Introduction and some questions

[TravellingMom]

Hello! I have been visiting the forum for a while and figured I should start posting. My name is Amy, and I'm a married mother of four -- ages 9 (daughter), 6 (son), 4 (daughter), and 2 (daughter).

We've visited Fort Wilderness four times in our travel trailer. Our first stay was in July 2007 and we stayed in 1300. The following stays were in September 2007, April 2008, and May 2008, all in the 1200 loop. I'm sure you have determined that 1200 has become our favorite loop.

I just read the sticky that loops are changing. 1200 will become a pet loop. Darn. I prefer no pet loops as we travel with no pets. I wouldn't mind an indoor cat loop, though.

We have rented a cart each stay. We are still familiarizing ourselves with the fort, and we learn a little more each time.

In April, Daddy took the smallest one for her first pony ride. She was crazy about those ponies. She rode twice (different ponies).

He took the older ones for their first canoe ride. My son said that Dad was trying to give him a heart attack because the canoe was too close to the alligators and my son said that the alligators thought "he (our son) looked tasty. He's a nut and always saying something amusing.

We recently bought a Coleman Tucana tent from Target. We are not experienced tent campers, but I have been researching. I would like to start out tent camping with my daughter. I know that painter's plastic works well to aid in keeping the sand off the bottom of the tent. I will purchase some electrical cords rated for outdoors. I bought some seam sealer. Now, here are some questions . . .

Do you seal the seams inside and outside? Inside the tent, the seams have about 3/8" fabric standing up in the center, so should I seal one side, press the fabric over and seal the other side?

The tent has a small, zippered port near the front bottom for electrical cords. Do you allow your electrical cord to rest against the floor or do you try to keep it elevated?

If I am ambitious enough, I thought about setting up a tent or EZ Up for a sort of dining/kitchen area. I am thinking about purchasing a small freezer from Wal-Mart and taking the extreme cooler. I like to freeze large blocks of ice in rubbermaid food storage containers and bottles and use those for refrigeration in the cooler as we travel, so I thought that would work well for tent camping.

I will have more questions, and I don't mind detailed answers. Thanks!

 

[seabee]

Welcome! We are getting all kinds of new friends lately, its great! I unfortunately can't give you any answers on tenting. We are what my DD9 calls "Camperers" I just wanted to stop in and say Welcome to the Boards! I'm sure others will be along shortly with expert knowledge.

 

[ntsammy5]

Do you seal the seams inside and outside? Inside the tent, the seams have about 3/8" fabric standing up in the center, so should I seal one side, press the fabric over and seal the other side?

Welcome to the boards. It's great to see everyone posting here.

Personally, I don't seal seams anymore, but you will get a plethora of opinions. (Just trying to improve my vocabulary).

As for cords, don't use them much so no preference. I mostly camp where there is no electricity or backpack. When I stay at the Fort it's with my sister in her RV, so no seam sealing there either. When the wife and/or kids come we stay at a resort.

 

[twoWDWfools]

Welcome! I'm new here too.

We stopped using seam sealer when still tent camped. As for the electrical, we used battery operated lanterns inside the tent so can't help there. We only ran electrical for in the screen house or outside in general.

We switced to the Coleman travel cooler/fridge that runs off the car and can be plugged into standard electrical. Works great w/o having to deal with ice and the inevitable water puddles.

Of course now we have an RV so pretty much all of the above is moot.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I used the seam sealer on my tent..but to be honest....its still takes on some water from the floor seams...not very much...but if its raining enough for the water to rise up to or above the floor seams...I dont think the sealer can really help...but it cant hurt either. As a matter of fact, Ive had my tent set up in the backyard for the last 2 weeks, last night a major storm passed and we had 8" of watercovering our entire yard...so, needless to say...my tent was blown over and is still sitting in about 3" of standing water...I hope the rain stops soon so the tent can dry out before the 21st!!!!

Welcome to best best camping board on the net!!!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Welcome! This is the best bunch of people! You'll love hanging out here! We always seal our seems and give it a good coating. As for electrical stuff, when we're tenting we never use it...it's usually not available. If it is, we're typically in our pop-up. I'm sure Carol will be along to help.....she's got all the answers you're looking for!!!!!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Do you seal the seams inside and outside? Inside the tent, the seams have about 3/8" fabric standing up in the center, so should I seal one side, press the fabric over and seal the other side?

I do

The tent has a small, zippered port near the front bottom for electrical cords. Do you allow your electrical cord to rest against the floor or do you try to keep it elevated?

We use outdoor extension cords and a tarp on the inside of the tent. We just let the cord rest on the floor.

If I am ambitious enough, I thought about setting up a tent or EZ Up for a sort of dining/kitchen area. I am thinking about purchasing a small freezer from Wal-Mart and taking the extreme cooler.

We use a screen house for our "kitchen" area:

I like to freeze large blocks of ice in rubbermaid food storage containers and bottles and use those for refrigeration in the cooler as we travel, so I thought that would work well for tent camping.

Good idea. Also, if you want to make a "freezer" use dry ice.

 

[clkelley]

Welcome! This is the best bunch of people! You'll love hanging out here! We always seal our seems and give it a good coating. As for electrical stuff, when we're tenting we never use it...it's usually not available. If it is, we're typically in our pop-up. I'm sure Carol will be along to help.....she's got all the answers you're looking for!!!!!

Thanks!!!

Keeping tent dry 101:

I run the seam sealer very generously along all seams inside and out, (anywhere thread has been poked through the fabric).

I then spray the fabric of the tent (not the screens or zippers) with some type of fabric guard. Scotch Guard is a popular brand, Camp Dry, etc.

I buy a roll of 6 mil plastic (painting section of Wal-Mart, Lowes, etc.) and cut two sheets about an inch smaller than the footprint of the tent. One goes under the tent, one goes inside the tent. At Fort Wilderness only I also bring some of the very thin painters plastic and lay that down first, doesn't have to fit the tent exactly. At the end of the trip, the thin stuff goes in the garbage.

I set up the tent using every stake and guy wire provided, stretching it out taut, but not overstretching.

I always put up a screen house or dining shelter at the entrance of my tent so that I can leave shoes, rain jackets, ponchos, etc outside the tent to keep the inside dryer and cleaner. The shelter also is a great place to hang towels, lanterns, string lights, etc. and provides you a place to sit and ponder the universe even if it's raining. I also spray the roof fabric of the shelter with some fabric protectant to avoid any drips.

As far as electrical cords, I don't have an electrical port, but I do have some zippered vents near the bottom of my tent that I run them through. I run one heave duty cord inside the tent and attach that to a power strip that sits on top of an empty bin that I use as a nightstand and plug in whatever "stuff" I have. That can be cell phone charger, camera charger, electric air mattress pump, electric blanket, laptop, etc.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I used the seam sealer on my tent..but to be honest....its still takes on some water from the floor seams...not very much...but if its raining enough for the water to rise up to or above the floor seams...I dont think the sealer can really help...but it cant hurt either. As a matter of fact, Ive had my tent set up in the backyard for the last 2 weeks, last night a major storm passed and we had 8" of watercovering our entire yard...so, needless to say...my tent was blown over and is still sitting in about 3" of standing water...I hope the rain stops soon so the tent can dry out before the 21st!!!!

Welcome to best best camping board on the net!!!

Way to take care of your equipment, Rog.

TravellingMom

Welcome to the boards. Please keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times. Enjoy the ride. I no longer tent camp, but I'll tell you, I would trust Carol's and Tent Camping Mom's advice re. tenting at the Fort without question. I know Carol has been tent camping at the Fort and elsewhere for a long time and sort of has this thing down pat.

 

[Colson39]

Welcome to the boards!

We used to seal our seams religiously, but I swear every time we did it, it wouldn't matter, they would still leak.

We've found a huge tarp over the tent does wonders...lol

 

[YellowXterra]

I use sealer on my pop up. I had a drip and it stopped it in its tracks

 

[TravellingMom]

Thank you for the welcome and for the advice. I look forward to reading more.

I have more questions.

Colson, do you attach the tarp to surrounding trees and how do you do it?

Tent Camping Mom, thank you for the photo. Hope this isn't a stupid question, but here goes. Are you concerned with rain intruding in your screen house and getting on the appliances, or does having the exterior extension cord negate that worry? Do you stay in your tent during severe lightning storms?

clkelley, did you cover your screens with plastic before you sprayed the fabric guard? I have a Coleman Tucana tent. It is a large tent with screen windows on the sides and back. It doesn't have the nylon tent fabric extending all the way to the roof. Instead, there is screen for the roof portion that is protected by the rainfly. This rainfly is huge.

 

[clkelley]

Thank you for the welcome and for the advice. I look forward to reading more.

I have more questions.

Colson, do you attach the tarp to surrounding trees and how do you do it?

Tent Camping Mom, thank you for the photo. Hope this isn't a stupid question, but here goes. Are you concerned with rain intruding in your screen house and getting on the appliances, or does having the exterior extension cord negate that worry? Do you stay in your tent during severe lightning storms?

clkelley, did you cover your screens with plastic before you sprayed the fabric guard? I have a Coleman Tucana tent. It is a large tent with screen windows on the sides and back. It doesn't have the nylon tent fabric extending all the way to the roof. Instead, there is screen for the roof portion that is protected by the rainfly. This rainfly is huge.

Nope, I don't cover the screens. I just watch where I spray, and try to keep overspray to a minimum. Spraying the rainfly also will get you the most protection.

 

[loveDmouse]

 

[ntsammy5]

Nope, I don't cover the screens. I just watch where I spray, and try to keep overspray to a minimum. Spraying the rainfly also will get you the most protection.

I do the same thing, I just don't seam seal.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Are you concerned with rain intruding in your screen house and getting on the appliances, or does having the exterior extension cord negate that worry? Do you stay in your tent during severe lightning storms?

I've never worried about the rain getting on our appliances, although they have many times. Not only that but the humidity gets everything damp on a daily basis. So far, we haven't had anything to short-out nor damaged...ok, I'm now knocking on every wood surface here in my office!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

I forgot to answer you about lightning. If at all possible, never stay in your tent during a severe lightning storm. The comfort stations are your safest place and if that's not possible then a metal vehicle (not a soft-top) would be the next safest. I've only gone through a lightning storm once without a good shelter (Amazon rainforest) and it ain't pretty

 

[Colson39]

You're taking a chance if you rely on attaching the tarp to trees, especially with all the tree clearing recently at the Fort, you never know what kind of site you'll get, and not all of them will have 4 nicely arranged trees in a square for you...lol.

Your best bet is to get some expandable poles from a hardware store (or they could just be one piece, don't have to expand), and just tie two lines from each to keep them nice and snug if it gets windy.

They sell quite a few "already put together" tarp setups in Walmarts/Targets/Camping Store/Etc..., you can also find them there.

 

[All7OfUs]

Hey There!

Just wanted to say howdy, and welcome! I don't post on here nearly as much as I'd like too- lots going on right now! Hope you find it as welcoming and as well, what should we say, entertaining as we all do here.

 

[wldmtnflr]

Welcome. I am new here too and thought I would give you a big Howdy!