Camping means different things to different people. At the high end of the comfort scale a family will go out to a powered camping site with portable TV, radio, computer and the like; with amenity blocks containing toilet and shower near at hand and the nearest shop a few minutes walk away. At the extreme low end of the comfort scale a person will hike into the middle of nowhere with little more than a few tools, a small amount of food, some water, a sleeping bag and a foam matress if they are feeling lazy.

Camping for most people falls somewhere in the middle. A tent is usually a given with the dome tent being the most popular model these days, superseding the old A-line tents.

Things to take with you

No matter what kind of camping trip you are going on, there are some things you should take simply because "just in case".

• Toilet Paper: No matter how luxurious a powered site you go to, nor what ameneties are promised, running out of toilet paper at 3am in the morning is unlikely to be fun. And the further down the 'comfort' scale you go the more necessary it is to take your own. Towards the lower end of the scale you'll be heading into areas that simply don't have toilet paper and it's definitely BYO
• Toiletries: Roughing it or not it's always a good idea to at least have toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.
• Towel: Need I say more?
• Matches: Preferably of the waterproof variety. Take lighters, take firelighters, take anything else that humans use to make fire but make sure you have matches.
• Survival knife: This may sound like something only the macho types would need but a good survival knife is a handy tool. A good one should contain a compass, magnesium block (the back of the knife is used to shave it off), signalling mirror, wire saw and of course the nice big, useful blade.
• Water: You never know what the water quality will be like no matter how far up the comfort scale you are, so enough water for the time is an essential. Something like 2 liters per person per day is a good starting point.

Places to camp

Powered site in a caravan park in or near a town

Since there is power you can have all the luxuries of home. You can have your TV and your computer. More like than not there will be amentenies on hand that have good toilets and showers. The main office is usually at most a few minutes walk from your campsite and will have a general store where you can buy goods for much more than you would normally. Water quality is generally good.

Unpowered site in a caravan park or near a town

The next best thing. You still have access to the ameneties and shop, you just can't have your TV or computer unless they run from the car battery or dry cells.

Powered site in a caravan park away from a town

These are generally run by private clubs or councils. They will usually have reasonable amenities, though the amount of toilet paper left is unknown. They may or may not have a shop handy. Water quality is an unknown but mostly good.

Unpowered site at a camping ground away from a town.

There is a wide variation here. Some will have ameneties, some won't. Quality, in those that do, can range from good to, "Do I have to use it Dad?". Water quality is unknown but not to be trusted.

Camping Area

These are usually difficult to get to via car, or must be reached by hiking. They'll usually be devoid of ameneties and may not even have fireplaces. Water is also usually non-existant.

The middle of nowhere

There is no marked place to camp, you simply find a flat enough place and go for it. No ameneties, water if there is a stream handy, but don't trust the quality.

Hiking

Hiking is a subcategory of camping. It falls towards the lower end of the comfort scale since everything you need has to be carried on your back. Good places for hiking are National Parks (Those with approved hiking/camping areas). A good minimum number for hiking is three, though that is subject to debate. It is recommended that those in the group are good friends, because hiking can put a strain on the relationship.

Those things normally packed for hiking include: tent (optional), sleeping bag (optional, but in the colder areas, necessary), foam matress (optional, but recommended), survival blanket, map (definitely not optional), enough food for the length of the hike, enough water for the length of the hike*, 'energy food' that will be eaten while hiking, lightweight cooking implements , toilet paper, toiletries (though soap is optional), firelighting eqipment and fresh clothing (optional, but stay downwind of people when you return)

These things are distributed across those participating either equally or by carrying capacity.