Hey y'all I am a nature boy with very little camping experience however I am wise and smart enough to know how to not die. I wanted to come here for yalls advice on the following topics.

>What's the best brand of tent to get for 1-2 people

>what are some of the basic essentials for camping that you would bring.

>what are some of your favorite snacks / travel food. does any one know of a good jerky spot along my route to stop at.

>What are my best items for self defense from wildlife and people If I dont carry a gun.

The purpose of this journey is to go rock hounding in NC, Colorado, Utah and maybe push into nevada to find some opals.

my list of things to bring for my trip include the following: Tent, cook set, stove, chair, towels, head light, paracord, life straw, dish rack, neck guard, back pack, some good socks and underwear ( are the expensive brands for hiking worth getting?) multi tool, camp pad, first aid kit, battery fan, bunjie cords, hatchet / knife, bucket, cooler and all my other mining gear.

Do you guys see me missing anything in that list or have any brand name reccomendations on the life straw.