You need to figure where you want to go – to a lake or to the mountains, to a campsite or to a remote area, to an area with an outhouse or running water or nothing - all this needs to be factored in before you end up somewhere, or else there can be big arguments and discomfort!

There is a minimum amount of decent equipment you should take along, or else you need to know how to deal with not having it (some people like to "rough it" more than others). For a good list of the essentials, see above.

You can add more items in if you wish, and if there is room to bring them (factor in whether you are driving or hiking to your destination – that will determine how much you can pack). "Luxury items" may include a camera, binoculars, coffee and a coffee pot, a deck of cards, etc.

Bring enough food for all meals – if it needs refrigeration, have a good cooler (if you are backpacking, forget refrigerating anything). You can use commercial "blue ice" type of item to keep food cool, or you can freeze water-filled milk jugs and stack them in with the food – this will give you an extra source of water, as well (as long as you thoroughly wash the milk out of the bottle), but try not to drink the water since it isn't good once stored in the milk bottle. Consider all 3 meals plus snacks. Be smart about types of foods – don't bother to bring along pears or peaches unless you have dried them into strips – they bruise and get mushy and messy.

Bring enough water to last for all drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes. You can opt to bring water purification tablets to get the available stream water (not stagnant water) into drinking condition.

Make sure to check the rest of the list above, and have a positive attitude. Even if it rains, make it fun to figure out how to stay dry. If the bugs swarm, find ways to repel them and make it a game – burn a campfire and stay in the smoky part. Use your imagination and find ways to occupy yourself – and be thankful for the beauty of the land around you.