For me it was a tent! First difficulty is probably not practicing putting up the tent before you get out in the woods, or trying to put it up at night.

A few other important items:
*sleeping bag
*sleeping pad
*flashlight (always have extra batteries)
*first aid kit
*rain gear
*camp stove/kitchen set
*matches in waterproof container

oh yeah, and DON'T forget the mosquito repellent!

Camping is sort of back to basics ... clothing, food and shelter (to list alphabetically). What your going to do when you get to where your going, how long the stay, all have a bearing on what's really important to lug along. When I was very young (and agile), things were real simple. I carried everything in an old G.I. duffle bag and setting up or breaking camp was done in very short order. Now-a-days, you cannot believe the junk I tote along! And how long it takes to set-up or (especially) break camp.

My advice ... "travel light".

Dale

Also, take a roll of clothsline, some clear or black plastic sheeting,,clip clothes pins (if available) food, water, tp, dry clothing and boots/shoes, a small shovel, a hammer to pound in tent stakes, a few nails, a lantern or lamp (gets mighty dark out thar at night!)
And, yes, practice setting up the tent, in yer back yard, so the neighbors won't think you're going to camp in yer front yard!
by: Rustyj
i was at a wedding reception party one time where some of the guests decided to camp over night in the back field where the reception was held. One young couple opened the trunk, took out an obviously brand new tent, opened the box, and dumped it all out! Being that the evening was getting on towards dark, they attempted to set it up!
Well, let me say: "If it hadn't been for my wife and i, that couple would have had to sleep in their car, or outside with the skeeters!" They had bought it that day, so no practice! We finally got it erected, and they slept in it that night.

welcome! AT first, the love for the great outdoors can be marred by those things that take some getting used to or knowing how to combat. I met a young kid 17 years old hiking the Appalachian Trail who looked like he had been mauled by a bear !! No kidding! This fellow was covered with scabs and oozing poison Ivy, cuts, bites, sunburn, he was a walking disaster area. When I first laid eyes on him I immediately felt pity. As we talked, he couldn't stop scratching, poking, or prodding. He smelled kina gamey, too. So, long story short, don't get overwhelmed by the harshness of the outdoors. Sometimes a bad experience right off the bat can dampen ones spirits. Hang in there! Time, experiences-good, down right funny, and bad will season you and you'll come to expect them and love it to no end!! have fun! Fun to read some of the trip reports and posts about camping here on this forum. Some of the camping stories and adventures are great!

if you're starting out, i'd look at light backpacking gear. you can always car camp with the light gear, but you shouldn't backpack with the heavy gear. i've got 5 stoves, 2 tents + bivy, 3 cooksets & 5 flashlights. i've noticed that each time i buy some new gear, it's always because it's lighter, better designed or better for backpacking. so you might as well start off with the light stuff & forego buying cheap gear that you'll wind up not using. it's become an obsession for me to pare down my gear to the lightest & most efficient.

as in my other post, here are my thoughts on important gear (in order of importance)

GOOD WATERPROOF BOOTS : if your feet are hurting or you get blisters, then the camping trip is over.

WATERPROOF & WARM JACKET : get a goretex jacket. i have the northface mountain light jacket. it's been around the world to 2 winter olympics (nagano & salt lake), pouring rain in london, ice crystals forming on the sleeves in denali and still kept me warm & comfy. i can zip in either my down vest, down jacket or polar fleece jacket into the goretex shell. it all folds up into a pocket so you can easily slip it in a backpack.

0 DEGREE SYNTHETIC SLEEPING BAG : i love my lafuma down bag, but it is useless if it gets wet. i used to take my 20 degree nf cat's meow sleeping bag until the temp dropped to 12 degrees. now i only take my 0 degree nf snowshoe bag. it's better to be too warm than too cold.

A MOSQUITO NETTING TENT + TARP: i'm a big fan of this combination. a basic summer tent with a tarp in case it rains. i love the black diamond beta bug tent paired with their beta light tarp tent. my girlfriend & i used it throughout alaska & denali. protected us against rain & frost not to mention the legendary alaskan mosquitos....all for 3lbs 10 oz including stakes. packs down to the size of 2 footballs.

here are a few other items i usually rave about:
PETZL ZIPKA HEADLAMP
WXtex DRY BAG
MSR MIOX WATER PURIFIER & DROMEDARY BAGS
LEATHERMAN WAVE MULTITOOL
PATAGONIA SILKWEIGHT CAPILENE UNDERWEAR
POLAR FLEECE ANYTHING (remember cotton kills - avoid cotton clothes during the winter time. if wet, it can lead to hypothermia)
SNOWPEAK AUTO TITANIUM STOVE + TITANIUM SOLO COOKSET
REI BRAND or SMARTWOOL MERINO WOOL SOCKS

i also advocate setting up your tent in your yard & learn how to do it in the dark before your trip. chances are you're going to arrive at your campsite later in the day. the hardest part about camping is learning to pare down what you take. you usually start by taking more than you need. after you get home, make a list of the things you actually used. after a few trips, you'll notice what you constantly use vs the things you always bring but never unpack.

Most needed item: A TENT
You can take canned food, blankets and a knife from your home, but you can't pack your shelter.
First difficulty: Exposure. You need more clothes, more water consumed and more moisture barriers.

BTW: Never got my goose-down sleeping bag wet in 20 years of camping, usually involving water. Would never buy synthetic again, especially since it is less economical.

TENT IS FIRST....and the best thing I ever did was seal the seams, per an experienced friend's advice. Put it up in the back yard...AND SEALED THE SEAMS. It rained like nobody's business on our first trip (our co-camping family ended up in our tent...very cozy!)My DH was amazed at how we stayed dry. And when we got a bigger tent a few years later (another kid later), he immediately set it up in the backyard for seam-sealing. I have no memories sleeping in a swamp. We have been tent campers for more than 10 years.

Good Luck