1st time camping - need tent info please

[1Venus]

I've finally decided to do it! I'm going to camp at Ft Wilderness in September. I bought a tent on clearance last year, so it will be nice to finally use it.

I've been reading all the tent camping stuff on this site, but I still have questions.

1. Many people have discussed seam sealer (& one mentioned spray-on sealer), can that be done on the day we set up the tent at FW? Also what's the difference between seam sealer and spray-on sealer? Do I need both?

2. Another post of a camping list mentioned, "6 mil plastic cut to fit bottom of tent." I don't understand. What does it look like, where do I buy it, and how do I cut it to fit? Also how will this help my camping experience?

3. In terms of electricity, I plan on packing an extension cord and putting a power strip inside the tent. Do I cut a hole in the tent to allow for the cord, or just not zip the tent door completely closed?

I know these seem like stupid questions to experienced campers, but I really have no clue! Thanks for your help. I'm looking forward to this new experience.

 

[aldebnj]

I can help you with 2 and 3...

2. The 6 mil plastic is used as a moisture barrier between the bottom of the tent and the ground. Otherwise the moisture in the ground seeps up through the floor of the tent not to mention the run off from any rain or thunder storms. You can probably find some suitable plastic in the camping section of a Sporting Goods store or check out the drop cloths in the paint section of a hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes.

3. Run the extension cord through your main opening and zipper around it. You should be able to close the zipper around it with almost no gap at all.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, all of us here started out at some point not knowing anything about camping too. We love to help others learn so they can enjoy camping like we do.

 

[European]

Question about 2: do you put it IN your tent or UNDER?

 

[leprechaun]

The seam sealer is to make sure the water doesn't seep in through the stitching of the tent and is usually a wax or silcone base. you only need to do the seems. You need to set up the tent at home to let it dry after you coat it for 24 hours before use it or fold it up.
The plastic you put under the tent comes in a roll and cut off a piece 6"smaller than than the tent. If the tent is 10x10, cut the poly 9'6"x9'6". You can also use a tarp under your tent, just make sure you fold it up so it fits under the tent.
We have been tenting for years any questions just ask

 

[clkelley]

I'm the one with the 6 mil plastic.

Go to the painting section of either Wal-Mart or Home Depot and purchase a roll of the plastic. (Usually 10' x 20') It is usually about $10.00

I then roll out the plastic and lay my tent out flat on the ground and cut the plastic to fit the bottom of my tent. I then cut a second sheet the same size.

I put a sheet under my tent AND inside my tent. (It seems that whenever we go camping it rains and this past weekend was no exception, but then again we camp about every 3 weeks) We had LOTS of rain December 02 at Ft. Wilderness and all of my stuff stayed bone dry, but there was a small amount of water inside my tent under the plastic sheeting.

I also put a sheet of the very thin (1 mil) painters plastic under everything and just throw that out. The sandy pad at Ft. Wilderness gets gummy when it gets wet and it's easier to just throw that away then try to clean off your permanent ground cloth before packing it up.

I would do the seam sealer and the spray on stuff before you leave. Leave the tent set up for a couple of days after you apply it. Make sure it's not going to rain for those couple of days or let it set in the garage or on a covered deck or porch.

The seam sealer is usually a roll-on type application that literally closes the holes where the thread sewed the tent together. The spray on stuff is just additional water repellant for the material of your tent. I reapply all of that about every 6 months as that wears away over time.

Don't cut a hole in your tent for the electrical cord. Most tent openings have two zippers that meet. Just zip the two zippers as close to each other as possible around the extension cord.

Hope this helps.

Carol

 

[funhouse8]

Make sure when you are camping that non of your things (sleeping bags, clothes, etc.) touch the side of your tent. If it rains while at the parks the rain will get in.

 

[owlslair]

Hi Venus,,Everyone has some good advice and should be done.
A few other things will help. For your clothes and food items keep them in plastic containers. Then they are stackable and out of the way and dry. For the outside I never camp without a tarp than can cover the tent and make an awning to sit and cook under in case it rains. Also provides shade if there is not any.Be sure to carry plenty of rope for hanging things. Also good long anchors for for the tent .

go in a good way

 

[house_of_princesses]

Just curious... why does the 6mil plastic have to be just short of the tent size? I would think it would be better to be just bigger than the bottom of the tent... that could be because "bigger is better" is something we live by around here! NOT a good thing!

 

[clkelley]

Because if the plastic is larger than the bottom of your tent, then the rain will hit the plastic and run in between the plastic and the bottom of your tent. Making it much more likely that water will seep up into the bottom of your tent.

If the plastic is just smaller than the bottom of your tent, then the rain is more likely to either soak into the ground surrounding your tent or run underneath the plastic, therefore your tent stays drier.

Carol

 

[house_of_princesses]

Carol, Now that you've clarified that, the answer is so logical I question myself for even having asked the question!!

Thanks!

 

[1Venus]

Thanks for all the great advice! We'll be there for 3 nights on October 22nd.

My husband got out the tent to seal the seams and we found out why it was on clearance. It's a weird design. It's a 17x9 tent with 3 rooms. But there is only a floor in two of the 3 rooms.
It's like this: Room w/ floor, Room w/o floor, Room w/ floor.

I wonder if this will present special problems with water leakage, etc. Do I still cut the plastic to cover the entire bottom of the tent? Or do I cut two pieces and only put them under the sides that have a floor?

This is so weird. I wonder why they made a tent like this?????

 

[jwill]

Is the room without the floor some kind of storage area, instead of a living area? Although I'm not sure why this one area wouldn't have a floor either.

 

[clkelley]

My folks used to have a tent similar to that, Except it had two sections.

One with a floor and then the front area without a floor, sortof like a screen room.

I would cut the plastic for just the two floored sections.

The center section was probably meant just as a screen room or a room to set chairs in.

Carol

 

[jann1033]

as a side thought, if you want to run a wire through the zipper I would do it towards the top of the door as we did find a flattened snake( beautiful bright blue, no idea what kind) under our tent once when we packed up to leave!

 

[1Venus]

OK - we've got the seams sealed. That was a gooey, not to mention stinky, job! I'm just glad it's done.

Just another plastic question...

I've been to a couple of stores and the thickest plastic roll I can find is 4 mil. Is this too thin?

Also, the rolls I found are 3 x 50 feet. So lengthwise, that's plenty. However, is it OK to piece the one that goes under the tent? The tent is 17x9 which means we would need to put 3 strips together. I guess I'm just concerned that piecing it would allow more moisture to wick up between the plastic and the tent.


Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[clkelley]

I have always been able to find 10' x 20' 6 mil plastic in the Wal-Mart or Home Depot paint section. It comes in a roll.

4 mil may actually be fine for occasional use, but I use my tent about every 3 weeks and wanted something very sturdy.

Carol

 

[leprechaun]

If you want, you could always double up on the plastic where as you have a 50' roll, or use two blue tarps, one under each section with a floor under it. The section with out the floor is to have a place to sit in a chair if the skeeters are too bad outside.

 

[jann1033]

Sherwin Williams in Ohio has a 10x200ft roll (200 not a typo!) for $25 it's 4-6 mil thick ( husband is a painter). I think that is a nationwide store.