Camping Newbie Needs Advice

[JessiMommy]

Hiya!

Ok, I've stayed in a cabin at Ft Wilderness many years ago but never tent camped there or anywhere for that matter. DH used to camp all the time before we were married but thanks to me hasn't done so in 11 years. I even bought him a new tent for Christmas a couple years ago but the only action it has seen is in our Living Room! LOL!

DD who will be 10 very soon is begging to go camping as of late. We have been tossing around things to do to celebrate the big double digit birthday when I thought of combining my favorite pastime (Disney) with DH & DD's desire to camp. I figure where better to try this whole tent thing than Disney? I am pretty familiar with the campground, we've visited there a few times over the years.

I'd love to hear from any newer campers that had never camped before but then tried it at FW. Just curious to hear what may pleasantly surprise or scare me. I am a little worried about the heat, we are planing this the first week in June. I am from South FL so am aware of what FL heat is like. I know June is much milder than say August or September but not sure how sleeping in a tent at that time may feel. Also, we do plan to spend 1 full day at the campground itself but will also be spending a few days in the parks. How difficult is getting ready to go somewhere in a tent? Are there any tips you can give me for using the comfort stations? Any time better than another? How crowded can they get?

I've been scouring this board the past few days and can see there are a lot of good tips. Just wanting to make this really fun for my daughter and hopefully ease myself into the world of camping!! If you have any tips for this newbie, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!!

 

[MyHappiestPlace]

No advice since I'm in similar spot. Haven't tent-camped in ages but will be doing the Fort next month. I'm from FL as well and am aware of the heat/humidity but hoping end of May/beg of June won't be too bad

I'll stay tuned to see what others say

 

[WizardLarz]

If your tent is not big enough to standup in try this tip. Practice getting dressed on your bed or on the Floor. Grab the outfit you plan to wear, sit in the middle of your bed and put the outfit on.

The other option is to get dressed in the shower/bathroom Facilities.

 

[retired and happy]

From your POSTS count it looks lkike you've been around a while, but WELCOME anyway as a new camper.

We go at least once a year,but in a motorhome. I can tell you the comfort stations offer spacious accommodations and privacy...and airconditioning.

You may have seen other posts where tenters have rigged a small AC into a window of their tent. At least a fan will be needed if not an AC. By the way, have you made reservations? They can be hard to get under the current WDW system.

I don't have much more to add except maybe we'll see you there (Jun 6-11). Look for DISer signs around the Fort. And will you get a golf cart? Very Handy.

 

[JessiMommy]

From your POSTS count it looks lkike you've been around a while, but WELCOME anyway as a new camper.

We go at least once a year,but in a motorhome. I can tell you the comfort stations offer spacious accommodations and privacy...and airconditioning.

You may have seen other posts where tenters have rigged a small AC into a window of their tent. At least a fan will be needed if not an AC. By the way, have you made reservations? They can be hard to get under the current WDW system.

I don't have much more to add except maybe we'll see you there (Jun 6-11). Look for DISer signs around the Fort. And will you get a golf cart? Very Handy.

Yes, I've been around a while. I've stayed at almost every resort on property but never tried tent camping. We have already made the reservations and absolutely will have a fan or two! We won't be renting a golf cart but do plan to bring our bikes. The more I read here the more excited I get!

 

[lisard]

Ft. Wilderness was my first camping experience last November. I am a single mom and my son has been dying to go camping since all of his friends go. In December 2008 we had dinner at Trails End so we got a mini "tour" of the campground. I said to myself "now I could do this kind of camping." We bought an inexpensive tent and air mattress, used our regular sheets and blankets and planned to eat meals we didn't have to cook. (deli meat, pb&js, cereal, etc.)

We had such a great time that we have been back to the Fort once since and have two more trips booked. We bought a new, bigger tent, sleeping bags, screen tent, stove and many other accessories. We have even tried state park camping in between.

The Fort is an excellent first camping experience. You will love it!

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

We are campers and currently RV camp in the New England area. Our family has not tent camped since 1993 ** until recently ** (read below):

We just got back from 6 interestingnights at Fort Wilderness...

Here is my advice:

* First and foremost - bring enough tarps and set them up! We only had one! It wasn't enough and our tent got absolutely soaked. Fortunately a camping neighbor helped us out.
* If it rains (or even if it doesn't) bring lots of quarters for laundry. I think I did laundry every day because things got wet.
* Bring a good air mattress. I found this to be quite comfortable (esp. after a long day at the park)
* Ice is $2.00 a bag.
* A fan might help with the heat. We camped in April and even with a sleeping bag I was a bit chilly a few nights...

Positive things:

* The kids loved it! They met so many new friends.
* The sites are awesome. I had electric and brought my coffee pot and portable fridge.
* The kids loved catching frogs, exploring, etc. They did get a little dirty but nothing too bad.
* For the most part we were at the parks. We didn't spend too much time at our campsite (except for some mornings where the kids played and we cleaned up). One day we came back for Margarittas and a took the kids to the pool.

Let me know if you have specific questions....

 

[clkelley]

I used to tent camp quite frequently at the Fort. I never bothered trying to dress in the tent. I slept in cotton gym shorts and a heavy weight t-shirt or sweat shirt.

I use a bookbag with many pockets as my shower bag.

I took my shower at night and changed into sleep clothes then, and before bed, swapped out my dirty clothes for clean in my shower bag.

I had to go to the comfort station first thing in the morning anyway, so all I had to do is slip on sandals and grab that bag. Then changed in the private shower in the morning.

As previous poster said, I used an air mattress and sheets and blanket. One thing I did is sewed the top sheet to the bottom sheet at the foot. That way the top sheet didn't end up around my waist.

All of my tent camping trips were in December, so I was dealing with cold, not heat, but I did tent camp other places in the heat without electricity. Just keep plenty of air flow going in your tent. Since you'll have electric, a fan running all day will keep things breezy at least.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Ten years ago I found myself suddenly a single mom with 4 kids (1 girl and 3 boys). We'd always vacationed at Disney every couple of years and I didn't want that to change for the kids...but we were living on a new, very tight budget. So having never camped before, I loaded up the van and headed for Fort Wilderness. (From NewJersey!)
Here's what we learned that first summer: Florida is hot and wet! Put a tarp under the tent to keep water from coming in the flooring. A tarp over the top of the tent is also a good idea. Bring a fan or two; it makes a world of difference in overall comfort. And buy a Big tent - one you can stand/live in. (If the label says 8 person tent, it's good for 4). Buy a screen room for the picnic table.
Try to think of all your questions and check this board for answers and make supply lists.
Try not to rush to the parks every day. Plan to hang around Ft Wilderness one or two of the days. Ft Wilderness is family time; savor the moment.
It's 10 years later now, and although we've stayed at most of the Disney Resorts (and love the W Lodge and Riverside), Ft Wilderness has become our favorite. We still camp at Ft Wilderness every summer. We only drove once though; now we fly. See you in August...

 

[chartle]

If at all possible I wouldn't try out the tent at FW first. I would go for a weekend at a local campground to get the kinks out of how to set up the tent and your campsite. You don't want to waste valuable resort/park time picking things up or figuring stuff out.

This will let you figure out what you forgot and what you didn't really need.

We were camping once and were next to a family that decided they wanted to camp so they went to the store and bought want they thought they needed. We invited them to cook their food over at our site after we saw the farther trying to make pancakes in the rain over a fire with half his body inside their way too small tent.

At home you are used to just going into a drawer and picking out the perfect utensil for what ever need.

Here are a few things that I remember being forgotten over my 48 years of camping that are easy to forget.

Hammer to pound in tent spikes, You may not find a good rock or shoe.

Stainer for pasta, I've seen many a pot of noodles end up on the ground trying to use the lid.

And the winner is a corkscrew, there are very few tools that can replace it. I've seen an entire tool box pulled out trying to get a little cork out of a bottle.

 

[BradyBz12]

If at all possible I wouldn't try out the tent at FW first. I would go for a weekend at a local campground to get the kinks out of how to set up the tent and your campsite. You don't want to waste valuable resort/park time picking things up or figuring stuff out.

Great advice!

My one tidbit would be - regardless of the time of year - keep anything you absolutely don't want to get wet in the car. If you're not driving, those giant ziploc bags are your friend.

 

[TinkinTN]

If at all possible I wouldn't try out the tent at FW first. I would go for a weekend at a local campground to get the kinks out of how to set up the tent and your campsite. You don't want to waste valuable resort/park time picking things up or figuring stuff out.


I agree too!
We have had 1 prior tent camping trip. We went to a local state park thinking setting up the tent was the least of our worries...wrong!!!
It took us about 3 hrs, using headlights and kids with flashlights to finally get it up......needless to say, I was glad we close to home.

We are planning a camping trip at FW in October but we are camping locally in May first........

 

[YodaGirl]

You've gotten some great advice thus far. I don't really have much to add, but I'll share my 2 experinces.

We've attempted tent camping at the Fort twice. The first time was the week of July 4th back in 2004. It was DH's first trip...oh the memories that we made. DH wanted to save room in our Saturn and didn't want to pack a large cooler. He planned on purchasing food at the trading post. Oh, the amount of times that I tried to reason with him, but to no avail. Upon arrival, he checked out the prices of the food at the trading post. I failed miserably at holding back an "I told you so," and in the end, we were hot and thirsty and hungry. Really dumb mistake, and DH resolved to never go san cooler again.

Fans...oh, how I loved my fan.

Our second attempt was in May of last year. It poured the WHOLE FLIPPIN' TIME...oh yeah, until we left... Ensure that you've water proofed your tent (which considering we've been using it w/o many problems for 5 years, we thought it was okay). We eventually jumped ship for my parent's travel trailer (we were staying on the same site). The rain coupled with food poisoning from Chef Mickey's left me with no desire to remain in the tent. As previously mentioned, do make sure you've got enough tarps...

Despite everything, we really did have an amazing time. I love tent camping, and I love the Fort. Combine the 2 and what could be better?

 

[maxiesmom]

I hope you don't mind if I hop in here and ask a question. How do you all rig up your tarps that you use over your tents? Do you buy seperate poles, bungie them up, or use rope?

 

[JessiMommy]

If at all possible I wouldn't try out the tent at FW first. I would go for a weekend at a local campground to get the kinks out of how to set up the tent and your campsite. You don't want to waste valuable resort/park time picking things up or figuring stuff out.

This will let you figure out what you forgot and what you didn't really need.

We were camping once and were next to a family that decided they wanted to camp so they went to the store and bought want they thought they needed. We invited them to cook their food over at our site after we saw the farther trying to make pancakes in the rain over a fire with half his body inside their way too small tent.

At home you are used to just going into a drawer and picking out the perfect utensil for what ever need.

Here are a few things that I remember being forgotten over my 48 years of camping that are easy to forget.

Hammer to pound in tent spikes, You may not find a good rock or shoe.

Stainer for pasta, I've seen many a pot of noodles end up on the ground trying to use the lid.

And the winner is a corkscrew, there are very few tools that can replace it. I've seen an entire tool box pulled out trying to get a little cork out of a bottle.

Some very good advice. We are not planning on preparing any food this trip and my DH was an avid tent camper before I came along so I've got a pro with me, thank goodness!

 

[JessiMommy]

Thanks everyone for the good stories and tips. The more I've been researching the better prepared I think I am becoming. I think my only worry now will be the rain. I plan to prepare for the worst though. Having a lot of fun reading through this board!

 

[clkelley]

Quite honestly, I never used a tarp "over" my tent. If you prep and set up your tent properly you don't need one.

I sealed the seams at least every 6 months and treat the fabric with a spray on sealant.

Then for set up I always set it up completely. Stake down every stake down point and every guy wire and pull it square and tight.

For water from the bottom I cut a sheet of 6 mil plastic the exact size of the tent for underneath, then another sheet cut to fit inside the tent.

At the Fort, underneath all of that I put a sheet of the disposable painters plastic. I can then just throw the bottom layer away.

As for rain shelter outside my tent, I have always set up a shelter with a frame. Once again, setting it up really tight, staking it down properly and securing all guy wires.

In my experience and opinion tarps are just too hard to get strung up properly to avoid water collecting in them.

If you set up your tent correctly, it won't leak or collect water!! Commerical rain shelters (such as EZ-Ups or the screen houses) won't collect water either.