Camping can mean anything from pitching a tent a few steps from a parking lot to spending a week backpacking far from help. Whatever the setting, the same core preparation applies: pack the right gear, know how to get safe drinking water, handle fire responsibly, and follow practices that limit damage to the land. The guidance below is drawn from the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI).
Pack the "ten essentials" before you go
The National Park Service lists ten categories of gear that wilderness travelers should carry on any trip, regardless of distance or duration. The list is meant to cover navigation, protection from the elements, and basic emergency response.
- Navigation: map, compass and/or a GPS device to plan routes and stay oriented
- Sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat to guard against UV exposure
- Extra clothing: a jacket, hat, gloves, rain shell and other layers for sudden weather changes
- Illumination: a flashlight and headlamp for visibility after dark or to signal for help
- First-aid supplies: a kit customized to the trip, including any personal medications
- Fire: matches or a lighter plus fire starters, for warmth, cooking or emergency signaling
- Repair kit and tools: duct tape, a knife, a multi-tool and scissors to fix gear in the field
- Nutrition: extra food with good nutritional value, such as trail mix or granola bars
- Hydration: water plus the means to treat more of it, since physical activity raises dehydration risk
- Emergency shelter: a tent, space blanket, tarp or bivy for protection from severe weather
Make your water safe to drink
Untreated water from lakes, streams or rivers can carry parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, along with bacteria and viruses. The CDC says boiling is the most reliable method: bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute at normal elevations, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet, to kill all three categories of pathogens.
Where boiling isn't practical, the CDC's next-best option is filtering followed by chemical disinfection. A filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller, or one certified to NSF Standard 53 or 58, removes parasites; removing bacteria as well requires a filter rated to 0.3 micron or smaller. Chemical disinfectants such as unscented chlorine bleach, iodine or chlorine dioxide tablets kill bacteria and viruses, but chlorine and iodine are not reliable against parasites, so the CDC recommends filtering first and disinfecting after. The agency also advises against using iodine for people who are pregnant, have thyroid conditions, or use it for more than a few weeks.
CDC-recommended water treatment methods| Method | What it removes | Key instruction |
|---|
| Boiling | Parasites, bacteria, viruses | Rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 ft) |
|---|
| Filtration (≤1 micron / NSF 53 or 58) | Parasites | Use before chemical disinfection for full protection |
|---|
| Filtration (≤0.3 micron) | Parasites and bacteria | Still should be paired with disinfection for viruses |
|---|
| Chemical disinfection (bleach, iodine, chlorine dioxide) | Bacteria and viruses (limited on parasites) | Chlorine dioxide tablets work on Giardia, partly on Cryptosporidium |
|---|
Build and put out a campfire safely
Fire is one of the leading human causes of wildfires, so federal land agencies give specific steps for building and extinguishing one. The Department of the Interior recommends choosing a flat, open site away from logs, brush and other flammable material, and scraping away grass, leaves and needles down to the mineral soil before lighting a fire. Wood should be cut into short lengths, and someone should stay with the fire at all times while it burns.
To put a fire out, DOI describes a four-step process: douse it with at least one bucket of water, stir the ashes, add a second bucket of water, and stir again. The fire should be cold to the touch before anyone leaves the site.
Follow Leave No Trace to protect the area you're visiting
The National Park Service outlines seven Leave No Trace principles, developed with the nonprofit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, aimed at minimizing the impact of outdoor recreation.
- Plan ahead and prepare: know the area's regulations, weather and hazards, and repackage food to cut down on waste
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces such as established trails and designated sites, camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams to protect riparian areas
- Dispose of waste properly: pack out all trash, and bury solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water, campsites and trails
- Leave what you find: don't remove natural or cultural objects, and avoid building structures or altering the landscape
- Minimize campfire impacts by favoring a lightweight stove over an open fire, and if a fire is permitted, burning only dead and downed wood that breaks by hand
- Respect wildlife by keeping a safe distance, never feeding animals, and securing food and trash so it isn't accessible to them
- Be considerate of other visitors by keeping noise down and letting natural sounds carry on the trail
Questions
- What are the "ten essentials" for camping?
- According to the National Park Service, they are navigation tools, sun protection, extra clothing, illumination, first-aid supplies, fire-starting gear, a repair kit, extra food, water plus treatment supplies, and emergency shelter.
- What is the safest way to purify water while camping?
- The CDC says boiling water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet) is the most reliable method, since it kills parasites, bacteria and viruses; filtering followed by chemical disinfection is the next-best option.
- How do you properly put out a campfire?
- The Department of the Interior recommends dousing the fire with a bucket of water, stirring the ashes, adding a second bucket of water, stirring again, and leaving only once everything is cold to the touch.
- What are the seven Leave No Trace principles?
- Per the National Park Service: plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate of other visitors.
This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this
