l am being dragged camping next weekend and l am not the outdoors type at ALL! l am petrified of snakes and intolerant of bugs but out of love for my friends who will not have fun without me (lol !)l must be brave and go. So what should l know before going? What mus not l forget? How on earth can l be comfortable out there? And is it true what they say about bears and mentsuration? Please Help!

First, relax, you're going to enjoy it a lot. Lets go down through ur list & give u ways to deal with ur issues. For most bugs or flying insects a good misqueto repellant will work wonders. It does not work at all for black flies. For black flies, pick up a small container of Avon is ''Skin So Soft.'' When u save ur friends from discomfort, u will be considered an old pro. Nearly all snakes r shy, & given the chance, will try & get away from u as quickly as possible. In general, never reach where u can not see. For example if you're climbing, do not stick ur hand on a ledge over ur head that u can not see. Get a light weight camping chair with a back. You can strap it on the back of ur pack & it will be a lifesaver for u around the campfire. You wo not believe how good it feels to lean back after a long hike & stretch ur legs out in front of you. Bears r an issue unto themselves. In most areas u only have to worry about black bear, which r more a bother than a danger. If u r in grizzley country u need to be careful. You need to hang ur food away from camp in a bear bag, & also cook aways away from camp. They make a mace bear spray especially for bear that comes in an aerosol can & can shoot quite a long ways. I've included the URL below. If u just google ''bear spray'' there r a lot of other options. It many ways its more effective than shooting them, which is the last thing u want to do. In regard to mentsuration, Bearmans has an extensive article about it & I've included their URL. A couple of last things, take along some Alieve or Aspirin & take a couple a half hour before u stop hiking. You sould have a rain shell & be able to layer under it with a sweater. Wool is warm when it gets wet, cotton isn't. You will see backwoods campers in wool pants & seldom blue jeans. l hope this helps, Ragnar

Be open-minded & give it a try. And its not true about what they say about bears & menstruation.bears r after food, so (if there r bears in ur area) keep all food overnight in the car or hang it from a tree. About snakes & bugs, they r really not that bad. Your tent is screened & will keep all critters out. If there r mosquitos & flies, buy some bug repellent. Mantain a positive attitude & u will have fun:-) And do not forget a flashlight, some warm clothes, bug repellent.

the first tip about camping that be positive. mind it that it is not ur regular life, relax & if u think that will be fun then that is great. be readdy for all sorts of things & dont let them make effect on ur mood.
i think a day in outing is beter than a day of ur best regular life .
take enough cloth, sleeping back, medicine specially if u r taking anything.
the think u must not forget is.....
u r at a camping not at ur place.
dont do anything wchich make ur friend worried, sorry or sad.
wish for the best & ready for the worst.

Take some bug repellent. OFF works really well. That will keep most of the bugs away from you. Make sure that you have a mat for under your sleeping bag, and put a blanket on the bottom of your bag. You will sleep warmer. Take some baby wipes.

No, it is not true what they say about bears and menstruation.

Relax, those critters are more scared of you than you are of them.

If you go with an open mind, you might actually enjoy yourself.