??'s for tent campers

[mouseketeer_mom]

On our next Disney trip we will be bringing my 10 yr. old nephew with us. That brings the total in our party to 6. DH and I are considering buying our DS8.5 (at the time) a tent to put on our site that would give him and our nephew their own "space". Our motorhome sleeps six, but it's a really tight fit and may not be very comfortable for an entire week. The boys do a lot of "backyard" camping together so I think they'll like the idea.

Anywho, any suggestions? I'd like to buy a decent tent, something that will last him a few years. Something that will give them a decent amount of space and will waterproof well. DH will help them to set it up, so that's not an issue. And what about cots? Would you suggest cots for sleeping rather than an air matress? We will be there the last week in Feb. so the nights may be pretty cool, are they better off to be up and off the ground in cots?

Last question (I promise). When we were there a few weeks ago, our site in the 900 loop would have accommodated a tent as well as our RV. (it's only 33 feet, I think). However, even after telling CRO about our mootorhome plus a tent plans for Feb. our ressie still say "30 ft motorhome". I tried to stress how important it was to have correct info on the reservation but the very nice CM just didn't seem to understand. Anyway, most sites seemed to be big enough to accommdate us, do you agree? Is there any loop (full hookup non-preferred) that just won't work for us?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[proudmomof4]

There is only so much info that will fit on to your confirmation so they may have your tent noted in the comments, if you want to make sure, just call back and ask someone if its in there.

As far as the tent goes, look around at different stores, look at how many people they sleep and then cut that in half (their numbers are based on sleeping like mummies), see if it is weather proof, most tents now are pretty good, you just need to have some ventilation for humidity even in Feb.

For the cots, that depends on how much room you will have to pack things, I would think that air matresses would take up less room but then you need to inflate them, whereas cots just unfold and they're ready......I think it's a personal choice but both will get the kids off the ground. Maybe think about bringing an electric blanket to put under them to keep them warm at night.

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

I'm bumping my question up because, as time goes on, this appears to be the reality for our next trip. I'm getting really excited about it, but worried as well. I haven't tent camped in over 10 years.

Based on the above post, I think we'll go with a four person tent and a queen sized air matress. I'll bring an electric blanket for the boys. Any other suggestions? Anything else a "must have" for tent camping in FW in February? I really want to be prepared and I want them to be comfortable or they will have to end up in the MH with the rest of us.

These are the other things I've thought of:
a power strip so that they can use the portable DVD player without needing the battery charged.

a light of some sort (any suggestions on this would be appreciated)

maybe three or four stackable drawers for their clothes....

What else am I forgetting?

 

[djblu883]

The air mattress will be much more comfy than the cots so that is good, however, be sure they sleep on a thick blanket or the electric blanket is on BOTTOM as the cold air from the cool earth makes the airmattress cold for sleeping. I use a sleeping bag under me and an electric blanket on top myself. Boys won't care if their clothes are in drawers or just a duffle. Lights are made for tents but I prefer a battery powered lantern. Just pack an extra set of batteries (they last a long time but kids use them longer )ALso you may need to make some ground rule since they will be outside of your domain. No leaving the campsite except for bathroom visits after say 10PM?? Young boys tend to be quite curious by nature and nature tends to be out at night. My young son was skunked once after I went to sleep lol.Have a magical trip. I know the boys will be so excited by the chance of camping there!!

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

djblu: battery powered lantern, check

The rule will have to be, all nighttime bathroom breaks in the MH bathroom. I hope to have them sleeping directly next to me with my window cracked to hear them.

How concerned should I be about nighttime critters? My kids love the little lizards but they may not be so fond of them crawling over them while they are sleeping Anything I can do? or watch out for?

 

[djblu883]

most tents made now have a full ATTACHED bottom that prevents anything from comming in unless the boys forget to close the tent up...lizzards could find them a warm companion then....i don't THINK any other types would even try...of course if they left some kind of food and an open door they could get a surprise....I never had any unwelcomed visitors myself...good i..dea that bathrrom breaks be made inside the MH...less worry they might make it off the beaten path so to speak if something peaked their curiosity lol Boys will be boys of that ..I'm sure having camped with my kids for years lol

 

[OK GRUMPY]

We use to do this when my son was younger. We use to bring a friend of his and they would tent camp. It was a such an adventure for him. This last December my sister and I went tent camping and she had one of those double air mattress that was a twin. She slept really good she said that she was thinking of getting one for her house it slept so good. It also kept her off the ground.

Also enjoyed your trip report.

 

[disneynewbeemom]

We will be having a fan in our tent to help with the heat. This means that we must have an extension cord to run the fan. Will any animals be able to squeeze in through the small gap needed to bring the extension cord into our tent?

 

[Rhonda]

We will be having a fan in our tent to help with the heat. This means that we must have an extension cord to run the fan. Will any animals be able to squeeze in through the small gap needed to bring the extension cord into our tent?

I always zip it up as tight as I can around the cord. There's always a little hole left, but we've never had anything crawl in there!

 

[tkd lisa]

I have to say that I've had really good luck with Eureka tents. We have a two person pup tent that's more than 20 years old and it's still in excellent shape (and easy to put up, especially given the technology of the day).

When my DS graduated to Boy Scouts, we ended up buying him a Eureka EXO 3 person tent. (It's not available anymore, but similar ones are). It is big enough for 2 boys, assuming they don't have to store gear inside. There's a fair amount of room under the rain fly to store things that are in rubbermaid tubs. It's easy to put up (DS did it by himself when he was 10 1/2), and they've got excellent customer service.

They aren't cheap, but they last!