Free camping site website USE WITH CAUTION
REI Some of the best advice you can get for camping and otherwise. Their Youtube channel is also good.
Fancier gear The list is good. The website is also good.
Ultimate Camping Gear Guide Speaking as a seasoned camper and outdoors enthusiast, I was surprised at the depth and breadth of information here. Well worth the read. That said, you're going to want a better insulation rating for that sleeping bag, trust me.
Some other gear considerations: You are also going to want a couple polyester fleece blankets on top of a sleeping bag due to changing weather conditions. Also, sleeping pads are not optional if you camp in the winter. It is possible to make your own sleeping pad out of plastic bags. See here: Plastic Bag Rug Cotton clothing will have you freezing your ass off in winter so it's best to get polyester. Which btw is highly flammable so be careful. A heavy winter coat is also very underrated. Camp in a spot where you can stake down your tent or you will come to regret it. Tents, bug spray, tweezers, and alcohol are also 100% necessary because bugs carry diseases. I have Lyme because I didn't wear the bug spray. Do not be like me. Sunscreen is likewise not optional. Although expensive, I use this stuff due to chemical sensitivities etc. Kokua Sun Care. On the note of repairing strong clothing with strong thread, floss is nice but craft sinew is better. Yes, regular thread works, but double it back on itself for double the strength and don't use the crappy thread in a sewing kit; get some real thread at Walmart or something, it's like a buck fifty. Learn to backstitch, because running stitches, whipstitches etc. are absolute crap and will not hold. Bring stuff to trade with you as well, such as books and crafts. Bring at least one thing to boil water in; any snow, rainwater, etc. must be brought to a full rolling boil for 1 full minute before you drink it. Also you'll need a washcloth and some camp soap, for daily hygiene. BTW Dr. Bronner's actually is fine as camp soap. If you've never heard of the washcloth bath, it's pretty simple; you get a basin of water hot over a fire and dip a washcloth in there, then scrub down the body. A rope plus clothespins is always a plus, for obvious reasons; boil your clothes in water to kill any germs etc., wring them out well, and line dry. Also in bear country you are going to want to hang up your food using the rope, where bears can't get it, and downwind from where you camp. Toilet paper is not optional unless you for some reason really enjoy using pine cones. A small shovel or garden trowel is good for digging cat holes to do your business in, and yes, you should dig them.
If you find yourself without a place to live but do own a car, then while you are searching for a job, you are likely to have luck sleeping in your car at a Wal-Mart. Some locations have had problems with people doing that and will give you trouble, but in most of those franchises you are allowed to do that due to company policy. Failing that, you could try to find the nearest policeman and ask him or her where you could park and sleep. They usually know. If you do have enough money to pay for a motel, Motel 6 is always going to be your best bet. There is no better chain and believe me, I've pretty much tried them all.
Quick star navigation lesson for the Northern Hemisphere. Polaris is always North. Find it by finding the Big Dipper. Look at the dipper portion, and on the right side of it the two stars make a line. Hold your fist out at arm's length and put it on top of the top star to extend that line out. Slightly to the left of where your fist ends, that's where Polaris hangs out. During summer the sun rises slightly north of East and sets slightly north of West. During winter the sun rises slightly south of East and sets slightly south of West. Cornell Ask An Astronomer
How to start a fire in adverse conditions, like wind, rain etc: Collect stuff to burn that's as dry as possible, in sizes from small to big. You will need large sticks in particular. Put some of it in the firepit in whatever way your experience tells you to make it. There are many ways; it takes practice. No idea? Try putting a nest of tinder at the bottom, twigs on top, and larger sticks on top of that. Shelter the firepit from the wind first using rocks, aluminum foil, etc. Get or form an envelope out of dry paper and fill it with tinder and optionally bits of dry polyester. Light the crap in the envelope and once it starts to catch, put it in the middle of that nest of tinder you made.
A website that has culture information for many areas in the world that you'd have to learn the hard way otherwise: Matador Network