Sunset goes camping

IN THIS STORY:

Gear guide
Checklist
Good eats
Gourmet S’mores
Building the campfire
The perfect campsite
Fireside stories

In the summer of 2002, some of Sunset’s editorial staff andtheir assorted spouses and children staged an off-site meeting,Sunset-style: We went camping in the forests of Big BasinRedwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It really waswork ― while our staff is stacked with hardy veterans of theoutdoors, we had to pitch new tents, try out exotic gear, andattempt novel recipes on unfamiliar stoves. But all of us had thetime of our lives.

In these pages, we’ll share advice gleaned from many years ofcamping, from experts, and from our “off-site” ― we did learna few lessons. And we’ll make this suggestion. When summer’s almosthere, we get our gear ready. We hope you do too.