Well, I think I screwed up.

[Captain Karnage]

So this is my last semester in college, in addition to the two classes I need to fulfill my major I needed 2 elective hours.

So I really didn't want a mentality taxing class, so I found a class thats only 5 days long and not a lot of work. I found backpacking. This is where I fucked up. I thought backpacking was a class about hiking, turns out it's a 3 day camping trip. I'm going camping for the first time of my life in two weeks, in this cold weather.

So I think I'm screwed, but on the bright side I wont have to worry about my elective and can focus on my other 2 classes.

[Captain Karnage]

So this is my last semester in college, in addition to the two classes I need to fulfill my major I needed 2 elective hours.

So I really didn't want a mentality taxing class, so I found a class thats only 5 days long and not a lot of work. I found backpacking. This is where I fucked up. I thought backpacking was a class about hiking, turns out it's a 3 day camping trip. I'm going camping for the first time of my life in two weeks, in this cold weather.

So I think I'm screwed, but on the bright side I wont have to worry about my elective and can focus on my other 2 classes.

[Hawkwing]

You'll be fine. It may, no, WILL be difficult, but hardship builds character, and whether you'll now it or not, you'll come out stronger from this experience.

If nothing else, it's only three days. Every time the sun goes down, you can know that you're one day closer to going home. It may be a very long 72 hours, but that's how our perception of time works.

Don't think about this negatively; think of it as an opportunity to grow. You may look back on the whole thing and be glad that you made this mistake.

[indigoasis]

Definitely pack warm clothes if it's going to be cold, alongside some extra clothes in case something happens. Pack some bug spray and sunscreen just in case. If food is provided, just bring some extra snacks and water bottles. If not, make sure that the food and water you bring can sustain you for three days. Obviously bring the bare essentials, like a toothbrush, comb or hairbrush, deodorant, etc. Blankets and a sleeping bag should be fine. I wouldn't worry about a pillow, you can make one out of blankets... or a rock if you find one.

Like @Hawkwing said, it's an opportunity to grow. If you learn that you like camping, that's great, and if you don't, then you'll know in the future not to do it again. I don't know exactly what kind of camping trip it's going to be, but I wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it goes!

[Nobody]

2 hours ago, Captain Karnage said:

I thought backpacking was a class about hiking, turns out it's a 3 day camping trip.

Sorry, but this made me lmao

enjoy it, camping is really fun

[Ertrick36]

Eh, depends on where you live.  If you're in, like, Tennessee or something, you have nothing to worry about.

But you try camping in a place like Montana this time of year?  Good luck with that, Mister Popsicle!

 

Jokes aside, the main things you need to worry about with camping are of course packing properly (food, clothes, and the like, whatever you'd need to spend an extended amount of time outside during the season), pitching a tent, and starting a fire.  There will probably be people to help you with these things, but I'll offer some of my own advice as someone who has grown up camping and even doing three-day camping trips.

With packing, since it's cold weather, you'll of course want to have warm clothes; bring as much as you need to bundle up, think as if you're going to be standing around in the cold for several hours.  And think about what you'd need to sleep comfortably; you probably don't want to sleep in nothing but underwear, but you also shouldn't just sleep in your outdoor clothes.  A warm, cozy onesie might actually be what you need, though it depends on your preferences.  In terms of food, because you probably can't just fry up a patty or whatever, just don't bring cold food like ice cream.  If you like marshmallows or smores, I'd definitely recommend bringing those; there's something special about roasting your own mallows over a fire and eating them, even if you might have overcooked them.

To pitch a tent, you need solid, relatively flat soil.  Typically there'll be designated camping sites, especially if you live in a big camping/tourism city/state, and they'll almost always have enough solid space to pitch a tent and set up a fire.  Aside from that, I believe they usually come with instructions.  One other thing is if you don't have an inflatable mattress, try your best not to pitch your tent on a rocky place; I speak from personal experience when I say you'll end up sore all over by the end of it.

In terms of starting fires, you shouldn't just do big logs; you should gather a ton of little twigs and sticks to throw in as well, and all the wood you bring should be dry; this way, the fire will burn for a long time.  And when the fire goes out or dims, throw some more sticks and maybe a log or two in there.  Most camping sites will have fire pits to put these in, but in the event that they don't just make sure the fire is well clear of any foliage.  And as the son of a former firefighter, I feel obligated to tell you to make sure you really put the fire out when you're done camping.  Even if it may seem like it's out, grab a bucket of water and dump it on the wood pile to make sure it goes out.  And on that note, you should bring some bottles of water or whatever other beverages you like; at the very least though you should have enough to stay hydrated for three days.

 

I've always found camping to be quite fun, at least when I don't get assaulted by stupid horseflies at the lakeside.  It's not for everyone, but it should help you broaden your horizons a little.  If nothing else, you'll have seen a new side of life after this.

[NinjaMonkey]

I don't get how camping for three days is that big of a deal, and that's from someone who isn't an outdoors type of person. 

[XRay]

3 hours ago, Captain Karnage said:

So this is my last semester in college, in addition to the two classes I need to fulfill my major I needed 2 elective hours.

So I really didn't want a mentality taxing class, so I found a class thats only 5 days long and not a lot of work. I found backpacking. This is where I fucked up. I thought backpacking was a class about hiking, turns out it's a 3 day camping trip. I'm going camping for the first time of my life in two weeks, in this cold weather.

So I think I'm screwed, but on the bright side I wont have to worry about my elective and can focus on my other 2 classes.

I am not a huge fan of camping either, but my first time camping was not that bad since it was with my close friends. Might be awkward with strangers though.

If you are like me who likes to have clean bums, I highly recommend bringing wet wipes with you unless you know for sure the camp site provides public showers or something. Feeling dried shit stuck up your butt crack for a few days is not pleasant.

Oh, and bring some form of compact entertainment with you, such as a book, offline mobile games, 3DS, etc. If you choose some form of electronic entertainment, be sure to bring a portable battery/charger as well to make sure it has enough juice. You most likely will not need it when you are actually camping, but it will definitely ease the boring car ride if you have trouble connecting with strangers.

[LucarioGamer812]

As an eagle scout who does a lot of normal camping, a 3 day backpacking trip will be rough, especially if you haven't prepared for it. But it'll be a good experience I'm sure of it. Just make sure you pack lightly. I'd definitely recommend winter weather gear and probably 3 days of it if possible. Make sure you put a days worth of clothing together and roll it up, that will save space. A tent is a definite, also probably pack a tarp with it to provide a layer between the tent/you and the ground. It also makes it harder if it rains for your tent to be flooded. A heavier sleeping bag is recommended for warmth and when combined with a sleeping bad you won't get as much ground chill. Travel pillows too so your neck doesn't cramp from sleeping on the bare ground, you can also use your backpack for a makeshift pillow support. Definitely bring a water bottle, I personally use Nalgenes but any sealable bottle will work. A decent size pocket knife too if the course allows it. A mess kit too that way you can eat meals. I'd also recommend matches and a lighter just in case. A flashlight with spare batteries too. A personal first aid kit as well will be useful. Some other smaller items I'd bring is some light rope, paracord would probably be best, several caribeeners, they are just so useful, sunglasses and sunscreen if there will be snow to prevent snowburn, perhaps a deck of playing cards to pass the time at night. Hygiene items too as previously mentioned by others. I'd recommend hiking boots if you have time to break them in prior to the trip, otherwise they will be an absolute pain and it would just be better to use a comfortable but sturdy pair of sneakers, ones that can take a beating and you don't mind them taking a beating. If you're worried about material being wet for starting a fire, bring a small bag of dryer lint or even some paper, that will help get fires started.

Now more specific tips. I assume you may have a hiking backpack in specific but if not then these can also somewhat apply to a normal backpack.

Store smaller items together. So for example matches, lighter, and batteries could be put in a ziplog back and take less space.

Keep items you'll use sooner towards the top or easier access. So an example would be put your clothes at the bottom of your bag, followed by pillow(s), sleeping bag, sleeping pad, with tent on top. Mess kit, flashlight, and first aid kit definitely should be in quick access spots. WATER BOTTLE SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN REACH! Staying hydrated is very important out there. You may not want to drink cause its cold but you're more inclined to pass out or get sick so stay hydrated.

Fire building: You can look up better guides than me but basically the two methods I recommend are the log cabin and tepee fire builds. The log cabin is basically sticks stacked to make a log cabin shape while the tepee is a tepee. Now for actual tips with fires, use smaller kindling, like twigs and leaves at the center to more or less catch fire so bigger sticks can catch fire and those will catch fire to the largest sticks on the outside. I will also say be aware of how the smoke is going to flow, and obviously you don't want it in your face or near cooking areas unless that is the cooking area. Should go without saying but keep fires away from tents and don't put anything in the fire that isn't wood or fire starter. I know you're most likely mature but as a camp counselor for 3 years you would not believe how many explosions can happen when things go in fires, especially bug spray. Gods those kids making flamethrowers were annoying.

A lesser known tip. You want to sleep fully dressed to stay warm correct? Well you can sleep with your clothes for the next day (should be small if rolled up) and that will keep it warm. Alternatively if you bring a normal pillow with a pillowcase, putting the roll of clothes in the pillow case when you sleep with also make it warm, that way you don't get dressed in cold clothes.

So hopefully these help. These are what I thought of/remembered from all my camping experiences in the past 11 years, including a night where it went below freezing with me bare out on the ground trying to keep a fire alive all night. If you need any clarifications or any questions on things I don't mind answering anything.

[Ertrick36]

5 hours ago, NinjaMonkey said:

I don't get how camping for three days is that big of a deal, and that's from someone who isn't an outdoors type of person. 

If they're backpacking, that means they'll be hiking somewhere to camp.  And since it's a class, they're probably not gonna just be spending their three days of camping sitting around, doing practically nothing.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd have to constantly relocate for the sake of drilling the lessons into the students, though since I'm neither a boy scout nor have I taken official backpacking classes, I'm not sure what they'll do.  In any event, I wouldn't expect a casual expedition; this is a 5-day college class, they're condensing a semester's worth of learning into a week's worth of time.

And how difficult it will be also depends on the region they're camping in.  I joked about it before, but really it's fairly dangerous to go hiking this time of year in the midwest or the northern Rockies.  This time of year, it's hard to even go on interstates near where I live because some of the passes are actually snowed-in this time of year.  Such conditions mean more prep needs to go into camping, less comfort overall, and just general difficulty.  At worst, you'll have to expend double your stamina dealing with snow, even simply walking through it is trouble if it's deep enough (in the wilds, it most certainly will be deep).

 

Oh yeah, and I can't emphasize enough how much you should bring some first-aid supplies.  If you get a cut, you are very prone to getting an infection out in the wilds, so you'll need to be able to deal with that on the fly.  You don't want any of those foreign bodies getting into your bloodstream, you don't know where they've been.  And plus you'll want to be in top form for physical activities, because you're probably gonna do plenty of them.

I'd say Lucario's probably got the right idea.  But in the end, don't stress out too much about it.  Just think about packing the essentials, keep in mind some of the stuff we have said if you can retain it, and just go with whatever the group's doing.  You will most certainly make it out on the other side, you most likely have experts watching over you.

1 hour ago, LucarioGamer812 said:

Gods those kids making flamethrowers were annoying.

Sounds like you have at least a few dozen interesting stories there.  The most interesting thing I remember happening was when a camp counselor accidentally sprayed a group of us middle schoolers with pepper spray during a lecture on how to deal with dangerous wildlife.  Like, she wasn't even facing us with the spray, and they thought it was sealed... then she did a little spray on accident, and the wind blew all the particles in all our faces.  Was actually dozing off until I got blasted with the stuff.

It was the worst day I've ever had camping, and we had frickin' cabins to sleep in; that's essentially a rich people camping trip, except the cabins weren't all that luxurious.

[Captain Karnage]

LOL, there are 4 other people in the same boat as me.

We all just need 2 more credit hours to graduate. 

[LucarioGamer812]

On 10/21/2018 at 11:33 PM, Ertrick36 said:

Sounds like you have at least a few dozen interesting stories there.  The most interesting thing I remember happening was when a camp counselor accidentally sprayed a group of us middle schoolers with pepper spray during a lecture on how to deal with dangerous wildlife.  Like, she wasn't even facing us with the spray, and they thought it was sealed... then she did a little spray on accident, and the wind blew all the particles in all our faces.  Was actually dozing off until I got blasted with the stuff.

It was the worst day I've ever had camping, and we had frickin' cabins to sleep in; that's essentially a rich people camping trip, except the cabins weren't all that luxurious.

Yeah 3 years on camp staff and staffing other trainings and just in general camping and going to a lot of events has given me many interesting stories. Ouch, that sounds very painful. I've never specifically had a training like that but I'd imagine it'd be important. Most of the trainings I've gotten is prevention so that doesn't occurs and more or less treatment for the aftermath.