RE: I am buying a tent !!!

[luvourjayco]

 MtnCamper
needs for tent camping
 -a couple of Rubbermaid locker type totes to hold everything (Crappy Tire has them on sale for $10 this week) cardboard disinegrates when it gets wet.
 -a good cooler
 -a portable bbq (can be had for around $30 if you watch)
 -if finances allows a small propane or coleman type stove we have used a hibachi when we first started out.
 -rob the kitchen for pots and dishes or hit the dollar store
 -we actually used blankets for a while till christmas and birthdays rolled around and guess what everyone got.
 - a good air mattress for the adults kids never notice and roll off them anyway.
 -a tent
 -the biggest tarp you can find to use as a cannopy make sure the entrance to the tent is under this tarp.
 -rope to string the tarps with and to use as a clothesline
 -A SENSE OF HUMOUR you re gonna need it.
 

[birol]

 MtnCamper
We have a days pass for Sherkstone, I think we will initiate the tent there

[Gamecock Camper]

 MtnCamper
birol, what a great move to get you started.   I didn t catch this thread yesterday, but think you are on the right track.  I have to agree with the others that you don t want to (or need to) invest alot in a tent.  We still have a Greatland tent that is a two room tent and about 12 X 16.  It is plenty big enough for our family of 5 and is about 8 years old now.  I have had absolutely no problems at all with the quality of this tent.  We still use it occasionally when we take the boat to an island and camp or when we camp in the pop-up and our kids bring along friends.  Mom and Dad get the camper and the kids get the tent.  We have had two birthday parties at campgrounds using the PU and tent arrangement..... so I guess my point is that you should still get some use out of it if or when you get a pop-up camper.
 
 Here in Columbia they have a used sporting goods store.  I m sure they have something like that up in Toronto or somewhere nearby.  Our store also carries camping equipment.  The store is called PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS and I ve bought several things there.  You should also look in your newspaper and any trader type newspaper for used items as you can probably find something used that you can look at and inspect.  You should be able to save quite a bit of money too.  
 
 Congrads and I hope to see you at a campground someday.

[NightOwl]

 birol

ORIGINAL:  birol
 
 
 Did anybody buy a tent on eBay ? any good/bad experiences ? They don t seem to be too cheap on eBay though .....
 
 BIrol
 

 Birol, with a little luck and some caution,  is possible to find great bargains on e-bay  and not experience any difficulty along the way.   We got our Greatland Insta-Set ScreenHouse tent from e-bay.  The transaction went smooothly in every way.  I ordered the screenhouse on a Monday afternoon and it was here Wed. AM via UPS.  Very good experience in every way.  Be SURE to READ CAREFULLY THE REVIEWS AND RATINGS OF  ANY DEALER YOU CONSIDER DOING BUSINESS WITH
 
 Our dealer had received rave reviews from EVERYONE doing business with her and clealry, they were well-deserved.
 
 The price we paid was about $20.00 lower than retail for this particular item at Target.  Others here got their Insta-Set tents for a much better price at e-bay, but by the time I got around to doing it, there was a big demand for them and so the price was higher.  Still, it was in mint condition, in the original carton, and is a fine product.
 
           IDEA: why dont you write Suezy and ask if she will help you find a good tent at a decent price.  She has a very kind heart and has  always loved assisting  people with  projects like this.  As we all know, if there is a bargain to be found anywhere in our solar system, this girl can ferret it out![]  (And if she cannot locate one, NO ONE can!)  

[birol]

 MtnCamper
I looked at eBay little bit and prices are not attractive, especially considering shipping and that I have to pay GST or PST on thejm when I receive them.
 
 I think I will stick with the stores in Canada. Unless there is a great discount at Target, then we will drive and grab that one
 
 We will go to wallmart this afternoon and see what they have. [][][]

[NightOwl]

 MtnCamper
yes, actually, I was wondering about costs of shipping,  the exchange rate and possible " duties: as well as the Canadian VAT type thing if you went with something in the US.  but if you dont find something suitable in the stores, maybe you or Suzey could locate something inside Canada via some online digging.

[Ab Diver]

 MtnCamper
birol, before you get all wound up buying everything you could possibly need...
 
 Many of my early camping trips involved little more than a sleeping bag, a lantern, and a cooler. Now, I realize you have two little ones (and a wife, can t forget her [] ), but try to keep things simple at first. Cannibalize the house for stuff you already have, then buy extra stuff a little at a time. Ebay might save you a bit of money, but you can t take it back if you don t like it or if there s a problem.
 
  And remember, a backyard campout works just as good to shake out problems with a tent as it does with a pop-up. Heck, you can even practice in your living room. That way, if you find the tent doesn t meet your family s needs and you want a different one, you won t be miles from home when you make your discovery.
 
 Anybody else make their first *solo* outing into " the great wilderness"  within the confines of Mom and Dad s backyard fence? My brother and I were 9 and 7, IIRC. (hijacking birol s thread)

[birol]

 MtnCamper
We are following the good advice given here, we will just get the tent, something to cook on, and a porta potti (I think) , we will ransack the house for the rest of the stuff. I am sure we have some paper plates, and plastic glasses and so on.
 
 I am not in a situation to go out and drop bundles of greeneros to buy stuff, we will make do with whatever we can scrape from the house. The tent is the only expense which we can handle
 
 Unfortunately we can t backyard camp as our backyard is in horible shape (new house) We will have to take our chances with the first one I guess. I sure hope there will eb a Wally World close by.
 
 And for hijacking my thread, please be my guest, this is the campfire chat, if I have more questions I will throw them in and I will get answers []
 
 Birol
 
 

[birol]

 MtnCamper
Birol & babette is leaving for wallmart to check on tents .....

[wiininkwe]

 MtnCamper
Birol, in case you haven t bought the tent yet, here s another thought.  You are driving a mini van, have you ever considered taking out the seats and camping in it?    My DH and I have done that many times with our GMC Caravan, and it worked just great.  I know that there are two more of you than there are of us, but I still think you could make it work by getting a few cheap folding cots.  We took some plastic tarps and hung one from the luggage rack, to make a canopy, and we had some extra ones that we used for a shelter by velcroing them to the canopy one.  That gave us a place to put the picnic table in case of rain, or in your case, a place to put the cots for the kids, or yourselves.  (oh, we put a twin sized mattress in the back of the van)   We took a folding table, the coleman stove and lantern, our cooler, two telescoping tent poles, (for the canopy).  Topcat and LuvyourJayco had the list of things you would need.    We took our van all the way from MI to Key West, camping in it all the way and had a really good time.
 T
 []

[birol]

 MtnCamper
Nope, didn t buy the tent yet, they are out of all the good ones at that wallmart, sheees. I am going to check another wallmart and a Canadian tire tonight. I don t think camping in the van is a good idea for us. Son is as big as my wife and girlie is growing fast. If it were just the two of us it would work though !!!
 
 I will keep you guys posted on our tent hunt adventure.

[luvourjayco]

 birol
Birol PLEASE, PLEASE don t make your first trip one to sherston your dw will never ever camp again after that place. It is aweful, the tent sites are in one big field and its a resort so lots of partying etc. Make your first trip special and find a quiet spot. If you are coming as far as Sherkston look at Byng Park or Long Beach. Find somewhere enjoyable yet close enough to get anything you forget. DW will have enough to  do trying to set up house and keep track of things without putting her in that place.  If you want the falls area see my website and go from there.
 http://luvourjayco.irv2.com
 I would hate to see babette turned off camping because of one bad trip esp her first.  If you really want to use that pass use it to daytrip that will be plenty unless I read you wrong and you really are the party animal. PS everything withing the park is $$$$$$ bring a lunch and lots of liquids not much shade around.

[campingcop]

 birol
Berol,once you get your tent setting it up in the backyard is a good idea, that way you can check out just how much space you ll have for sleeping and storage.
 
 oh one more thing stake down the bottom(floor) first. [&:]
 
 when I was a lot younger and not to bright bought my first tent and tried to put it up in the back yard without stakeing down the floor first,had to call my couzen and ask him how to put up the tent as mine kept falling down.  His first question was did you stake down the floor first. duh[]
 
 

[topcat7736]

 birol
birol,
 
 For long camping trips in the Boy Scouts, we used wall tents which didn t have any floors in them. In fact, most wall tents I ve seen lately still don t have them. Now, if you bought one, it would be unusable for you after you get a popup. But, the Paha Que screen room in the PUT store would give you a 10  x 12  living space, with high walls, privacy panels and screens NOW, and could still be used as a screen room (in lieu of an AAR) when you get the popup! Once it s setup, there s not much of a difference between it and a tent on the inside & it would be perfect in the summer months for that great cross ventilation. For a floor, you could get some thick astroturf stuff which could also be used with the popup. Would be an investment you could use for the rest of your camping time. Just a thought.

[wssfetch]

 MtnCamper
Birol,
 
 Have you looked on Ebay yet?  Take a look at this Coleman tent with its own screenroom.  Bids up to $89 now and closes in less than 24 hours:
 
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2712354098&category=16041