Need Advice On Camping Gear

[nc_fjizzle]

Hey guys. I know most of you are big on camping during these organized trail rides, and I've never camped a day in my life. I'm not looking to spend a fortune on camping gear, but I suppose it would be a good idea for me to get the basics so I don't end up sleeping in my car.

My main problem is I'm not sure what kind of tent I need. When I was surfing REI's website I saw about 100 different ones and couldn't tell you the difference between a backpacking and a mountaineering tent. Any guidance would be really appreciated. I'm probably going to buy one before the Virginia ride...

Will

 

[D'Animal]

Buy an inexpensive coleman or something similar to start with. My first new tent was a $29.95 dome tent. I was tired of setting up the military style pup tent that I had been using.

Once you begin camping you will know what to look for in a good quality tent.

 

[southerncruiser62]

very good advice, x2

 

[little_joe]

You'll learn a lot by coming camping with us! I wouldn't buy any gear except for a tent and a sleeping pad and just the most basic essentials until you've been out once or twice.

That being said, I do have a Kelty Riverbend 2-man 3-season tent I am looking to sell. It has a rainfly and I'll include a ground tarp and sleeping pad. It's a great small tent, but I've decided I prefer sleeping in my truck.

O, when shopping for a tent, think about how you'll use it. For a place like Uwharrie you can set up a large tent and leave it for 2 nights or more. At some other places like Cullowhee, you'll be pulling up camp each day and have to set up again at night, which can be a real PITA with a big tent. The larger tents are nice for space for gear, a cot or chair if you choose, etc. I view a tent as a place to sleep, not to entertain, and my wife doesn't camp, that's why I used the small tent for the past several years. However a larger tent may better suit your needs........

 

[BMThiker]

I'd recommend getting the biggest tent you can stand to carry. If you're just throwing it in the back of the truck, and not hiking your gear in, then you can go with a 2-3 man tent and not feel cramped. The packed weight will be around 10lbs give or take for this size. Backpacking tents are all about the light weight materials and minimal space to stretch out. Most 1-2 men bp tents are less than 5lbs.

For ease of setup/take down, find one that doesn't have an abundance of poles. You can find a decent size tent from Coleman or Eureka that has two main poles for the tent and then two smaller poles for the rainfly. Some tents will save on weight, but then be a real PITA to set up with complicated pole systems. Free standing tents are also easier to set up than a tent that requires several corners to be staked out in order to stand up.

Hope this helps.

 

[cruiser4life]

so I don't end up sleeping in my car.

My main problem is I'm not sure what kind of tent I need...

You also may find that sleeping in your Cruiser is preferable to sleeping in a tent. Many go that route, me included...

 

[BZEP]

Check websites like campmor.com and sierratradingpost.com. Buy inexpensive to start out. A 2-3 man tent can go from $25 - to over a thousand. You dont want a mountaneering tent unless your planning on alot of snowy camping. Rei has good stuff as well. In all honestly I think the best "bang for your buck" is Rei brand gear. I have one of their tents and love it. SOme of the high brands include Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, North Face, MSR, Black diamond. All good stuff but expensive. You really start getting expensive when you are back packing and every ounce counts. If your mainly looking for cruiser camping then you shouldn't have to spend tons of money. Dicks sporting goods usually runs good deals on Eureka brand tents. If you have any specific questions post up and well see what we can do.

 

[Spud]

I 4th the cheap tent idea.

My first tent lasted many seasons and did fine. I upgraded slighyly for the 2nd tent purchase which was years later. I did a lot of camping with the cheap ol' Eureka 2person.

 

[GarnerFJ40]

If you go the REI route, definitely do the lifetime membership fee. It's inexpenisve in the long run. I find REI is on the pricey side, when you don't hit a sale, but you'll make up for spending the money when you get the rebate at the end of the year. I've got a nice hefty one coming next year due to buying Thule racks, basket, and kayak carriers... cha ching!

That said also checkout REIOutlet.com... it's all their closeouts and last years stuff. Shipping is free if you get it sent to the store...

 

[shinton]

Something else that I prefer is a decent air mattress, another $30-50ish or so for mattress and air pump. Coleman's have a lifetime warranty!

If you will be sleeping in the winter some, get a decent sleeping bag, they have TEMPERTURE ratings on them (rated down to say 40 degrees versus 15, etc)

The Tent has been mentioned above, let me add, cheap tent PLUS a cheap tarp to go OVER it will keep the water out! (Many tents will end up leaking if it is raining pretty hard, but the tarp / tent combo you will stay dry)

Finally...if you have a land cruiser, look at what it would take to sleep in the back. My MOST comfortable nights (outside of my camper) have been in the back of my SUV on a foam mattress I have. It is dry, comfortable and QUIET! You can put in a nice little fan if you want air moving around a bit, etc.

Final thoughts... a battery powered "lantern" is nice (or if you prefer a gas lantern instead) Cooking gear...depends on if you are going deep in woods, usually I just "fast food" it all weekend and the cooler has drinks and a few snacks.

 

[shinton]

If I was buying right now...

Tent $30 (plus add $10ish for tarp)
Walmart.com: Ozark Trail 9' x 8' Sports Dome Tent (Sleeps 3 to 4): Camping

Sleeping Bag $26
Walmart.com: Coleman Inglewood 20-Degree King Sized Sleeping Bag: Camping

Air Mattress $24 + $19 for pump
Walmart.com: Coleman SUV Air Bed: Camping

Lantern $25
Walmart.com: Coleman Max LED Pack-Away Lantern: Camping

So that is $135 or so and would make me pretty comfortable, you will add things to that after a while, like a handheld GPS is nifty, a good multi-tool type knife

Oh...and a folding chair of some sort!!

 

[swampthing]

To echo some further sentiment...I have a cheapo I grabbed at Target for less than 30. The mistake I made is that I don't have any zip up windows...camping in the summer is nice; however, the one time (repeat ONE time) I took my wife camping the weather turned freaky cold and windy! We could feel the bone chilling wind blow across our faces. A mummy bag might have helped but I tend to think zip up windows would have helped.

As far as sleeping in your truck...the FJC isn't really big enough nor is the floor level. You can dig around a bit and some guys have built sleeping platforms (which I've considered) but I'm not ready to go there yet.

Grab a tent, bag, lantern, cooler full of beer, and you'll be good to go!

 

[WES1977]

dude I bought a cheap coleman tent and hate it. I lost my old eureka tent for like 5 years and finally found it again. The reason why I love it so much more than the cheap one is because it only has 2 poles and they snap right on to the tent. It can be pitched in about a min. It is very simple and can be done alone. My cheap one has so many poles that I think are different sizes, and they all have to be slide through the sleeves and confusing to put up. It is almost impossible to put back in the bag.

 

[mtweller]

REI tents are really well made. I have camped in my 2-man tent no less than 75 time in the last 12 or so years, and it still looks almost new. Very dry and never has let me down. I say for a few extra dollars, it's money well spent. You aren't buying super-cheap w/ REI brand, but you aren't paying for the name either (ie NorthFace or Kelty).

My .02

 

[stevezero]

Believe it or not, Marshalls occasionally has some great closeout deals on Coleman's exponent line of camping gear. I picked up three exponent mummy bags for less than $20.00 each(2 32 degree and 1 20 degree), and the steal of the century, a Coleman Exponent Seige 2 person tent with vestibule for $16.00. It retails for around 150-175. small enough to use backpackin or kayak campin, has a vestibule built into the rain fly.

Ebay is a good place to pick up thermarest sleeping pads.....people buy them new, use them once, decide campin aint for them and sell them dirt cheap.

If you want to be different, get a hennesey hammock...it requires two vehicles to be closeby, or two trees.....totally self contained camping hammock with a rainfly, mosquito/no seeum net. Surprisingly comfortable.

Costco usually has a 3 person Coleman tent of medium quality for about 50.00 this time of year.....keep in mind that the poles arent going to keep it up in 35+ mph winds......(speakin from experience), but you can take them back.

Whatever tent you get, make sure you get a fresh bottle of seam sealer. Hit every seam on the tent, fly, tent bag, etc. inside and out.

 

[VaCruiserRgr]

If you are looking for something a little durable, not to heavy/not to light....I have gotten years and years (15 or so) of use out of my Eurekea Timberline. It is a great tent that is easy to use. A little more than some of the lower end coleman ones but far less than the high end G-wizz ones.

Eureka Timberline 4 Tent from Campmor