Water Source
Try to obtain water from a natural spring. Talk to local residents or go to the general store in town and find out if there is one around. Having a bunch of people with you tends to waste water quite quickly. If there’s a lot of people going and you don’t think you’ll find a spring, fill it up at home and think about buying an extra 7 gallon jug. Now, whenever obtaining water that’s not from the tap or bottled, some people start to become weary of bacteria and pathogens. I’ve personally drank from natural spring water for years and have never gotten sick. It’s always good to be on the safe side though, so grab the best water purifier on the market: The Sawyer Mini
Packing Your Car
What do you need to take out of your car during your trip up? What items need to come out first at the campsite? Depending on how long your trip is, you may be making a stop or two. Trying to find an item from a packed car is not an easy task. Pack accordingly. (e.g. You packed your asthma inhaler in your backpack, which was loaded first into your roof top cargo bag. Not fun.)
Before You Leave
- Check the weather
- Even though we’ve never NOT gone whenever we’ve found out the weather might be less than exceptional, checking the weather out in advance is a good idea to see what you may be getting yourself into. Always pack a poncho, or go really cheap and just bring some extra garbage bags and cut a hole out the bottom of the bag to pull your head through.
- Get everyone’s contact info into your phone
- Make sure everyone has everyone elses number saved in their phones. You don’t know how many times peoples phones were either dead or didn’t have service, while others with different service providers had reception. It’s good if you need to get in touch with someone from another group (i.e., You need to talk to someone in another car that’s coming up).
- Get Directions/Traffic Information
- Google Maps; or
- Waze for directions, traffic information, and hidden speed traps.
- Double Check Your Car Camping Checklist
Remember: Before leaving, tell someone where you’re camping, for how long, and when you plan to return. Next Section: Setting Up Camp