tent camping-what do we need

[momz]

taking a trip in July in a tent, or all things. We are accumulating the items that we will need (not including clothes and food)



. Please help me make a list. I'm sure many of you experienced campers will have much to contribute. Here is what I have started:

Tent
air mattresses or cots (what do you prefer and why?)
bedding (sleeping bags vs sheets and blankets?)
pillows
chairs
table cloths
awning
camp stove
pots/pans
plates/utensils/cups
kitchen cleaning supplies
towels/washcloths
clothes line
extra guy lines and tent stakes
rugs?

 

[FtW Mike]

I would recommend a small hand axe for splitting larger firewood to kindling also when sheathed flat end works well when caution is applied as a mallet. A small military style entrenching tool also comes in very handy. Paper plates and disposable cups and plastic utensils are must have for us. Trick I learned in Scouts is that when cooking on an open fire Is to coat exterior of the pots and pans with soap to prevent soot build up and make cleaning much easier

 

[BigAlsGal]

I'd bring battery operated fans in July. Not only do they keep you cooler they make some good white noise.

 

[bama_ed]

momz, is this for a tent camping trip to the Fort in July or somewhere around where you live? Where is home for you (state)?

Bama Ed

 

[momz]

This is for a trip to Rocky Mountain national park. No electricity. no water at the site. So, we will also need water containers. Coolers of course.

battery fans are a good idea.
hatchet is a must-thanks for the reminder
lanterns-battery or propane?
flashlights

What kind of soap do you coat the pans with? dishsoap?

Also, while there are bathrooms and water available, there are no showers. What kind of hygiene products work well in this situation?

We are camping 4 nights and staying in a hotel for the other nights.

 

[FtW Mike]

This is for a trip to Rocky Mountain national park. No electricity. no water at the site. So, we will also need water containers. Coolers of course. ...

What kind of soap do you coat the pans with? dishsoap?
... What kind of hygiene products work well in this situation?

We are camping 4 nights and staying in a hotel for the other nights.

I have edited this a bit as you raise some interesting things. First is where you intend to go. Is this a bear area ? If so some very different rules apply. Especially with regards to food and storage of same. In the Camping Community Forum you will find a thread on it with some excellent hints.
As for the soap I find any liquid dish soap works well pour some on bottom and smear the outside of pot or pan to just below the rim.

 

[winterwhite]

This is for a trip to Rocky Mountain national park. No electricity. no water at the site. So, we will also need water containers. Coolers of course.

battery fans are a good idea.
hatchet is a must-thanks for the reminder
lanterns-battery or propane?
flashlights

What kind of soap do you coat the pans with? dishsoap?

Also, while there are bathrooms and water available, there are no showers. What kind of hygiene products work well in this situation?

We are camping 4 nights and staying in a hotel for the other nights.

Active wipes. They are larger than baby wipes and really cut the funk. Also, if you have the ability (isolation ) solar showers are often not that expensive and do the job well enough. I have a 10 gallon one that, if left out all day in the sun, has to cool off to use it gets so hot.

Also, a camping "sink" can help you keep everything clean. A five gallon bucket if you are car camping, a collapsible if you are hiking.

If you haven't bought a tent yet, we LOVE our text from big Agnes - comes with a solar power supply and LED ambient lighting. Since we don't lose our headroom to lamps etc now we can hang better fans, etc and the whole top is mesh so you can see the stars with the lights off

We use a camp mattress that is memory foam over air. I will have to find the brand - it wasn't cheap but it is almost as good as a bed at home.

Also highly recommend a lightweight hammock like those from Eno. Inexpensive and a nice way to hang out especially if it's hot in the tent.

 

[bama_ed]

I have edited this a bit as you raise some interesting things. First is where you intend to go. Is this a bear area ? If so some very different rules apply. Especially with regards to food and storage of same. In the Camping Community Forum you will find a thread on it with some excellent hints.

That's momz's thread, Mike

Looking at the RMNP website, it's around 9,400 feet in elevation. It says it can get into the 70s-80s in July & August which means that daily temps can drop down to the 40-50 generally speaking. Here at home in Alabama, the daily high-low temp swing is about 20F most times if that; in the mountains it can be at least a 30F swing. It's that way on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon too (learned that when I backpacked the Canyon). At that night temp, you don't need the fans for at night.

Bedding and sleeping depends on where/how you are camping. If you are camping at a campground where you can drive up and set up nearby, the most comfortable would be some simple cots. If the nights will be cool, you might want a thermal mattress under you to prevent loss of body heat. I have mummy sleeping bags which are a little confining (but light) so when I am "car camping" like this with my cots, I use the mattress under me to prevent body heat loss and unzip the sleeping bag to use like a blanket (although blankets would sure work).

Air mattresses would work if you have a battery powered source (or car cigarette lighter powered 12V source) to air up those mattresses. I don't prefer them, though, because I feel like I'm on a slight trampoline. Also cots don't spring a slow leak at inopportune times.

Bama Ed

 

[FtW Mike]

That's momz's thread, Mike ...

Bama Ed

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Sorry but I am here at work when I posted and most likely suffered an attack of Old Timers disease or had a episode of Acute Terminal Cerebral Flatulance

 

[momz]

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Sorry but I am here at work when I posted and most likely suffered an attack of Old Timers disease or had a episode of Acute Terminal Cerebral Flatulance

I am so sorry to hear that your condition is terminal. Maybe some fresh air would be the right prescription to send you into remission. You should definitely go camping.

Some additional info about this trip and some background info as well....

We are car camping, so we won't need to carry our stuff to the site.

We are not experienced with car camping, this is why i have been asking for advice. However, we are experienced backpackers. But, backpacking is much different than car camping because the minimalist experience of backpacking is actually a bit easier because there is less stuff. If that makes sense.

Our last backpacking trip was the grand canyon in October of 2014. We went down the South Kaibab to the tonto trail junction (the lower rest house after the Reds and the whites), then across the tonto to Indian gardens where we camped. We headed up the Bright Angel from there. It's been a while as I have been healing from some injuries. I had a ruptured Achilles and later had foot surgery due to a chronic broken bone that wouldn't heal.

So...car camping is the future for me....for now.

Thus...car camping is new for us, as is camping in bear country.

I love an adventure! Loved loved loved that Grand Canyon trip, it was a daunting trip but worth every step.

 

[momz]

Active wipes. They are larger than baby wipes and really cut the funk. Also, if you have the ability (isolation ) solar showers are often not that expensive and do the job well enough. I have a 10 gallon one that, if left out all day in the sun, has to cool off to use it gets so hot.

Also, a camping "sink" can help you keep everything clean. A five gallon bucket if you are car camping, a collapsible if you are hiking.

If you haven't bought a tent yet, we LOVE our text from big Agnes - comes with a solar power supply and LED ambient lighting. Since we don't lose our headroom to lamps etc now we can hang better fans, etc and the whole top is mesh so you can see the stars with the lights off

We use a camp mattress that is memory foam over air. I will have to find the brand - it wasn't cheap but it is almost as good as a bed at home.

Also highly recommend a lightweight hammock like those from Eno. Inexpensive and a nice way to hang out especially if it's hot in the tent.

The big Agnes is a backpacking tent, isn't it? Maybe it's not what I'm thinking of. We are looking for a largish tent. There are four of us and we would like to all sleep in the same tent with some extra room for some of our stuff.
We currently have 2 tarptent squall style backpacking tents, but we want something bigger for this kind of trip.

 

[bama_ed]

momz,

We had a tent thread for car camping that had rolled onto page 2.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/which-tent-would-you-buy.3506020/

The question is do you want a tent just for this trip or would you use it more going forward? Any of the tents listed in that thread are okay. The wall tents are fine that you can buy at Academy Sports or Target and so on. The Eureka tent we discussed is a little better quality and would be a good choice if you plan to car camp with it into the future (it is more expensive) which is sounds like you might be.

On the sizing of the tent, most tents come in multiple sizes (4-person, 6-person, etc). Those are "sized" based on about 20 ft^2 of floor space per person for sleeping (about a 3x6 ft rectangle). As you stated, most people want additional space for "stuff" and space to move around so look at around an 8-person tent size or so would be my advice to accomodate 4 people comfortably.

Bama Ed

PS - we did our Grand Canyon trip in April 2011. Went down the South Kaibab past Ooh Ahh point to Ceder Ridge, along the mountain top to Skeleton Point, down onto the Tonto Platform and past the Tipoff and across the Black Bridge and camped at Bright Angel Campground next to Phantom Ranch. Next morning out across the Silver Bridge, up through the Devil's Corkscrew and camped at Indian Gardens. The next morning up and out the top in the morning shadows and straight to a delicious brunch at the Bright Angel Lodge Cafe (yeah, we smelled like we'd been on the trail 3 days but we were hungry). Took lots of pictures and loved it. Would love to go back and do a Rim-to-Rim (starting on the North Rim) again someday.

 

[winterwhite]

The big Agnes is a backpacking tent, isn't it? Maybe it's not what I'm thinking of. We are looking for a largish tent. There are four of us and we would like to all sleep in the same tent with some extra room for some of our stuff.
We currently have 2 tarptent squall style backpacking tents, but we want something bigger for this kind of trip.

No, our 6 person has a tent height that is comfortably standing room and it weighs about 10 pounds - not backpacking material at all.

We have the chimney Creek 6. It's big.

 

[momz]

momz,

We had a tent thread for car camping that had rolled onto page 2.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/which-tent-would-you-buy.3506020/

The question is do you want a tent just for this trip or would you use it more going forward? Any of the tents listed in that thread are okay. The wall tents are fine that you can buy at Academy Sports or Target and so on. The Eureka tent we discussed is a little better quality and would be a good choice if you plan to car camp with it into the future (it is more expensive) which is sounds like you might be.

On the sizing of the tent, most tents come in multiple sizes (4-person, 6-person, etc). Those are "sized" based on about 20 ft^2 of floor space per person for sleeping (about a 3x6 ft rectangle). As you stated, most people want additional space for "stuff" and space to move around so look at around an 8-person tent size or so would be my advice to accomodate 4 people comfortably.

Bama Ed

PS - we did our Grand Canyon trip in April 2011. Went down the South Kaibab past Ooh Ahh point to Ceder Ridge, along the mountain top to Skeleton Point, down onto the Tonto Platform and past the Tipoff and across the Black Bridge and camped at Bright Angel Campground next to Phantom Ranch. Next morning out across the Silver Bridge, up through the Devil's Corkscrew and camped at Indian Gardens. The next morning up and out the top in the morning shadows and straight to a delicious brunch at the Bright Angel Lodge Cafe (yeah, we smelled like we'd been on the trail 3 days but we were hungry). Took lots of pictures and loved it. Would love to go back and do a Rim-to-Rim (starting on the North Rim) again someday.

The tipoff is right where the tonto trail leads off of the South Kaibab. We didn't make it down into the inner gorge. Would have liked to, but could not get a spot down there at Bright Angel. However, I'm not sorry. The tonto trail was absolutely beautiful, and an "easy" trail in comparison to the Kaibab. It was a very nice evening hike through the canyon as the sun was setting beyond the ridgeline.

We are looking at a 10 person tent from Walmart actually. its the Ozark Trail 10 person instant tent. It's not very expensive, but I think we can get several trips out of it. The reviews are good anyway. Now taking a look at campstoves. I don't see much difference in brands. I'm thinking a 2 burner, propane fueled stove with a wind break. I'm not sure what other things to consider in a camp stove.

 

[KristinU]

We are not experienced with car camping, this is why i have been asking for advice. However, we are experienced backpackers. But, backpacking is much different than car camping because the minimalist experience of backpacking is actually a bit easier because there is less stuff. If that makes sense.

You can just do what we did on our first car camping trip: be completely oblivious to the fact that there was a difference and just go with your backpacking gear! We were cooking on our little backpacking stove and just sitting on the ground with our little candle lantern after dark that first night. The next morning after seeing people around with their camp chairs, big lanterns, and good smelling foods of all sorts, we got in the car and hit the nearest discount store and bought ourselves a pair of folding chairs and a propane lantern. We picked up takeout on the way back to camp and felt like kings! We quickly bought ourselves a classic big green coleman stove after that, along with a cooler. And from there, well, we've been kind of evolving into "not really camping" ever since (now that DS is a Boy Scout he reminds us all the time that we aren't "camping"). Anyway, stick with your minimal sensibilities and just add a few creature comforts and you'll be fine!

BTW, in bear country, always put your cooler and any other food stuffs in the car at night.

Have a great trip!

 

[bama_ed]

I agree, momz, a simple 2-burner propane stove can go nicely with a simple propane lantern which I prefer (I am nostalgic for the hissing sound it makes). Both can run off the ubiquitous small green propane disposable tank that can be purchased anywhere. I also have a big propane tank with a fuel post and hoses to put the lantern on top of the post and run the hose to the stove.

Bama Ed

 

[FtW Mike]

I am so sorry to hear that your condition is terminal. Maybe some fresh air would be the right prescription to send you into remission. You should definitely go camping. ...
... .

The condition is a byproduct of the 20+ years I spent in m career. Since retiring from there and now being what we call actively retired helps. Our monthly camping trips do as well. What really helps almost more than our trips to The Fort (Since I took my DW there for her 1st trip in 2011 nearly have her turned to the Mouse side ) are regular get togethers with Friends of Bill. All of it combined helps keep me on an even keel

 

[FtW Mike]

One thing I haven't seen recommended and it will be important is BUG REPELLENT. With all the nasty stuff carried by mosquito and ticks we consider this a MUST

 

[rideswithchrist]

We just used baby wipes because I am a mom so buying specialty wipes was not logical when we have perfectly good ones at home. We also had a squirt bottle of biodegradable camp soap and we bathed in our swim suits under a 2.5 gallon container of water bungeed to a tree. Sure- you're not perfectly clean but it sure was nice and cool after a hot hike. We were primitive camped so we had nothing, no water, power, and only an outhouse-which I refused to use because of spiders.
Where we were, there was not trash disposal and you have to pack out what you pack in, SO- we each had a canteen with a cup and a deep plate that got washed for meals, something to think about if you don't have quick access to a trash can too. (At Disney, I am bringing disposables because the vacation mom beats out the crunchy mom and my sink is small.)

We ended up with a dead rat under our tent- which we were sure was hiding from the enormous snake we saw- so any type of bug/critter repellant may be good.

Also- sunscreen. We use all natural crunchy mama stuff so we are coated in white paste and only use it when we are going to be in the direct sun for a long time, but it is better to have and not need than end up burned.

 

[rideswithchrist]

I agree, momz, a simple 2-burner propane stove can go nicely with a simple propane lantern which I prefer (I am nostalgic for the hissing sound it makes). Both can run off the ubiquitous small green propane disposable tank that can be purchased anywhere. I also have a big propane tank with a fuel post and hoses to put the lantern on top of the post and run the hose to the stove.

Bama Ed

And the smell I prefer cooking over our little coleman because the smell brings back my childhood.