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If you are car camping, keep your food (cooler and boxes of stuff) inside the car at night and if you are going away from the campsite. This is a bear/critter precaution, Squirrels and birds and bugs and bears will find your food, so always be aware of where it is.
Get a decent portable propane stove with two burners and a few canisters of fuel. Take a bunch of Bic lighters. Take regular pots and pans, plates and cups, etc. Thrift stores are good sources of this, so you don't wreck or lose your home stuff. Take simple food, pre-packaged stuff, etc. Find a campground with those grilles over a fire pit if you are going to cook steaks or similar hunks of meat. I try to avoid cooking messy meat stuff on the stove because washing dishes camping is a pain in the butt. You don't have a kitchen sink, so you need a tub of some kind. Dump soapy food water away from your camp and everybody else's after washing up.
A van or a pick-up with a camper shell or a long station wagon, something you can lie down in, is often preferable to a tent, as long as you can put up some kind of curtain on the windows. A vehicle is a little more soundproof, except if your suspension squeaks with motion, people are going to know what you are doing in there. Shitty tents can leak badly if it is going to rain, so keep that in mind. Make sure you have comfortable enough sleeping bags and some kind of pad if you are going to be in a tent. Again, in-vehicle sleeping can be preferable, because you can fit some kind of foam futon in there and use regular sheets and blankets, but don't forget a lot of blankets, because camping is colder. Keep a window or two open a crack so air can get in. My experience is tents and VW busses. I like the latter for campground camping.
Don't forget a nice tablecloth, candles and bottles of wine (and glasses and a corkscrew!). Bring a couple of those head-strap lights, keeps your hands free for washing dishes or putting on a condom. Have Fun!
