Ditto on the sound of rain on the tent. Some of my favorite trips are to the Shenandoah Mountains (100 miles west of Washington, D.C.) where we camp at 3700-feet and the camp can be shrouded all day long in drizzly rain clouds. Even in DC's hottest month - July - it can be cool at camp at night, so I always pack fleece.

EARPLUGS: I keep a package of earplugs in my camp kit as well as airplane carry-on. Crowded campgrounds and hotels are equally annoying when noisy neighbors are nearby or in the hallway. These earplugs enable a good sleep and lessen the temper.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Prot...ywords=earplugs


A key to my car camping zen is this 12' x 12' screenroom (Eureka Northern Breeze). My tents come and go but this screenroom is the mainstay of basecamp. Shelter from bugs and rain (including withstanding a tropical storm that broke one of my tent's poles). 1" shock-corded aluminum poles that connect at a 4-way hub. I can put this up in 15 minutes by myself. I also have the optional snap-in floor. Each wall can roll up or be used as an awning.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___26300

It's so big I've arrived at camp in thunderstorms, put up the screenroom and then set up my tent inside the screenroom.