Starter(Newbie) questions about getting started camping.

[Captainstarfleet]

We really want to get started camping and have alot of things to learn...
I know "those stupid newbies":)  I hope yall will help.
First money is short so we have to start with a tent.  So..........
We want a good tent. One that will hold up. Any suggestions?
My Wife wants a roomy tent one with two rooms. But what size?
We don't want one thats so big that we can't use it in most sites.  
I guess that is good enough to start with. If yall are up to helping
we'll have a lot more questions.  Thanks Guys
 
Bob & Sue

[tlhdoc]

Hi Bob,

You might get more ideas if you post this in the general forum, but here I go.
 
Paha Que is a good brand of tents.  www.Pahaque.com  I have their screen room and it is very well made, but they tend to be on the expensive side.  A friend on mine has a 2 room Kelty tent, but I can't remember the name of the tent.  North Face is another good brand of tent.  As far as the size of the tent, that is really up to you.  More and more campsites are having raised tent beds, so that can limit your tent size.

[HersheyGirl]

This is just my opinion, but I think that most of the tents these days are pretty good.  You can get a really expensive one, and you can get a cheaper one, and I think they will pretty much do what you want them to do and there isn't much difference.  You can get factory sealed seems, or not, you can get this fabric or some other.  I started out with a Coleman tent, not the most expensive, nor  the cheapest, but it did the job and I have been very happy with it.  I then went to a popup so don't use the tent so much.  I like the larger tents which you can stand up in.  You also need to figure out how many people will be using it etc.  Don't believe the number the tent box gives you, half the amount of number that can sleep in the tent.  At this point, I would probably go with a mid priced tent to see how you like it, then if you really want, then go with a more expensive tent.  But that is just me.  Campmore.com is a good place to start looking for tents as is Coleman.com.  There are alot of good tents out there these days.  Good luck.

[Captainstarfleet]

Thanks both to tracy and HersheyGirl.  As tracy already knows I am a tall fellow (6'4") and my wife is a small 5'2"  So the height is an issue that I did not think about. but then again thats why I am asking before we start buying

[Captainstarfleet]

What are is typical platform size?  Knobles I think are 11x14

[tlhdoc]

They vary from campground to campground.  I don't think there is a standard size.

What are is typical platform size? Knobles I think are 11x14

[dthurk]

I've found some good tent prices at Dick's.  Sears might also be a good source.  My DD used a tent we bought from Dick's for a while and it worked quite nicely for us.

[SpeakEasy]

I have always like Eureka! tents the best, and I've gone through quite a few tents over the years. We tend to set up a tent and leave it up all summer. There aren't very many tents that can handle that sort of punishment year after year.

Depending on where in central PA you live, it might be worth a trip to Binghamton, NY where the Eureka! factory outlet store is located. I hear you can get some deep discounts  there that may make the trip worthwhile.

IMO - no matter what tent you buy, you should plan on sealing the seams. Even if they say that they are factory-sealed, it doesn't hurt to take a few minutes and run some seam-sealer all the way around. Why find out in the middle of a stormy night that the seams really weren't waterproof after all?

[SheBantam]

Dear Captain, do not take me too seriously and I do not get offended easily, though I may act like it...

I have a Coleman 3 room tent that I picked up at a silent auction for $5.00 a few years ago, I have not actually used it myself, son and a friend did instead of staying in the camper (rolling condo) with us.

I also bought a "storage shed" last year. It is a tent that has spider like legs that are pre-loaded and once they are all locked then they are held by an umbrella mechanism in the top, not unlike the old (talking late 1970's early '80's) Coleman Poptent.  This one has no extension on the sides to dome, though they do make one that does if you need more room. This one is made by First UP and was sold at Kmart last year...I bought it for the ease of putting up (I go all too often bymyself) and call it a storage shed, because at Watkin's Glenn last year, I set it up behind the camper to see what it really was and jokingly called it my storage shed as I kept extra stuff and coolers in it since I had it up (normally they would have had a home in the back of the truck).

I also have a basic coleman tent that I can almost stand up in (I think it is 5'4, I am 5'8). Tents are stored in rolling duffels to make it easier on me (except the First Up Tent, as it is too long).

If you can afford it, I really suggest a basic popup, sometimes the smaller ones with no air can go cheap.  If you head south anytime with Tracy, I have a basic Jayco you could borrow. Hubby will not let me sell or give it away. It plugs up, but has no battery. Bring your own water container as a previous owner took out the container and the sink/faucet leaks so we do not hook up to water...Canvas is NOT great, but hey, it is off the ground and a tarp on each end is a OK...
Believe me if you are used to a Star Ship, camping is quite a bit different...doors do not open for you, no engineer to fix the problems (YOU are the engineer), but with this group, it is fun...I keep coming back to visit more Walmarts with these guys and gals...

[bmbkamp]

Hi, Bob.
 
Our family camped for years in tents before we made the jump to a PU last year.  Here's a few things that come to mind...
 
Don't feel that you need every camping accessory ever made.  Start with a tent, cooler, lantern and stove and go from there.  The way you camp, and what you want to bring (and clean up) will determine how much stuff you get.
 
I would recommend a dome tent.  Much easier to set up.  We have a big 2-room, high-ceiling tent that uses poles that you have to assemble.  I think we got it at Sears.  Theoretically, you can set it up by yourself, but it's a major pain in the butt.  I'll never buy one of those again.  For us, standing up in a tent turned out to be overrated.
 
Unless you spend big bucks, there is no such thing as a waterproof tent.  We camped one weekend in a 3-day rainstorm.  Everything gets wet.  Mostly, it's just a matter of how you deal with it.
 
When setting up a tent, put a tarp under the tent before you stake it down.  It keeps the ground moisture off and keeps the underside of the tent clean.  If you camp in a wooded site, hang a tarp over your tent, tying the tarp to trees.  This keeps the tent shaded, clean and fairly dry.  Just make sure that any rain that falls on the tent rolls off away from the tent, and not toward it.  Trust me on that one.
 
Get an air mattress.  After my first night in our new tent, I couldn't move.  I went right out and bought one.
 
Best of all, see how other people camp and don't be afraid to ask questions.  That's how we learned.  And that's half the fun anyway.
 
Bob

[Captainstarfleet]

Wow! Thanks guys for your replys.  Some of my most wonderful memories of childhood are of our family camping trips. God sometimes I long for those days again.  One of those memories is of my father taking out the old Heavy canvas tent in the spring and puting the waterprofring on while my brother and I watched with excitement because of the fun we knew that would be following in the next few months.   I'm sorry I feel like I'm writing a script for the Waltons or something.   I remember him puting the sealer on by sraying it.  Is that how the seams are sealed?  Or are they painted with something?  It was 40 years ago that my dad did that and I'm shur things have changed.  Is any one sealer better then the others?

Thanks Bob & Sue

[SpeakEasy]

Most tents today are made of one synthetic fabric or another (basically a form of plastic!). The seam-sealer that I am most familiar with comes in a plastic bottle with an applicator in the top of the bottle. The applicator allows you to just rub the bottle over the seam a few times and it leaves a liquid coating on the seam. The liquid dries quickly and you can see a shiny, dry sealer left behind.

[tlhdoc]

Most tents today are made of one synthetic fabric or another (basically a form of plastic!). The seam-sealer that I am most familiar with comes in a plastic bottle with an applicator in the top of the bottle. The applicator allows you to just rub the bottle over the seam a few times and it leaves a liquid coating on the seam. The liquid dries quickly and you can see a shiny, dry sealer left behind.

It is called "Seam Sealer".
 

[SheBantam]

Wow! Thanks guys for your replys.  Some of my most wonderful memories of childhood are of our family camping trips. God sometimes I long for those days again.  One of those memories is of my father taking out the old Heavy canvas tent in the spring and puting the waterprofring on while my brother and I watched with excitement because of the fun we knew that would be following in the next few months.   I'm sorry I feel like I'm writing a script for the Waltons or something.   I remember him puting the sealer on by sraying it.  Is that how the seams are sealed?  Or are they painted with something?  It was 40 years ago that my dad did that and I'm shur things have changed.  Is any one sealer better then the others?

Thanks Bob & Sue

We had a Starcraft Starmaster8  growing up...in the lat 60's and Early 70's, so we had memories too...

If the Jayco is used, it needs water repellant on it, I use a can and paintbrush, the multi surface water repellant that is in a pour can (as opposed to an open can that you can put a paint brush in). THis stuff can be found at Tru Valu and hardware stores near the THompsons.  The Jayco does not have sunbrella, it is a tru canvas tenting. Sounds like we are close to the same age, if you have these kind of memories from 40 years ago. I was a teenage when we got the popup because my mother refused to go tent camping.

[Captainstarfleet]

I'm 46 SheBantam, I was born in 59 my wife Sue is 36. We have a 14 old girl named Jess. It was not quite 40 years. I think I was 8 or there abouts when we started camping.
 
Whats an sunbrella? :confused:      Oh, thanks for the offer of the use of your jayco and We might take u up on that some time but I really want the wife to to get the feel of a tent first. (because I'll admit she is pampered and sometimes don't know how good she has it) lets see how it goes.