The initial setting screams of timer to me, and I think a loose but hard limit to get rid of the tadpole would go a long way. Don't add any timer after that, because it seems to throw off so many people (I for one love them, it adds tension to games that too easily turn into checking zone after zone without thinking much but I can totally see how it can get frustrating) and allow people to backtrack to the initial zones and check elements that they missed and you'll kill two birds with one stone. After that though, the right balance is hard to strike. The supplies are nice in the first act of Pathfinder but it really quickly becomes irrelevant as you have enough money and carrying space to just max out and just forget about it, not even mentionning hunting while camping. The last option seems like the best option to me ; let us have something irrelevant to the plot but giving rewards if you can chain encouters quickly (without taking a 8 hours rest) like the camp getting better, a NPC giving you better items and so on. It would allow players to play at their own rythm if they like to fully rest after each fight but still give incentive to do without it.
