Carol and other tenters, HELP

[mamaloya]

OK, I put the popup option out of mind for now. So.....

1) I have a folding table like those card tables with the vinyl top but it is rectangle. Can I put my camp stove on it? What about an electric skillet?

2) I found a portable a/c that weighs only 50 pounds, is small and compact, 7,000 BTUs, has a fan setting and dehumidifier, and under $300. One reviewer says they use it in a tent. I am thinking about getting it and venting it out the door. I am assuming I should put a rug under it to protect the floor of my tent. Any thoughts, tips, concerns or ideas on this? I think I could probably lift 50 pound by myself. Can anyone give me something to compare 50 pounds to?

3) I think I will add a thin memory foam topper to my air mattress. Anyone ever tried that?

4) Has anyone ever used a tarp on the ground of their screen room? Should I get an outdoor rug instead? I do have painter's plastic, Rog, how did that work for you?

5) I learned a life lesson many years ago about storing food in the tent. It was in a cardboard box. If I bring a dome tent for supplies, can I put food in there in a rubbermaid bin? Or do I need to keep it in the van? If it is in bins, can I keep it in my screen room? I usually keep my coolers under the picnic table in the shade. Is this the best place? I normally only do short trips in my tent, this is gonna be 11 days. Should I have a fan going in my supply tent as well?

OK, I guess that is enough questions for now. Sorry, but I am slightly obsessing over this trip. Longest tent camping trip, plus me alone with the 3 little ones. I have taken them tent camping alone, but only for 3 days. I just want it to go smoothly. I have to admit I am a little excited about having a/c in my tent. This means more camping over the summer.

Thanks in advance guys!!!

 

[des1954]

OK, I put the popup option out of mind for now. So.....

First off.....breathe, girl! Breathe!

1) I have a folding table like those card tables with the vinyl top but it is rectangle. Can I put my camp stove on it? What about an electric skillet?
I, personally, would not use any heat generating cooking unit on a vinyl topped table. You will have a picnic table at the site - use an end of it for cooking.

2) I found a portable a/c that weighs only 50 pounds, is small and compact, 7,000 BTUs, has a fan setting and dehumidifier, and under $300. One reviewer says they use it in a tent. I am thinking about getting it and venting it out the door. I am assuming I should put a rug under it to protect the floor of my tent. Any thoughts, tips, concerns or ideas on this? I think I could probably lift 50 pound by myself. Can anyone give me something to compare 50 pounds to?
To see if you can handle 50lbs, go to Home Depot or Lowes & pick up a 50lb bag of concrete. I'm 55 years old, in lousy shape, and can manage 50 lbs. What you failed to mention about the A/C unit is, does it have a hose (like a dryer hose) to vent the hot air outside? If not, you'll need to cut a hole in your tent and boot the A/C unit to the tent so the vents are inside and the exhaust is outside. You can accomplish this with a plastic crate & duct tape. If you "zip it" in the door, you're leaving yourself wide open for bugs and crawly critters. Not good camping.

3) I think I will add a thin memory foam topper to my air mattress. Anyone ever tried that?
Nope, never tried that - but don't see why it wouldn't work.

4) Has anyone ever used a tarp on the ground of their screen room? Should I get an outdoor rug instead? I do have painter's plastic, Rog, how did that work for you?
I would NOT use a vizqueen type plastic painter's tarp inside a screen room. It's too slippery! If you're referring to the blue tarp, don't see why that wouldn't work.

5) I learned a life lesson many years ago about storing food in the tent. It was in a cardboard box. If I bring a dome tent for supplies, can I put food in there in a rubbermaid bin? Or do I need to keep it in the van? If it is in bins, can I keep it in my screen room? I usually keep my coolers under the picnic table in the shade. Is this the best place? I normally only do short trips in my tent, this is gonna be 11 days. Should I have a fan going in my supply tent as well?

If you have a rubbermaid container with a good, tight fitting lid, you should be okay to leave it in your supply tent. I'd keep the cooler in your supply tent, as well, and leave a fan running to circulate the air. You should be fine.

OK, I guess that is enough questions for now. Sorry, but I am slightly obsessing over this trip. Longest tent camping trip, plus me alone with the 3 little ones. I have taken them tent camping alone, but only for 3 days. I just want it to go smoothly. I have to admit I am a little excited about having a/c in my tent. This means more camping over the summer.

Thanks in advance guys!!!

Now.... don't over-think this vacation!! You're supposed to have fun! AND - you forgot to mention anything about beer or kungaloosh! WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES????

 

[BRDof3]

We used Rubbermaid containers for food and supplies, usually kept it under the ends of the rain fly of the tent. When zipped all the way down it gave me 3-4 feet of covered space outside the end door of the tent. Before we had that tent I kept the containers in the van, though they would stay out in the site when we were there. Never had insects in the containers, but we live in the Midwest, not the South, so I may not be the best one to ask about that. Whether you use the car or the supply tent, ditto on keeping air movement around it.

Memory foam on the air mattress should help. Can't see why it wouldn't.

Make sure you keep some food in the tent with you at night, if you can. If it is raining in the morning, you can get breakfast without having to run through the rain for it.

I found a collapsible wire rack for my cookstove. Put that next to the picnic table and it worked really well. I have a plastic table that I set up outside the TT now, but I wouldn't recommend using hot objects on a vinyl table.

Hope that helps.

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

I have used one of those self-inflating camp pads on my cot for about the last 10 years - it works great. They both pad and insulate while you sleep.

 

[clkelley]

We have one of these for our outdoor cooking. Aluminum Roll Up Table
We love it and it rolls up into a bag the same size as those lawn chairs that fold up with a bag. They have a bigger one too.

I have that table, but don't buy it at Camping World!! Wal-Mart carries it for less.

 

[liv luvs disney]

Gleaning lots of good info. myself. Thanks!

 

[labdogs42]

It never would have occurred to me that one could air condition a tent. What a great idea!

 

[des1954]

Sandi - Take a look at this for your A/C.

http://acboot.com/

I have to give CLKelley credit for coming across this. She is THE Camping Queen/Guru!!

 

[mamaloya]

Thanks guys. The a/c is a portable unit, so has the hose/duct think for venting. I am fairly certain I can zip around the hose pretty securely. I have seen the a/c boot, but would prefer to not cut a whole in my tent.

My son sleeps on one of those self inflating camping mats. I don't like the way it feels. I will try the memory foam and let ya'll know how it works.

I will definitely bring the supply tent along with a fan and extension cord for it. I like having the supply tent because then no one has an excuse to go in and out of the main tent all day long. Glad to know rubbermaid bins work for food. Just a note here that after Katrina, when we returned to our house that was under 15 feet of water, we had a ton of stuff in bins. The rubbermaid bins were still dry inside, the sterilite ones were filled with unmentionable slimy yucky muck. When it counts, rubbermaid. (commercial over)

Debbie, those bags of concrete weigh 50 lbs? OMG!!! Maybe I won't be able to lift it. Will it matter that the weight will be distributed differently? Maybe my ds10 will be able to help.

Good to know about the plastic being slippery. I have a tarp, may try that or just let nature be. That is what flip flops are for right?

Carol, I buy a lot of my camping gear (ok most) at Wal Mart. Any idea how Cabela's or Bass compare. I have those near me and have been dying to check out Cabela's.

The first nice camping weekend here I will be taking the kids on a dry run to see how my camping improvements work.

Debbie, I am trying to breathe. I want to get all my stressing over details out of the way now so I can relax. As for kungaloosh, am hoping the kungaloosh fairy will visit my site and drop me off some. Just hope Donnie doesn't spill it before I get to it. LOL I have already checked the menus at the water parks and they do serve strawberry daiquiris, so you know what I am gonna be sipping on. LOL Speaking of Donnie, a friend brought me a daiquiri last night and when he sat it on my table, he missed and over half of it was on the floor. I should have grabbed a straw. LOL

OK, big deep breath. Thanks you guys are great!!!

 

[des1954]

Debbie, those bags of concrete weigh 50 lbs? OMG!!! Maybe I won't be able to lift it. Will it matter that the weight will be distributed differently? Maybe my ds10 will be able to help.

They come in 50lb bags or 80lb bags. While difficult, I could handle a 50lb bag for a short distance.

Carol, I buy a lot of my camping gear (ok most) at Wal Mart. Any idea how Cabela's or Bass compare. I have those near me and have been dying to check out Cabela's.

Bass Pro-Shop & Cabela's (and Dick's Sporting Goods) are like the outdoorsman's toy store. But - pricey. Check Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Sears first. If they don't have what you're looking for - go to the other stores.

My DH has been eyeing a MasterBuilt upright smoker for about a year now. Cabela's carries it for $499.00, Bass carries it for $459.00. Home Depot's everyday price is $249.00. Yesterday, I picked up the display model at Home Depot for $157.50. Unless it's a specialty item, look in unlikely places.

Speaking of Donnie, a friend brought me a daiquiri last night and when he sat it on my table, he missed and over half of it was on the floor. I should have grabbed a straw. LOL

It must have been Donnie's cousin!!

 

[mamaloya]

It must have been Donnie's cousin!!

I have been to Bass and LOVE it. I want my house like that. I have only been to Cabela's online and they get some good deals, but full price is a bit much. We don't have Dick's, we have Academy here. My friend said she got a great deal on an easy up type canopy there. I am gonna check that out. I have looked at Target for stuff, but never thought about KMart. I am looking at spending about $500 in new gear before the trip, plus the a/c. So I am gonna be looking. If any of you see a must have for me, let me know.

Here is my dream setup. 10x10 easy up in the middle. Our big tent on one side of it, supply tent on the other and screen room on a third side. Any order is fine with me. Tarp under the easy up. Would be great to go from tent to supply tent to screen room still under cover should it rain. I think I would need a big site in the 2000 loop to do that at Disney though.

My dd6 is 32 lbs and I lug her around all the time. I think my dd8 is about 50 or so. Maybe I will weigh her, have her ball up and see how portable she is. LOL

One more thing, anyone know the best way to get mildew out of camp chairs? I am thinking Tilex, scrub with brush and then quickly hose down before Tilex can ruin the fabric.

 

[des1954]

One more thing, anyone know the best way to get mildew out of camp chairs? I am thinking Tilex, scrub with brush and then quickly hose down before Tilex can ruin the fabric.

Take your camp chairs outside on a sunny day and let sit in the full sun for about 30 minutes to make sure the fabric is good & dry. Take a stiff bristle scrub brush and dry scrub the material to release the mildew/mold spores then vacuum really well to draw out any remaining spores. Wash with mild soap and water & let dry in the sun.

If there are any remaining mildew spots you can try....

First, you can try spraying the area with lemon juice and sprinkle heavily with salt; scrub; let sit for 2-3 minutes; rinse; let dry in the sun.

Second, mix 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to 2 cups of water, dab on and let dry in the sun.

If these don't work, Camping World carries a product to clean off mildew, but IMHO, it's always best to try the natural approach first - and usually cheaper.

I wouldn't use bleach on any fabric unless I super diluted it first.

 

[stacktester]

It must have been Donnie's cousin!!

Just for all this dropping talk I hope the bottom of your glass falls out and your Kungaloosh spills all over and you get none!!!!

 

[mamaloya]

Just for all this dropping talk I hope the bottom of your glass falls out and your Kungaloosh spills all over and you get none!!!!

 

[disney4dan]

When we went to the Fort in August 2008, we brought our window AC unit and a crate to put it on. In order to keep the bugs out, we just kept the AC unit under the rainfly and aimed it in the screen at one end and it did the trick. In order to help keep the rain off the tent and AC, we put the screen room over the whole tent, and there was enough room to fit two camp chairs in beside the tent. The two teenage boys would sit out there at night checking out the other girls walking back from the boat landing area (we were in site 401). Just a fair warning to all you dads of teenage girls! They were pretty harmless, well behaved kids for the most part.