Found two cool gadgets for Tent Camping

[clkelley]

Coleman has two cool gadgets that I got this weekend. One is a light that attaches to the roof or side of your tent with a magnet and the other is a fan that attaches to the roof or side of your tent with a magent. They run on four AA battereis. I always hated trying to squirm around the tent with a flashlight. The fan works great too even in cool weather to help dry out the moisture you always get.

Another trick I tried this weekend. I got really tired of trying to get my tent back in the miniscule bag that it came with, so I gave up trying.

I bought a 45 gallon Sterilite bin (Wal-Mart) for $7 and it holds my air mattress, pump, linens, pillow, groundcloths, tent (just folded, not rolled in the bag), poles, stakes, stake mallet, lanterns, mess kit, etc. perfectly.

So now I just pack a few clothes and grab that bin and I'm ready to go camping.

When I get home I just lay the tent out in the driveway and put the linens in the washer and dryer and by the time they are washed and dryed the tent is usually dry and I just put everything back in and put the bin on a shelf in my garage. This has saved me lots of time in rolling and rerolling and gathering up stuff. It's all there together!!

I have also bought a smaller bin for Ft. Wilderness specific stuff such as extension cords, power strips, alarm clock, etc.

It is now Monday 11/10/2003 at 4:03:21 PM
Event: Mousefest 2003 at Ft. Wilderness!!!
Scheduled For 12/3/2003 05:30 AM
22 days 13 hours 26 minutes 39 seconds or
3 weekends or
23 days or
541 hours (361 waking hours) or
32,486 minutes or
1,949,198 seconds

Carol

 

[Rhonda]

Hi! We do the bin thing too! They are so handy, and they keep the car neat too!

Thanks for the tips on the lights & fans!

 

[Disney Campers]

It is now Monday 11/10/2003 at 4:03:21 PM
Event: Mousefest 2003 at Ft. Wilderness!!!
Scheduled For 12/3/2003 05:30 AM
22 days 13 hours 26 minutes 39 seconds or
3 weekends or
23 days or
541 hours (361 waking hours) or
32,486 minutes or
1,949,198 seconds

i get the feeling you might be just a tad bit excited about your trip

 

[Mic]

Carol-
You just made my day! For a camping expert such as yourself to suggest 2 things I already do makes me feel like I might be on the right track after all(despite my children's attempt to convince me otherwise). My DH camped as a child once a year at the beach in his family's travel trailer, but I never did. When my son joined the cub scouts 2 years ago, I decided we were going to become a camping family, and ENJOY it! But the resistance I encounter from hubby and our 3 daughters makes it hard sometimes. I discovered the bin/tote trick on our first outing when I tried to get the tent back in that itty-bitty bag. I, too, purchased a tent light for our trip, and my girls liked it(the only thing they did not complain about). I did not buy the coleman fan, but I managed to pick up a few small oscillating fans at wal-mart in Sept. for $5 each. The only 2 things I would have brought with me that I did not on the first trip was a fan(to help cut down on that icky-sticky feeling in the tent in the morning)and a screenhouse. Now that I have those things, I need to start working on getting the family to give camping another try next year! Until then, I'll just live vicariously through you...have a great trip!

 

[Strapped-4-Cache]

clkelley:

We've been doing the Rubbermaid bin thing for a while. It's a real time saver.

We've started using smaller bins to keep us organized now. One holds all of the cooking & cleaning gear, one holds the tools, rope, hardare, etc.

Our tent comes in a roomy bag and it wouldn't fit in anything short of the largest tubs. I'd hate to give up that bag anyway - it has handles on the top and both sides and wheels to help move it around on paved areas. (Yeah, it's big - 12 x 15 and HEAVY! But I can stand up in it from one side to the other and there's lots of room in it.)

We also use small collapsible crates in the tent to keep our stuff organized while camping. There's few things more frustrating than knowing you have something but you can't find it amid the clutter.

Regards,

- Mark

 

[clkelley]

We have always used smaller tents so that each of us has our own individual tent. I never have anything in my tent except for myself and my sleeping stuff. I either leave the clothing bag in the back of the pickup truck if the truck will be nearby, or if we have to park away from our camping area, I have it setting outside my tent tied up in a large garbage bag. If we have restroom facilities available, I change clothes in the restroom, if not, we usually set up a latrine and a shower and set up tarps for privacy, and i'll change in there.

 

[jwill]

The Coleman tent light is a nice item.
Last year I picked up a remote control light that attached to the tent ceiling with velcro at Sears. The remote looked like a car remote and had a keychain attachment. It worked well, walking toward my tent at night and pushing the button lighting the tent up guiding the way.