12 camping mistakes most first-timers make

Brush up on your outdoor skills before you head out. Acquaint yourself with your camping gear, and try setting up your new tent in your backyard. One time, recounts Yates, it took so long to get to his camping site that it was pitch black when he arrived. “Putting up a six-man tent straight out of the package in the light of the headlights, while all the other campers were getting angry watching, isn’t an experience I’d want to repeat,” he says.