Help new camper please

[newlamper33]

Hi i live in portland oregon. I have no experience at all camping. I want to break away from my life and go be in solitude in the woods for as long as i can last in a decent way. I want to clear my mind. No cell or electronics. Id get a sattelite phone for emergency.
Im open to REnting small RV but id prefer sleeping in a tent near by the ground and freah air is peaceful to me.
Can someone give me a starter guide of what to buy and how to do this? im 28 slim i appear to be in decent shape but i really cant exert myself much. Im totally fine but i am healing from a brain injury. No alcohol no heavy exertion or 5 mike trecks.
Can someone give me some pointers on how to survive with food? do i buy a bunch of frozen food and bring a small charcoal grill with maybe a propane option?
I would appreciate it if someone could give me a basic guide. This solitude would really give me a healing peacefulness that is need to survive right now. I appreciate any advice. Thank you

[toedtoes]

Re: Help new camper please

Topping for responses

[Force10JC]

Re: Help new camper please

I am a novice camper so hopefully others will add to my comments. For car camping (driving in to your camp site):

1. A good tent
2. Sleeping Bag (appropriate temp rating for your area)
3. Food
4. Water
5. A decent Cooler
6. A way to start and maintain a fire
7. Weather appropriate clothing
8. Good outdoor shoes
9. Flashlight or Lantern

These are the main essentials that I can think of. Other things like cooking/eating pots, drinking cups, camp stove, secondary shelters (canopies), rain gear, camp chair, cot or sleep pad, etc. will prevent you from "roughing it" to a point.

For food you could simplify things and bring freeze-dried food packets and skip the cooler but you will need to bring more water.

You may also think of some personal creature comforts you can't do without. We all have them.

[tplife]

Re: Help new camper please

I think a copy of the Updated Complete Walker IV would be a good start:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-W.../dp/0375703233

[kimani]

Re: Help new camper please

this reminds me when i was starting to get serious with camping. well first of all i came up with this list of items
1. a durable tent for two
2. flashlight
3. sleeping bag
4. insect repellers
5. cooking utensils
6.a pair of boots
7.survival kit
8. magnesium fire starter.
for the past one month i have been able to try out a portable water filter the survivor filter guess it would make a great addition to the list.
generally speaking i went hunting for information from the web especially where i knew fellow campers who had experience would be found. read blogs from campers, for products i read products reviews from trusted sellers such as amazon to buy the best ones.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Help new camper please

I suspect this is another drive-by, but I can't answer without first asking a lot of questions.

[MountainMama]

Re: Help new camper please

im 28 slim i appear to be in decent shape but i really cant exert myself much. Im totally fine but i am healing from a brain injury. No alcohol no heavy exertion or 5 mike trecks.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, I know more than my fair share about brain injuries. My son, 23 at the time, nearly lost his life to a TBI (traumatic brain injury for those unfamiliar) in June 2013. After over a month in the Trauma ICU, and nearly a year in hospitals and rehab, he is home, but far from well. I don't know that anyone ever heals completely from a brain injury.

I understand in the confusion of healing, you may feel you need complete solitude. And you may be completely correct. However, if you haven't already done so, I would urge you to see a Neuro-psychiatrist as they specialize in brain problems resulting from TBI. Just please take care of yourself. If you have already taken these steps and are on medications, be sure to bring sufficient quantities.

Please accept my apologies for getting off track of the camping subject. This really struck a strong cord with me as I would freak out if my now 26 year old son (with TBI) wanted to take off alone into the woods.

[michelliot]

Re: Help new camper please

Besides what to take. I would set a date/time as a warning for an friend or relative that something might be wrong if they haven't heard from you by then. Tell them where you plan to be as well.

Not easy. My son early this year was sledding down a hill and met head on (literally) with a tree. Two small brain bleeds and a minor skull fracture. His Neurologist insisted to take a full semester off of school to rest his brain even though he was only experiencing minor headaches. Decision making and overtaxing thought processes will slow healing and could lead to more detrimental consequences. If I was you, I'd get clearance for such an excursion from a knowledgeable MD. He/she might just ask you to postpone your quest for a period of time.

Be well
elliot

[Mike]

Re: Help new camper please

Many of us on these forums learned what we know by just "doing it" with just a little bit of knowledge at first, then picking stuff up along the way, so go ahead and get as much info as you can and then "just to it". You will gradually learn from experience and from others how to do things better and be more comfortable. Camping - especially car camping - is not really dangerous, but the more knowledgeable you are at camping, the more comfortable you will be.

There are so many books at your local library and there is info on the web and on youtube. You can have a lot of fun researching camping before you go.

Welcome to camping. It is a lot of fun and it offers peacefulness and so many other wonderful things for you.

The best way to learn is to go camping with folks that know how to camp and learn from them.

[isoc]

Re: Help new camper please

To add to what Mike says, I'd recommend that you camp for several days first at a state park campground, just to make sure that you really are prepared. That way, help is nearby if you aren't, and you will probably learn more in those three days than you would by reading about it (although I like the idea of reading about it, you need to actually do it to understand it).

For solitude, just turn off your cell phone, media devices, and you can limit contact with other campers nearby. On the other hand, you might learn something from them by observation before you set off on your own.

We had a saying at the science center I worked at in Ohio (like OMSI in Oregon): I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand.

Best of luck from another novice! - Ted

[terasec]

Re: Help new camper please

can talk about it and research all your life
as mike stated just get out and do it
start out with smaller trips at organized campgrounds, even 1 nighters and build up from there
you will learn everything with experience
even veteran campers are learning and changing all the time

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Help new camper please

can talk about it and research all your life
as mike stated just get out and do it
start out with smaller trips at organized campgrounds, even 1 nighters and build up from there
you will learn everything with experience
even veteran campers are learning and changing all the time

True that!