This is the post I wish I'd seen before my first CNC.

The CNC list of bring along stuff includes "headlight". This is a light you wear on your head, and if you're wondering why someone would use one of those contraptions, you haven't visited one of CNC's famous green plastic continence closets during the night. The last thing you need is a flashlight that needs to be held! I've bought several of these great headlight devices; smaller is best. Wal Mart carries two tiny ones, one by Garrity that uses coin batteries, and one by Energizer that uses AAA cells. Vanity tip: Wear a cap, then put your headlight over the cap. It doesn't look weird that way.

Other preparation tip: Be prepared for morning temperatures in the 20s. It has happened on two CNCs. You'll need a sleeping bag that's rated for 20 degrees or lower. Don't be as stupid as I was my first CNC thinking you can bring a forty degree bag and climb into it bundled up. Sleeping bags don't work that way--you gotta sleep in nothing more than underwear for the bag to function properly. The sleeping bag should have a hood; without it, you'll feel cold and shiver even though your body is warm. Also, if you have an air mattress, remember that the part of the bag you sleep on is compressed and has near zero insulation value, and the cold air in the mattress will suck the heat out of your body. You will need an insulation layer under your sleeping bag. I put the clothes there that I slide into for my nighttime trips to the continence closets.