Does anyone here go camping?

bring some mosquito repellant like lotions, bring lots of isopropyl alcohol, its versatile, you can use it for wounds, or putting on a fire and even for making your own home-made grenade (whoops)... matches or lighters... bring lots of chocolate since if youre tired and you wouldnt want to cook and you need energy fast, chocolates can help a lot... (especially those chocolates used by pro footballers)... bring 3in1 coffees... pack lightly with less canned goods... bring lots of clean potable water... always remember to carry some ropes, momentum or crank flashlights (those that dont require batteries)... also bring some slippers... I think that would suffice even for a survival trip...

Marshmallows are always a good thing to take. If you mix them with choclate and graham crackers then you can make smores

It's strange peoples views on what camping is, I had an old g/f who's idea of roughing it was staying in a 3 star hotel.

Take a ball, a soft one is best but a tennis ball would do.
Camera, film (or memory stick), batterys
dry bag - for camera, matches etc
pillows
money
paper and pen
rain coat
toilet paper
rubbish bags (can also be used for raincoats) - take away what you take, leave nothing but footprints
compass
snack food - energy bars, bananas ... and take them if you go tramping, take more than you need because if you get lost they are what will keep you alive. but remember you will die of thrist before you would die of hunger.
Good foot wear - ideally boots for tramping

then again this is 2006, so ... laptop, ipod, gps, playstation ...

Incidentally, since Busy mentioned it, if you take a compass make sure you know how to use it before embarking. Very often people prudently pack a compass and map but fail to use them properly when lost.

The compass can even be good for boredom, you just need that and a clock/watch with a second hand on it.
One person maps out a route (even if it's just in a car park) using the compass for direction and seconds for length, have a prize at the final destination. Prizes depends how public the place is as you don't want people pinching/seeing whatever it is. To really spice it up leave a small piece of paper at certain points with a letter or part of a word on it and map to it, last letter is back at the tent but the person must unscramble the word to get the prize.
This can be a great idea to get the kids out of the way when families go camping

Busy's guide to reading a compass ....
N = never been that way before
E = everything is over there
S = such a long way back
W = weee, we made it

If no needle visible - turn compass over
and don't hold next to magnent, which includes anything with a speaker

Thanks for all your help. I have a few questions - i'm looking at campsites to book. Is it normally possible to get a serviced lot if you don't have a trailer? We just have a tent but electricity would be nice (yes, we're big wussies!). What do they mean by "kitchen shelter"?

Also, is it okay to leave your site unattended with everything set up? Obviously we'd keep any valuables locked in the car...

Camp sites are different around the world.
Normally without a caravan/trailer you can't get a power site - maybe look into cabins

"kitchen shelter" has different meanings, in NZ is like a big room with cooking stuff (like stove and sink) but not much else and can be a pain to get at during hungry times. A lot of places don't allow open fires (BBQ's included), some have BBQ pits. Some places in UK actually had places within the camp that sold meals.

If it's a proper camping site (has grounds keeper) your stuff should be safe but never take anything really valuable like Aunt Dot's great grandmothers wedding ring, top of the line boom box ... cars, tents, belongings do get pinched. Campers do have a unwritten code but their are bad apples everywhere. When I did the hostels around USA, especially in NY I slept with my money and CC in my socks.

Sounds like you guys may be better suited to a cabin, it's still kind of camping, would give you an idea of what to expect without some of the worries, then the next time you go you can do the tent thing.
A cabin is often a single room.