Camping advice for an amateur

Hi, I'm going to be camping for about a week in June in Corsica all over the island as well as a few days on the French Riviera. It's been years since I've camped, and when I DID camp before I was just a young girl under the wing of my parents. So, I'd be grateful for any pointers any of you out there have: what to bring, what not to bring, how to protect yourself, how to protect your money.

Now, as I said, I'm no real camper, and we're not doing anything major. I am a very well experienced traveler, and consider myself relatively savvy on traveler's safety and have a lot of common sense, don't get me wrong. We're camping because it is cheap (Corsica and the French Riviera are "tres cher en ete", and we will be doing well traveled treks, and we'll be very close to, if not in, cities. I'm not so worried, because we won't be in the boonies starving to death. Still I'd like some help. I have the basics:

tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mats (very bulky...are they necessary??), tarp for under the tent, mosquito coils, iodine/water purifying tablets, water bottles, first aid kit, flashlight, compass, super absorbent towel, biodegradable soap, mess kit, little lantern, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and probably other stuff I've just forgotten to mention here.

If someone could just give me pointers on great things to bring or not bring and especially how to protect yourself against theft, I'd be oh so grateful!

Thank you

You may have some space to cut down on gear.

Sleeping mats can be bulky, but have a look at the new lightweight Thermorests (3/4 size) - they are certainly light and compact and yet very comfortable. If your tent has a sewn in groundsheet you won't need a tarp as well. Most of the stuff you mention is sensible but remember you don't need many clothes if they are quick drying - saves a lot on weight. Also, I don't know what you mean by mess kit but this sounds as if it could be heavy. Have a look at the MSR camping/cooking range - lightweight yet very functional (especially the Blacklite). You can get soap which you can use as shampoo and for washing clothes - although I prefer to have dedicated fabric wash.

Wherever you can try and keep weight to a minimum - you will feel better for it. But remember you might have to carry a fair weight of water and food and these get very heavy - so try and make the pack lighter than you think you need - if that makes sense!

Depending on who is traveling with you, a camping hammock can cut down on weight. I say this because a tent can be shared between two people and means less weight. If by yourself, a tent can get heavy. I agree on the mess kit. Sounds heavy. Just get a metal/enamel cup (something heat safe) and cook in that. You can cut down on dishes to clean by doing the following: Take your food (probably dehydrated or pot noodle) out of the packaging put it into heavy duty plastic ziploc bags. Then just pour the boiling water into those bags. Eat. No mess. You can even get bags that stand up. Esbit stoves are cheap, and in a pinch you can use a tea candle to heat water (albeit very slowly).

I think it all depends on how comfortable you want to be. Just do not skimp on safety. Make sure you are able to start a fire, stay warm, and store water. The rest kind of takes care of itself. For peace of mind you may want to put together a survival kit. Nothing store bought. Just do a few internet searches. Waterproof matches, emergency blanket, etc. Snakebite kits are pretty useless.

Agreement with Ecotrend again on the quick drying clothes. No jeans.

Lantern I think is kind of useless, unless you want to do some really serious reading. Unless you are in heavy tree cover with no moon, You hardly need a lantern. I recommend those little white LED lights that are about the size of a quarter.

Mosquito coils might not be needed if you have repellent. I imagine you will be in a tent most of the time, and if not, wear a long sleeve shirt and pants. If you are in a sleeping bag no need for coils.

You could probably just bring tincture of iodine and not the tablets, which will serve the dual purpose of disinfecting cuts and purifying water. No need for both. Though if you get blisters, a tablet mixed with a little water to make a paste can be used for a pultice. Just put the iodine in two plastic bags, unless you want everything in your pack to be a wonderful new color.

Sounds fun. You will be fine.

Thanks for the advice. I'm all packed and in London. My backpack is much lighter than I thought. I'm splitting the stuff with another traveler. Just so you know, a mess kit is just a tin cup, dish/frying pan, and a little bowl that handily snaps together. It weighs far less than an umbrella and takes up less room than 2 pairs of wool socks. I thought mess kit was what it was called, but maybe that's just a dated term...merci