Flying, tent camped, June, 3 adults 6 kids, two weeks

[KongKarls]

How did it go?

Awesome. We flew down with our six kids ages 1.75 - 11. 7 ticketed passengers. 14 checked bags, which included tent, air conditioner (under 50lbs each), and porta potti. We arrived during one of the first large (non-hurricane) storms of the season using DME. We retrieved our tent upon arrival to allow set up that afternoon (ran had ceased). The rest of our bags and garden grocer delivery arrived at around 8pm after we went to the Trails End for dinner. We blew up our air mattresses and got the AC set up in rough fashion. We slept, and the next day went about setting things up proper. Our tent was 10x20, and I brought 2 tarp poles and ran a line above the tent. I then pitched 50 feet of tarp over the tent and concrete driveway. This gave us a large, dry, and shaded patio (we move the picnic table underneath). I also brought a small 2man tent for storage, which was kept, under the tarp. Aside from a lot of sweating, set up day went well and we spent the rest of the day at the pool. The next morning we started day one of our 10 day park hopper at MK. We spent the whole day there, and Grandma (who was supposed to arrive that afternoon) arrived near midnight (1000pm Montana time) thanks to NWA. We got her settled with plans to hit another park next day.

Overall, we had great fun. The AC was a lifesaver, as was the double swivel-jogging stroller we bought for the trip. It didn’t take us long to get into the bus routine. Getting wet was not a major issue, the storage tent was hit with rain blown from the side, and I had a condensation issue with the AC in the main tent, both were quickly rectified and neither was as bad as my sweating.

We chose the camping option to allow our 4 boys to have some room to play, and to keep all nine of us together (vs 2 value rooms at 5 times the price). Don’t get me wrong, the tent was crowded and the logistics required work and preparation (which I enjoy), but we were comfortable and well rested throughout.

I recommend it.
:yay:

[CottontailCurl]

Sounds like my crew and it sounds like a great time (what was that, 12 days total at FW?). Your set up sounds just like ours. Did you bring cooking equipment or did you keep your food choices to easy to put together stuff? Were you in the 1500 or 2000 loop or another?

So if staying at a value would have been 5 times as expensive that means you can come back 4 more times, right? I'm glad you guys had a good vacation.

(Nevermind about how many days, I just saw above that you were there for 2 weeks).

[bama_ed]

Wow! Always love to hear those summer tent camping reviews. Especially those two week stays... :scared1:

Congrats and Kungaloosh!

Bama ED:love:

[clkelley]

Sounds like you had a great time!! I used to fly and tent camp solo, now that was a challenge, but would do it again in a hearbeat with multiple folks to increase the luggage allowance.

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it!!!

[disneynewbeemom]

Kongkarls -- so glad you had a great time. Do you have any photos of your campsite that you could post? We are tent camping in October with a large size tent and are interested in specifics about how you put a tarp over your tent. Please help.

[christinou]

Wow I am impressed. I would love to hear more about your trip.

[Tent Camping Mom]

Flying, tent camped, June, 3 adults 6 kids, two weeks
:worship:

Thanks for the report; sounds like you had a great time!

[loriandmatt]

Did you bring cooking equipment or did you keep your food choices to easy to put together stuff?

oh, i want to know that too.....i am very impressed with your set up. more power to you. i laugh at those who say they could never afford a WDW vacation....they just aren't trying hard enough. you have to put i the effort, but it is totally doable on a budget. (not to mention a love for camping.)

do tell about your cooking/food arrangements. we are leaving in a week and i am looking for ideas.

[KongKarls]

We tried for loop 1500, but go 2000 (it was fine).

Most of the food we ordered (a month before the trip from Gardengrocer) was dry breakfast foods (bagels, cereal) and snacks (chips, crackers, sweets). We brought 1 collapsible cooler and had 3 foam coolers delivered with the groceries for milk, cheese, and cream cheese. I also orderd a bag of charcoal just in case, but the only thing we cooked was a canned ham we had delivered (made some ham a cheese melts). Since we ate at the parks most days, at trailsend 3 times, and ordered pizza from trailsend for the campsite.

The way I strung the tarps was with 2 nine foot aluminum tarp poles and a rope running between the two. Guy lines held the poles tight, and I also ran a rope from and overhead branch to the main rope for extra support. One tarp was 30x20 and the other was 10x15, where the 2 met I used zip ties to hook them together at the grommets.

[KongKarls]

Last part of photo url is: IMG_0504.JPG not IMG_0

Here's a photo: kind of dark, but you can see the storage tent in the front and where the rain was blowing in on the ground. This proved not to be a problem as we carfully stacked our items on old grocery boxes in the storage tent (the thin tent material dried quickly). The rain wasn't a problem in our 10x20 tent (seen in the rear with a large rain fly). Also, you can see the support rope coming up from betweent he tarps... I brought a lot of rope, and managed to get a line to a high branch tying it to a hammer and tossing it over. Pitched in this way, water puddling on the tarps was never a problem. We also brought Christmas lights (strung over the picnic table). We left them plugged in to have a welcoming and well lit patio waiting for us late in the evening.

[homemaker]

Sounds like you all had a wonderful time! How did you manage with the smaller children? Was it difficult to keep an eye on everyone. DH and I are camping in October for just 5 nights with our 4 boys (2.75-11). We will be in our popup or a new camper if we can decide on one. Anyway you give me hope that my children will behave and everything will be okay. Thanks

[disneynewbeemom]

Thank you so much for the tarp directions. Where did you get tarp poles? I've never heard of them. We are camping in October for 9 nights and it always rains whenever we camp (and we always get water inside our tent!). We have sprayed the seams, sprayed campdry all over the tent, and plan on bringing a tarp to put over our air mattresses before we leave for the park each day. I am packing our clothes in plastic drawer totes. I showed my husband your reply. We weren't able to pull up the picture -- but I am hoping that he is able to do something like this! Thanks for the help. I would still love to see the photo!

[Gillian]

http://bp3.blogger.com/_Y6p3LelZ_yE/RqARrVbUN4I/AAAAAAAAABc/cSKC7xkD1Tc/s1600-h/IMG_0504.JPG

[Gillian]

Sounds like a fun time! Thanks for sharing. :)

[disneynewbeemom]

Thank you so much for the picture! I'm trying to make things go as smoothly as possible. My husband is not sold on the tarp idea, so I am hoping your picture will help! I am sick of getting wet!!

[KongKarls]

Thank you so much for the picture! I'm trying to make things go as smoothly as possible. My husband is not sold on the tarp idea, so I am hoping your picture will help! I am sick of getting wet!!

My tarp poles are a Kelty product you can find a REI.com. I tried to insert a link, but I couldn't make it work without getting an error. Maybe Gillian can tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I can tell you, we had HEAVY rain and the tarp directed the majority of it away from the tent.

The tent we used was a cabelas deluxe family tent with a full rain fly, I siliconed the lower section, but didn't use any seam seal. The only water we dealt with came from condensation from the AC (which I fixed without a problem).

[KongKarls]

Sounds like you all had a wonderful time! How did you manage with the smaller children? Was it difficult to keep an eye on everyone. DH and I are camping in October for just 5 nights with our 4 boys (2.75-11). We will be in our popup or a new camper if we can decide on one. Anyway you give me hope that my children will behave and everything will be okay. Thanks

Our dd's were 1.75 and 4. We purchased an Instep Double jogging stroller with the swivel front wheel. Many said this would be too bulky on the buses, but any inconvenience was more than made up for with easy pushing and storage in the parks. Having 2 kids safely strapped in allowed our attention to the 4 boys, who were a challenge. 2 would always seem to race ahead, and 2 would drag. In general though, we kept everyone together. At the campground, we gave the boys some rules, and let them run.

[disneynewbeemom]

Thanks for the information on the tarp poles. I checked the website you gave me and saw them on the website. I'm assuming you purchased two tarp poles ($40 each)? We camp several times a year so I don't feel bad investing in these poles. Usually we end up cutting our trips short due to rain issues, so this can be our solution!! Thanks.

[novdisneydreams]

Wow! I am just fascinated by your story. Are you a family of seasoned campers? I have been eyeing the Fort lately as a possible solution to my extreme-budget-gotta-get-back-to-Disney-before-the-kids-are-much-older problem. I am wondering how you use the AC in the tent - is it propped up on something? Is it just a regular window AC for a house or is it specific to camping? THANKS:wizard:

[Daydreamer64]

:worship: I love to camp but am very heat intolerant- wow never thought of bringing an airconditioner for the tent! We only camp in the winter becasue it's easier to wrap up/snuggle to get warm then it is in the summer to try to get cool.

When we are in Florida, all I can think about at the end of a hot day at the parks is getting to the room for some cold air and nice long ice cold shower. I would die if I was camping in the summer heat in Florida with the high humidity.

Also, I hold you all in high esteem :woohoo: ----I know you must be a very calm and relaxed family because - well-:crowded: I think I would have been devorced after 2 weeks in a tent with all of the boys and my DH! :scared1:

I'm impressed with the camp set-up and your family's patience for each other!:cheer2:

[Gillian]

KongKarls, I think you may need to have a certain number of posts before you're allowed to do pics. If you want to just post the links or IM them to me, I can make them clickable. :)

For the camper who always gets wet, there have been threads here about staying dry with lots of good suggestions. Try a search, although it can be a little fussy. A lot of people put tarps overhead, but there are other factors too. Like making sure you put a tarp underneath that's fitted to your tent with none sticking out, not touching the inside of the tent walls when they're wet (that means keeping your stuff away from the walls too), waterproofing seams, etc. People also put a tarp or plastic inside the floor of the tent sometimes.

We moved to a popup last year and I don't miss tenting at all!

[#1 TITANS FAN]

Sorry to wear you out with questions, but was wondering how the ac in tent worked out. Did you use one of those boots to mount the a/c ? You also mentioned a condensation problem that you were able to solve. I'm tenting at FW 9/6 -9/11 in a 10' x 12' tent, just bought a small a/c last week and am trying to figure out the best way to configure it. Thanks.

[hsmamato2]

I just bought some tarp poles at campmor.com- they were around 13 apiece,if that helps-they were called tent poles- my next camping trip I intend to set up a tarp over our tent too- I refuse to get soaked again!
you are intrepid people for sure!

[disneynewbeemom]

I just bought some tarp poles at campmor.com- they were around 13 apiece,if that helps-they were called tent poles- my next camping trip I intend to set up a tarp over our tent too- I refuse to get soaked again!
you are intrepid people for sure!

Are tent poles going to give as much support as tarp poles? Are they thinner than tarp poles? Did you buy two poles or are more needed? Thanks for your help! Everyone on this site has been so informative and so helpful!!

[hsmamato2]

you know-I don't know....I bought these 2 poles, they are eureka brand, aluminum,and they collapse down - or extend to 7 feet tall- they are strong and sturdy,I intend to use them to hold the tarp up and open over our doorway,with tie downs to hold them-they came in different lengths-
I'm going to check out the tarp poles too,just to see the difference,if there is any- I do know that I love campmors prices:goodvibes

[KongKarls]

Sorry to wear you out with questions, but was wondering how the ac in tent worked out. Did you use one of those boots to mount the a/c ? You also mentioned a condensation problem that you were able to solve. I'm tenting at FW 9/6 -9/11 in a 10' x 12' tent, just bought a small a/c last week and am trying to figure out the best way to configure it. Thanks.

I read up on those AC boots, but didn't want to cut into the tent. Fortunately, the tent we used has 2 end and 1 side door. The doors have one zipper on the bottom and 1 that arcs down from the top.

I took a square sheet of plastic and wrapped it around the front end of the AC, taping it all the way around, but leaving the seam untaped on the bottom. This was the "boot" and it extended, maybe 18inches in front of the unit. I made a cardboard divider to seperate the cool air output from the return (taped to the face of the AC and extending to the end of the boot). I then opened the door to roughly the size of the AC face. I used standard office binder clips to clip the end of the plastic boot to the opening. I then picked a point on the top/center of the boot to fasten a cord and tied it to the tarp line above. This allowed a slight pitch in the top of the boot to allow condensation to drain, rather than puddle and collapse the boot. I played with the idea of using some segments of an extra fiberglass tent pole to make a frame within the boot, but this proved unnecessary.

I also used a small black and decker blower fan to circulate the air in the tent.

Note: I came up with most of this onsite. The key thing is to keep the AC about 2 feet away from the tent, and separate to cold air from the return. This was a window AC unit, with a remote, so I was able to turn it on and off from within the tent.

We had to turn it down several nights as it was getting to cold.

[Our2Girls&Disney]

I certainly tip my hat to you. You planned everything out and seemed to work flawlessly. I love reading about how people go to Disney on a budget and you did it!!!!

[Jill in Chicago]

Where did you store all of your food? We have never camped at Disney, but when we do camp all the food goes in the van at night. Once we forgot and left food in our screen tent and woke up to find an animal had eaten a hole through the tent to get to the food, and then eaten into the food box!

[dsneygirl]

What a great experience! Can you tell me what kind of air conditioner you used?

[KongKarls]

Where did you store all of your food? We have never camped at Disney, but when we do camp all the food goes in the van at night. Once we forgot and left food in our screen tent and woke up to find an animal had eaten a hole through the tent to get to the food, and then eaten into the food box!

Four of our checked bags were a foot locker style case that fit with airline measurements. We kept a majority of our food in these, within the tent. Other items, like pop and some snacks were in boxes in our storage tent, but were never disturbed by animals. However, we did leave a pack of oreos on the picnic table while at the park, only to find it opened and empty upon return. So you're right, animals are a consideration.

The middle fly door of our cabelas deluxe backwoods tent, made into a closed chamber, where we kept most of the cases (within easy reach from the main part of the tent). Once the cases were on the ground, we could set other bags on top of them. We also had the porti potti in this chamber (a little crowded, but worked well late at night).

[KongKarls]

What a great experience! Can you tell me what kind of air conditioner you used?

It was a daewoo 5350 btu window unit from costco. Under 50lbs with a remote control. Around $100.

I packed it, box and all, (minus the window mount gear), in a supersized duffle to provide handles. The duffle, if full, would have been to big, but the ends compressed in about 16inches and I put a lashing around to make it smaller. It worked fine, but was right at 49 lbs.

BTW, I used a rapala 50lb fish scale to weigh my bags before heading to FW and again before heading home.