tent recommendation - camping virgin here
danger boy
Posts: 15,722
I might be going camping next month.. and I don't know anything about camping tents.
so I'm looking for suggestions. I like lots of room. so a bigger tent is going to work better over a small two person one for me.
what should I look for in a tent? what else are the minmum gear I would need for camping? this may sound strange.. but I dont' have any camping gear at all.. except a air bed.
any other info would be helpful. Oh yeah.. how do you pack food for a weekend camp out? I'm thinking you bring your own gallon jugs of water.. as we're not staying at a campground with hook ups. but down the river a ways.
so I'm looking for suggestions. I like lots of room. so a bigger tent is going to work better over a small two person one for me.
what should I look for in a tent? what else are the minmum gear I would need for camping? this may sound strange.. but I dont' have any camping gear at all.. except a air bed.
any other info would be helpful. Oh yeah.. how do you pack food for a weekend camp out? I'm thinking you bring your own gallon jugs of water.. as we're not staying at a campground with hook ups. but down the river a ways.
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Post edited by danger boy on
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I hope someone going with you is an experienced camper.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
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Yeahhh... like John said, if you're inexperienced you really want to stay in a real campground until you get the hang of it.
I have a feeling you're going to get a million opinions on what to buy and bring. Is there a space requirement for gear? If you're just backing your car up to a campsite, bring twice as much of everything as you'll need, it can't hurt. If you're hiking / boating to the site.... well, I hope you have someone who knows what they're doing with you.
That said, I've always gotten by with pretty cheap / budget equipment (including tents and whatnot) and just some common sense, so if you're a clever guy I'm sure you can figure it out If you will it, dude, it is no dream. -
Bigger tents = less likely hood of finding a level spot to fit the daggum thing. Take that from an experienced camper.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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min. gear for camping?? sleeping bag, hot dogs and booze! Sometimes camping supply stores have demo tents you can "rent" for a weekend..maybe look into that before buying a tent just in care you don't care for camping. Can't imagine not liking it though, unless you get totally washed out.Yep, my name really is Bob.
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Don't be tempted to get the biggest tent. It's not like your house. Get one which is of sufficient size, and as light weight as possible. I'm not saying you should buy the mini-tent made with the latest and greatest materiuals for $800, but keep it small.
If you're carrying it anywhere you will regret it if you buy the one that "had a lot more room in it" (and weighs 20lbs more)
W -
What is the likely hood of rain? That's really the biggest difference between cheap tents and more expensive ones. The better ones hold up better in bad weather and will last longer.
If you will be in the tent by yourself, I'd just get a 2-person tent. If you plan on having company in the tent, I'd probably go up to a 4-person tent, but not any bigger. Dome tents are usually the most stable in bad weather. Get one with a full rain fly also.
I'd go to REI and see what they have. Or, you can go to their outlet webpage and have it shipped to the store for free. They have some nice tents for $100 or less.For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore... -
Here's an idea:
1) Borrow (or buy) a tent that you think you will like.
2) Put it up in your backyard next weekend, and maybe again the next after that.
3) Sleep in it on Fridays and Saturdays (or whenever you won't be working the next day).
4) Cook and eat in your backyard exclusively, for at least breakfast and dinner, as if no kitchen was available nearby.
5) Include practicing storing the food you will need outside, near the tent. Include also washing whatever you expect to wash without using your indoor kitchen.
6) Figure out what you think worked well, and what worked not so much!
7) Let us know how you got on, so that we can laugh at you and ridicule your efforts.
If you can't "rough it" in your own backyard ... you should probably cancel your plans! If it works out well, it may give you quite a few ideas of your own about what you would like to have along with you.
If you intend to shave every day while camping, try that too as if no bathroom was available.
He he he! This should be fun.Alea jacta est! -
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What is the likely hood of rain?
If you're planning a camping trip, the likelihood of rain, in your head at least, should be 100%. If you don't plan for it, it WILL happen.If you will it, dude, it is no dream. -
No doubt.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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The basic things you need to cover:
Eating/drinking
Shelter/sleeping
What you are going to eat really depends on what type of camping you're doing. If you're "car camping", where you'll have your vehicle at the camping site, you can live the life of Riley. Bring a big **** cooler, a grill, a dutch oven, the works. Backpacking, your limited to what you can tolerate carrying around on your back.
Similar thing with shelter. You can get a big, heavy, Taj Mahal tent for car camping, but for backpacking you'd want something light and packable.
Either way, you'll need the tent, tent stakes, a tarp or ground cloth for under the tent for shelter. Depending on the weather and site location, you may want to bring some light rope for guy lines to keep the tent still. You've got the air mattress already, get a sleeping bag and you're set WRT to the shelter/sleeping basics.
WRT food and drinking, it's really dependent on the amenities the site has. If you're living out of the car, yes you'd want jugs of water. Bring twice what you'd think you'll need, you're going to use it.
As Jesse said, REI is a great store with typically helpful clerks that camp themselves. You will leave with a much lighter wallet, it's like going to Music Direct (or whatever high end audio store) and letting them set you up a system from the ground up. My favorite place to buy from is Sierra Trading Post which sells seconds, last years models, and overstocks at really good prices. Excellent service to boot.
If you have questions about specific models or anything, lemme know. In my perfect world I'd live in the woods surrounded by nature and my stereo.Wristwatch--->Crisco -
I hope someone going with you is an experienced camper.
me too.. but you know I have watched every season of Survivor
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
I cheat..............Go out and buy yourself a camper:D. But really everyone here has good advice and I too hope that someone else that has experience is going along with. I know it sounds stupid but some of these tents are a real pain in the A$$:eek: to put up and you don't want to be out there looking like a dumb a$$ trying to set it up for the first time so yes practice putting it up in the backyard to get the hang of it. Good luck I know that you will enjoy camping I go every weekend may thru october.
best regards
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I've gone twice in the past month and its great. We use an 8 man tent and yes - it's hard to find a place ot level it out. We managed and it was great being able to sit in it and play board games when it poured rain. Make sure to have a good utility knife/hatchet. Those come in handy more often then you'd imagine.Main Surround -
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If you seriously have no one with any experience going with you then two things you should NOT do are bring booze and camp in your own makeshift spot away from any facilities like a water source (well or frost-free) and emergency services.
You absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt need a COMPLETE first aid kit preferably with a bee sting kit in it. None of this band-aids and ointment with a useless needle and thread BS. If anything, find a store that sells Boy Scout camping stuff and get a B.S.A. approved kit. It should have everything except maybe a disinfectant like Mercurochrome, hydrogen peroxide or iodine and the bee sting kit. But those can be found easily at any drug store.
Camping "al fresco" is not for the inexperienced. Like what was said, if you are walking you'd better have some light equipment. Big tents are not light. But Coleman has a "5 man" dome tent that is about 5.5 feet tall and fairly compact when folded up. Should be about $150. Totally worth it. I have 2 of my own for when I don't want to bring my heavy canvas Eureka Chateau cabin tent. The dome tents are good for backpacking and walking in to a camp site. The giant cabin tent is not. It weighs 40 pounds. The dome tents are 8 pounds.
I also highly recommend pre-cooked meals so all you have to do is heat them up. High energy stuff with lots of carbs like rice, beans, peas and potatoes and such. You'll need the energy. If you are taking meats, nothing raw. Cook it before you leave. It will store better and refrigerate easier. Also, less likely to pick up nasties to make you sick. Cooking in a high adventure situation leaves you very open to bacteria poisoning. Especially without a clean source of water. The freeze dried stuff is not really worth what you are going to pay for it and it requires clean or purified water as well. It's not bad stuff at all but a single weekend worth of food for two people can cost upwards of $350 depending on the number of meals. They are honestly only for those backpacking in extreme or remote environments. Some place inexperienced campers should not be. If you are not in a campsite with facilities, clean water will be difficult to come by.
Open streams are full of nasty microbes that can survive boiling temperatures. You will need water purification tablets if you are going to go that route. The other option is a still set up that boils water to vaporization and collects the vapors on the still condenser. nasties are too heavy to float with the steam. But that is alot of effort. Tablets are much better even though they make the water taste less than desirable. The third option is to pack all your water in but that's alot of water for a weekend trip and water is heavy.
You also don't want to harm the environment so biodegradable soaps and cleaners are in order. You also need to take care of your own human waste in a sanitary way so learn about digging a trench and proper disposal. Biodegradable toilet paper is also in order.
Two things for survival, extreme conditions or not. Dehydration is your worst enemy. If you get sick from microbes in undercooked food or unpurified water, diarrhea and vomiting will be extremely bad for you. The other survival thing is STAY DRY! Bear Gryllis or whatever the hell his name is shows the absolute WORST things you could possibly do to stay alive. Joke or not, I wouldn't trust anything the asshats on Survivor do either.
I HIGHLY recommend that if you do not have at least one person going with you that is experienced that you change plans and rent a campsite. Camping is work and if you aren't sure what you are doing or how to properly prepare, you will likely be overwhelmed. I know that when I go camping anymore I don't find that much enjoyment in carving out my own spot to squat and by the time the weekend is done, I am not very much interested in packing it up and hiking it all out. I go with a small army's worth of equipment for cooking, cleaning, sleeping and whatever else because it makes it easier to keep the inexperienced folks with me, satiated.
Also, along with the idea of keeping dry, plenty of socks and a spare pair of boots should be brought with you. Your feet are the most important thing to care for and that includes keeping them clean and dry. Raingear is imperative. A vinyl poncho, a waterproof match and tinder case for fire starting and preferably a rain fly for dining under. All your clothes and spare shoes and anything that can't get wet like maps, extra batteries for your flashlight or a cellphone (yes, bring that) should go in waterproof ziplock bags. Tupperware cases are inefficient uses of space. Bags are much better.
DO NOT eat in your tent!
DO NOT store food in your tent!
Food should be tied up in a bear bag or a strong box where animals can't get to it. It should be away from your sleeping arrangements also. Some people I know hang their bear bags above the spot where the makeshift latrine is because the waste tends to deter would be bandits.
Fires should have all loose and dead brush cleared away from them in a 10 foot radius to minimize the chance of a fire getting out of control. The fire should never be bigger than you need to minimize the chance of it getting to a point where you cannot put it out if necessary. You should be able to find plenty of fuel for a fire just laying around but if you must, you need nothing more than a small hand-held hatchet and a folding bow saw. You don't need to fell trees for firewood.
Remember, if you brought it in, you bring it out. That includes a trash bag.
Lastly, wild animals are not cute and cuddly. They are violent things, some poisonous, others dirty, hell bent on surviving themselves and if they feel threatened by you and cornered, they will bite your face off. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone.
Now if you go to a public camp ground most of that won't apply because they will have facilities for bathrooms, including showers in most cases as well as clean water and emergency services. Plus you'll likely have a pre-configured fire pit, an already clear, spacious and level campground and all the outdoor adventure with alot less effort and not much risk. Plus you can bring whatever will fit in your car/truck and whatever you are willing to set up and take down.
Yeah that was long and I don't give a damn.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
It was long, but very informational. You covered a lot of stuff that he might have gotten sporadically condensed into one post. Have fun camping and do what Kex suggests, trust me, it's worth it. I actually setup our tent in our apartment before we went camping a few times just so I could get used to doing it quickly if the conditions were less than desirable when we got to the camp site. This has come in handy a few times.I know just enough to be dangerous, but don't tell my wife, she thinks I'm a genius.
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Here's my stuff. -
Do not start a new fire. Only use an existing fire pit.
A buddy and me once moved from our usual site up the cliff. After hiking for 3 hours, we decided to stop and make a fire for food. By the time all that was done, with cleanup, it was time to consider setting up the tent. Not enough room for the tent, so we bagged it open air.
Next thing you know, it's 6 am and the fire is still burning. Did I mention we put 2 gallons on the small fire before going to bed? Yeah. Roots and moos were burning down to a depth of 2 feet.
We drowned that area, filled it with sand, and decided never to make a fire on unsettled ground again.
Food: Soups and stews. You can add couscous for substance. Nuts, jerkies. All perishables are treats on the way in(pita and hummus, fresh fruits,...).
A good survival tip we discovered by accident. Tapping maple trees in the first weeks of April can make an excellent source of water, and sugar. You'll be treading , and falling, through snow to make it happen.
Also consider bringing:
-Spare socks
-a tarp
If you're going to be in one spot for more than 2 days, you might have to send someone on a trek for more water.
That's all I can think of. Of course, I go camping mostly in mid-summer or mid-winter, in Canada. My experiences may vary from yours. -
ok all good advice. I'll be camping with some bears.. LOL (hairy **** men are also called bears.. so I'll be around several bears.)
and they have all been camping before.. so i'm not worried about much.. i just don't have any of the gear most people usually have for camping. so i wanted to either borrow or buy what I need. I'm thinking of borrowing might be the best route.. since I'm not sure when or if i'd ever use that gear ever again. I'm not planning to go camping every weekend that's for sure.. got to much stuff do to around the house.. and summers here are pretty short.
but thanks for all the great ideas and suggestions on what to do and what not to do.
there will be plenty of food, booze, games, H2o, bug spray, and snacks. Just never thought roughing it would cost so much.
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
A first aid kit is a necessity. You don't want yourself or someone else to get injured, and not be prepared for it. Make sure it has lots of gauze and medical tape, as well as antibiotic ointment and bandaids. Having a small hand held mirror can come in handy as well, for checking on cuts in areas that you can't see otherwise.
Lots and lots of socks. Your socks can, and will get soaked and filthy. Putting on a fresh pair of socks at the end of the day is going to make you feel about a million times better.
As others have said, don't go out and get yourself the hugest tent available. It's going to be huge, hard to place, and awkward to setup. If you want a roomier tent, look for one with a capacity for 7 or so people. A 7 person tent will usually comfortably sleep 4 people.
As far as the food goes, bring a lot of canned food that can just be thrown in a pan and cooked. Things such as trail mix are great for snacking. Don't bother bringing chips if you're going anywhere off the beaten trail. They'll all get broken and shattered, and you'll be eating a bunch of potato dust...lol
If you're going to be bringing a cooler, hamburgers are about the best way to go as far as meat goes. Pork chops are great too. Anything that doesn't require a lot of preparation.
Don't store the food in your tent!! This is a very bad idea. Bring a rope, and throw it over a tree branch. Tie all of your food onto the rope and pull it up into the tree(but not so high that an animal could be on the branch and get into it).
Beyond that...beer. Bring more than you'll need, because you'll need it.;)
Have fun!The nirvana inducer-
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Dome tents are super easy to put up. I had one and my buddy had a big azz two roomer. Mine was up in <15 minutes, his took quite a while. It was windy that night and when I woke up and craled out of my little dome, his was half blown over.
I wouldn't want a big tent. Hell, I'm only going to sleep in there, not set up the SDAs.:)
Have fun,
Brett -
Without reading the entire post here... I definitely want to encourage you having a cooler. Fill it with ice on the way to the campsite. It should last you a good number of days, and you can bring a better variety of food this way. (Of course, beer is much better cold also)
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dane_peterson wrote: »Without reading the entire post here... I definitely want to encourage you having a cooler. Fill it with ice on the way to the campsite. It should last you a good number of days, and you can bring a better variety of food this way. (Of course, beer is much better cold also)
To further that point, always make sure the cooler is in the shade. Also, I wouldn't recommend bringing it in the tent. It will heat up a lot inside the tent, and make the ice melt faster. Also, don't use the cooler as a seat. Your body heat will transfer into it and make the ice melt faster.
For firewood, use only branches that are already fallen, don't cut branches off of trees. Those branches could be the home for some animal. You don't want to destroy that animals home, and you also don't want a pissed off raccoon charging at you because you just destroyed it's home. You may want to bring a small hand saw for cutting up firewood. Make sure that it's a type of saw that cuts in both directions(push and pull), this cuts the amount of effort in half.
Also, above all else, everything that comes in with you, comes out with you. Don't leave garbage laying around there, and don't disturb the site more than you have to. If you're on trails or near a water source, make sure to "use the facilities" at least 15 feet away from the water or the trail. Also, bring lots of bio-degradable toilet paper. As others have said, if possible, use a pre-existing fire. Avoid creating a fire in a new spot if you can. Before you leave the camp site, MAKE SURE that the fire is completely extinguished. Remember, Only You can prevent forest fires.;)
I'm sure I'll chime in with some more advice as it comes to me. Camping/backpacking is one of my favorite things to do, and I've got a lot of experience with it.The nirvana inducer-
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A tip for making ice last longer.......... add a couple freezer packs or make your own out of some unused tupperware containers.Just fill them with water & freeze & there ya have a block of ice that helps keep that all important adult beverage nice & frosty..
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Danger Boy where are you going, the world fair park in downtown Spokane? If so, you will want to bring a credit card so if it starts raining you can catch a cab to the nearest restaurant and a hotel. Oh, and make sure you have a cell phone for calling 911.
Seriously, if you don't have much experience, try going out beforehand and 'camping' out of your car for the night. It will expose you to the 'roughing' element of it and give you a taste for adventure. That way you don't go out and drive REI's stock price up to find out that all that fresh air isn't "your bag baby" and you are stuck with a bunch of gear you will never use again.
A simple 3-season tent, sleeping bag, a book to read, and a cooler with easily prepared foods (read sandwich fixings, Gatorade, fruit, and maybe a few cans of your favorite beer) should be enough to make it a weekend. I have done weeks without most of the listed items, of course I come home with pants that don't fit and bad breath so maybe that isn't good advice.:D
Get out and try it, you never know you might like it, and then start draining the account buying stuff.
And remember, the most dangerous things in the woods come on two legs.
Happy Trails,
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danger boy wrote: »ok all good advice. I'll be camping with some bears.. LOL (hairy **** men are also called bears.. so I'll be around several bears.)
and they have all been camping before.. so i'm not worried about much.. i just don't have any of the gear most people usually have for camping. so i wanted to either borrow or buy what I need. I'm thinking of borrowing might be the best route.. since I'm not sure when or if i'd ever use that gear ever again. I'm not planning to go camping every weekend that's for sure.. got to much stuff do to around the house.. and summers here are pretty short.
but thanks for all the great ideas and suggestions on what to do and what not to do.
there will be plenty of food, booze, games, H2o, bug spray, and snacks. Just never thought roughing it would cost so much.
Sounds like you're going to be just fine. Maybe buy yourself a sleeping bag, find someone's tent to share (more fun that way). Figure out a kick **** meal to cook and you'll be the most popular guy in camp, then get drunk and have a good time around the fire.Wristwatch--->Crisco -
We do ALOT of tent camping. I like the economy and durability of Eureka Copper Canyon tents. Always get a tent 3 times the size you think you need, seriously. We have a 10x10 and just 2 people in it, we struggle for space--I should have gotten the 12x12.
Get an EZ-up for a "duck out" slash cooking shelter, and get the walls for it. THis way if it rains, you're not sitting in your sleep tent. You can still cook, play cards, whatever.
Stay the hell away from liquid fuel stoves---get a propane. They are so much easier and dependable. Throw away the cheesey spikes that come with your shelters and buy the huge nail type spikes that walmart sells, you'll thank me later.
Finally, always, always plan for rain. The second you don't, it WILL.
Our setup:
10 x 10 sleep tent w/Cabelas queen matress riser
10 x 10 EZ-up for cooking and getting out of the rain/eating in bad weather
privy tent for showering and toilet. We use a "Luggable Loo" for the toilet
Our water, both drinking and wash up, sits on the tailgate of the truck.
2 Coleman propane lamps
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So..Al....you wanna go ..."camping?" Gimme a call......:D
Just make sure you have good footwear and a light pack if y'all are hiking in.
If you are driving up to the campsite..anything goes. You could have anything the best mid-line hotels have to offer.
I prefer a 1.5 lb. one man tent and a riverside view. -
What should you look for in a tent - BIG SNAKES.
Good Luck on your 1st camping expedition and play safe.Michael
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