Connor Wal
How to I make my tent more comfortable?
Answer
The keys to tent comfort are to make them as much like home as possible. Assuming your car camping and can bring it all here are some suggestions;
Get the right size tent, suitable for the weather. For a family tent size does matter, the bigger is better but huge is not. What I mean by that is space is important to reach the optimum comfort levels. Which is big enough for all your gear, and to stand up in, change clothes etc. To big and it becomes impossible to heat up and hold down in a big rain squall. Suitable for the weather means a tent that breathes well in the summer, keeps rain out and heat in, in the winter. Not all tents will suit the need for all weather conditions but ones that are rated for three seasons come pretty close.
Get the right gear suitable for the season. Sleeping bags are rated in temperature scale the lower the temperature the warmer the bag. Now getting one bag for all seasons is ok just get the coldest bag to start with. You can always zip it up or down according to your needs but you can't make a summer temp bag warmer. Kots are very comfy in the summer adding a foam mattress makes them even more comfy. Air mattresses are great for summer use but in the winter they have zero insulation value. A good go between are chaise lounge pads these are filled with foam or the same stuff that sleeping bags are they insulate well and never deflate. Add some extra blankets and your good to go.
Furniture in tents gives you the taj majual look I already mentioned kots to which you can store gear under so throw in a table and some chairs and you have a spot to play games when it rains, a place to put the lanterns and a spot to sit and tie your shoes. Lanterns of course need to be electric/battery operated there is no way that you need to risk burning the tent down with a knocked over gas or candle lantern. The bigger the better, they are rated in lumens get at least a 100+ model. two of them would be better than one, in case someones gotta go in the night the other is still in the tent.
Deal with the heat properly. In summer a good tents ventilation will keep things somewhat cool adding an electric fan will move the air around which is specially needed after a good meal of beans. In the winter, and here is where a lot of folks make bad decisions, adding a space heater or a tent stove will warm things up a lot. The Bad thing here is that all gas fuel powered heaters put out Carbon Monoxide gas which can kill you so unless your tent is specifically designed for there use you can only use an electric model and then you need a power supply and who wants to listen to a generator all night. Some campgrounds now have electricity plumbed to all there sites so look into those if your winter camping.
Flooring is sweet. A cold floor is something that send chills up my spine just thinking about. Start by setting your tent over a tarp to protect your tents built in floor, this also adds a bit of insulation as it locks out the ground moisture coming into the tent. Inside role out the carpet wall to wall this again protects the tents built in floor from the kot, chair and table feet and gives it that total home like feeling. Put a artificial turf grass door mat in the front door and move in your now Home Away From Home.
The keys to tent comfort are to make them as much like home as possible. Assuming your car camping and can bring it all here are some suggestions;
Get the right size tent, suitable for the weather. For a family tent size does matter, the bigger is better but huge is not. What I mean by that is space is important to reach the optimum comfort levels. Which is big enough for all your gear, and to stand up in, change clothes etc. To big and it becomes impossible to heat up and hold down in a big rain squall. Suitable for the weather means a tent that breathes well in the summer, keeps rain out and heat in, in the winter. Not all tents will suit the need for all weather conditions but ones that are rated for three seasons come pretty close.
Get the right gear suitable for the season. Sleeping bags are rated in temperature scale the lower the temperature the warmer the bag. Now getting one bag for all seasons is ok just get the coldest bag to start with. You can always zip it up or down according to your needs but you can't make a summer temp bag warmer. Kots are very comfy in the summer adding a foam mattress makes them even more comfy. Air mattresses are great for summer use but in the winter they have zero insulation value. A good go between are chaise lounge pads these are filled with foam or the same stuff that sleeping bags are they insulate well and never deflate. Add some extra blankets and your good to go.
Furniture in tents gives you the taj majual look I already mentioned kots to which you can store gear under so throw in a table and some chairs and you have a spot to play games when it rains, a place to put the lanterns and a spot to sit and tie your shoes. Lanterns of course need to be electric/battery operated there is no way that you need to risk burning the tent down with a knocked over gas or candle lantern. The bigger the better, they are rated in lumens get at least a 100+ model. two of them would be better than one, in case someones gotta go in the night the other is still in the tent.
Deal with the heat properly. In summer a good tents ventilation will keep things somewhat cool adding an electric fan will move the air around which is specially needed after a good meal of beans. In the winter, and here is where a lot of folks make bad decisions, adding a space heater or a tent stove will warm things up a lot. The Bad thing here is that all gas fuel powered heaters put out Carbon Monoxide gas which can kill you so unless your tent is specifically designed for there use you can only use an electric model and then you need a power supply and who wants to listen to a generator all night. Some campgrounds now have electricity plumbed to all there sites so look into those if your winter camping.
Flooring is sweet. A cold floor is something that send chills up my spine just thinking about. Start by setting your tent over a tarp to protect your tents built in floor, this also adds a bit of insulation as it locks out the ground moisture coming into the tent. Inside role out the carpet wall to wall this again protects the tents built in floor from the kot, chair and table feet and gives it that total home like feeling. Put a artificial turf grass door mat in the front door and move in your now Home Away From Home.
rain camping!!!?
thc78
Hi. Does anyone have advice on camping in the rain? My wife and I are going on a 3 day , 2 night camping trip (in Missouri) The weather forecast is for a lot of rain and thunderstoms for about that entire time. The problem is that this is the only time we are able to get away and we had planned for this for very long. Now that said, luckily we like the rain so, we should be content spending a lot of time in the tent making love and playing UNO and drinking some wine... But what are all the things that I may need to do to prepare for this adventurous trip, thank you?
Answer
I would agree with many of the answers already provided...line the inside of your bags with large trash bags to keep your clothing dry, or pack your clothing in ziplock bags. You might want to pack your sleeping bags in large trash bags as well.
Definitely keep everything away from the sides of your tent..and try to keep your gear off the ground.
Pick high ground so your tent does not end up in a pool of water, and definitely put a waterproof tarp underneath your tent. Make sure you tuck all of the ends of the tarp underneath the tent so it does not end up sticking out and funneling water under the tent.
Now for some other advice...your tarps are going to be your best friend to keep you dry on this trip.
We live in Florida where there are rains and thunderstorms every afternoon during the wet season. To keep dry when camping, we always set up a tarp over our tent..even though we have a rain fly. This extra protection has always kept snug and dry inside our tent..and since the tarp sticks out over the ventilation windows, we can usually open or at least crack those as well for some air. (you will want air in there...especially if you are keeping cozy!!!!!)
We also set up a dining fly tarp, right by the entrance of our tent. Under this we will have all of our cooking gear and chairs so everything will stay dry and we can come out of our tent and move around some. For step by step instructions on equipment needed and how to set up the dining fly, you can go to
http://www.your-camping-guidebook.com/dining-fly-setup-instructions.html
I strongly recommend that you do not cook in your tent!!!!
Have a great trip in spite of the rain. Once we are snug and cozy in our tent, without concern that water will get in, I love to cuddle up while listening to the sound of the rain pattering on the tent.
I would agree with many of the answers already provided...line the inside of your bags with large trash bags to keep your clothing dry, or pack your clothing in ziplock bags. You might want to pack your sleeping bags in large trash bags as well.
Definitely keep everything away from the sides of your tent..and try to keep your gear off the ground.
Pick high ground so your tent does not end up in a pool of water, and definitely put a waterproof tarp underneath your tent. Make sure you tuck all of the ends of the tarp underneath the tent so it does not end up sticking out and funneling water under the tent.
Now for some other advice...your tarps are going to be your best friend to keep you dry on this trip.
We live in Florida where there are rains and thunderstorms every afternoon during the wet season. To keep dry when camping, we always set up a tarp over our tent..even though we have a rain fly. This extra protection has always kept snug and dry inside our tent..and since the tarp sticks out over the ventilation windows, we can usually open or at least crack those as well for some air. (you will want air in there...especially if you are keeping cozy!!!!!)
We also set up a dining fly tarp, right by the entrance of our tent. Under this we will have all of our cooking gear and chairs so everything will stay dry and we can come out of our tent and move around some. For step by step instructions on equipment needed and how to set up the dining fly, you can go to
http://www.your-camping-guidebook.com/dining-fly-setup-instructions.html
I strongly recommend that you do not cook in your tent!!!!
Have a great trip in spite of the rain. Once we are snug and cozy in our tent, without concern that water will get in, I love to cuddle up while listening to the sound of the rain pattering on the tent.
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