I'm Booked...Now What?

[BelleOfTheSouth]

Hey, everyone! I need your help. I just booked a week long trip at FW campgrounds for this October. It will just be me and my 7 year old daughter in a tent. We are very used to tent camping. I have a family camping trip every year and it's been going strong for the past 23 years. However, it's on the mountain tops in TN. This will be my first experience camping in FL. I know there are going to be vast differences camping at FW. First of all I need specifics in what kind of stakes to use in sand. Also what other preparations need to be made at the campsite itself? What do I need and what should I expect? I'm very excited, but also a bit nervous! Any tips or recommendations you have will be appreciated a TON! Sorry if there's a similar thread on this already, but I wasn't quite sure how many pages I'd have to scroll through to find one!! Thanks so much in advance!

 

[tiggerdad]

Take me with you...

Some really recommend an easy up to put over the tent to give extra rain protection and sun shielding.
A tarp to put under the tent
A portable AC that time of year might be helpful, if not, then some fans

If you have camped Tennessee in the mountains you can camp Disney. Just a little more humidity, rain, and less boulders.

Others will be along to add new info

 

[Teamubr]

Sounds like you are an experienced camper. Staying at the Fort will be exactly like TN... except MUCH more fun! Don't be nervous. The Fort is one of the nicest "campgrounds" anywhere. It really spoils people.

As for tent stakes, it depends on what type of tent you have. If it's a tent that needs stakes to help support the tent, these work well.

or these

I prefer the metal ones though. Generally a little longer and wider hold better in the sand/coquina shell pads than what I would use in the Midwest.

If you have a shock cord pole tent that stays up without any stakes, you could probably use whatever stakes you have. It just needs something to not blow away.

j

 

[PaHunter]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/tr-2-tents-21-days.3377254/

The link above is to one of our great tent camping families and their experience. It has pictures of the camp set up and all. A very good read.

 

[bama_ed]

Your standard tent pegs should do fine on the tent pad at the Fort.

The pad is not sand but a type of crushed sea shell/stone called coquina which, all in all, hold stakes pretty well while draining as well as anything can at grade in the warm, wet Florida ecosystem.

If you are an experienced camper then you should have a great trip. October is a nice time weather wise to be at the Fort. The near daily rains end in September and October temps are still comfortable on average so sleeping won't be so bad (not too cold or too hot).

You'll have fun - promise!

Bama Ed

PS - sometimes people use the word "sand" to describe the tent pads at the Fort because not everyone knows what coquina is. Then you have to explain it, yada yada... So for anyone interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquina

 

[BelleOfTheSouth]

Thanks, y'all!! That was some pretty quick responding! Y'all make me feel like I'm a good experienced camper! While I probably have way more experience than most, I still feel like I'm not all that experienced. The family camping trip is every Labor Day weekend so believe it or not, it's still very humid here in TN, and it rains almost every single year. I'm actually not the best at being prepared for longer periods of rain. We only get those good set-in rains once in a blue moon on our trips. And since we only camp from Friday to Monday, camping at FW from a Saturday to Saturday is going to be a big change from what we are used to. I'm sure we'll do pretty well considering we have camping experience, but I think I'm more worried about weather issues since that's not my strong area of preparedness when it comes to camping. We'll be there the first full week of October, so hopefully it won't be too bad. Adding a covering of some sort over the tent would probably help ease my mind for the set-in rains (I've also learned to bring plenty of towels in case there's water to mop up) and as long as I get the stakes that will stay grounded in higher winds I'll feel a lot better about things. I think those are my 2 biggest concerns at the moment. Thank you for all the suggestions so far! Y'all are a helpful bunch of people!

 

[peg110]

Not sure what type of tent you are using, but a good addition to the list of supplies might be an outdoor carpet for just outside the tent to minimize the sand/coquina in the tent.

 

[Judyfun]

And if your camping in October bring some Halloween decorations. The campgrounds/camp sites will be all done up for the season

 

[snowmedic]

I have tent camped at the fort several times, my choice of tent stakes are the pikes, looks like a nail but only 10 - 12 inches long with a plastic piece at the head of the spike for your tent rope. I feel that the plastic stakes pull out of the ground to easily , and the above metal ones the tops bend, or you hit something hard and the whole stake bends. You can get them at any sporting goods store or Wally Weird for .98 each.

 

[Shanti]

Your standard tent pegs should do fine on the tent pad at the Fort.

The pad is not sand but a type of crushed sea shell/stone called coquina which, all in all, hold stakes pretty well while draining as well as anything can at grade in the warm, wet Florida ecosystem.

If you are an experienced camper then you should have a great trip. October is a nice time weather wise to be at the Fort. The near daily rains end in September and October temps are still comfortable on average so sleeping won't be so bad (not too cold or too hot).

You'll have fun - promise!

Bama Ed

PS - sometimes people use the word "sand" to describe the tent pads at the Fort because not everyone knows what coquina is. Then you have to explain it, yada yada... So for anyone interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquina

Yes, the tent pads are not real sand at all. We brought sand stakes & never used them- couldn't even get them into the hard ground. Standard metal stakes worked fine.

October is a temperate month in Orlando. Just make sure your tent is properly staked & has rain protection. You'll be fine & have a great time.

 

[peg110]

Military Style stakes are the best for just about anything.
http://www.amazon.com/Military-12-Tent-Stakes-Set/dp/B00AW0B12E/?tag=leosm1-20

They are solid. They are hard to bend, their shape makes it much harder to be pulled out of the ground "Accidentally". They have a "hook" or a "hole" for your rope.

The plastic stakes are light but they don't hold up.
the other metal ones are slightly better but they too can bend particularly if you are hammering it in and hit a rock.
The "Pin" style can get "Around" some rocks and are okay, but this military style ones, I have hammered them THROUGH rocks and they were still good.

Now all that being said, I have never used them at the fort in the coquina, but my experience with them elsewhere makes me believe that they will work very well just about anywhere.