Just a few quick notes:

1) As mentioned, you don't need a down sleeping bag. Down is realistically useful primarily for hikers, where every ounce and cubic centimeter is counted. Car camping, you don't need to worry about it. Synthetic bags are warmer in damp weather, easier to wash, and generally a tad bit cheaper.

I'm a big fan of the Big Agnes bags for car camping. They are squarish, as opposed to tapered or mummy style, so they have a lot of room. They also have a sleeve on the bottom side into which your pad goes, so that you don't roll off in the middle of the night. Highly recommended for inexperienced campers, or those (like me) who thrash around in their sleep.

2) Sleeping pads: even with a thick self-inflating pad, your more "pointy" areas (like hips and shoulder blades) tend to sink into the foam, making cold spots. In addition, I find the pads themselves don't offer the support I like. As I've gotten older my tolerance for discomfort has decreased substantially! After many years of suffering on even the really thick pads, I finally hit on the magic formula: a standard Thermarest, topped by one of their closed-cell foam RidgeRest pads, which easily fit into the Big Agnes sleeve. It's heaven!

3) Tents: Don't buy anything with a rain fly that doesn't come within 6 inches of the ground. Cheaper tents often have skimpy little flys, which you will regret in your first downpour. REI's house brand tents are generally reasonably priced and well designed, and you could do a lot worse.

If you find you like camping, you might consider ditching the tent and buying a double TentCot. They are incredibly comfortable - more than any pad on the ground - and I can virtually guarantee that your wife will not complain about sleeping in one!

4) Bug protection: I wasn't even going to comment, but the use of DEET bothers me. DEET melts plastics (including nylon) - do you really think it's a good idea to put a chemical like that on your skin?? Not me! I've been using REPEL brand plant-based (eucalyptus) repellants for several years, and am completely sold on them. They are at least as effective as the DEET I once used, and I don't have to worry about mutating from the chemicals.

-=[ Grant ]=-