Tent camping

[arthuruscg]

If you are having problems with dew, make sure you don't keep your tent zipped up tight. It needs the airflow to help take the humid air from breathing out of the tent. Having too many people in the tent will make it bad too.

Also, a candle lantern will help warm the tent up and reduce the moisture. Just be careful.

 

[DawnM]

That is how I have always felt too but now I have THREE scouts and dang it, we end up camping.

We bought a tent at a yard sale from a former scout master for about $50. It was a $300 or so tent and has been great and we haven't needed anything else.

Dawn

I'd rather set fire to my own hair than go camping.

 

[erinmomof2]

We're looking to take our first family camping trip this summer. Where is a good place to buy a decent tent for a good price? I've looked around and the best price seems to be around $150 for an 8 person tent. Is that a good price or can I do better? Since I'm not sure how often we'd use it I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a tent, but I also don't want to get soaked if it rains!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Just remember a bit bigger is better, 6 people in a 6 person tent is a pain!

 

[hereyago]

My idea of roughing it is being in a big camper,lol.

Exdh loves to tent camp. They haven't been in a couple years, but last time he, his fiancee, her DD and our DD went, he forgot to poles-is that what you call them? So they had to go buy a whole new tent as they lived an hour or so away from this camping ground.

Now, I do have some camping supplies that were helpful after a hurricane. But that is far as it goes.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

Well, you only need the tarp under the tent to prevent damage to the floor. Since this is for a car camping tent, the standard blue tarps are great and will last as long as the tent.
Don't roll all 4 sides of the ground cloth/tarp up, if you do, water will be trapped between the tent floor and the tarp and eventually get forced through the fabric. Also, do not have any part of the ground cloth visible, if you can see it, rain can get to it. It is better to go to small then to big.

I have never needed to add a tarp to the top of my tent and my ground cloths are cut to fit my tent with out rolling. I never have a problem with getting wet.

Which Kingdom tent did you get? I bought the Kingdom 8 tent during the last REI coupon sale and am hoping to use it a lot this summer.

We have the Kingdom 6 with the vestibule on the front and the garage on the back, I use 2 poles to lift up the side of the garage and use it as a "porch" with a fly. I absolutely love this tent, but only have 2 in it, the kids have their own now. We have loads and loads of room. We also have the footprint as the bottom tarp. It all folds back up very well in the provided bag.

I tarp over the tent because the smokies (where we camp a lot) have these really crappy tent pads that pretty much act as swimming pools whenever it rains, no matter how good your tent the pads do not drain well and end up sitting with puddles of water in them. It is my major gripe with Elkmont, but problem solved I just tarp over the whole rig, pad and all, so when it rains (often torrentially) it keeps the entire pad dry. If we didn't camp here then I'm sure this tent could divert the water with no problem.

 

[North of Mouse]

We have the Kingdom 6 with the vestibule on the front and the garage on the back, I use 2 poles to lift up the side of the garage and use it as a "porch" with a fly. I absolutely love this tent, but only have 2 in it, the kids have their own now. We have loads and loads of room. We also have the footprint as the bottom tarp. It all folds back up very well in the provided bag.

I tarp over the tent because the smokies (where we camp a lot) have these really crappy tent pads that pretty much act as swimming pools whenever it rains, no matter how good your tent the pads do not drain well and end up sitting with puddles of water in them. It is my major gripe with Elkmont, but problem solved I just tarp over the whole rig, pad and all, so when it rains (often torrentially) it keeps the entire pad dry. If we didn't camp here then I'm sure this tent could divert the water with no problem.

Another Elkmont camper. We love that place and have camped there for years, with our next ressies in June. But, once was enough in a tent, having everything get soaked. Your idea is the only way to go in a tent Since our tent disaster, it's been roughing it gently in trailers and now a motorhome

 

[englishteacha]

Wow...I wrote up a great response here...then looked back and saw I had replied already a couple weeks ago. Darn pregnancy brain!

One thing I don't think I mentioned before:

If you decide to buy sleeping bags, consider getting ones that aren't too slippery on the outside. The slippery ones have a tendency to slide around. We bought LL Bean sleeping bags last year on sale and with a coupon, so they were under $40 each. They are cottony on the outside and feel like sheets on the inside. We spend lots of nights in sleeping bags between camping and volunteer work, so it was a worthwhile investment. If you like camping once you've tried it, it might be worth saving up for comfy sleeping bags. We kept our basic Coleman ones which are fine, and our daughter will use them when she's big enough. Oh, a sleeping bag washing tip: use a front loader! Top loader washers can damage the baffles and make them lumpy. I found out the hard way with my DH's sleeping bag from childhood. Oops. I now spend the $3 and wash them in the giant washer in the laundromat (2 or 3 fit in one of those washers) and then I hang them outside to dry. We air them out after every trip as well.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Wow...I wrote up a great response here...then looked back and saw I had replied already a couple weeks ago. Darn pregnancy brain!

You're safe -- it's not pregnancy brain. You responded a year and a couple of weeks ago.... Another old thread revived!

 

[hsmamato2]

as for the damp tent, after camping a few days,you can't avoid some dampness....try to keep the windows unzipped a bit to let moisture out- I sometimes us a tarp under the tent for moisture (never ever leave an edge hanging out if you do this) but mostly not.
I use an aerobed mattress and sheets but after a few days, I stand it up on end for a few hours or moisture seems to collect beneath it,making the tent floor damp underneath....
trying to decide if I want that modular thingy from a few posts back,I've been using a big rubbermaid tub for all my camp gear, but recently stopped driving a minivan,and now have a trunk car for hauling,so I need to rethink the shape/size of my packed items.
ANd I LOVE the EZ up tent for my dining/cooking area- the biggest issue I have is it's so LONG,and I hope I can manage to pack it in the trunk- but it is so easy to use,and it always seems to rain..or at least,we get a lot of heavy dew every day.....

 

[hsmamato2]

-- you might think that in cold weather it makes sense to sleep in whatever you wore that day; however, that's wrong -- any clothing you were wearing for any period of time has some small amount of sweat in it, sweat which will become cold after you lie down, and sweat which will make you cold all night. Instead, put on the clothes you plan to wear the following day -- they aren't sweaty yet.

You know,I've always done this too....I dislike pajamas while tenting.... so usually change into tomorrows (sloppy) camping clothes after my evening shower.....the kids do too! it also keeps the bedding cleaner,as by the end of the day we're pretty grungy.....

 

[disneymom3]

We're looking to take our first family camping trip this summer. Where is a good place to buy a decent tent for a good price? I've looked around and the best price seems to be around $150 for an 8 person tent. Is that a good price or can I do better? Since I'm not sure how often we'd use it I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a tent, but I also don't want to get soaked if it rains!

We got ours at Fleet Farm if you have any of those nearby. It's great. Roomy and a breeze to set up. Doesn't leak either. We have had the five of us, the majority of our stuff and the dog in her crate inside during the day (it was raining) and we all had plenty of room. At one end we even put an extra camp chair that I can use to sit in while I get dressed. (PHysical issues.)


Also for camping newbies a good way to get introduced to camping is to find a state park that has camping cabins. They have bunk beds, an indoor table, sometimes electricity and sometimes even heat as well as your standard camp site stuff like a fire ring and picnic table. The bunk beds usually have a sort of mattress on them so work fine with twin sheets and blankets or just a blanket on top and one under. DH does NOT like camping and with my physical issues, tenting is getting harder so we have actually gotten more into this. It's a happy compromise--especially if it rains.



So, did the OP ever go camping and how did it turn out?

 

[leadfootlevi]

We got ours at Fleet Farm if you have any of those nearby. It's great. Roomy and a breeze to set up. Doesn't leak either. We have had the five of us, the majority of our stuff and the dog in her crate inside during the day (it was raining) and we all had plenty of room. At one end we even put an extra camp chair that I can use to sit in while I get dressed. (PHysical issues.)


Also for camping newbies a good way to get introduced to camping is to find a state park that has camping cabins. They have bunk beds, an indoor table, sometimes electricity and sometimes even heat as well as your standard camp site stuff like a fire ring and picnic table. The bunk beds usually have a sort of mattress on them so work fine with twin sheets and blankets or just a blanket on top and one under. DH does NOT like camping and with my physical issues, tenting is getting harder so we have actually gotten more into this. It's a happy compromise--especially if it rains.



So, did the OP ever go camping and how did it turn out?

Yes, we did and we're hooked. It's such a nice reprieve from how we normally live with TV's, smart phones, Nintendo's, computers, etc. We explore nature, we got a taste of geocaching, swimming is a big hit, camp fire cooking is a favorite (although we're looking for new dessert ideas besides Smores!), card games and books when it rains. I just know that if we were in a hotel room and it rained, we would find ourselves at the local mall or glued to the TV.

This summer we want to try our hands at fishing. We're still learning, but we are already planning our trips for this summer! Thanks for asking

 

[lovesmurfs]

Yes, we did and we're hooked. It's such a nice reprieve from how we normally live with TV's, smart phones, Nintendo's, computers, etc. We explore nature, we got a taste of geocaching, swimming is a big hit, camp fire cooking is a favorite (although we're looking for new dessert ideas besides Smores!), card games and books when it rains. I just know that if we were in a hotel room and it rained, we would find ourselves at the local mall or glued to the TV.

This summer we want to try our hands at fishing. We're still learning, but we are already planning our trips for this summer! Thanks for asking

For dessert - get a couple of pie irons -- We love making grilled sandwiches of pie filling and bread.

Also -- banana boats are good -- split a banana (in skin) lengthwise -- insert chocolate bar and marshmallow in the split. Grease tin foil and wrap banana in it - cook by the fire until chocolate and marshmallow are melted.

You can also cook an apple on a marshmallow stick until the skin comes off easily -- remove from fire and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

 

[3boymthr]

We're looking to take our first family camping trip this summer. Where is a good place to buy a decent tent for a good price? I've looked around and the best price seems to be around $150 for an 8 person tent. Is that a good price or can I do better? Since I'm not sure how often we'd use it I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a tent, but I also don't want to get soaked if it rains!

How many in your family and how old are your kiddos?

We actually have two tents - an adult tent and a kid tent. Works out much better for us. Why? 1) Some sites (if there are a lot of trees or a tent pad) just don't allow for the big tents to be placed easily. 2) the kids grunge and grime doesn't end up in our tent. 3), it can be cheaper to buy two smaller tents than it is to buy 1 giant tent. And 4) if it's your first time camping and you have smaller kids who aren't big enough to help set up those giant tents can be a giant PAIN to set up; the smaller the tent the faster and easier it will set up.

It's something to consider if your kids are big enough/mature enough to sleep separate from you. BTW - when I say not big enough to help set up - by the age of 5 my DS' could generally set up their own little pup tent but not the bigger tent because they just couldn't hold the weight of the poles, nor could they handle the length of those poles.

 

[mrudman]

Yes, we did and we're hooked. It's such a nice reprieve from how we normally live with TV's, smart phones, Nintendo's, computers, etc. We explore nature, we got a taste of geocaching, swimming is a big hit, camp fire cooking is a favorite (although we're looking for new dessert ideas besides Smores!), card games and books when it rains. I just know that if we were in a hotel room and it rained, we would find ourselves at the local mall or glued to the TV.

This summer we want to try our hands at fishing. We're still learning, but we are already planning our trips for this summer! Thanks for asking

Glad to hear you had a great time! I second the purchase of pie irons.. we've made so many yummy desserts using those,

One of my favorites is apple pie.. I use canned pie crust by pillsbury, but you can just use 2 slices of bread (I just really like the taste of the pie crust, lol)... butter both slices of bread, lay one on each side of pie iron, butter side out, like you're making grilled cheese.. put a couple spoonfuls of apple pie filling on one of the slices (or cherry, blueberry, whatever floats your boat), and cook over campfire till toasted.. sooo yummy! I sometimes also put in a couple mini-marshmallows along with the pie filling.. gives it a little extra sweetness, like we need that, lol.

 

[Bibbidi]

I'd rather set fire to my own hair than go camping.

I hate to say it, but I feel the same way. My DH enjoys tent camping, but I've done it two or three times as a family and I've had enough "eyes" (deer, raccoon, who knows what else) looking at me in the middle of the night for potty breaks to last me a life time.

 

[hsmamato2]

I have a bag like this one, It is the best camp acc. we own but mine has a top that zipps. I paid $20 for it on sale from $30. I love it. We put all are paper plates, plates, cups ect in one. first aid and game stuff,wind up flash light from costco w/ radios plus all the small mis stuff in one. that leaves the other two. /we can just grab one bag when we go atving along with the camp stove and know we have everything in it we need plates, silverware, napkins, spatchula down to a zip lock bag with wetwipes to fix a lunch.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/mo...and-camping-accessories~d~163/&colorFamily=70
.

I bought this from Sierra Trading..... I just got it, and I think it's so cool...but no 100% sure I should keep/use it. It is ROOMY! ....but....I am camping out of a sedan with a limited trunk. So I am currently doing some measuring of my main supplies,along with this new storage item,to see what I can get into the trunk using it. My question is can I actually fit more in without it? or vice versa? any more advice?
it also looks pretty waterproof too,which is a plus

 

[1craftymama]

These are good tips! We are getting a tent to "practice" with this fall for our family of 5. I would love to tent tamp at Fort Wilderness for our next Disney trip (Nov 2013).

 

[usd2bmd]

My husband and I have been together for 22 years. I had never been camping until I met him, and I have to say that I love it.

We have a canvas (think Army style) cabin tent. It says it sleeps 8 but it is more than comfortable for the three of us. Actually lasty year we bought DD16 her own tent so she can bring a friend with us.

The initial cost of our tent was a lot ($900) but it has lasted 21 years and shows no signs of giving up.

We live in Western New York and tend to not go to far from home when camping, usually just three or four days.
We have the pie irons, a special handle to put the Jiffy Pop container in so we can make that over the fire. My husband even built me a "camping box" that holds all of my pots and pans, and dishes and everything I need for my outdoor kitchen.