All Excited, Got Everything Nailed Down for November/December Trip!!!

[clkelley]

Well, I'm all booked for RADP/Mousefest 2005!!!

Got my campsite booked at AAA rate. Got my airfare booked with FF miles!!!, Got my Magical Express reserved.

All set to go!! Now the waiting begins. I am going to buy a different tent for this trip. The two tent setup worked great, but I'm going to try a larger three room tent. I think it will give me the seperation I need so I don't feel crowded in with my gear, and will also allow me to bring only one sunshelter instead of two.

Carol

 

[Piglet54]

Good job Carol! Looking forward to hearing updates on the tent purchase. I'll be interested to see what kind you buy.

 

[Camping Cat]

Great news, Carol! See you there!

 

[John VN]

Great to hear your set for another visit. Will be at FW beginning of Dec. also.

John

 

[clkelley]

Good job Carol! Looking forward to hearing updates on the tent purchase. I'll be interested to see what kind you buy.

I bought the following tent last night. Got it at Target. I think it will work great for me. First off, it's taller, so I can stand up in it. I also can still set it up by myself. It has three distinct rooms so I can spread out without being squished in by my stuff.

The only thing that I don't like about it is the little mats at each door don't have anything to anchor them down with. However, a grommet kit and four extra stakes should do the job nicely.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9271L133&categoryid=11010

Carol

 

[Piglet54]

Carol...that looks so roomy and dry. I like the rainfly overhang and the "weathertec" guarantee--plus the extra space. Are you going to try it out this summer before you go in December?

 

[clkelley]

Yep, as a matter of fact, I'm using it this weekend. Also, as I indicated in the earlier post, I did buy a grommet kit and added stake-down points for the corners of the mats at the doors.

Carol

 

[clkelley]

Another note on my new tent. We had a heavy dew Sunday morning and it was actually dripping inside my tent. After I got it back home, I set it up in the yard to let it dry out. Then I sprayed it thoroughly with a fabric sealant. I got it in the Wal-Mart camping section about $3 a can. (It wasn't Scotch Guard, it was another brand, had Silicone in the name). It took 6 cans. I left it set up for a few days and it stayed dry after that.

So even though it is dry tech system, you still need to thouroughly spray the material with some type of sealant.

Carol

 

[Piglet54]

Carol, It sounds like you have the problem remedied. You shouldn't have any problem with drips from now on.

We set ours up on Friday but were too chicken to sleep overnight due to low 30s temperatures. I'm thinking about trying it tonight....since the lows will be in the 50s. It's an LLBean 6 person Dome tent. After we set it up, we decided to order the vestibule for it also...so that should be here by the end of the week. In addition to the rainfly...we put a huge tarp over the tent as well and staked it down. Everything stayed dry during the showers and thunderstorms on Saturday. The tarp is reflective, so I'm hoping that it may reflect some of the June Florida heat

I got to thinking about how nice it would be to have a refrigerator, so I bought one of those Thermos mini-refrigerators from Amazon.com. It will hold about 8 cans of soda...so I figure it will hold at least 4 large bottles of water. It only weighs about 11lbs so I don't think it will be a problem packing for plane.

We did not set up the screen room and are thinking seriously about leaving it at home and possibly returning it to LLbean unopened. We don't plan to sit around the campsite much and will be eating all of our meals out so I'm not sure just how necessary it would be. What is your or anyone's opinion on the screen room as a necessity?

 

[clkelley]

For me a sheltered area outside my tent is a necessity. Maybe not necessarily a screen room, but a shelter.

I put it over the entrance to my tent, so that I can get in and out of my tent in the dry. I leave my rain gear out there. (Try keeping the inside of your tent dry when it's pouring down rain and you have to enter your tent with your wet ponchos/rain suit and wet shoes on!)

I also change my shoes out there under the shelter so that they don't come into the tent, etc. (I have a pair of flip flops that are strictly for right around the tent area and inside my tent)

I set my chair out there and it stays dry.


Carol

 

[Piglet54]

Some very good points! We should probably take the screen room. Thanks Carol! Always good to listen to the voice of experience.

 

[Piglet54]

Well, I tried things out last night. Everything went well. I stayed relatively warm and everything was dry. I killed a spider and a bee before I got started, and I'm not sure if I had any "visitors" after that because I was asleep....until I had to go to the bathroom. That will be an exercise in itself...getting to the comfort station at 3 or 4 am to go potty. I just have to remember to keep the "room key" handy.

I was pretty spread out last night but there will be four of us in the tent. I can see how small basket, pouch or plastic cubby would be great to have in order to keep personal little necessities together..like the room key, sandals, alarm clock, flashlight. A sleeping bag felt good but with the heat and humidity in Florida in June, a sheet and pillow may be all that is necessary.

To you or any tent campers....

Do you ever have any concerns about security? About people taking your stuff when you're at the parks during the day?