1st time camper with 3 under 3....all advice needed....

[disnyeprincesspluto]

So iv decided to start camping at disney world with the family. I have 3 under 3 and they are all so happy to try this! I use to go rving with my grandparents all the time but never have done the tent camping.....so im looking for information on the kind of tent to buy and tips on set up and what to bring....so far iv have been told coleman makes the best tent....bring steks made for the sand....bring a broom and a rope for cloths line....and thank you to anyone who helps me out on here! we are travinling the first week of febuary!!!!!!

 

[North of Mouse]

So iv decided to start camping at disney world with the family. I have 3 under 3 and they are all so happy to try this! I use to go rving with my grandparents all the time but never have done the tent camping.....so im looking for information on the kind of tent to buy and tips on set up and what to bring....so far iv have been told coleman makes the best tent....bring steks made for the sand....bring a broom and a rope for cloths line....and thank you to anyone who helps me out on here! we are travinling the first week of febuary!!!!!!

to FW camping!

Ok, so is it *I*, as in one adult, with 3 children under 3? If so, you have my utmost respect and wonder

I am not a tent person, but it seems like there are so many on the market to choose from and a lot of them have good reviews. I have friends that have different brands and they like them for different reasons.

Will you be setting it up alone? That could be a challenge, but I have seen people do it (needs practice beforehand).

You will need sleeping bags and/or air mattresses. Also, camping the first week of Feb. can be very *iffy* regarding temperatures, so you would need a heater and warm bedding.

Will you be cooking? Would then need an outdoor propane stove/utensils.
Flashlights (maybe porta potty for little ones). You might want a open shade/rain tent to put over table.

I'll let someone else chime in with additional necessities.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

as for the tent, i would get the largest one possible as with young kids, you do not want to be sleeping as close to each other. i would also look at a screen house. in the screen house you could set up a drying rack as a lot of campgrounds do not allow clotheslines. i have tent camped with 2 under4 years ago. also do not let anything touch outside of tent on the inside as rain will come in at that point. battery powered lanterns and not leave outside. to this day both daughters as adults love to camp and so do their kids.

 

[rox]

My husband always put an extra tarp on the ground before placing the tent. He said it created an extra moisture barrier. Also liked to bring a couple extra tarps for unexpected leaks etc...

Camping can become addictive we went from a one room tent, to a two room tent, to a three room tent, to a pop-up then a bunkhouse travel trailer now we have a 32 foot travel trailer with a slide out! Have fun!

 

[clm10308]

I would suggest going to an outdoor store such as REI to get your tent. Be prepared to spend a good bit of money on a good quality tent. Cheaper quality tents like what you might find at Walmart are not really worth it. I have found (from many camping trips with scout groups) that the cheaper tents will leak. Our REI brand tents, Eureka, and Kelty tents have never leaked, and we have been camping in hard thunderstorms. You don't save money on a cheap tent when you have to take all your belongings to the laundry mat to dry.

But if you you can't afford the more expensive tents, make sure to get something with a "bathtub" style floor meaning that the floor seams are actuall 3-4 inches above the ground. When you put a tarp under your tent, it should not extend beyond the walls of the tent or it will collect water that can then get u der your tent but on top of the tarp so that it not soak into the ground.

You will probably want air mattresses under your sleeping bags. The kids could probably get by with foam pads, but I like the comfort of the air mattress. You will need a pump to blow up the air mattress. There are hand pumps, battery operated, and electric pumps that are not very expensive. Ir you get an electric pump, make sure your camp site has electricity hook ups and bring an extension cord.

As you are just starting out, keep you meals very simple. Everything (in general)takes longer to when you are camping.

Most of all, I would suggest that you go on one or more overnight camp outs close to home before you head to Disney. That way you will what works for your family.

 

[lodge]

Most of all, I would suggest that you go on one or more overnight camp outs close to home before you head to Disney. That way you will what works for your family.

Saved the best for last... all really good advice!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . decided to start camping at disney world with the family. I have 3 under 3 . . .

 

[lodge]

And can I add-

 

[disnyeprincesspluto]

thanks everyone for the great advice you have no idea how much it helps....im from a very very small town in alabama and the only store we have is walmart but its only a litttle over an hour drive to bass pro shope.....iv been looking at tents and things on the net.....and doing tons of research lol....and i do have a husband but i tend to just add him in the kid group lol!!!!! my husband grew up caming and i went rving with my grandparents and i have to say when i think about the great times in my life those trips with maw and paw harris in the rv are as good as it gets!!!!!! we lost my grandfather harris last year a few days befor christmas and i made up my mind then that i was going to do all the things for my kids that he did for me that made my life so great!..so this year we will start camping!!!! i cant afford the rv right now but i can get a super nice tent!!!!and as much as we like to travel i know it will save us a ton of money went to a few state parks over christmas with the kids and at one hotel i paid over 40 bucks in taxes on top of the room coast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! iv got a few things in mind as far as the gear ill need and iv got my eye on a few tents so after i get the kids settled for the mornin ill try and get back on here and post them to see what you guys thank!!!!!!!!!

 

[Twende]

I agree that some of the best advice you got is to try it a few times close to home. That will help hone your skills and help you get an exact list of what you need.

We camped when our children were very young,they are all grown how and we are still in a tent. I am ready to move up to something else but everyone else is still happy in a tent.

I keep a running list of things to take. We are car campers in that I pack everything except the kitchen sink. I do not need the kitchen sink because I take two plastic wash basins, one for hot soapy water and one for rinse water.

I have a kitchen box and what is in it depends on what I choose to cook on that trip. I always take pans to heat up water. We have a 5 gallon collapsible water container that is one of the first things filled when we arrive. I like having water at my site. I take small dish soaps, dish rags, towels, a roll of paper towels and a copper dish scrounger to clean fry pans. I have a set of plastic tupperware dishes that we only use when camping and real metal forks , spoons and knives. DH hates using plastic. We also travel with our Disney mugs but I bring a ceramic mug for DH. Other cooking things are brought depending on what I am cooking. I have learned that when living out of a cooler you do not want a lot of uncooked meat (raw meat juice is a health hazard) so I usually cook chicken or ground beef before we leave home and then freeze it. I make a menu and then an ingredient shopping list and next to that I list what ever pans, knives etc I would need to make the meal.

When our girls were little, I took a small plastic potty. Getting little ones to a bath house was not always possible. Take plenty of flashlights and batteries. I like the tent lights that either hang from the ceiling or have magnets on them to go on the sides of the tent. I take two small throw rugs for each door to the tent. I put one outside and one inside. It really cuts down on debris in the tent. I take the outside rug in at night. And no shoes in the tent ever! I have a small whisk broom for clean ups, especially when taking down the tent. Always sweep the inside thoroughly.

Carpet padding works great as sleeping mats for little ones. We use an air mattress. There are many types so decide which you like best. We found that we rolled off of the elevated kind but the low ones are getting hard to get up from as we are getting older. We put an extra tarp under our tents and usually another pad or old blanket under the air mattress. Make a game of policing your camp site so that the kids learn to get all the big rocks, pine cones, sticks or whatever out from under the area where the tent will be set up.

We normally travel with a screen tent and I use it to make a kitchen area also. You do need to be aware of animals in the area and make adjustments for where you keep food and any clothing that you cook in. Nothing disturbs a good night of sleep more that hearing a bear huffing outside your tent. Or even turning your back on the pound cake you made and placed on the picnic table only to find some adventurousness raccoon made off with it while you took someone a refill of chili over to the fire. If you loose two cakes, two nights in a row you really start to feel the fool!!

I always take extra rolls of toilet paper. Nothing worse that the bath house running out. Take small soaps and hand towels as most bat houses provide neither. I use a small Beam cosmetic carrier that will hang on a hook, to take things to the bath house. You need to supply bath towels and beach towels. I assign one to each person and they need to keep their towel clean and hung up. If the campgrounds allows clotheslines I use a small Coleman one that can affix to the tent and wrap around a tree trunk. It rolls up into a plastic sleeve like a carpenters measuring tape. I also have a small rope line in the tent.

I bring a flannel backed table cloth or two to use on the picnic tables. If we have an electric site I take a power strip and plug in Christmas lights that I use to decorate our tent and screen tent. It also makes it easier to find your site when coming back from the bath house in the dark.

Most of all have fun. Camping as a family can be a blast!

 

[arthuruscg]

Coleman does make good tents but they also make bad tents. Usually the cheep tents are the bad ones.

I would suggest borrowing equipment from a friend and try out camping with the little ones to make sure it works for your family. You don't want to find out $1k later that everyone is miserable. You can also find great deals are yard sales because a lot of people try camping a few times and then decide it is not for them.


For a really amazing tent REI makes the Kingdom series tents. They are designed for family car camping in mind. I have the Kingdom 8 with the additional Garage add on.
http://www.rei.com/product/810168/rei-kingdom-8-tent-2012

 

[englishteacha]

I grew up pop up camper camping, then tenting, then in a pop up (I bought my parents' pop up), now back to a tent. I love camping in general.

I agree with everyone that you want a GOOD tent. Look for something with a rainfly that comes low on the tent. A dome type tent will hold up better in bad weather than a cabin tent, but there's a lot less space inside. We have a big dome tent that's a breeze to set up, a Columbia Bugaboo II (bought in the Cabela's bargain cave). We also have a giant Eureka Copper Canyon cabin tent. I love the cabin tent for its space, but it is a sail in a windstorm! You need about 100 stakes (Ok, more like 20) to hold it in place. My husband doesn't like to "rough it", though, and he is SO happy with the cabin tent. He likes it better than our old camper because there's so much room, and with our double high airbed, we can walk all the way around both sides of the bed. In our pop up, one of us had to climb over the other. Baby Z has been "camping" in the big tent in the yard with us and it was so nice to have space for her pack and play, a comfy chair, and all the necessities you need with a 2 month old baby. I have GOOD camping gear, but I don't pay full price. The Eureka tent came from the outlet store online. Most of my gear has been gifts, bought on sale, or secondhand.

I agree with everyone to try camping locally first. Borrow or rent gear (our local college rents out everything you need to go camping for wicked cheap!) and try it, even in the backyard.

Your main "Must haves":
-Tent
-tarp to put under the tent to protect the floor (this should be a tiny bit smaller than the tent itself so water doesn't collect. You can cut or fold a tarp to fit)
-something comfy to sleep on (airbed, camp pads, cot, etc.)
-Bedding like sleeping bags or blankets and sheets
-lighting (we have battery powered lights for inside the tent, and an oil lantern for outside)
-cooler for food
-stove and fuel, pots, pans (my pots and pans are all yard sale finds)
-dishes and utensils
-raincoats! I keep ponchos in our gear. It's no fun setting up or breaking camp in the rain. At least with a poncho you stay relatively dry.

If you have those things, you'll have the essentials. Other things that are nice:
-a tarp (with rope! Look up how to properly hang one on YouTube) or canopy to put up if it rains so you don't have to huddle in the tent
-plastic totes to put things in so they don't get wet if it rains (We keep our food in rubbermaid bins. It also keeps critters at bay. Put food in your vehicle at night if you can so a rascally raccoon doesn't steal your breakfast!)
-chairs
-stuff to do on a rainy night: games, books, cards, etc.

Plus you'll need all your toiletries, towels, clothes, etc. No hotel soap at a campground.

And I second the suggestion of a potty of some kind. It'll be a lifesaver with children. Heck, I don't like walking to the bathhouse at 2 AM either. We have a Luggable Loo for tenting. It's wicked basic, but functional and great in an emergency, too! (we have a septic tank that needs electricity to pump. Long power outage means no flushing!)

 

[englishteacha]

The Eureka Camping Center website has some good deals on family tents right now: http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eureka/

Also check Craigslist. As someone mentioned before, lots of people buy gear they never use. My friend got an entire camping set up for $100-tent, cot, sleeping bag, coolers, lanterns, chairs, etc.

 

[disnyeprincesspluto]

hey yall! thanks for all of this great info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got off the phone with disney and told them about me being a 1st time camper with 3 under 3 and they said they could rent me a tent and have everything set up for us on arival! so i can try it out and see how we like it befor we go buy it all our selves!

 

[Twende]

hey yall! thanks for all of this great info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got off the phone with disney and told them about me being a 1st time camper with 3 under 3 and they said they could rent me a tent and have everything set up for us on arival! so i can try it out and see how we like it befor we go buy it all our selves!

Wow I had no idea Disney would do that. COOL!

 

[MattFromPA]

We spent a week tenting at FW last November, and we have 2 kids under 3. I second everything everyone has said. Since Disney is arranging your tent rental, you can focus on "stuff". One thing that helped us was to make a checklist! We found having a porta-potti was really key since our daughter is still toilet training. Also, we bought a 'camp kitchen' table - basically a card table with a built-in sink and faucet. Was great to have the sink for cooking, hand washing and cleaning. You'll have a water connection, but waste water has to be collected and walked to the comfort station to be flushed. We used a collapsible 5 gallon container for grey water. We brought a cheap 2-burner electric rangetop also, and really liked having it for making eggs, bacon, and boiling water. Its not needed but we also had a dining tent that covered the cooking area and picnic table. Made it a little more private.

We brought a ceramic space heater for cool nights, and did use it. You may want to consider that or at least pack warm bedding.

 

[JanL]

With a cabin tent you have room for a floor-try: take a tarp that is larger than the tent floor, pull up the excess at each corner and clip so there is a slightly smaller floor floating on top of the tent floor (make sure it doesn't touch the tent walls). Then if water gets in thru the sides of the tent, it will go under the tray and all your stuff will stay dry. When dismantling the tent , just pull the tray out thru the door and unclip outside, sweep the dirt off, and your're done.