After I got well into recuperation from a serious operation and hospital stay, I wanted to "get the hell outta Dodge." I hadn't been camping since scouting days. For some reason I remembered the fun.

I went to a sporting goods/outdoor crap store and bought my stuff, loaded my car and went to the Ozarks in November. Not as cold as Oregon, but cold.

Best friggin' idea I'd had for years. This time of year you can pick and choose whether you'll have company. Some days I was nowhere near a soul. Some days I found a small town. I only spent 1 or 2 nights at any one place. I was gone for about 10 days.

The "survival" aspect is minimal, if you use common sense. The pleasure is all worth it. The isolation is refreshing. The time to just think about things without any distractions is like no other. It brought me a lot closer to a lot of things I now hold dear but had been taking for granted.

You've gotten a lot of good advice about equipment.