This might belong in GQ but what the hell.
Going camping this weekend, truck and tent so I won’t be hiking, and I’m trying to finish my checklist befor I leave Friday morning. I’ve got the big obvious stuff but what are the little things you wish you had brought on your camping trip?
Little things that I have learned to bring camping:
dish soap
clothes line of some sort
can opener
I’m sure there is more…
Toilet paper. In a ziplock bag. Do it, or you will have leaves coming out of your shorts for days.
Good ones so far. I’ll take two can openers so I don’t end up like a Sylvester and Tweety cartoon and get some biodegradable bum wad at Target.
I was wishing I had a lantern AND a flashlight last time…and an extra tarp.
Last time I went camping I forgot to bring diversions - my fishing rod, book, cards, cribbage and chess sets. Left them sitting on the table at home. After a few hours of sitting around the fire wondering what to do next, I swore I would never forget them again.
Duct Tape.
Paper Towels.
Trash Bags.
I have my master camping list at home, e-mail me if you want a copy.
The meat is always good to remember. (Once we ended up camping and we forgot about half our food… we subsided on soup and grilled cheese for the weekend)
don’t know if this counts, but most of my camping was out in the field stuff in the infantry.
[ul]
[li]bungee cords[/li][li]extra poncho[/li][li]a good gerber/leatherman/pocket knife for whittling[/li][li]everything else already mentioned[/li][/ul]
If you take a small selection of basic tools with you, you will never need them. The one time that you don’t have a Phillips screwdriver is the time your life may depend on it.
A partial list:
Screwdrivers–Phillips & regular
Smallish hammer (like tack hammer)
Pliers, both regular & needlenose, also big vise-grip (locking) pliers
DUCT TAPE (somebody already said that, but I can’t emphasize it enough)
Big roll of baggie tie stuff–garden centers usually have this, to tie up climbing rosebushes (or lots of baggie ties)
Pair of big scissors that you don’t care what happens to
Big sawtooth edge knife, ditto (like a big bread knife)
If you have some around, bring a roll of electrical wire, like you use to rewire a lamp (not extension cord stuff). What with the duct tape, baggie ties, and wire, you can fix anything loose.
Coil of nylon rope or clothesline–use it for wet clothes, to tie the bumper back onto the truck, 101 other uses…
Clothespins, if you can find them
Pair of flipflops for wearing down to the “comfort station”
One of those 4-battery cop flashlights, for nighttime trips down to the “comfort station”–and don’t skimp on the batteries, get the good kind, and lots of 'em
Big Hefty sacks, for trash and also emergency poncho (don’t laugh, it works)
Campfire stuff:
Matches
Stack of old newspapers
Buy your firewood at home before you go–sometimes the prices they charge at campgrounds are extortionate.
Something to sit on, next to the campfire.
WIENER FORKS. Geez, I can’t believe I almost forgot the wiener forks. Oh, noooo–and MARSHMALLOWS!! << smacks self in forehead >> also fixins for s’mores, if you should be so inclined.
Also: bug repellent, or else you may as well go home.
One thing I always bring (actually two) is a block of cheese and a yard-o-beef. So wonderful, so compact.
Note: A yard-o-beef isn’t actually a yard. Its about 8 inches. Sort of wish it were…
Espresso pot! Get one of the cheap stove-top kinds, like they use in Europe. They’re very in expensive, and make great coffee.
Espresso. I like Trader Joe’s French Roast. Grind it before you leave home, and keep it in a closed container.
Sugar. For the espresso. You don’t need milk.
Camp stove. For putting the espresso pot on. Oh yeah… you can cook food with it too. I have three stoves (I’m a bit of a fanatic, I guess): A Svea single-burner (I think these went out of production years ago. I got mine in '82), an MSR “International” single-burner, and an MSR “DragonFly” single-burner. I can put my espresso pot on the Svea with no problem. The MSR stoves require a metal disc or grille because the legs are too wide for the pot.
If you’re truck-camping, how about some cast-iron cookery? Mmmmm… Nothing like sizzling bacon in the woods! With some good strong espresso to wach it down! If you’ll be cooking with cast iron (or anything besides a “backpacking cook kit”), you may consider a Coleman stove. Much more stable than the single-burner backpacking stoves.
Water.
A Coleman lantern and a flashlight have already been mentioned.
A good knife. Victorinox (or Wenger). Maybe a “multi-tool” (Leatherman or Gerber.) A shovel.
If you put a gideon bible next to your sleeping bag, you can pretend you’re in a $200 a night hotel room.
I usually take food that you don’t have to cook, for when you get lazy. Oranges and carrot sticks will take you a long way.
And if you’re bringing hot dogs, don’t forget the wire coat hangers to cook the hot dogs. If you try and cook a hot dog over an open fire by holding it in your fingers, you will soon learn the meaning of the word pain.
Connor
Me, too! 
As for camping, don’t forget your toothbrush.
Ok, so that’s not such a great suggestion. But everybody else already thought of all the good stuff, and doesn’t everyone forget their toothbrush when they go somewhere?
Thanks to all for the list of little things that will make the trip a success. Unfortunately there are no open fires allowed because of the condisions in Arizona so weenies and marshmallows will have to be cooked over a propane flame, yeech! I have a pretty good camp kitchen setup and since weight isn’t a problem I’ll have skillet, griddle, dutch oven and probably my iron wok.
Sunscreen, chapstick, and something for when you forget to apply the sunscreen. Most miserable things I can remember, chapped lips and sunburns and no relief. Also let me suggest asprin or the equivilent, and stronger pain meds if you’ve got em. Nothing quite like an abcessed tooth several hundred miles from no where.
waterproof matches
lantern
flashlights (at least 2) and batteries
sleeping bag roll (to put under your sleeping bag
lots of water and a canteen
some kind of trail snack food that’s light
sunscreen
sunglasses
hat
extra clothes
maybe a small boombox
bags so you can clean up all your trash
Don’t forget the ** aluminum foil ** and ** extra batteries (usually D) **
Aluminum foil is oh-so-versatile. If there’s no grill, you can create one! Or you can wrap up the meat and veggies and toss 'em in the fire to cook. Once we used it to cover a hole in the tent. But, wait, there’s more! If you get lost, you can turn it shiny side up to reflect the sun to hail the search airplanes. 
I’ll assume that you have the standard items listed in the Boy Scout Handbook-- pocketknife, first aid kit, raingear, etc. For that matter, get a copy of the Handbook itself, and pack that too. I would also bring: Safety pins, sewing kit, fishing line (even if you’re not fishing), rubber bands, pencil and paper or notebook, a tarp, and rope. I know you said no fires, but for anyone else reading this, candles make great firestarters.
Also check this old thread: [url=“http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=24976”]Hiking Dopers- Advice?
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The Comfy Chair!!!
Forget sitting on a log; never mind the crazy creek chair. Go all the way and bring a nice lawn chair for sitting, or one of those padded camp chairs.
And a solar shower.