Looking for tent advice for beginner

[penguinstent]

My six-year-old son wants me to take him camping this summer. Nothing fancy; just at the local lake. What sort of tent and accessories do I need? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Cory Hess]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

If this is your first camping trip, or your first in years, I would suggest seeing if you could borrow a tent from somebody. If not, I'd get on Craigslist or go to Walmart and pick up an Ozark Trail. Camping is like any other hobby in that it can be very expensive to get everything you want/need in order to enjoy it. If you haven't camped in a while, or ever, there's a decent chance you're going to find out that it's not your cup of tea. I wouldn't suggest spending hundreds of dollars before you find out if you're going to like it.

Even if you do like camping, an Ozark Trail or used tent will get you through a couple of years and you can focus your camping budget on all the other things that us campers "require". It will also give you a chance to get some experience and figure out what you find important in a tent. We used a cheapo tent on our first 20 campouts or so and during those trips I'd walk around the campsite and check out everybody else's tents. I also paid attention to what other people we were camping with were using. That way I had a firm set of criteria for when I went shopping for a more expensive tent.

Sorry I can't give more specific advise, but like everything there are so many variables it's hard to suggest to somebody else what they'd like without knowing them pretty well. Within one campground there are going to be people in huge RVs, pop up campers, palatial wall tents, dome tents, and small tube/pup tents. Each of those people will have a list of reasons why their way of camping is the best, and none of them are wrong. Even for myself it varies a ton. On a trip with my family I'll be in a 140 square foot tent that cost over $1,000 and if I'm out with the scouts or something I'll be in a 3x6 tube tent that cost under $20. I love both. Until you figure out what you love I wouldn't spend a ton of money.

[toedtoes]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

For a first trip, buy as little as possible and try to use stuff you already have. If you can borrow from someone, that works great.

Necessities:
Tent
sleeping pad (air mattress, old comforter, egg crate foam, etc.)
bedding (sleeping bags or old blankets and comforters)
flashlights/lantern - flashlight for each of you with spare in car; at least one or two lanterns that can sit on the ground or a picnic table
mosquito repellent
first aid kid
sunscreen
ice chests - one for food; one for drinks (try to borrow until you know what size works best and if you'll need it to hold for a weekend or a week)
cheap coffee mugs (for hot cocoa around the fire at night)
marshmallow forks (see comments below)

Possibles:
pot and fry pan - grab old ones ready to toss or pick up at thrift shop
paper plates and paper towels, and small trash can bags (these make it easy to throw away your daily garbage after dinner and not have it sitting for 3-4 days)
cheap place setting of metal utensils (you can use these for cooking purposes unlike plastic utensils)
camp stove or small barbeque; spatula

Comments: I put the marshmallow forks under "Necessities" because with a 6 year old, you could easily feed him using the forks and the campfire the entire time - not requiring any other cooking/eating gear. Search on "cooking on a stick", "skewer recipes", and "roasting fork meals" for ideas. Some basic ones: hot dogs, biscuits/bread, bacon, kebabs (veggies and small pieces of meat).

If you add a roll of tin foil and eating forks, you can add a whole lot more campfire recipes without having to bring a pot or pan (or use it to heat up pre-made meals you bring from home). You can even heat up chili, beans, spaghettios, etc. in the can in/on the fire (just bring a can opener and open the can BEFORE you put it in/on the fire - and bring a pair of long tongs to grab the hot can with).

The idea is go real basic for your first few trips. Get an understanding and familiarity with sleeping outdoors, making and maintaining a campfire, and keep what you bring real simple. Once you get all that worked out, then you can start expanding. This way, you don't overwhelm yourself on the first outing.

Again, with a 6 year old, you can't go wrong. He's going to have a blast even if it rains the entire time - as long as you keep your nerves in check.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

My six-year-old son wants me to take him camping this summer. Nothing fancy; just at the local lake. What sort of tent and accessories do I need? Thanks in advance for the help.

I guess it depends on how you like to camp and for how long time wise.

Here's a typical camping check list:

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-adv...checklist.html

You'll probably find you have a lot of these items already like say cooking utensils from the house, a first aid kit from the car.

[a65hoosier]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

Good advice CH, toedtoes, and NYCgrrl!

lol...toedtoes...I loved the Comment part of your post. Many many times...when it's just the wife and I, and just a couple of nights, we'll cook everything over the fire/charcoals using a variety of methods (tripod grill/forks/foil/in the can/small aluminum trays). It really eliminates dish washing. About the only thing I don't use the fire is for morning coffee. I use a small backpacking stove to get the water boiling and expedite the process. I'm taking my 12 year old son on a camping trip in 2 weeks. I can guarantee we'll be cooking over the fire to avoid pots/pans/clean up. lol

[actad]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

I started with a Coleman 4 person tent, cot, chair, and sleeping bag (all from Walmart), a pocket stove that can be used with multiple fuels (I just used wood chips from Lowes barbeque section), a pot and fry pan, and a spork. Took some gallons of water, tea, oatmeal, and energy bars. Very minimal and had great fun.

Here is my pocket stove -http://www.sportsmansguide.com/produ...ooker?a=288270

[terasec]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

others have summed it up
can make it complicated or can keep it simple
just have to make sure kid is fed/kept warm/entertained
if its just the 2 of you, you will not have much time to spend prepping meals over a flame, think of quicker meals, especially lunch,
if there is someone else, make clear who will be watching the kid while other is preparing the meals
plenty of clothes to change, kids get dirty and tend to require change of clothes more often
if you like campfires, be prepared with the firewood, be surprised how much wood can go through and costs

[toedtoes]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

others have summed it up
can make it complicated or can keep it simple
just have to make sure kid is fed/kept warm/entertained
if its just the 2 of you, you will not have much time to spend prepping meals over a flame, think of quicker meals, especially lunch,
if there is someone else, make clear who will be watching the kid while other is preparing the meals
plenty of clothes to change, kids get dirty and tend to require change of clothes more often
if you like campfires, be prepared with the firewood, be surprised how much wood can go through and costs

I don't see any meal prepping that the kid (6 yr old boy) isn't doing himself - stick hotdog on fork, hold over flame; open can of beans with can opener; spread peanut butter and jelly on bread; open bag of chips; etc. :he:

As for clothing, I wouldn't worry if the 6 year old boy gets his clothes dirty. Let him wear them dirty - he'll LOVE being dirty. Having warm clothing for nights and a pair of pants and shirt per day, plus swimgear, and he'll be fine. If he rips a pair of pants, then he can wear a pair for two days.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

I don't see any meal prepping that the kid (6 yr old boy) isn't doing himself - stick hotdog on fork, hold over flame; open can of beans with can opener; spread peanut butter and jelly on bread; open bag of chips; etc. :he:

As for clothing, I wouldn't worry if the 6 year old boy gets his clothes dirty. Let him wear them dirty - he'll LOVE being dirty. Having warm clothing for nights and a pair of pants and shirt per day, plus swimgear, and he'll be fine. If he rips a pair of pants, then he can wear a pair for two days.

...still trying to figure out how nephew lost his swim trunks at the beach last year. We know he changed to dry clothing in the parking lot and that is all... his mother dinna seem to care so it was all good.

[toedtoes]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

It's amazing how many people lose their underwear out at lakes and rivers. You go out walking on along the shore and all of a sudden, there they are a pair of undies - mens, womens, childrens... You'd think they'd notice their undies missing when they start to pack up to go home, but I guess not.

[MacGyver]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

It's amazing how many people lose their underwear out at lakes and rivers. You go out walking on along the shore and all of a sudden, there they are a pair of undies - mens, womens, childrens... You'd think they'd notice their undies missing when they start to pack up to go home, but I guess not.

I hope it doesn't become too graphic in anyone's mind, but I do have to say that one of the reasons people "lose" their underwear dictates that you steer clear of said underwear.

[a65hoosier]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

I hope it doesn't become too graphic in anyone's mind, but I do have to say that one of the reasons people "lose" their underwear dictates that you steer clear of said underwear.

I can't really think of any reason why I wouldn't steer clear...

[toedtoes]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

The weird thing is they never seem to lose the underwear at the same time in the same place - there must be a lot of lonely horny people out at the lakes/rivers...

[Cory Hess]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

Quick story:

A couple of years ago my family rented a beach house in Florida for a week. While we were swimming during the day we had several jelly fish wash up on the sandbar right where we were. I used a stick to collect them into a bucket and put them back out in the water down a little way so that the kids wouldn't get stung.

At night the adults would get all the kids together for an activity so that one couple a night could sneak out and get some time to themselves. When it was our turn we decided to take a walk on the beach, nice and romantic like. As we were walking I spotted a really big jelly fish floating on the sandbar in just a couple inches of water. The tide was in, so I decided that it was better to take care of it right away rather than have it get stranded when the tide went out and have a dead jelly fish that the kids would want to play with. I got a stick of driftwood and had my wife hold the flashlight so that I could push the jellyfish into deeper water. When I pushed on the jellyfish it got stuck on the stick and when I lifted it up I realized it was actually a pair of tightywhiteys. My wife thought that this was just so funny and the rest of the trip I'd get random jokes from the adults about catching a pair of underwear. We were the only ones on that section of beach each day, so they must have washed down from somewhere where people throw old underwear into the ocean.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Looking for tent advice for beginner

It's amazing how many people lose their underwear out at lakes and rivers. You go out walking on along the shore and all of a sudden, there they are a pair of undies - mens, womens, childrens... You'd think they'd notice their undies missing when they start to pack up to go home, but I guess not.

As the Who said: "I'm free...............I am free".............