Lots of Questions about Tent Camping

[shellynn24]

Hi everyone! I have just finished reading through 5 pages of threads on this board and I feel like I am getting to know all of you, it is such a tight community over here. I have a few questions and lots of apprehension and I know that the DIS peeps are good at giving info that helps allay apprehension.
I would like to take my kids camping at the end of March (their spring break), we would love to tent camp. My son has been asking for awhile and I think I am ready to give it a go. My questions...

1- How do all you guys who fly down get your stuff all down there and what kind of supplies and equipment do you bring?

2- I would like to keep milk for breakfast, will I be able to do that without a fridge?

3- What is the weather like late march and will I need an a/c?

Wow, that is a lot of questions, but I am determined to do this! I think we could have so much fun. Thanks for your help.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

You may do better to 1) buy a tent when you get here,or 2) UPS all of your equipment to the fort before arrival. If neither of these options is available for your budget...just go with the bare neccessities!!

Milk will keep in an iced down ice chest...you wont need a fridge,but disney rents refridgerators for a small daily fee (at least they used to).

I wouldnt think an A/C would be needed in March, a fan willmost likely be good enough...heck,as unpredictable as FL is...you may even need a heater, but I doubt it.

Tent camping is alot of fun...just wing it. If its cold,snuggle with the family...if its hot, go swimming. Its going to be a blast regardless!!!! Welcome to the camping boards!!!

 

[shellynn24]

Tent camping is alot of fun...just wing it. If its cold,snuggle with the family...if its hot, go swimming. Its going to be a blast regardless!!!! Welcome to the camping boards!!!

The OCD Army girl in me finds that idea very hard to stomach Thank you for making me feel better though and thanks for the welcome.

 

[chipscamping buddy]

The OCD Army girl in me finds that idea very hard to stomach Thank you for making me feel better though and thanks for the welcome.

Florida weather in the Spring and Fall is something you can't plan for, except by planning for everything. I can assure you, having moved to FL 15 years ago from Northern Indiana, you wont find anything you can't handle. We tented for the first ten years down here, and found the sleeping bags could handle the nights fine and a good turbo fan worked wonders for the heat of the day.

Tent camping is great in Florida, and usually pretty dry at that time of the year. We would always do milk and cereal in an icechest. You can refill the ice easily from the comfort stations. We often kept some frozen hamburgers in there for grilling also.

 

[shellynn24]

Florida weather in the Spring and Fall is something you can't plan for, except by planning for everything. I can assure you, having moved to FL 15 years ago from Northern Indiana, you wont find anything you can't handle. We tented for the first ten years down here, and found the sleeping bags could handle the nights fine and a good turbo fan worked wonders for the heat of the day.

Tent camping is great in Florida, and usually pretty dry at that time of the year. We would always do milk and cereal in an icechest. You can refill the ice easily from the comfort stations. We often kept some frozen hamburgers in there for grilling also.

Thanks for the info. I am glad that milk in an ice chest works because we always have breakfast before we go to the parks. I think we will be good with a fan, now I just need to figure out how to get this stuff down to FL on the plane. Fortunately Southwest still takes two free bags per person x 4 people is 8 bags...now I just need to use my tetris skills to get it all in there

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I expected that Disboarder clkelley would have jumped in on this thread by now, but I guess she is busy with work and travel this week. She is an expert on flying to the Fort to camp.

Carol now has a trailer that she uses for her Fort visits, but here is a link to an old thread that will answer a lot of your questions about flying and camping:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1662741

Good luck!

TCD

 

[shellynn24]

I expected that Disboarder clkelley would have jumped in on this thread by now, but I guess she is busy with work and travel this week. She is an expert on flying to the Fort to camp.

Carol now has a trailer that she uses for her Fort visits, but here is a link to an old thread that will answer a lot of your questions about flying and camping:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1662741

Good luck!

TCD

Thank you sooooo much, that is very helpful!

 

[RustManFan]

both times we were tent camping at FW we took the Auto Train so we could have all our "stuff". LOVE tent camping!!

 

[SandrA9810]

Is there a reason not to drive?? I grew up with summer trips to Indiana, so being in a car is second home... flying is just boring and a waste of time. I'll take a two day drive over 4hrs of flying anytime. But I guess it depends on what car you have too.

1. Be careful of tent weight, they're small but heavy. And many airlines have weight limits in place. Make sure you get at least a 6 person tent. They say you can cram 4 into a little tent, but you still need room to get around and have someplace for your clothes and such.

2. See if you can pick up on a fridge swap over on the budget board. They're mostly at POP and All stars, but as long as you pick it up from there and drop it back off, they won't mind. Getting a bag of Ice is 2$ at the fort.

3. Use a grocery shopping service to pick up your food needs unless you plan on renting a car for a day. It might come in handy your first day to get everything you need. There's two car companies at Disney, Alamo and National I think. Pick up at the airport and drop off at Disney the next day. Alamo will take you back to your resort for free as well.

4. If you rent a car, and you don't already have everything you need. Order online, do a site to store option, and pick up when you get here. That way you only have to pay for UPS going back home and not both ways. And every store imaginable is on your way from the Airport to Disney if you take the 528 across. So you can load up on all your camping needs.

5. Make sure your trip is long enough. It can easily take a day to set up camp, and it's always nice to enjoy your hard work for as long as possible.

6. I camped in April 08, and we managed to pick the one week the final cold front came through. It was in the 40's the first night, but by the last night is was nice comfortable 60 degrees out. I didn't want to go, but then I didn't want to leave.
Your best bet is to get both out and ready. Then find out what the weather is going to be 2 days prior and plan accordingly. Rain will always be in the forecast. If you do pack a few extra blankets, then you'll be that much warmer, or adds a bit of cushion to your bedding.

If you would like to join my survival bag swap (link below), I'll see if I can manage to loan you my fridge as well. We haven't used it since our last camping trip in oct. But be careful, it likes to freeze things. And I don't mind it being outside either we usually just set it on the table.

7. You can never bring enough extension cords. Make sure you have a couple heavy duty outside ones a couple light duty indoor ones for plugging in lights and such. We also bring one rope light and put it outside around the tent. It can get pretty dark at night and it's hard finding your way back sometimes in the dark. I use one of the stakes with the light sensor on it. So when the sun goes down our lights come on and the air conditioner. I adjust the time length so the power stays on at night, then when we leave for the day I turn it back to turn on at dusk. Since night time is when we spend most our time there.

 

[shellynn24]

Is there a reason not to drive?? I grew up with summer trips to Indiana, so being in a car is second home... flying is just boring and a waste of time. I'll take a two day drive over 4hrs of flying anytime. But I guess it depends on what car you have too.

1. Be careful of tent weight, they're small but heavy. And many airlines have weight limits in place. Make sure you get at least a 6 person tent. They say you can cram 4 into a little tent, but you still need room to get around and have someplace for your clothes and such.

2. See if you can pick up on a fridge swap over on the budget board. They're mostly at POP and All stars, but as long as you pick it up from there and drop it back off, they won't mind. Getting a bag of Ice is 2$ at the fort.

3. Use a grocery shopping service to pick up your food needs unless you plan on renting a car for a day. It might come in handy your first day to get everything you need. There's two car companies at Disney, Alamo and National I think. Pick up at the airport and drop off at Disney the next day. Alamo will take you back to your resort for free as well.

4. If you rent a car, and you don't already have everything you need. Order online, do a site to store option, and pick up when you get here. That way you only have to pay for UPS going back home and not both ways. And every store imaginable is on your way from the Airport to Disney if you take the 528 across. So you can load up on all your camping needs.

5. Make sure your trip is long enough. It can easily take a day to set up camp, and it's always nice to enjoy your hard work for as long as possible.

6. I camped in April 08, and we managed to pick the one week the final cold front came through. It was in the 40's the first night, but by the last night is was nice comfortable 60 degrees out. I didn't want to go, but then I didn't want to leave.
Your best bet is to get both out and ready. Then find out what the weather is going to be 2 days prior and plan accordingly. Rain will always be in the forecast. If you do pack a few extra blankets, then you'll be that much warmer, or adds a bit of cushion to your bedding.

If you would like to join my survival bag swap (link below), I'll see if I can manage to loan you my fridge as well. We haven't used it since our last camping trip in oct. But be careful, it likes to freeze things. And I don't mind it being outside either we usually just set it on the table.

7. You can never bring enough extension cords. Make sure you have a couple heavy duty outside ones a couple light duty indoor ones for plugging in lights and such. We also bring one rope light and put it outside around the tent. It can get pretty dark at night and it's hard finding your way back sometimes in the dark. I use one of the stakes with the light sensor on it. So when the sun goes down our lights come on and the air conditioner. I adjust the time length so the power stays on at night, then when we leave for the day I turn it back to turn on at dusk. Since night time is when we spend most our time there.

Thank you for the ideas. I didn't want to drive because my car is old and I don't want to push it too hard. Also, we will be going for spring break week for my kids and I don't want to spend that time driving to and from. Plus me alone in the car with three kids for two days there and back...

 

[clkelley]

I expected that Disboarder clkelley would have jumped in on this thread by now, but I guess she is busy with work and travel this week. She is an expert on flying to the Fort to camp.

Carol now has a trailer that she uses for her Fort visits, but here is a link to an old thread that will answer a lot of your questions about flying and camping:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1662741

Good luck!

TCD

Thanks TCD!! I have been busy with work, and then a trip to Disney!!

Any specific questions, just ask