Camping In A Tent

[kimluvswdw]

I have just recently sold our motorhome and for the trip in December we have to camp in a tent. I am looking forward to coming to the fort again, but I am not looking forward to a tent. I am used to a 33 foot motorhome. My question is, is it really difficult camping in a tent? What are some things that I have to know? I have never done the tent thing before. Thanks, Kim

 

[dreambound]

I have just recently sold our motorhome and for the trip in December we have to camp in a tent. I am looking forward to coming to the fort again, but I am not looking forward to a tent. I am used to a 33 foot motorhome. My question is, is it really difficult camping in a tent? What are some things that I have to know? I have never done the tent thing before. Thanks, Kim

I'm a big lover of big tents, while my husband loves small tents. We compromise by getting more than one medium tent.

For me, the most important thing about long-term tenting is standing room. I absolutely HAVE to be able to stand in my tent if I'm staying for very long. I have to be able to dress standing up.

Proper tent preparation and setup is EVERYTHING. I know a lot of people who gave up on tenting and would have had a much better time if they had sealed and set up their tent properly.

But headroom, gotta have it!

 

[ntsammy5]

But headroom, gotta have it!

That's a must,

Also invest in a good air mattress or cots and some good sleeping bags. Can make all the difference in the world. There's a thread somewhere here about setting up a camp kitchen. Look at that one. Also one about heating a tent in December. Peruse that one too.

 

[dreambound]

And to be honest, we call our tents medium, but they're really considered large. If I had it my way, we'd have two 15x12 tents.

 

[jsmla]

We just got a huge standing-up-inside tent to replace our travel trailer on our January trip. I think you'll probably want some sort of screen house or canopy for your "living/eating/kitchen" area. We're setting out in a few minutes for our trial run in the tent. I'll let you know how we do!

Jennifer

 

[ntsammy5]

We're setting out in a few minutes for our trial run in the tent. I'll let you know how we do!

Yeah, we're probably going tenting in a couple of weeks when me yougest comes to visit ... BUT .... we're likely to get snow by then. Different than camping in the deep south!

 

[jsmla]

It's 81 degrees right now but it's supposed to get down into the 40s overnight. May not seem that bad to a Buffalonian (Buffaloite?) but for me brrrrrrrrr!

Jennifer

 

[Rhonda]

We just bought a big tent (15x12 I think), 72" high in the middle.

Be sure to have a good air mattress. (Don't get a cheap Walmart one, or it will run out of air every night and you'll find yourself on the ground in the morning.)

We don't mess with sleeping bags. We bring sheets and blankets, and make the bed, just like at home. Much more comfortable that way!

Use a little tent heater for the chilly nights, and have a little fan, for the warmer nights. Be sure to use a heavy-duty cord, with 3 prongs, so it's grounded, in case it rains. (I don't really know if that's better, but I feel safer anyway. lol)

Get a screen tent, to keep your "kitchen" in. We have a Colman Camp Kitchen, with a sink and counter space, like this: Camp Kitchen

It's nice to have a rug outside the tent door, so you can take off your shoes before entering the tent. It keeps sand, etc. from getting all over the floor on the inside of the tent.

Get a battery-powered lantern to keep in the tent too, for light. But, be sure to turn it off before getting undressed!! Otherwise your silhouette will show through the walls!!

And, keep a flashlight in there with you, so you can take it with you when you need to go to the comfort station in the middle of the night. Or, in case you think you hear a spider and need light really fast!! (I know this from personal experience!)

I'm sure others will chime in here with other ideas for tent camping!!

 

[ntsammy5]

Also, since you plan on coming to FW where there is electric, make sure to bring extension cords and power strips. You can bring electric lights, But, like Rhonda says, watch out for silhouettes. My wife refuses to camp without a coffee pot so get a cheap one if you're so inclined. That's why she doesn't go when we backpack because she wants real coffee not the junk we usually make.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

We have a cheap Wal-Mart Matress (a freebee even) and have no problems.

We've a 10x14 with a screen porch that is just right for us.

Get a small ELECTRIC (not gas) space heater for the tent. You will want one.
We turn ours on when we get there and leave it on 72. The tent is always nice and comfortable.

Camping at Ft Wilderness is like staying at a motel anywhere else.

 

[dreambound]

For FW I am taking a hotpot. I only found one at Target. We will use it to boil water for hot chocolate, intant oatmeal, and our Nescafe (not ideal, but we'd get that at WDW anyway from what I recall.) We're on the dining plan, so we basically only need snacks and our cup of coffee ready before we open our eyes.

 

[CottontailCurl]

Rechargeable batteries were a life-saver for us our last trip. We just kept some batteries plugged into the charger on the power strip at all times. This came in most handy for the digital cameras. One set each for the charger, in the camera, and as back-up in our back-pack. Then rotated each night. We use GE rechargeable and have had no problems.

 

[CottontailCurl]

For FW I am taking a hotpot. I only found one at Target. We will use it to boil water for hot chocolate, intant oatmeal, and our Nescafe (not ideal, but we'd get that at WDW anyway from what I recall.) We're on the dining plan, so we basically only need snacks and our cup of coffee ready before we open our eyes.

If you're interested in taking a multi-tasker (thanks Alton Brown), we use our one cup coffee pot (traveling) for all those uses (and hot tea). I'm particular about flavors tainting a good cup of tea but haven't had any problems using this one for tea. I made some teeny one cup filters by cutting regular cone filters down to fit the travel filter holder. Then we rinse the built in filter after each pot of coffee made so that flavor doesn't get into future water for hot drinks/etc.

Thumbs up to you for bringing the instant oatmeal, we found over time that other breakfasts have the kids wiping out much earlier and needing snacks faster than oatmeal (we usually had a traditional box of sugar coated sugar-filled sugar - aka Mickey Magix - on our first morning but the rest was oatmeal).

 

[kimluvswdw]

Ok, I bought the tent yesterday for the trip, but now I have another question. The tent has a net type roof and then it has a cover that goes over the top. It is vented around the edges at the top. Is a little heater going to work at all in there? I have a little heater, but won't the heat just rise and escape? I don't want t take the heater if it won't help. Thanks, Kim

 

[clkelley]

Yes, the heater will help. You absolutely don't want the tent buttoned up tight as that creates moisture. Moisture is your worst enemy for keeping warm. As a matter of fact, during the day while your out, open those windows to let lots of air flow through.

 

[ntsammy5]

I just thought of something. If you bring an air mattress, bring along an electric air pump too, unless you like to feel dizzy all day!