark or something, but for the less-skilled among us, paper is a necessity. Bring a lot.

Camping item 4: Lighter/matches. I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. You're going to need some way of generating flame. It's always a good idea to bring a few lighters or books of matches, just in case one gets wet or stops working. Those long barbeque lighters are excellent for lighting campfires. They're also great for lighting the next oft-forgotten item.

Camping item 5: Lantern. It tends to get a bit dark in the woods at night. Unless you're staying at a fancy campground with streetlights or camping out in your backyard, you're going to want a lantern to light up the area. Flashlights are great, but batteries run out quickly when they're left on constantly.

Camping item 6: Lantern Mantles. Nothing like brushing your lantern's mantle with a match while trying to light it and watching it turn to dust. Always pack spare mantles; otherwise you're going to be (horrible pun incoming) left in the dark.

Camping item 7: Lantern Fuel. There's no feeling quite like noticing your lantern is suspiciously light and realizing the bottle of propane is one you bought two years ago. Always bring a spare, or two. I keep a couple bottles right next to my camping gear.

Camping item 8: Flashlight. Traipsing through the woods at night to go to the bathroom is all kinds of scary without some kind of portable light source. Equally frightening is doing your business while a lantern lights up the surroundings like a night football game. Bring a flashlight, and check the batteries before you go.
Camping item 9: Bug Spray. Bug bites are no fun. I always forget bug spray and hate myself for it once I'm up in the woods. It's a good idea to buy a can and just keep it in something you always have when you're camping. You can roll it up in your tent or sleeping bag and then you'll always have it when you arrive. I also like to keep a small bottle in my tackle box.

Camping item 10: Something to roast marshmallows/hot dogs on. I don't know about you, but cooking food on a stick I found on the ground that's been used by God knows how many animals and slugs for God knows what purposes is not my idea of appetizing. Never go camping without something to roast your marshmallows on. Those fancy extendable skewers you see are awesome, but ordinary wire clothing hangars work just as well.

Camping item 11: First Aid Kit. Bug bites, scrapes, and hot dog skewer puncture wounds are an inevitable part of camping. Make sure you bring a first aid kit with band-aids, disinfectant, gauze, and Advil.

Camping item 12: Toilet Paper. Even if you're headed to a campground or a wilderness area with outhouses, you can't always count on there being available or suitable toilet paper. Don't go camping without TP.

Camping item 13: Ice. Sure, you've loaded up the cooler with beer, hotdogs, lunchmeat, and burgers, but did you remember to get ice for the cooler? Ice is a bit hard to come by while camping and refrigeration is pretty much essential for most of your food. You can never have too much ice. Don't go camping without it.

Camping item 14: Water. Depending on where you're camping there may or may not be access to fresh water. I don't recommend drinking from rivers and streams if you can avoid it. You're also going to want some kind of portable water available in camp for tooth brushing and hand washing before you eat. Grabbing a couple gallons of water at the grocery store or filling up some old milk jugs at home is never a bad idea. Plus, if your truck overheats from pulling your massive camp trailer, you can refill the radiator.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list of the items you need for camping, just my personal list of those that are oft-forgotten. There are some obvious things I didn't mention, like a tent, sleeping bag, your family, you know, basic stuff. Make sure you don't forget anything here and your camping trip is sure to be a success. See you in the wilderness (unless its dark and I forgot my lantern).