camping noob here - I've been /out/ and about a handful of times - mostly for ~3 day camping trips, and I've learned from these experiences. However, I feel I could learn a lot from you all to better prepare act during these trips in the future.

I write this post because I'm in the process of preparing for my next camping trip with a friend at the start of the summer, and I want to be more prepared than I have in the past.

So here are a couple of things I'm curious about:

Cooking while camping - Right now the only tools I have to do this are a couple of 2 ended prong/fork things for cooking hot dogs. The most essential item I want to add is something to boil water in that is lightweight and inexpensive. One thing I was curious about was whether I could use an old soup can for this task - maybe putting the inside and outside in the fire first. However, surely there is some kind of inexpensive and lightweight tin/pot for this task - what do you all use?

Bedroll/sleeping - I want to get an inexpensive and lightweight bedroll to put under my sleeping bag to give me a little extra comfort while I'm trying to catch a few winks at night. What do you use? Where should I look for this?

Knives/cutting - right now I'm extremely pleased with the handsaw I have (pic related - similar, but not the same brand) for cutting small logs for firewood. I also have a very small pocket knife which is about 2.5 inches of blade, but its not proven that useful. I'm thinking of getting a fixed blade for utility - is this an essential item? I saw a cheap knife store which was sort of like a flea market selling knives for 10-20 dollars - I know this will be probably poor quality, but how much can you screw up a sharp bit of metal on a handle? Will it be enough for a small-time camper like myself?

Feel free to post other questions, answers, or anything you want in this thread.