Tent advice

[SteveDallas]

So, I've decided to take the plunge and go camping. Even with the munchkins. It was a combination of being out at Forks on Saturday and then today being up for a retreat at a place in Buck County where my boss has a year-round lot for his camper.

The problem is, we need a tent. (Or a second tent--my old one is a 2-person one. But a big family size one seems a better bet.) Any brands/models/etc. to avoid? I've found a 13 x 13 ft. 3-room Coleman model for $100 (seems to be last year's model I think). There are about 2 dozen customer comments, and 3 of those complained that it leaked in the rain, the others all loved it (including leak-proof-ness). So that's my current leader--I don't want to go much above that price-wise, though I will a little if I'm convinced it's for a good cause. This is going to be mini-van loaded, civilized campground style camping, so weight is no object.

[Happy Monkey]

If the tarp isn't set up properly on a tent, almost any tent will leak.

[SteveDallas]

Yeah that's kind of what I figured, so I didn't take the 3 dissenting votes too seriously. (It's a rare product that doesn't have a single person bad-mouth it on the Internet.)

[Hobbs]

We picked ours up at Costco (store formaly known as Price Club). They're called Ridgeway. I can't remember how much it was but it was a massive, two-room hoo-ha. This works out great for a family of four and one dog. No leaks either. Besides, the leaking isn't a real big problem, it's condensation on the inside of the tent walls during cooler weather camping.

[BigV]

We have this same Ridgeway, two room fabric palace.

Bring a truck.

Also, regarding the floor, don't neglect to get a tarp or ground cover and make sure that the ground cover does not extend beyond the footprint of the tent. The water running down the outside walls of the tent should land on grass, not your groundcloth. That way it goes into the ground, not onto the top of your groundcloth and then wicks to your tent floor. Hobbs is right, you'll want a couple of small towels to wipe down the inside of the tent too, with all those lungs pumping out the moisture.

It's a nice tent, but having camped with it and smaller tents, the smaller tents are better. That monster just gives you an excuse to bring more crap. Which is anathema to the reason for camping in the first place, for me.

[wolf]

I don't know if they are any good, SteveD, but there are camping "systems" now available (saw one down to the walmart when I was on my shopping but not buying a tent expedition) that's kind of a tent rowhome that you can put together and have separate areas for the kids, the dog, and the gear. The one that I saw was a three tent string, and the carrybag was not much larger than single tents.

[Tonchi]

If you are not planning to make a career out of camping, just about anything which will cover you for a few months will do fine, and the prices are really great at Walmart, Big 5, Sports Authority, just about everywhere really. Unless you will be camping in really severe climate conditions, you do not really need to keep out much more than mosquitos. Then buy another tent next summer if you are inclined to do the camping scene again.

BTW, seriously heed the advice about the groundcloth, it will avoid unpleasant surprises at times when the weather is not conducive to getting outside and digging a trench to get the water out of the spot you pitched the tent on

As for the styles of tents, from my experiences as a car camper I would suggest avoiding the kind with the frame outside of the fabric. It gives you a saggy tent. Also look for one with a flap or bill that suspends over the top (assuming you get a pitched-roof style instead of a pavillion), it acts as insulation from the sun's heat and rain deflector. I got mine at REI in Berkeley many years ago, they have a website now. I paid too much, though. But in those days there was a viable US economy not based on importation of shabby sporting goods from China.

P.S. Something else just occurred to me: Don't leave ANYTHING you would be putting in your mouth in the tent at night (and no wisecracks are necessary, OK?). I mean that I found out the hard way that bears like TOOTHPASTE just fine. It's not just what you pack in the cooler that they go after. Better safe than sorry, you do not want an 800-pound rug coming throught the wall of your pretty new tent because you did not think ahead

[glatt]

I like a freestanding tent that is supported by the bent poles through sleeves, with no stakes or lines needed. No stakes means you don't have to worry about driving stakes into rocks/roots/concrete-like ground.

[Elspode]

No stakes also means you've just bought a barely-aerodynamic, terribly expensive kite.

[glatt]

Yeah.. I've seen the kite effect before. But if you put enough crap in there, it will stay on the ground when you are away..

[BigV]

"On the ground" does not mean "in the same place you left it" even if it IS still on the ground...[/voice of experience]

[lookout123]

where the hell are you camping? half-dome?

[xoxoxoBruce]

I just want to say Rue begged me to do it.....Estelle started it...... and Bea threatened to break my arm if I refused.
Betty and the ice cream cone? Well, let's just say....I've never had that much fun with a cone before.

[Tonchi]

In a tent???

[mrnoodle]

I only have one thing to add to all the fine advice presented above: if you use a Coleman lantern, make sure you leave the flap partially open for ventilation. It's embarrassing to die of carbon monoxide poisoning in the great outdoors.

And don't have food or toothpaste or anything bears find yummy in it. While the adrenaline rush that comes from having a bear snout 2 inches from your leg is exciting, the wet drawers aren't.