Fall 2022 /r/Camping Beginner Question Thread - Ask any and all questions you may have here

Didn't see this when you posted, hopefully somebody gave you an answer elsewhere.

My suggestion, every time: throw up a tent in the yard first, if you can, and camp there. You can also pitch your tent inside as a test, but that doesn't tell you anything about how the toddler will react with all of the weird outdoor noises. However, it does give you some idea of whether or not they can figure out the tent zipper and sneak out without you knowing - when I camped with my toddler, I slept in front of the tent door and zipped it up to the top out of reach.

Otherwise, camp somewhere realllllly close to home and only pack up a stove and stuff to make breakfast or maybe lunch. If your kid is anything like mine was, he seemed 100% independent and fearless until it was dark skies, weird noises, and away from mom for 2 nights in a row. Everything was weird and new for him.

First priority: away from where I'm sleeping. I like to keep my food in the car in general - forces me to keep things cleaned up and organized, also keeps food away from annoying birds, raccoons, opossums, etc.

Try calling the different state parks - some of them hold some spots, and the rangers are always super nice and helpful. Other end of things is that I've just gotten in the habit of planning 6 months in advance so we can book when they open. It's awful, but that's how things are now.

Alternatively look at other, non-state parks - there's usually a privately owned thing not too far from the popular state parks. If you're near the border you can always divert plans to one of the close states depending on where you're at.

Just make sure any smaller high dollar items you have are locked in your car. For example, if you have a power station, or solar generator with you. Fancy items like battery operated personal esspresso machine should also be put in the tent and out of sight. People tend to treat occupied campsites like someone else's room/house because it's your current home away from home.

I can’t speak specifically to Olympic National Park, but in my many years of experience, people generally respect the “Camper’s Code.“ They will leave your camping gear and belongings alone. That said, I would not leave a laptop sitting on a picnic table, nor really anything outside of your tent that you don’t have to.

This style chair doesn't work well on soft forest ground. One peg sinks in and suddenly you're laid out on the ground. I have a MAC LEGACY tripod chair I'm pretty fond of. Not an ultralight but still fairly light.

https://www.amazon.com/MacSports-Ztcc-100-Tripod-Folding-Camouflage/dp/B009VHMTFM

It's been sturdy and reliable plus the wider feet provide more stability in soft soil or sand or snow.

Im 6’2” and 215 lbs, and this chair is comfortable, and packs quite small and light.

I pack 2L of water and filter boil the rest. Something like a Sawyer Squeeze is an excellent option if you're not able to boil. Otherwise purification tablets might be an option but plan ahead because some take 3 to 5 hours to fully work. They also taste bad so try a drink mix like electrolyte powders. Sawyer filters are great but may fail if allowed to freeze so not a great option for now but should be fine in June.

A collapsible bucket is useful for hauling water. Bring some empty containers to store clean water and dirty water, try not to mix them.

Use a folding dolly or wagon to haul more gear in one trip, and I would suggest filtering your water if you have a lakeside site just for the sake of convenience. Sawyer has a gallon gravity feed water filtering system, and something like that will probably be what works best for you when you also factor in dish washing, hand/body washing, and cooking water.

One Tigris makes high quality ultralight hot tents for camping/backpacking.

Roll

Personally I'm a buy cheap and upgrade with experience. No sense buying a $300 tent you used once two years ago. I have a 3 person Ozark I bought for $26 that has worked really well. 3.5lbs if I recall correctly. Metal tent stakes pulled out immediately during wind gusts in the backyard, upgrade to proper T stakes.

Unless you're going backpacking I'd avoid anything with "ultralight" in the name. That tent is also not really "ultralight" given you can get tents that are ~1/2 the weight for similar prices.

If you're going car camping, ie: you park at a site and set your tent up, you really cant go wrong with anything from Coleman. If you go to any campsite in the US you'll probably see one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sundome-3-Person-Dome-Tent/dp/B014LSDUA8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=NHPRIRE9XF47&keywords=coleman%2Btent&qid=1677121555&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=coleman%2Bten%2Csporting%2C139&sr=1-3&th=1&psc=1

Would it just be you by yourself, or would you be sharing the tent with anyone?

My husband has a Cabelas cooler that he loves, they replaced the whole cooler because the nonskid pads came off of his.

I like my Lifetime cooler from Wal-Mart, a downside my 77 quart is heavy but it is a big cooler. They have a warranty that they honor, sent me a replacement latch quickly.

I know this was months ago but I'd love to hear about any trails/parks/etc you like in your area. I'm new to this region and starting to explore away from home in Raleigh. I've spent some time in the highlands but haven't been to your side of VA yet. :)

If you read enough reviews, you're not the only one. There's a lot of room for possible issues here, but my wild guess is that there's a combination of 2 issues at play:

1. Restless sleepers. That's who these things are really targeted at - it's kind of a narrow pad, but even so the idea is that it keeps you tied to it.
2. Uninsulated gap between you and the pad.

The vast majority of positive reviews that I've read aren't from people actually using it in 30-40 weather, or they weren't really testing it in conditions - they just like the setup.

I think that what's happening is that temp is getting you in that uninsulated space. And if the air is wet, that ain't helpin'. This probably gets doubled up if you're a side sleeper since there won't be pushing anything down against some part(s) of the pad.

Most state parks prohibit any camping off designated sites. Call the park to specifically ask them this, and get their name if they say yes. The last thing you want is to be kicked out and get a fine from a ranger for unauthorized setup in the middle of the night.

If this is in a house, a tent isn't going to really bring anything to the situation - tents don't provide warmth, they shield you from the elements. You still need sleeping bag(s), banket(s), or a heat source. We got hosed over by the winter up here in Dallas 2021 winter when everybody else did, so it triggered a lot of action on my part to be prepared. Here's my steps.

1. If you're losing power frequently enough, talk to the people managing the lines by you. (Easier said than done, but if it's frequent your power issue could be branches or something constantly on the power to your place that you wouldn't know about.)
2. Get a generator - doesn't have to be huge, just something that can run for 8 hours or so. Or you can get a couple with shorter runtimes. I have a little Wen thing that can be daisy chained, it was like half the price as some really good ones, and it's identical under the hood. With a generator you can run an extension cord through you house, power a heater or two, and hole yourselves up in one or two rooms to keep heat efficiency.
3. If your son is an infant, look up swaddling options - there are some really toasty swaddles. Otherwise, a low temp rated sleeping bag will keep him toasty. Plus kids like going into the cocoon.

If you're attached to the idea of a tent, any self-supporting tent will work. What goes in the ground are stakes, which aren't built into the tent. Pay close attention to the tent and look at videos - more than a few use the stakes to keep them standing (so that's your "self standing" part). The entire category of "instant tents" will probably work for you, and they come in a whole array of sizes. (The Coleman Instant Tent has great reviews, and probably suits your needs perfectly.) There are also instant popup tents that essentially pop open like a car sunscreen, so you don't even have to really set them up, you just pop them open and they're ready.

I only ever use the molle straps on my heavyweight tactical bags that are made with thick canvas because the stitching on my lighter packs designed for backpacking would never hold up to the abuse.

If you intend to attach things to the pack in your picture, I would recommend that you don't attach things you aren't willing to lose.

As far as the "how" to attach things to the loops, you have a few options. For straps you have Natic button straps, MALICE straps, MOLLE LOK rigid straps, TacTie soft straps. For clips you have carabiners, d rings, speed clips There are lots of videos on how to use Molle and pals systems that are super helpful.

Basically how you're using it now - loops to attach stuff to. Carabiners on the loops is good, run straps through them to tie something down. I've had compression bags with them that used the loops to keep the straps where they were supposed to be. I generally don't like the carabiner method because stuff flops around - I prefer things to be pretty secure to a spot. I also don't generally use them - I have a well earned mistrust for stitching in situations like that.

/u/EPectin is correct. However, I've seen more than one camping stove in airports in those big bins of collected things that you aren't allowed to take on. I also don't know how you'd effectively, really clean any residue off/out of one, and I have zero interest in getting moisture into the fuel tank on purpose. I also question whether or not I'd be able to effectively clean it up before the trip back. My trust level of the stove making it either direction is really low, obviously.

(The following is for the US, if you're in another country double check local rules.) For the stove itself- yes, so long as there is no fuel and it has been cleaned so no fuel residue or vapors remain (here's one set of instructions for cleaning a stove for travel: https://meanderingspirits.com/blog/travel/flying-with-a-camp-stove/ )

You will need to buy fuel after you arrive at your destination. If you plan to bring a fuel canister to be filled after you arrive, it needs to be empty and cleaned similar to the stove,

For $20 you can buy a rain poncho with grommets in the meantime and use as a rain tarp.

I'd just hit up REI's customer support - I've had good luck with their customer service, and if they no longer make that tent they may have a suggestion for a compatible fly.

People will leave your stuff alone, but lock your valuables (including your Yeti cooler) in the car anyway

People will generally leave your stuff alone, but don't leave anything difficult/impossible to replace at camp like wallets or phones. With first come/first serve, you'll take a spot and go pay for the number of nights you'll be in the spot. I recommend calling. Park rangers are friendly and they'lll be able to help you have a more successful visit. They may also have tips for when to show up and guarantee yourself a spot.

How about the Morakniv Kansbol or companion? A little larger than what you have.
I'll admit that I enjoy an excuse to get cool gear, but these two knives leave hardly anything to be desired on a camping trip - they make dinner, split wood, cut rope, etc. I haven't had to upgrade from one of these - just lost one once and replaced.

I like purposeful redundancies. You might bring a battery bank that doubles as a hand warmer. Or pick up the battery bank and a seperate usb heating pad.

If you bring a couple hot water bottles you can boil water and stick them in the foot of your bag at night. Should store flat and pack reasonably well.

Did you have vents open? A fan helps move the moisture

We’ve always kept anything valuable locked in our car and never left wallets or purses at the site. We also chain our Yeti cooler to a tree just out of paranoia really as it was a gift and we can’t afford to replace it. Most other stuff like our chairs, wood, and our big box of random supplies we leave out. Typically we put our lanterns in our tent when we leave to go fishing. We’ve had no problems with theft and most people keep to the camper’s code. Just secure any items you’d be really bummed to find stolen. Stashing things in your tent is generally fine as you can’t really tell if someone is occupying a closed tent.

I only take what I critically need if I leave, just like when I leave the house. (ex: wallet, cell phone - it's just a bit more of a list when camping)

I don't leave things out that somebody might swipe everywhere else if they got left lying around (ex: electronics).

Everything else just goes where it goes and stays there until it's time to load out. Somebody would have to be having a really rough time to steal my bedding or stove or whatever. Really if I'm at a national park, I'm only at the site overnight and in the morning/evenings - daylight hours I'll be out and about.

Car camping we usually bring a couple of those 2.5 gallon water jugs that are rectangular and dispense water.

If Im backpacking and will frequently be next to rivers/lakes/ponds I bring two smart water bottles and a sawyer squeeze.

If Im backpacking and wont have many opportunities to fill water, I do a camelback bladder, sawyer squeeze and a smart water bottle.

A mix. 2 to 4 liters water per day. I carry 2.5 liters. Drink a lot before leaving. Over hydration can remove vital salts so electrolyte mix powder is advised otherwise 1/4 tsp salt to 1L water.

I always camp next to water. Prefilter through a cloth to remove bug and other debris. Boil 10-15 minutes. But maybe it's raining. Something like a Sawyer squeeze are excellent but ruined if allowed to freeze. Purification tablets work but some take 3 to 4 hours to work. Flavor is not great so consider some like teabags to flavor.

Base camp, car camping, glamping, etc - bring clean water. Backcountry/backpacking - filters and tablets. Alternatively, filter and boil. Boiling is great, but if you're tight on supplies buring the fuel to boil the water is like one more thing to fight.

I'd post this question in the state-specific subs - locals are more likely to know the area. If you asked me about Texas or Arkansas I could completely blow you up with ideas.

1. Shade, as much of it as possible, and whatever ways you can come up with to keep cool.
2. Warm bedding.

Also consider additional shade to put over you're vehicle if you're driving in. The sun and heat can really jack with paint and tires, among other things. And before somebody comes yelping about it not being peak summer heat, off-season hot days can and do happen.

Also... it always gets cold in the desert at night

When I was in Boy Scouts, the troop provided all of the actual camping gear and had a list of stuff to bring. I had to bring clothes, toiletries, and bedding. They're supposed to be teaching preparedness as a core principle. If you're involved and coming along, by all means get yourself a tent, but be prepared to share space with one of the other adults. A huge part of the experience is sharing a tent with one of the other kids. Realistically they're going to have water coolers and coolers for everything, so you might wanna pitch in with ice. Show up at a meeting and ask what you need to bring!

Backpacking or arriving by car? I'll post my pack list from my 3 day fishing trip. Might not be everything you need but at least gives you somewhere to start. I tend to buy cheap and upgrade where I need. No sense buying a $65 hatchet that's too heavy to bring with you. Especially where a $15 morakniv serves just as well to process deadfall.

https://www.reddit.com/r/camping/comments/nnw3ja/planning_for_a_3day_local_fishing_trip_in_lp/ 

An additional layer of protection can help extend the life of your tent where tarps are more expendable. I'd rather a fallen branch hit my tarp than my tent. It may also reduce the noise of rain striking the surface just next to your head. A more soothing noise of the roar of rain drops striking directly.

Additionally you can hang the tarp above the front entrance of your tent for shade or to keep the area less muddy so you're tracking less grime inside your tent.

What's a situation where this arises? Why can't you hold them in place with your hands? Are you trying to juggle too many things, sort of like carrying too many grocery bags in at once?

My favorite free fire starting solutions are dryer lint, pine cones, and junk mail. I keep a supply of mail and lint in my gear boxes, though fresh dryer lint tends to work best so change it out occasionally.

Search for things like diy + "firestarting field kit" and you can rip off tons of ideas to have on hand. All paper products and dryer lint are excellent. Those kits usually have cotton in them, which isn't great, but pretty much 100% of firestarters are cotton, wax, and an accelerant like kerosene. Example You can also keep yourself a small sack of wood chips to work the flame up more towards branch/log size.

I think alcohol prep pads work pretty well in a pinch and they don't take much room in a pack

You need weight, which is going to mean bulk no matter what. You can buy weight bags and tie off to the straps on those, but if you're in a high wind area you'll need more than a couple of bags. The most reliable thing is a few 5 gallon buckets full of rocks. People will fill those up with concrete and sink eye hooks into the top, but they're terrible to carry around. If you just have the buckets you can empty them up, stack them, and store them. Or use them for other stuff. Rocks can just go in a pile or something.

Again, as others have already told you, there are no fires in the backcountry of Joshua Tree. There are no fires outside of designated fire rings. There is no dispersed vehicle camping.

Yep! Tons of people also put a bunch of their food frozen into their coolers to reduce the need for ice. You can also get boilable bags, do the same basic thing with other foods, boil them, and reduce the need for dishes and cleanup. Some people will also cook their whole meals, freeze, and use the boil bags to heat everything up.

My wife and I found a few sleeping bags at an army surplus store. Down filled water resistant and rated for 0 degrees. It's army green so not the most aesthetically pleasing but I've never been cold in it.

We found it was easier to get a 20degree rated bag and supplement with a good sleeping bag liner for dead if winter.

Have you got a shape preference and temp rating? Also - budget?

Is that canvas? Looks like... poly/vinyl? Anyways, don't use magic erasers for this. Magic erasers are an abrasive, and anything like this isn't exactly 1/8" of material. You also have no way to know how thick the weather resistant part is, thickness/fragility due to deterioration, etc. Mild dish soap, soft sponge, water, and let it air out/sun dry and bake in the sun for general cleaning. CLR is kind of inert, so it should be safe to get rid of the stains. If you're worried about actually killing the mold instead of making it invisible, you'll need to buy something that actually do so, like RMR-141. That said... if it's just stains I'd do mild soap and live with the stains, but that's just me.

I wouldn't use it in a tent or bed - concerns about a potential failing oxygen sensor aside, I don't trust anything in a tent that could start a fire, no matter how safe those little Mr Heaters are supposed to be. You might look into an insulated tent and ways to insulate your truck bed. If you can, grab spots with outlets and you can use an electric heater, or you can always tote along a generator and do the same thing. Insulated tents are great, though - once you're in with all of your camping pads and warm stuff on, they can be toasty enough.

This will vary from a car camping setup to a backpacking setup. More details would be helpful. For backpacking I have a 32 oz pot that holds a MSR Pocket Rocket, fuel canister, cleaning pad, lighter and spork. It all goes in a mesh sack. I keep food in second stuff sack. For car camping I use a 2’ tall 3 drawer plastic storage thinking I bought at Lowe’s or Home depot. One drawer for utensils, one drawer for spices, oil etc, and the big drawer for pots and pans.

Hint: add (or have a friend do it) keyrings to your zipper pulls - makes opening and closing much easier.

I'm a big fan of the Kelty tents for this purpose, and in general. The tents have a large sleeve called Kelty Quick Corners that decrease the need for fine motor function during setup. I regularly set mine up alone, and can often guide the pole into position from the opposite corner.

I don't know if pole fastener clips or sleeves would be best for you, but they carry tents with both options.

My first thought is something like this. That style of tent pops open/sets up kind of like a sun visor - you pull it out, unfold it, and poof Jetsons tent. That one is also waterproof and has a big opening.

100% of tents are going to have difficult zippers, and getting stakes in the ground can be a really mixed bag depending on the terrain so you'll need to do some prep, planning, and pre-trip testing to accommodate those two issues specifically.

If you're trying to keep weight down, that specific tent says it's 12 lb. The round format isn't convenient for a pack, but you can secure it to the outside of one. If you really need to drive weight down, you need a backpacking tent since they're all under 4 lb. However, 100% of them require a TON of pressure, shoving, and maneuvering around to get the poles secured into their pockets.

Otherwise, if one of the instant popup things won't work for you, I'd get on the phone with REI specifically and talk to somebody with REI Co-Op. They have a great array of tents and their customer support is excellent, surely there's something in their arsenal that will suit you.

Bring lots of water, extra batteries for any flashlights you have, and fully charge all of your devices beforehand. I always bring one extra blanket and a warm jacket just in case because being too cold makes me miserable (we car camp, so space isn’t an issue).

Be familiar with the weather and pre-pack your meals. Camping can be frustrating in the beginning especially when cooking, before you head out put together an egg scramble with all the goodies (or some burgers and hotdogs) into a Ziploc then breakfast/dinner is as easy as making a fire. If you're not confident in your ability to make and control a fire adequate for cooking, then bring a propane cooking system. Look for any dead limbs above where you plan on setting up camp. Be familiar with setting up youre tent as well as the fly. Lastly, enjoy yourself! A lot of people get overwhelmed or frustrated when things aren't going right, just take a few minutes to remember you're there to have a good time.

I’d be better off doing a short weekend trip closer to home (based in Portland)

100% yes. 8 days is a major commitment with a lot of unknowns, and if a camping catastrophe happens in the middle of it (I dunno... leaky tent, poles or stove breaks, maybe somebody hates being unshowered multiple days) you could completely torpedo the idea of ever camping again. Going somewhere that you're familiar with close by, for one or two nights, that has good fast accessibility to stores and facilities is a great place to start. One of you may figure out that anything less than glamping is like a personal hell. When I was cracking the nut with my kid, we set up the tent in the back yard a couple of nights for a single night, and did a camp stove meal and smores. We also did the same basic thing with a tent in the living room. Good opportunities to find out if anybody hates sleeping on anything lower than a cot, ya know?

That'll be awesome as long as you do plenty of prep! This far out, who knows, but according to this (and really any trips to mountainous areas) plan for a solid mix of cold to comfortable weather and rain.

Is there any reason you can't just take your regular pillow, or get one just like it for camping? Stuff it in a garbage bag if needed for waterproofing? This just seems like a necessity to me, not even a creature comfort. Sometimes you have to sacrifice ounces or a pound or two in order to avoid misery. World's best example - hiking boots. Trail runners are amazing, but if you're walking through a ton of water and mud in freezing cold, that's just not the place I start shaving weight. Alternatively, could you get one of the covers for one of those and plan to stuff it with socks, shirts, and undies? You could dual-purpose it for dirty clothes, just put them in a plastic bag first.

In my mind the “need to know” list is short for the location. 1) weather 2) water and toilet availability 3) food infrastructure (grill? picnic table) .

The important part is getting out. I’m sure you recall from hunting with your dad that it wasn’t the whole trip that made the trip, and it wasn’t even harvesting an animal. It was seeing the sunrise on the grass, hearing it seeing wildlife, starring at a fire. Plan on a sub-24 hour overnight near you. Get in, make dinner, enjoy the evening for a bit, get the bed and up early for an early hike/ walk to see nature waking up. Have breakfast and then do something a little bigger. Longer hike, paddle, bike ride for a couple hours. Then be home or on the road by late afternoon. Information is cheap and easy to find these days, but getting too much can dampen the spirit of adventure.

I found it helpful to start close to home, so if I really screwed up I could pack up in the car and drive home. Of course not everyone lives near the outdoors but you could go somewhere within a short drive of some motels. Once I was confident I could handle a cold or wet night I could go out father.

Good question, and hard to answer. This is a real concern for many people starting out.

My best advice is to start small. Go camp at a regulated campground. Either through the state or national land. Pick a non-rain, non-freezing, weather window and go try. At regulated campsites you'll drive your car up to the spot and have a space to do your camping. Other people will likely be around - but that's okay when getting started.

I research campgrounds near where I want to go. Use their website to learn the rules and make a reservation. Then I gear up and go.

You need some basic gear to go camping - like a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag. Other extras like chair, cooler, stove, pot, and flashlight. Plus food and water.

I've camped a bunch - so all I need is a reservation and I'm ready to go. I have all the gear I need - so that part is just organizing it to fit into the car, after a quick grocery shop.

You need to know how to setup your tent. Make sure to learn / practice at home before you head out. If you are cooking - learn how the stove works before going. Otherwise - you can learn on the go. When car/base style camping - you always have a quick bail-out plan, just pack up and go home.

Check this out: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/camping-for-beginners.html

Solo camping takes more work than with a group - but mostly it's the same. You are just responsible for everything.

Maybe you could start with a place you've already been. A campground you've been at with a group - try it solo. Then learn what changes are needed - and branch out to other state/national land.

Second offering it to another camper, otherwise you need to empty it yourself and dispose of it. If you're in the USA, REI has taken my emptied canisters and recycle them for me, I'm sure other camping and sporting good stores have something similar.

Can you offer it to another camper?

50 liter is on the small end for most beginner backpackers.

The number of days you plan to go out is not the best indicator of what size pack you need. The gear you need for 1 night is nearly identical for 10 nights. The only difference is food - which is less than 1 liter a day.

If you have high quality sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, stove, and clothing - then you can often get away with a smaller pack. If you have 'budget' gear then it usually takes up more room. You also have to consider if you take any 'luxuries' - as they take up space too.

65 liters is a fine starting spot for beginners. I wouldn't go lower than 60 liters.

Most of the time wild animals don't want to have anything to do with you unless it's injured or hungry then there could be issues. In my experience in the Catskills, Pocono's, Berkshires and along the A.T. animals are very Intelligent and they tend to go the opposite direction when they see or smell you.

DON'T leave food near you. Put your food in a bag and tie it to a rope, then throw the rope over a high limb and tie the other end to a tree. This way you can pull the bag up the branch at least 10 feet off the ground.

As for people I do Not camp near people or near trails unless I'm with a bunch of people. I get as much distance from them as I can with the smallest fire possible. I've run into some really creepy people during the daytime near the A.T. in Dutchess County N.Y. so I'm biased towards sharing a camp with strangers. I would rather take my chances with a Hungry Bear. "Wild Animals" are NOT Cunning, Deceptive, mentally ill, Liars or have some sick fantasy of killing someone in the woods and getting away with it. Animals are Much More predictable than people are. I prefer "Lions and Tigers and Bears" over some dude I just met who is either a father or some drifter looking for his next score. Keep it simple and SAFE.

Depends on your environment for the animals. In the desert, scorpions, spiders, and snakes can all be kept at bay with a good tent, generally speaking. The might decide that they want to hide out underneath it because it's cool, dark, and secluded. But I've never heard of a horror movie style critter punching through the floor and attacking, lol.

I've had lots of coyotes come into my camp and start yipping, although I seriously doubt they'd ever try to get through tent fabric. They're smart and will run away at the first sign of you being a human ready to fight back.

In the woods, black bears might get overly curious and try to get into your tent if you leave food in it. They are skittish with humans in the wild, but black bears in campgrounds and especially national parks are used to morons treating them like pets. So they might not spook and be more cavalier with you.

Brown bears will do whatever they good and well please. Don't leave food inside, if you've been fishing get that scent off of you immediately, and try to setup in open spots that don't have the brush or thick tree cover they like to work in. I'd also stay off of river/creek banks in brown bear country. A wild brown bear will probably avoid really brightly-lit tent material, but like black bears, once that are over-exposed to humans might treat it like an invitation. Buy bear spray in brown bear country.

Moose are even more territorial and carefree than brown bears. They are the most dangerous animal in the Rockies, for my money. But if they show up in your camp it's almost always just a curiosity thing, and then they'll mosey off.

A tent is not going to protect you from another person if they intend to do you harm. They can slash it open, shoot through it, throw rocks at it, undo the poles, whatever. I try to stay as far away from other people as possible. If you can/are interested in building a capable 4x4, that'll help you take trails that keep a lot of riff raff out. Aside from that, don't camp near drug/homeless/poverty stricken towns because locals will usually run into the woods/desert nearby to do sketchy shit.

It's always a point of contention with the non-Americans, but if you're in the U.S. a compact handgun and training from reputable outfits (Baer Solutions, HSP, or the like) is the great equalizer. I promise you from experience that a stun gun is not going to stop someone. Mace may stop a single attacker, but even that's playing with fire. You can't get your hands on an actual T.A.S.E.R. and you damn sure don't wanna be trying to box or grapple with someone in the dark in the woods.

Not exactly 'darn tough' level - but Icebreaker is a top brand for wool base layers. Very high quality with a solid warranty.

I got mine in aldi adventure ridge is the brand. They had a recall cause the load bearing washers were plastic but I’d already bought metal washers for it. Bout 100€ cheaper than the next alternative and washers cost me like a 2e

There are lots of great places to camp along Highway 1 between San Francisco and Eureka, some things may be closed, but what's open should be pretty quiet this time of year. I'd probably just head out there and drive north until I felt like stopping and then see what's around. South of Ft Bragg you don't really have to worry about bears, and even north of there you're probably fine leaving your food in the car unless you're in a campground that actually has enough of a bear problem to have installed steel bear boxes. FYI, bear hangs aren't really a thing out west anymore, 99% of people don't do them correctly (yes, including you and me, since actually doing it right is a huge pain in the ass, and even then won't stop a really determined bear) so anywhere bears are a problem is either going to have fixed bear boxes in developed campgrounds or require you to use a portable bear-proof container.

You funnel it back into the container and throw it away in a trash can.

Is it an older cheap tent? Then it's probably breaking down and its time to replace the tent. If its a higher quality tent, it's possible its just the coating that's coming off, and there's not much you can do about it besides maybe washing (by hand, in a bathtub or something) it to get the rest of the coating off and then re-waterproofing it, but that might be a bigger pain in the ass than just getting a new tent.

Start off in established campgrounds where you will have neighbors to help you feel safe. Bring a friend.

Realize that thousands of people camp safely every day, and probably hundreds near you

what's the R Value on your inflatable pad? If you don't have an inflatable pad that offers some decent warmth, a thin pad underneath your inflatable isn't going to be enough.