When you go tent camping, what would be a useful item that one would not think of bringing off the top of one's head?

Always bring the freakin’ spatula. Also, work glove are nice for tending to the fire or looking for sticks or moving rocks or picking up dead things.

Toilet Paper and plenty of bags to bring your refuse back with you.

A pillow and a can opener.

Babywipes. I use them for sponge baths and potty runs.

small cutting board
fire starters
duct tape
games

a small shovel for the fire pit (also useful for burying your poop, looking for truffles, and beating the crap out of the guy who forgot the toilet paper—and then to bury him, too)

@Yarnlady Ewww, I think I’ll bring a little shovel and bury that shit & TP mixture.

@ru2bz46 That would make Yarnlady’s answer more useful. I will never forget to bring a shovel. That seems like a very useful item to bring along.

@forestGeek How about if I bring the lead singer of Prodigy with me to start the fires?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmin5WkOuPw

If it’s a time of year when it’s cold, bring those little hand warmer things. They are awesome and last a long time.

@KatawaGrey Thanks but as you notice one of the tags is summer, camping out in the cold doesn’t seem to be something I’d be interested in, well at least not in a tent, but a lodge would be loads of fun. Yes there will be hot cocoa too!

@Kraken If every camper buried their waste, and way too many do, it would make the trails and campgrounds nothing but cesspits. It is not nice to mother nature. Yes, animals do it, but they don’t know any better, plus they produce their waste from local products.

A bag you can hang stuff in from the apex of the tent.

A hanging lamp for the same spot.

Empty gallon-sized freezer Ziplocs.

Duct tape, a good number and assortment of cable ties and a Swiss army knife or Leatherman Super tool.

@Yarnlady OK, how about if the pit was 1 foot deep so that it is well disposed of?

@Kraken: Oops, sorry, didn’t see that. In that case, mosquito nets would probably be a good idea.

@lillycoyote A Leatherman Super tool you say. I think I just laughed the hardest I have in days!!~!!

@Kraken I camp in sunny California in the summer. It gets pretty cold at night at 7000 feet.

Plastic tarp, to use as ground cover under the tent
clothesline—useful for a number of things
work gloves
matches
metal shower curtain hooks—the cheap kind. combined with a tarp, and rope, the shower curtain hooks can turn you into McGuyver

@KatawaGrey And the sprays and those tiki torches while we’re at it. I hate those little buggers.

@Kraken NO! A responsible camper always packs out what they pack in. http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/responsible-camping/Recreation-Tips.html

Either use the public provided facility, or if you must “In areas without toilets, use a portable latrine if possible, and pack out your waste. If you don’t have a portable latrine, you may need to bury your waste. Human waste should be disposed of in a shallow hole six to eight inches deep at least 200 feet from water sources, campsites, or trails. Cover and disguise the hole with natural materials.”

@kraken I’m not quite sure what crackin’ you up about the Leatherman, but glad I could provide a good laugh.

@lillycoyote I think it’s Leatherman’s “super tool” that brought the giggles out.

@ru2bz46 Kraken, what a tool he is, laughing at my Leatherman :)

@Yarnlady absolutely. Responsibility is key regarding certain natural processes and treating it.

@lillycoyote I believe my user name is pronounced as Krayken. I saw a documentary on the History Channel. Or you can call me Kevin if you don’t want to refer to me as a giant sea creature.

@Kraken I’ve always heard it as “Cracken” my whole life. Is there a Greek in the house?

@ru2bz46 Actually it is a Nordic word. Ignore that silly beast from Clash of the Titans.
It seems that they want to pronounce it like Crock-in
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kraken

@Kraken @ru2bz46 I checked wikipedia and they give two possible pronunciations with kray-ken being the second one link

@Kraken Is there a Viking in the house?

@lillycoyote Wikipedia, now that’s a funny one. Just make sure ye ships be safe.

@ru2bz46 Not a chance. They can sink to the bottom of the sea for all I care.

@Kraken – Yes, the twisted fire starters work best!!

Garbage bags. Leave no trace, people.
Also having a garbage bag in the car for the road trip is a must.

@Kraken Kraken is rockin’, cause Kraken ain’t fakin’ : )

@lillycoyote I intend to be Kraken you up as your ribs are left achin’ from the silly Kraken.

I don’t see how anyone could think of traveling without a dictionary and thesaurus.

@Jeruba Yes, especially if you’re camping with @Kraken and @lillycoyote.

@Jeruba Maybe not an unabridged dictionary on a backpacking trip but a nice paperback edition would be good. Then you could play the dictionary game around the campfire.

Oh, for the dictionary game you need Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary. There’s nothing better. And it’s small and lightweight, too.

A mirror.

Extra matches. Really sucks if you run out. I guess if you are a smoker you dont’ have to worry about it. I ditto the TP and Baby Wipes (the wipes are great for cleaning up but try to get the ones that don’t make you sticky after use). Also ditto the garbage bags. Also a freaking hairbrush cuz your hair can get NASTY. LOL.

How about a 40 foot self contained motor home with a dish antennae!!

@RedPowerLady You still may need extra matches. There will of course be a camp fire.

@Kraken but if you smoke couldn’t you use your lighter?? (i’m a non-smoker, lol).

@RedPowerLady Of course you could. Rubbing two sticks together would be much more difficult.

@Kraken Well if you are a smoker and you have your lighter why would you need back up matches? I suppose the lighter could run out but that would be a bit ironic.

I love tent camping and I found years ago, the best way to camp is to pack everything in one of those plastic storage tubs. When in the tent, it doubles as a table for a light, incense burner, ashtray – whatever you happen to need close by. It will hold everything you need: kitchen utensils, paper plates, salt & pepper, can opener, matches, battery-powered radio, the Coleman lanterns, tarp, rope, insect repellant, extra batteries for flashlights, and my latest addition, a zip-lock plastic bag full of dryer lint for starting fires!

@VS Fantastic Idea!

@VS What a great idea. I have done that to some extent.

Having all the stuff in one place like @VS said, is always nice for emergency preparedness too. I always keep my backpack packed (except for my sleeping bag…bad to store it compressed) for that very reason.

@VS: We used those for camping last summer we each put all our personal clothes and gear in one, one had kitchen items, including non-perishables, and one had other miscellaneous items. It made packing very easy and also loading the car and roofracks!

Insect repellent is very important. We had a tent lamp that hung from the ceiling that also had a fan (it was very hot and humid when we went). I agree on the wipes and baggies. And it’s always good to have extra bungee cords.

Plenty of meat, assuming you’re not a vegetarian.

A loaded gun….People are prey in remote camping areas. They get robbed and murdered. Easy pickins because the bad guy knows they are defenseless. It’s illegal in some cases without a carry permit. But what is your life worth?

@CBKfromAskville Exactly how many “people” are you talking about, and what’s your source? I contend that more people get robbed and murdered on the streets of every city than camping.

It’s not a lot, but it does happen. There was a case up near UVA recently where a young couple was murdered. Ther killer was caught eventually. There also was a serial killer near the Blue Ridge Parkway who got quite a few people before he was eventually caught. It does happen and also there are wolves and bears to be concerned about. Again, what’s your life or the lives of your kids worth?
Statistics is theory. If you are camping and you get attacked, that’s real. I would never go camping in the forrest w/o a gun. That doesn’t mean you wave it around either. I am not talking about camping in a busy campground where there are lots of people around or a boy scout or girl scout camporee. I mean the kind of camping where you are alone (with or without your family).

Oh, and by the way, my husband and I were in the Blue Ridge Mountains, near St. Mary’s River and there are lots of moccasin and rattlesnakes there. He got chased my a moccasin, and had to grab his magnum out of his backpack while running and shoot it to stop it. Vipers will chase you. Wow, that was tense. We also killed a rattlesnake that came into our camp, while we were there for a week. Very remote camping. We hiked in, 5 miles up the mountain. It was a nice trip. We also “left no trace” that we were there, as you should, to respect and preserve nature. We left our campsite completely clean. No trace of a campfire or anything. And, OF COURSE, no litter.

One of those spongy thingies to put under your sleeping bad so that you don’t lay on the ground. Hot water bottle in case it’s cold. A broom or something that you can sweep sand up with that’s somehow come into your tent. A mirror? Packets to put your litter in.

Baking soda. It can be used for so many things such as relieving rashes & bites, a makeshift toothpaste, and can be used to wash dishes.

I almost always forget my pillow, so that would be off the top of my head.