Chicago-area camping for beginners

Okay, I have a couple of things to add. Bring bug spray. Do not run out of bug spray. The mosquitos are no joke this year, and as you know we just got a lot of rain yesterday. Make sure to get bug spray with the ingredient DEET. Also make sure to bring flashlights. At least three - one for you, one for your partner, and one for when you misplace one of the other ones. You will absolutely need one if you go to the bathroom at night. Etiquette notes: keep your flashlight pointed towards the ground so you don't shine it into anyone's tent. Don't walk across anyone's camp site. Be quiet after 10 pm. When getting in the tent, follow this procedure: unzip tent, turn to face away from tent, sit down inside tent with feet outside, take off shoes outside, zip up tent. This avoids getting dirt/mud in the tent. Bring coffee packets like the VIA stuff that Starbucks sells. Or hot chocolate. Washing dishes while camping can be a big pain in the ass. Bring disposable plates and cups for your first time out. Bring microfiber towels if you have them - they dry a lot faster and you won't have nasty wet towel smell in the car on your way home. When you come back from the shower, drape the towel over the tent. Set up the rain fly for the tent even if it's not raining (unless it's very hot). This will keep out some of the moisture in the morning. Even with a tarp, the floor of the tent will be a little damp when you wake up. Don't leave your phone directly on it. Almost all tents have mesh pockets attached to the inside.

If you're not going to cook over it, the fire is more for ambience. A small one after dark is nice to sit near and poke at, roast marshmallows, http://www.pieiron.com/recipes.htm (as mentioned above - grab a can of pie filling, white bread and butter for these), etc. The smoke might help keep some bugs at bay. Make sure it's http://www.smokeybear.com/put-out-campfire.asp when you turn in for the night.

These are all fantastic suggestions. A couple of other things to consider: Camping chairs. You can pick a couple up at CVS for around $10 each, and they'll give you way more flexibility (and comfort) than the picnic table at your campsite. If you already happen to have them, or are willing to shell out around $30: headlamps. They're so much easier to deal with than flashlights—hands free! Even if you end up going the sleeping bag route, if it's chilly, you may want to bring a blanket to wrap around yourself as you sit by the fire. Also, since you're car camping: pillows! Snacks (carrots & hummus, chips, grapes, etc.) to eat while you prep the fire and get dinner ready. This always seems to take longer than I want it to take, and if we forget snacks, I end up hangry by the time the hot dogs are ready. Tasty, easy camping treat: a block of feta + a jar of roasted red peppers OR a wheel/wedge of brie + honey + nuts, wrapped in a couple of layers of aluminum foil, nestled in the coals until everything's melty. You can wrap this up before you leave, and eat it with crackers or a baguette around the campfire. If you're planning on making coffee/hot chocolate/tea, you might want to bring a couple of travel mugs to keep your drinks hot.

http://www.hardwarestore.com/starterlogg-fire-starter-175893.aspx?utm_source=pla&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=rkg&device=c&network=g&matchtype= are cheating, but make the process of making a fire very simple -- put the firestarter on a log, light it, and stack kindling around it in sort of a teepee shape. You can make them yourself with http://www.ramblinjim.com/articles/using-vaseline-cotton-balls-as-a-fire-starter/.

I don't camp very often, but when I do, I've found http://www.reserveamerica.com/ useful - they also list facilities available at each park. Seconding bringing snacks - you have a car, why not load up on non-perishables like trail mix just in case you want them? I've always found employees at places like http://www.erehwon.com/ really helpful for this sort of thing - in my experience, they don't try to push useless stuff on you and can be very knowledgable about local park options and what basics are needed. They also have freeze dried food meant for campers (like http://www.erehwon.com/store/camping-and-hiking/idev/d-2_food/) - I've never tried any but always wanted to. Have a great time - you can totally do this!

Thanks everyone, especially desjardins. Given all this info and my preferences, we've decided to wait to try camping on a less crowded weekend. Either camping or renting a small cottage in the woods during a weekend in the fall sounds lovely. We'll do a day trip during Labor Day, probably to the Glacial Park Nature Preserve in McHenry, to hike and enjoy being in the outdoors/away from the city. I'll probably be back later to see if anyone has any great cabin rental recommendations for October but for now this is resolved.

Michigan State Parks has a Camping 101 program. For $20, you get 2 nights at a state park, and loaner camping equipment (tent, stove, lantern, hot dog cookers), plus a ranger to help you set everything up and answer your questions. It's a partnership with The North Face, so I imagine other states are doing it, too. You can learn more http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10365-234646--,00.html. You can also rent equipment from REI, if you do want to sink money into a stove, for example.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/devilslake/ is really nice.

You're probably not going to find a car camping place in a state park that isn't crowded on labor day weekend. If you go during the week any other time, you might get lucky and not have anyone around. Parks are pretty densely packed, you get used to it.