Plan your first camping trip, one checklist at a time

Pitch & Pack is a plain-English camping guide for beginners in the United States. Build a packing list for your trip, then read the guides that explain each step, with sources from the agencies that manage the land.

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Hiker in a red jacket standing beside a green dome tent on a ridge, looking over misty mountains and the sea at sunrise

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels

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Pick a trip type to see the eight items most campers need first. The full planner builds the whole list for your nights, group and season.

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Five parts of a first trip

Each topic holds nine guides. Start anywhere, or follow them in order.

Bright orange and red tent pitched in a green grassy meadow with forested hills beyond

Camping Basics

Camping types, your first trip, what to expect and how a camp day runs.

Close-up of a person's hands securing a tent peg through the green tent edge on forest ground

Gear and Camp Setup

Shelter, sleep, clothing, light and how to set up and pack.

Pot and grill over a small campfire on flat rocks beside a lake at dusk with forested hills

Camp Cooking and Campfires

Stoves, fire rules, food storage, meals and cleanup.

Blue tent, backpack and boots on a grassy bank above a mountain lake with snow-dusted peaks

Where to Camp

National parks, forests, BLM land, state parks and booking.

Narrow forest trail with sunbeams and mist streaming through tall trees and autumn-toned undergrowth

Safety, Weather and Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace, forecasts, wildlife and camping with kids.

Six guides to read first

The ones that answer the questions first-time campers ask most.

See all 45 guides

Dome tents pitched on a sunny grass campground beside a forested hillside

Camping Basics

How to Plan Your First Camping Trip

Plan your first camping trip in order: trip type, place, dates, rules, forecast, then a checklist you can tick off.

6 min read

Two men setting up a gray dome tent on a grassy clearing among tall pine trees

Gear and Camp Setup

How to Pitch a Tent Step by Step

Six simple steps to pitch a tent, plus how to choose the spot, handle wind and practice at home first.

6 min read

Campfire burning inside a ring of large stones on a gravel campsite pad with a wooden bench behind

Camp Cooking and Campfires

Campfire Rules and Fire Restrictions Explained

Learn how fire stages differ by place, where campfires are allowed and how to confirm the rules for your campsite on the day you arrive.

6 min read

Close-up of a black bear-proof storage container with yellow warning stickers

Camp Cooking and Campfires

Food Storage at the Campsite: Protecting Food and Wildlife

Learn what counts as food, how storage rules differ by campground, and a simple routine that keeps your food, trash and wildlife apart.

6 min read

Campground loop with travel trailers and a pickup truck below forested mountains with snow-dusted peaks

Where to Camp

National Park Camping: How Campgrounds Work

How national park campgrounds work, how to reserve a site, and which park rules to read before your first night.

6 min read

Gravel trail forking in two through a subalpine meadow and fir trees, with a blank wooden signpost

Safety, Weather and Leave No Trace

The 7 Leave No Trace Principles for Campers

The seven Leave No Trace principles in plain English, with what each one means at a campground.

6 min read

How we research

Camping rules change by place and by day. Here is how we keep the guides honest.

Official sources only

Every rule and number comes from an agency page that we opened, such as the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, NOAA or the USDA.

Dated and checked

Each guide lists its sources and the date we checked them. When a rule depends on the place, we tell you to read the local page.

No ads, no products

No links that pay us a commission, no prices and no gear brands. The planner uses plain item names.

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