Tent Camping

[Searc]

You'll need extension cords, garbage bags (or somewhere to put garbage away from animals), TP, something to put the AC unit on top of, warm clothes (sweatshirts, jeans and socks), chairs, table for inside the tent, firewood (or buy it at the campground) and containers to put water in (where are you getting water?), along with all the other things mentioned.

 

[RamblingMad]

That plastic mallet is a horror (no weight for hammering and doesn't work well to pull out some "J" stakes) and I know what you mean about the rubber headed mallet. I drilled a deeper hole in the rubber mallet's bottom and replaced the existing cup holder hook with a longer one that was made of s/s. No more bent hook removing pegs and less work pounding in the the tent pegs as well.
Wouldn't buy these unless I knew I'd be camping for a while but they are the best general pegs I've ever bought:

https://www.rei.com/product/682543/msr-ground-hog-stakeStakes all the way down and uses the cord to pull out;, hard to break; things of beauty.

Those are my go to stakes for backpacking and car camping. I’ve never had any trouble with them.

 

[bcla]

My problem with the "L" hooks is they frequently bend (the tops) when being pulled out. Never bought a tent that came with "Y" stakes in recent times since we've been car camping with a cabin style tent. Those tents tend to come with the plastic pegs("J"?) or malleable metal hooks ("L"), all of which break pretty easily. Maybe I'm using the terminology wrong but I thought a "J" hook looked like this:

View attachment 497607
and are made of a type of plastic.
When I used to lightweight tent camp transportation was via bicycles so no stakes at all in general. Sometimes poles got left at home too and we just guylined the tent to lower branches; anything to bring the carrying weight down, LOL.

I have a solo backpacking tent (about 3 lbs) that's marketed as ideal for motorcycle or bicycle touring. That came mostly with Y stakes but apparently with some bend stakes meant for any additional guy lines to help in high winds. I never had to use the guy lines though.

I have a really nice Marmot car camping tent. It says it's 4 person, but it's got more area than most Coleman 8 person tents. It has aluminum alloy poles and aluminum alloy hex hook stakes. It also has a pole repair piece. I believe it's supposed to be held with something like duct tape if one of the aluminum rods bends. But the hook stakes are generally pretty strong, although I've seen pictures of abused ones. This isn't my photo, but they're identical to what came with my tent:

And the best part is that it comes in a bag that has a more room than needed. I absolutely hate tents that don't go back in the carrying case without stomping on them until they compress enough to jam back in.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Absolutely it's important to to a trial run. It takes practice especially with some of the larger tents. It's also important to practice putting the tent back in the bag. That can be a real challenge too - especially with a lot of the car camping tents that come in a box shape with a zipper and look like they were squeezed in using a machine.

I got an instant tent that sets up in just a few minutes. I’m actually way more concerned with fitting it in the bag.

 

[Turn the Page]

I loved lakefront camping for two weeks at a time when I was a kid...because I didn't have to do any of the work. Now, as a grown up who is in charge of all the work, nope, not doing it. LOL

I find it is a whole lot less work when it is just DH and me. Stinking kids man. Somehow when you take 2 extra people you need 5 times the junk, 8 times the food, and it is 10 times the work!!!!

 

[NYCgrrl]

You guys are all awesome. I think we will definitely do a dry run in the backyard.

In Indiana our state campgrounds opened this past weekend. Several private ones did as well. The one bummer is none of the state parks are opening their pools this year.

A state park with a pool?!? Dang you all are living good! They are pretty rare at SPs in the NE.
Are you booking via reserveamerica.com or through the state's website? I ask because some booking sites have very good info about what's available at individual campsites: proximity to water sources and bathing facilities, how level the ground is etc. I rarely need to bring a portable sink to wash pots and pans since most have communal sinks and the website says so. I do bring a collapsible jug to rest on the table for anytime I need potable water. Or a prefilled one like this:

https://www.target.com/p/deer-park-brand-100-natural-spring-water-2-5-gal-jug/-/A-14127561
Don't forget to bring those extra large water guns for fun. Bubble making gear is great for all ages too. I buy them at Oriental Trade at a reasonable price along with glow in the dark loops w/ fixings so I can see kiddos playing late into the night. The kids like to decorate their bikes w/ them especially if we are there for the 4th of July.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The one bummer is none of the state parks are opening their pools this year.

Any of the parks have a lake or creek? That could work for water activities.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Any of the parks have a lake or creek? That could work for water activities.

yes, we are staying lakefront a few times, and it has a beach. Another we are staying at has an open pool and slides.

 

[bcla]

I got an instant tent that sets up in just a few minutes. I’m actually way more concerned with fitting it in the bag.

Aren't those things heavy? Definitely practice folding it. Might take longer to do that than to set it up. And of course play around with how you set up the guy lines and pound stakes. You'll learn how to be flexible. No campsite is perfect unless it's been carefully graded. You'll often have to deal with sloping ground, rocks, depressions, foliage, etc. If you do this long enough you'll learn how to recognize that a stake hit a rock and to stop pounding before it bends.

Also be careful. Maybe it's more a worry with backpacking, but I've heard of some people who buried their human waste in campsites. Imagine pounding a stake into that.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

A state park with a pool?!? Dang you all are living good! They are pretty rare at SPs in the NE.
Are you booking via reserveamerica.com or through the state's website? I ask because some booking sites have very good info about what's available at individual campsites: proximity to water sources and bathing facilities, how level the ground is etc. I rarely need to bring a portable sink to wash pots and pans since most have communal sinks and the website says so. I do bring a collapsible jug to rest on the table for anytime I need potable water. Or a prefilled one like this:

https://www.target.com/p/deer-park-brand-100-natural-spring-water-2-5-gal-jug/-/A-14127561
Don't forget to bring those extra large water guns for fun. Bubble making gear is great for all ages too. I buy them at Oriental Trade at a reasonable price along with glow in the dark loops w/ fixings so I can see kiddos playing late into the night. The kids like to decorate their bikes w/ them especially if we are there for the 4th of July.

I’m going thru the state DNR website. It tells you everything about the individual sites.... slope, amp service, how sunny it is, how close to water, etc. It is super helpful.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Aren't those things heavy? Definitely practice folding it. Might take longer to do that than to set it up. And of course play around with how you set up the guy lines and pound stakes. You'll learn how to be flexible. No campsite is perfect unless it's been carefully graded. You'll often have to deal with sloping ground, rocks, depressions, foliage, etc. If you do this long enough you'll learn how to recognize that a stake hit a rock and to stop pounding before it bends.

Also be careful. Maybe it's more a worry with backpacking, but I've heard of some people who buried their human waste in campsites. Imagine pounding a stake into that.

The tent I got is 50 pounds. It’s a big one.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I loved lakefront camping for two weeks at a time when I was a kid...because I didn't have to do any of the work. Now, as a grown up who is in charge of all the work, nope, not doing it. LOL

My husband used to just say to the kids, "Hey! Why don't we all go camping this weekend?" I would then spend the week menu planning, shopping, cooking, checking the gear, packing the cooler, and piling everything up, so that all he would have to do is load it on Friday as soon as he got home from work.

He could never figure out why I was always tired and cranky by the time we were ready to head out on this fun weekend. It is a lot of work to get things together, especially if you are traveling with youngsters in diapers and need to remember all of their gear, or making sure the bike helmets are packed along with the bikes, or that someone remembered to pick up a new O-ring for the propane stove after it broke during the last outing.

And then don't even get me started on all of the "fun" I had at the end of the weekend when everything would just get dumped in the garage and I would need to do all of the laundry, air the sleeping bags, and put everything away again.

 

[Searc]

My husband used to just say to the kids, "Hey! Why don't we all go camping this weekend?" I would then spend the week menu planning, shopping, cooking, checking the gear, packing the cooler, and piling everything up, so that all he would have to do is load it on Friday as soon as he got home from work.

He could never figure out why I was always tired and cranky by the time we were ready to head out on this fun weekend. It is a lot of work to get things together, especially if you are traveling with youngsters in diapers and need to remember all of their gear, or making sure the bike helmets are packed along with the bikes, or that someone remembered to pick up a new O-ring for the propane stove after it broke during the last outing.

And then don't even get me started on all of the "fun" I had at the end of the weekend when everything would just get dumped in the garage and I would need to do all of the laundry, air the sleeping bags, and put everything away again.

Yep, exactly!

 

[bcla]

My husband used to just say to the kids, "Hey! Why don't we all go camping this weekend?" I would then spend the week menu planning, shopping, cooking, checking the gear, packing the cooler, and piling everything up, so that all he would have to do is load it on Friday as soon as he got home from work.

Our idea of camping food is Cup Noodles and the breakfast buffet at The Ahwahnee Hotel.

However, we've used the camp stove to reheat takeout leftovers.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I have a solo backpacking tent (about 3 lbs) that's marketed as ideal for motorcycle or bicycle touring. That came mostly with Y stakes but apparently with some bend stakes meant for any additional guy lines to help in high winds. I never had to use the guy lines though.

I have a really nice Marmot car camping tent. It says it's 4 person, but it's got more area than most Coleman 8 person tents. It has aluminum alloy poles and aluminum alloy hex hook stakes. It also has a pole repair piece. I believe it's supposed to be held with something like duct tape if one of the aluminum rods bends. But the hook stakes are generally pretty strong, although I've seen pictures of abused ones. This isn't my photo, but they're identical to what came with my tent:

And the best part is that it comes in a bag that has a more room than needed. I absolutely hate tents that don't go back in the carrying case without stomping on them until they compress enough to jam back in.

Those hooks look much stronger than the ones that came with our Eureka! Copper Canyon (discontinued). It claims to sleep 8 or 10 but that would only happen if you enjoy walking on others' hands and feet, LOL. The most people that I ever set it up for was 5 using a Q air mattress on stand, T air mattress , and a Disc-o- bunk bed cot set up. Eventually, I bought a Paha Que screen house for the kitchen/indoor living area and extra sleeping space. I worried about getting the tent back into the bag the first time but it was surprisingly easy and became the breakdown job of the kids along with resealing the tents' seams at the end of the season.

I booked a campsite this August that provides and sets up almost all your gear (the only way the man will go camping anymore) so guess it's time to sell off a lot of my camping stuff. Sniffles.

My husband used to just say to the kids, "Hey! Why don't we all go camping this weekend?" I would then spend the week menu planning, shopping, cooking, checking the gear, packing the cooler, and piling everything up, so that all he would have to do is load it on Friday as soon as he got home from work.

He could never figure out why I was always tired and cranky by the time we were ready to head out on this fun weekend. It is a lot of work to get things together, especially if you are traveling with youngsters in diapers and need to remember all of their gear, or making sure the bike helmets are packed along with the bikes, or that someone remembered to pick up a new O-ring for the propane stove after it broke during the last outing.

And then don't even get me started on all of the "fun" I had at the end of the weekend when everything would just get dumped in the garage and I would need to do all of the laundry, air the sleeping bags, and put everything away again.

The man and I do role reversals. I love the menu planning, packing and set up. The man hated it all w/ a passion and it took 1-2 days after arrival day for him to finally get over his "ordeal". He normally stood off to the side while the kids and I set up the tents unless another man was nearby watching or offered to help . Generally, I took pity on him and told him to just finish unloading the car.
Mind you, he grew up in the 'burbs, and I, the city . We went straight from 10 years of camping every summer to WDW vacations and his idea of true fun came to the fore, LOL.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Our idea of camping food is Cup Noodles and the breakfast buffet at The Ahwahnee Hotel.

However, we've used the camp stove to reheat takeout leftovers.

Well, that sounds convenient. I'm not sure I could convince my family to eat Cup o' Noodles and I don't know of any hotel buffets near where we have camped. There have been restaurants nearby, but that wouldn't be my husband's idea of camping if we did that.

My compromise is to put in all of the prep work and cooking up front, so most of our meals are just heat and eat. It takes 10 times longer to make a meal when you are camping by the time you get a fire going and drag everything out and wipe the table, never mind the clean-up afterwards.

The last thing I want to do is have my whole weekend spent hanging around the campsite cooking, while everyone else is out having fun. For some reason, everyone expects us to go out hiking and playing hard and then come back to the campsite and have a meal instantly ready, because they are "STARRRRRRRVING!"

 

[NYCgrrl]

@Frozen Canuck - That was pretty much my way as well. We normally camped for 2 to 4 weeks in July so I would start prepping and making entrees far in advance and store in the freezer. Left me to make salads and maybe some side vegetables or starch on site for at least 4 days a week. I'm not quite human in the mornings so we frequently had cold breakfasts with hot beverages although once a week I'd make a hot meal to start the day. Lunches were frequently eaten off site as we visited nearby attractions.

 

[Sleeping Beauty fan]

You guys are all awesome. I think we will definitely do a dry run in the backyard.

In Indiana our state campgrounds opened this past weekend. Several private ones did as well. The one bummer is none of the state parks are opening their pools this year.

What part of Indiana are you camping in? I grew up in southern Indiana and now live near Indianapolis, so I've got a good list of parks.

I would also add tarps. Lay your tent on top of one bc the tent gets so filthy if there is rain or mud. We also bought a storage container for the tent. No way it was going back in the bag.

 

[bcla]

Those hooks look much stronger than the ones that came with our Eureka! Copper Canyon (discontinued). It claims to sleep 8 or 10 but that would only happen if you enjoy walking on others' hands and feet, LOL. The most people that I ever set it up for was 5 using a Q air mattress on stand, T air mattress , and a Disc-o- bunk bed cot set up. Eventually, I bought a Paha Que screen house for the kitchen/indoor living area and extra sleeping space. I worried about getting the tent back into the bag the first time but it was surprisingly easy and became the breakdown job of the kids along with resealing the tents' seams at the end of the season.

I booked a campsite this August that provides and sets up almost all your gear (the only way the man will go camping anymore) so guess it's time to sell off a lot of my camping stuff. Sniffles.

Mine is a Marmot Odyssey 4. It's kind of a modified dome design with some cross poles. And this is exactly where I bought it. I actually set up the thing myself. My wife frankly wouldn't be able to figure it out as she has zero mechanical inclination.

I'll usually set it up with a single queen air mattress. We don't have anything fancy -just a standard Intex. I do have an old Coleman 4D inflator. That came with a Coleman mattress, but that mattress eventually started leaking. I think most of the air mattresses come with adhesive patches too. The inflator is great up to a certain point, but eventually it reaches its limit and air is coming out as fast as its going in. That's the point when I whip out my hand pump inflator, which allows me to get it to the desired firmness. Also - it's quieter if I might have neighbors complaining about the inflator. Obviously the mattress starts shrinking when it's cold, but it's also losing air that needs to be replaced the next day.

 

[NYCgrrl]

You'll need extension cords, garbage bags (or somewhere to put garbage away from animals), TP, something to put the AC unit on top of, warm clothes (sweatshirts, jeans and socks), chairs, table for inside the tent, firewood (or buy it at the campground) and containers to put water in (where are you getting water?), along with all the other things mentioned.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of wild critters still in the NE so most of the local campgrounds set up metal dumpsters to throw away trash nightly. As such I just use plastic shopping bags instead of Hefty bags or similar. This gives the children another job: down to the garbage site at the end of the road to meet all their camping buddies and plead for money to get ice cream at the concession stand en mass. Or grab raw chicken legs from the cooler and go crabbing in the marsh before the sun has completely gone down. Whatever got them through the night was fine w/ me. Gosh I miss that kind of camping!