What to Expect on Your First Night Camping

So you’ve hit the road and you’re headed for your first campout! Maybe you’re feeling a little nervous, unsure what to expect or whether you brought everything you need. Maybe your checklist or the people going with you have calmed your concerns, and you’re just looking forward to getting off the grid for a day or two. Either way, you’re feeling something. If you haven’t got a care in the world… great! Keep reading anyway, you’re already here.

Since this is your first time, you might have the jitters about embarrassing yourself, about not knowing what to do, in what order, let alone how. You may simply not know what to expect. That’s all totally fine and normal. Let’s see if we can give you a bit of idea on what to expect, though.

The drive out

Ideally you’re getting out of the city, regardless of whether that truly means off-grid. Away from the noise, the constant background hum of cars and homes. Whether you’re driving half an hour or several hours, to an established campground or overlanding somewhere, if possible, try to plan on arriving with daylight remaining. It’s not the end of the world if you have to set up camp in the dark, but it’s easier if you can see what you’re doing without need of artificial light. I will say that one of my favorite camping memories was a trip with some high school friends, struggling for a very long time to get our tents up, while our parents stood back laughing at us.

Getting to your campground and finding your campsite can be confusing. Unlike navigating to a street address using modern GPS-based apps on your cellphone, driving directions often end at the campground entrance. Getting to your exact campsite number typically requires following signposts around one or more loops through the campground. This isn’t hard if you just keep your eyes out. If possible, I do recommend reviewing a campground map in advance; these are available online for almost all city/county/state/national, and frequently private, campgrounds these days. Even if it doesn’t click when you first review it, taking some time to look at it in advance might make it feel just a little familiar when you finally arrive.

You may eventually come to see this as a recurring theme on TeachMeHowToCamp.com. I’m definitely a planner, one of those folks who likes to look at itineraries ahead of time, think through packing lists, etc. You don’t have to be like that to enjoy camping! For me though, I find that it takes some stress out of the front end of the trip.

Pulling in and reading your campsite

Once I find my campsite, I tend to feel a little relief; getting there seems to be half the battle, for me (the other half is setup/takedown; being there is relax-time). If you’ve reserved your site ahead of time, great! Most sites are designed to back in, so that your trunk or cargo area is closer to you and not facing the road.

You made it! Take a few deep breaths. Take a look around.

If you’re in a first-come, first-served area, I recommend setting your cooler out, on the picnic table if you’ve got one, to “mark your territory” before you head back to the pay station. Sometimes I will set up my whole tent first, which makes it a lot harder for anyone to get confused and take my campsite, but some places are strict about paying before you set up camp. The cooler on the picnic table is the universal sign.

Take note of where the bathrooms and water are, if applicable. Usually bathrooms are fairly well-lit, but water spigots can be hard to locate in the dark later.

Depending on where you’re camping, very often there are one or more flat spots where you’re sort of intended to place your tent, but not always. Sometimes it’s choose-your-own adventure. Many campgrounds have permanently-installed grates you can cook on, on a fire pit ring or a post, or sometimes even on stones. I don’t recommend cooking directly on these grates as they’re usually rusty, but cooking over a fire with a griddle, skillet or pot can be fun. There is usually a food locker of some sort, designed to resist everything from bears to racoons to curious toddlers.

Setting up

Depending on the experience level of the people with you, they might burst into a flurry of activity. Maybe they’ll guide you on how to help (gently or otherwise), maybe they’ll just leave you to your own devices. Don’t be shy about asking how you can be the most helpful, if you’re unsure what to do. Don’t be surprised if they just ask you to unload camping gear from the vehicle. Someone’s gotta do it! Over time, if you end up camping more and gaining experience, you’ll get a feel for what needs to be done and in what order. If you turn camping into a regular hobby, you might find that each person is better at this or that, and just sort of naturally work on that particular setup category.

I always recommend setting up your tent first. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s one that I’ve never regretted. As I mentioned before, it’s a lot easier to do when it’s light out. Easier to pick a flat, level spot that isn’t under any dead tree branches; easier to decide which way to face your tent opening(s); easier to figure out how to set up your tent! Modern tents are generally easier to set up than the ones our parents used. Many have color-coded poles and pockets, or even built-in poles. Still, as critters that evolved to see better in daylight, we humans almost always do better setting up the tent while it’s light out. If you have to resort to lanterns, flashlights or headlamps, it won’t ruin your trip. It’s just a hassle, even for experienced campers.

Listen to me for a sec.

Setting up a tent for the first time may take longer than you expected. Maybe half an hour or more. That’s totally normal. You are NOT stupid or incompetent. Tents aren’t always super- intuitive to set up.

If you’re bringing your own (or borrowed) tent, it’s not required to practice setting it up and putting it away before the trip. That might even feel like overkill. It’s a pro move, though. If nothing else, it lets you verify that all the pieces of your tent are there! Bonus points for impressing your friends though, when you bust out that tent and pitch it like it’s an old habit without staring at it wondering which end of which pole goes in which pocket.

I recommend setting up your camp kitchen second. Depending on your trip plans, this could be a very simple operation, or it could be complex and downright fancy. When I go camping with my wife and friends, sometimes it seems like maybe half our camping gear revolves around food! Either way, this is another main task category where it’s just easier to find and arrange your gear while it’s light out, although it’s easier to use a lantern on a picnic table than on the ground next to your tent.

Save your chairs and other large items for last. You’ll have more flexibility on where to place these items than you will for your tent or cooking area.

Getting a fire going

Finally, it’s time for perhaps everyone’s favorite part: the campfire. The payoff, even.

Although I’ve camped in many places where fires were not permitted due to extreme drought conditions or sensitive environments, I’ll be the first to admit that camping without a fire just isn’t the same. Whether you’re into raging bonfires (keep it under control) or quiet cozy fires, there’s just something about staring into those flames that soothes your soul.

Building, lighting, and maintaining a campfire can feel like a rite of passage. Most people understand that you don’t have to fear fire, but you do have to respect it and be safe with it. That’s not what makes most new campers nervous, though. Let’s face it: you may be nervous about getting the job done, if you get put in charge of it. Don’t be. I cannot begin to count the number of times I've had a fire go out on me, and I needed to start over. There are a number of campfire methods to choose from, and you don’t have to use the “right method” for your situation (but it can help). It may take a few tries, but you’ll get the fire going and soon enough you’ll be happily poking at it, enjoying its warmth and dancing flames. And let’s face it, probably s’mores.

Dinner and settling in

A lot of people will munch on snacks throughout the afternoon, but sooner or later you’re probably gonna want dinner. Cooking outdoors isn’t all that complicated. Learn to use your stove, if you’re cooking hot food. Bugs might express an interest, it’s true. Overall though, it’s not much different from a backyard cookout, or even just eating on a patio at your apartment. Bringing a roll of paper towels can solve a lot. Some people like to buy reusable camping cookware and some people like to bring disposable paper plates etc. to reduce the dishwashing required. That’s fair. In any case, cooking and eating at camp is like cooking at eating at a picnic. A little more planning goes into it, is all.

I like to keep it simple on the first night. Pasta-roni, chili or stew, maybe spaghetti or burgers. Nothing too fancy. Big complicated meals or fancy dishes, especially with large groups, can wait for the second night once everyone’s settled in.

When it gets dark

If you’re not used to being out in nature when the sun goes down, it can be a little intimidating at first. It’s probably darker, with no street or house lights around. It can be disorienting, it might feel wrong at first, but that doesn’t mean anything is actually wrong! It may be quieter than you’re used to. Little sounds that might have gone ignored, will suddenly all evoke a “what was that??” response from you. This is also usually nothing, or just small animals who are more afraid of you than you are of them.

I like to stuff a handheld flashlight or headlamp in my pocket as soon as it starts to get dark out. After a certain point, the light transitions from pointing it everywhere trying to see everything, trying to identify every noise, to just being used to see what you’re doing at any given time (like walking to the bathroom).

Not having walls around you at night, not being able to see what’s out there, can be scary at first. Most of the things out there are not interested in you, though. In some areas you do have to be bear-aware, but actual bear attacks are not common at all. This is especially true for groups of people. Just keep your food and other scented items locked up whenever you’re not using it, and you’ll rarely see any mammals approach you.

The next morning

Some people get the best sleep of their life when they go camping. Some people, the worst. Either way, you’re likely to wake up fairly early. In a tent, it gets light in your “bedroom” as soon as the sun comes up.

Mornings around camp tend to be quiet and peaceful, although all bets are off if there are kids involved. It’s cooler, not everyone is awake, not every bird is singing. If there are RVs around, perhaps they haven’t fired up their generators yet (more and more people are making the shift toward large battery backups instead of gas/propane generators though). It can be a reflective time.

There’s usually that one person who wakes up earlier than everyone else. This person, for whatever reason, can usually be counted on to make tea or coffee. Pour a mug and just sit there in the quiet. Moments like this are more rare than we’d like them to be in the city or suburbs, in our normal daily grind. Savor it. It’s part of why you’re here. It’s usually the part where people think to themselves, “oh, I get it now.”

Packing up and leaving it better

Your first camping trip – hopefully of many – may be short or long, one night or multiple. Sooner or later though, it’s time to pack up and go home. Allow more time than you might think, for packing up. Depending on how much gear you brought, it can take up to a few hours, but not usually. You’ll want to take care to sweep or shake out as much dirt as possible from your tent before putting it away. The rest of your gear mainly just always seems to take a while to put everything back in the bag, box or bin it came from, and figuring out just how you played Tetris in the car when you first headed out at the beginning of your trip. If you plan to wait until you get home to wash dishes, it can save some time, but don’t forget to do that or you’re in for an unpleasant surprise on your next trip!

There are a lot of articles out there for you to read about Leave No Trace principles, so I won’t load you down with it here. Basically leave nothing in your campsite that wasn’t there when you arrived. Do one last walk around before you pull out of the parking spot, make sure you didn’t leave any of your gear or trash, and consider picking up one or two other pieces of trash that might have been there when you arrived. The bottom line is to respect the place and the next people to visit it. By this point in your trip you may be starting to feel a certain sense of mutual belonging between you and the outdoors. If that’s the case, you’re not alone.

Bottom line: You can do this! There’s no secret handshake or club to join. If you found this article was worth your time, come back and visit again. I’ll be posting articles, YouTube videos, and social media content. No influencer hype, no judgment, just friendly and useful information.

If you’re ready to think about a whole camping weekend and not just your first night, check out my free Basic Camping Packing List.