A buddy of mine agreed to take his kids camping for the first time this year, having camped exactly twice in his life, both times with someone else handling all the gear and planning. He had no idea where to start on his own.
He told an AI chatbot the actual trip details — three nights, a campground with basic amenities not full wilderness backcountry, two young kids, first time doing this himself — and asked for a gear list built around that specific setup instead of a generic backpacking checklist meant for a much more serious trip.
It gave him a list scoped to an actual campground stay instead of overloading him with gear meant for backcountry survival, a simple meal plan that didn't require complicated cooking setups, and a few practical tips for camping with young kids specifically, like bringing extra layers since kids run cold at night more than adults expect.
It also flagged a few things he hadn't thought of, like checking the specific campground's rules on campfires and food storage ahead of time since those vary by location and season, which saved him from showing up unprepared for a rule he didn't know existed.
Camping for the first time is one of those things that feels intimidating mostly because of not knowing what you don't know. Getting a plan scoped to your actual trip instead of a generic wilderness guide takes most of that uncertainty out of it.
If you want the slow, no-jargon version of all this — the stuff I wish someone had handed me before I fumbled through it myself — that's exactly what I built On Ramp AI for. Check it out here.