A few weeks ago my brother in law asked if I wanted to go backpacking with him in Oregon. I said sure, sounds awesome. As I was getting stuff ready this weekend, I realized I had only one ground tent left after getting a RTT, and it was big and could never pack down. I remembered the smaller tent I used in HS, that was my parents. It smelled awful. We called it the "Poop tent" It was a small little A frame tent, but it was a nice one. It was all I used until I met my wife actually, and needed a bigger tent. I had not seen it for a while, but I knew my family had to have it still... so I went over to my parent's house to look for it yesterday. I dug around in their camping stuff, and couldn't find it. My dad then gave me a big scare, when he said he thought he had thrown it away, since it stunk so bad and my brother and I both commented about how nasty it was. Yeah.. but it was a rad old tent! Oh no, my stomach sank a little when he said that. I really liked that tent.
Went inside and my brother's girlfriend was there, so I asked her if she happened to have seen it recently. She said that she knew they had used it in the last year or so, and we went and started digging around my brother's camping stuff.. and there it was.. the poop tent. And Jesus it smelled just as bad as I remembered.
Took it home last night, and let it air out in the living room... bad idea. God damn this thing stinks. Like, really, really stinks like dog crap, or puke, or maybe a bit of both, I don't know. Why do I love this tent so much... well, this is why...
This picture was taken in Alaska in 1980. 5 years before I was born. 3 years before my parents were married, as a matter of fact, they had just barely met when my dad went to Alaska. And there is the tent. My dad sold his cruiser when I was born. I have the military shovel he carried in it, and the poop tent. It's the only two things that connect my cruiser to his, and so as gross as it smelled, I loved that tent.
Our RTT got wet and mildewed a few months ago, and we managed to get it perfectly clean again using a Lysol, salt, and lemon juice mix in hot water. I figured I'd try it on the poop tent today, and so this morning I cleaned it good with that... and once it dried out, I rinsed it with fresh water and let it dry again. Well, it smells like a tent now instead of like vomit! I am very happy. I am also pretty excited to have a reason to use this little tent again, even if it weighs a ton compared to modern backpacking tents.
Just spraying it all down with Scotch guard and rewaterproofing it, and will repack it up tonight and attach it to my backpack for next week.
Went inside and my brother's girlfriend was there, so I asked her if she happened to have seen it recently. She said that she knew they had used it in the last year or so, and we went and started digging around my brother's camping stuff.. and there it was.. the poop tent. And Jesus it smelled just as bad as I remembered.
Took it home last night, and let it air out in the living room... bad idea. God damn this thing stinks. Like, really, really stinks like dog crap, or puke, or maybe a bit of both, I don't know. Why do I love this tent so much... well, this is why...
This picture was taken in Alaska in 1980. 5 years before I was born. 3 years before my parents were married, as a matter of fact, they had just barely met when my dad went to Alaska. And there is the tent. My dad sold his cruiser when I was born. I have the military shovel he carried in it, and the poop tent. It's the only two things that connect my cruiser to his, and so as gross as it smelled, I loved that tent.
Our RTT got wet and mildewed a few months ago, and we managed to get it perfectly clean again using a Lysol, salt, and lemon juice mix in hot water. I figured I'd try it on the poop tent today, and so this morning I cleaned it good with that... and once it dried out, I rinsed it with fresh water and let it dry again. Well, it smells like a tent now instead of like vomit! I am very happy. I am also pretty excited to have a reason to use this little tent again, even if it weighs a ton compared to modern backpacking tents.
Just spraying it all down with Scotch guard and rewaterproofing it, and will repack it up tonight and attach it to my backpack for next week.
