By: Melanie Mann, guest blogger

For anyone who has been camping before, fond memories will coincide along with some less pleasant ones. This is because while camping can be a wonderful way to connect with nature and spend time with your family or alone, it also has potential for disaster. There are many things that can go wrong on a camping trip, caused by bad weather, getting lost, or any number of unpredictable occurrences. This is why it is important to be prepared and expect the unexpected.

In order to prepare for your camping trip, there are a number of items you should always pack, regardless of where your destination or how long your duration. The first pair of necessary items is a map and a compass. The map should, of course, should be of the area you will be camping in, but should not be limited to your close vicinity. The compass is just as important as the map, because if you end up getting lost, the map may not be much help if you do not know where you are on it, without the help of your trusty compass.

Another way in which to avoid disaster is to not bring or wear cotton clothing. Even though you can do your best to try and plan around the weather, you can’t control it, and rain may be in your forecast. If it does end up raining and you are wearing cotton, you will soak up every little bit of moisture and be very uncomfortable. The same thing goes with hot weather; the cotton will soak up your sweat and become itchy or uncomfortable. It is best to wear synthetic materials, and ones that whisk away moisture are most suitable. Keeping comfortable is an important and often overlooked key to having a good camping experience.

Although your meals will not be of the same quality that you are used to at home, what you eat and how you handle your food is extremely important. As a general rule of thumb, you should only pack what you are willing to carry; this becomes more crucial if you are intending on backpacking, but even if you are camping on a campground in your RV, light foods that take up a small amount of space are ideal and imperishable are preferred. To save space, take all of the food you are bringing with you out of its store packaging and place them instead in reusable plastic baggies. Storing your food is yet another issue, as improperly stored food can lead to animal invasion and loss of food, two potential pitfalls. It is a good idea to bring a food sack that you can fit all your food in, and a strap that will make hanging it easy. Remember not to feed the wildlife or discard any of your leftover foods and you should be safe.

There are so many things that can go right on a camping trip to make it a wonderful experience that letting the few things that could go wrong interfere would be a shame. So as a general rule of thumb, plan ahead and be prepared. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst, and most importantly, keep your wits about you and have a great attitude. Camping is what you make of it.