Who are We?
As our Meetup names suggests, we are people who love to camp!

That is pretty obvious, can we say more?
We are a group of people, from all types of backgrounds, that have come together because we wanted to meet other people who love to camp like we do. We have no other agenda in mind than to spend time outdoors and eat and sleep in a natural setting.

What do we do?
Besides camping? We do a lot of different things depending on where we go. Sometimes we go for a hike, or horseback riding. Sometimes we go boating or swim in the ocean. There is usually some type of activity scheduled during the trip and it would be described in the event details. But when all is said and done, we camp! We sleep in our tents (or our vehicles when it's really cold!) and we fix our meals together around the fire. And we get to know each other and talk and laugh. It is truly a great time!

Where do we go?
Well, we can go anywhere we want! But usually we stay within a couple hours drive of the Washington DC Metro area. This includes the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Northern Neck of Virginia and the mountains of West Virginia. We want to go to new places and explore, but we also like some of the other places we've been to and want to go back. If there's an interest - there's a way!

How long are we gone?
As long as we want! Our trips are normally scheduled for Friday through Sunday. But we can come anytime we want and leave anytime we're ready. Just please be sure to let the Organizer know - it really helps in the planning process. AND it may allow us to get a discount on the price if we're not going to be there the whole time! Plus, if we leave early, we want to know that so we know nothing bad has happened to us - we care about all of our members!

How do we get there?
We either drive ourselves or we carpool. If we want to carpool and need a ride or want to offer a ride, we can post that on the Messages board. It's the best way to hook people up!

How do we let the Organizer know we want to go on a trip?
Very easy! We RSVP on the event's page and we use the Paypal button to make the payment. Once payment is received by the Organizer our names are listed as 'Paid' in the event description. Our payment is what reserves us a space at the campsite - didn't we say it was easy?

What should we bring with us?
If we haven't camped before, or maybe we're just a little new to it, we should check out the Files section where there are some gear lists posted. That will give us some suggestions. But basically, we need to think about what we will be doing and what we will need to do that. For example, we're sure we plan on sleeping at least some time during the trip, so we will need something to sleep in. A sleeping bag works well for most, but maybe we just want some blankets - perfectly fine by us! And maybe we like the idea of sleeping on an air mattress instead of a foam pad, go for it! Most of us like to sleep in tents, but some of us stay cozy in our vehicles! Just make sure the Organizer knows we want to do that - planning purposes, you know! And we're sure we plan on eating while we're there, so we'll also want to bring food and whatever we need to prepare it. We don't want to starve!

What if we don't have a tent and we can't sleep in our car?
Sometimes we bunk people up together, other times we have tents we loan to other members. We just use the Messages board to post any needs we may have. We usually can come through for our fellow members.

So everyone needs to bring their own camp stove? That seems silly!
You're right, that would be silly! Usually two or three people will bring their stoves and everyone can use them. But if we need something unusual or very specific to prepare our food, we might want to make sure we bring it ourselves - just in case.

Do we share our food?
We say everyone is responsible for their own meals because we want to make sure we don't starve! But we also like the group meal idea, too! So we bring something we know we like, and we bring something to share! Our meals, particularly dinner, are a very SHARING experience!

Can we think of anything else we should bring?
Definitely bring our own toiletries! We share our food but not our toothbrushes! And a chair! We spend a lot of time around the campfire so unless we want to sit on the ground, we'll probably want a chair! And don't forget to check the suggested gear lists - lots of cool ideas there!

How often do we have campfires?
Absolutely EVERY night and depending on the temperature, in the morning too. So everyone needs to contribute firewood. If we don't bring it with us, we need to plan on buying at least a bundle there. A bundle can run somewhere around $5, sometimes more, sometimes less.

What else can we say?
We're here to have fun, enjoy the great outdoors, and make new friends. What can be better than that?