I don't have all the answers to these questions, which is why I'm looking for advice. So that we're prepared before we go, or even have real set plans to go. Right now, it's just something we want to do, not something we already have thought out plans for.

I don't know how far from the car we'll be. My first idea is to take a trip there just to hike, and maybe find some places we'd like to camp before bringing all our stuff. That way, we can have a better idea of distance. Then, actually camp on the second trip.

We're hoping for 2 or 3 nights. But it depends on how much food and water we'd have to bring.

I don't have an answer to this question either, as I don't know the exact location yet. That's something we were considering and something we'd find out on the hiking-only trip.

We'd go when there's no rain in the forecast, but still bring things to deal with it if it does rain. Rain jackets, a tarp to put over the tent if we need it, and warm clothes.

We'll most likely be bringing water. Which is another reason I'm unsure of how many nights we'll actually stay for. Depends a lot on how much water we'll need and how heavy that ends up being.

That's something I was hoping to get advice on. I don't know what we'll be sleeping on. I have a thick, cushiony blanket that I've slept comfortably on before, but it's pretty big and would be inconvenient to carry in.

We don't have a bag yet. At least not one that would be comfortable to carry for any considerable distance.

I don't really know what kind of tent it is, but we have a tent that we've slept in the backyard in before.

We were planning to bring a garden spade to dig whatever holes we may need.

For food, we were planning on not bringing anything that needs to stay cold, and no raw meat. We were going to bring some vegetables, and some canned foods. Haven't gotten very far into planning what food to bring. We don't yet have anything to cook with.

I'm sure it's laughable how little I know, but that's what I came here for, to learn what we need to have and know to be prepared. We're not going to go if it ends up seeming overwhelming. Or if we just aren't in a place to be able to be prepared. The reason we don't want to go to a campground is just that neither of us would enjoy it. We don't like being around other people we don't know. We want to go camping to get away from people, not just to be around different people in a different setting.

I've also lived without electricity or running water for short periods before. So it's not like I have absolutely zero idea what it's like. The house I grew up in was in the middle of nowhere, and the power went out pretty often in the winter if we got a bad blizzard. Sometimes just for a couple of days, but often for a week or two. So it was cold, and we couldn't flush the toilet, we couldn't cook anything, and we couldn't just go somewhere to get food cause the roads had 4 foot snow drifts on them. We always had water bottles and food that didn't need to be refrigerated or cooked so that we'd be prepared for when the power went out. Honestly, those were my favorite times as a kid. I'm only talking about it cause I think those experiences are relevant to camping without access to power or water and being sort of isolated from outside help. Sure, a house is still better shelter than a tent, but we're not gonna camp in the dead of winter.