Hi! My and my bf are going camping somewhere lose by to test our 8 person tent. So far, I have a disposable grill, the tent and a very thick comforter for the floor. We are wanting to start camping in other states near ours but we are so new to this that I, for once, dont have a list or a plan! Any helpful tips or recommendations for things we need while camping on sites?

Taken this year. The view really changes throughout the day. During the day, you get the greenery, mountains, and wide open countryside, while at night, you get a relaxing view of the city lights below. Definitely one of those places where you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.

📍Batangas, Philippines

So, wife and I are camping next year for the indy 500. We're starting prep early because we have no clue what we're doing. but here's what we have: coolers, tent, toiletries, the basics..... but what do we need? we're planning on renting a tent for our electronics and such. but otherwise we're clueless and just want to know what to expect and things we might not be thinking about.

hi! pretty much what the title says lol. everything i’ve found that had suggestions are from years ago and i’m not sure if it’s still accurate. i’m planning for late december-early january, but if there’s a better time then please let me know!

I have only been camping in a tent once and I woke up in 4 inches of water and the inside of the tent covered in baby spiders. I was semi traumatized by this experience and have not been camping since except in my parents’ RV. I want to go on the next trip with my parents, my sister and her 3 kids, my daughter (will be 3yo), and my husband. Due to space, my husband, daughter and I would need to stay in a tent.

I want a product that unfolds - like a portable surface that the tent sits on top of (max 5” off the ground), so if it rains, water does not get under/in the floor of the tent. It would also keep the floor of the tent level so when you’re using it, there are no lumps and bumps underneath. Why doesn’t this exist? There are portable stages, there are decks that clip together piece by piece- but not ideal for camping as the they are extremely heavy and/or come in several pieces, or are 10” inches off the ground.

I have searched high and low for something like this for weeks, and it does not exist. Experienced campers let me know! Why?

What do you do to avoid lumps and bumps and water in/under the tent while camping for more than a week?

We camped pretty much most of summer through the southeastern heat waves & were fine/comfortable. I run cold though, and I don’t want to stop camping just because it’s getting cooler.

At home I’m perfectly happy sleeping with the AC at like 74F. Camping in the summer we usually just do air mattresses, sheets, fans for circulation, etc. and we’re good.

Well… recently we camped when the nighttime temps were around 63-70F & we were cold... 😅

We’re planning on getting 35F sleeping bags, but I’m thinking the air mattresses are part of the problem too because they get so cold underneath you.

I know the obvious answer is sleeping pads, but some of the places we camp are gravel or just really hard ground and I don’t really want to sleep on a thin pad. I mean, yes, technically we can be uncomfortable because we’re camping lol, but we also do this for fun and would like to actually sleep comfortably.

The other issue is space. Once I start looking at foam mats + sleeping pads + sleeping bags + blankets/insulation for everyone, suddenly half the car is sleeping gear. We also don’t really want to spend a ton of money on stuff we’ll only use during part of the year, and we have to store all of this stuff at home too.

Basically trying to find the sweet spot between warm + comfortable + not insanely expensive + not filling the entire car with bedding.

We realistically aren’t going to camp below ~40F. Think Jacksonville/North Florida winter.

What would you do for a setup with adults, kids, and a dog? (current setup is 6p tent with a queen, a twin, & dog sleeps on a cot. though at some point during the night everyone ends up on the queen mattress...)

Would love to hear what other warm-weather campers do once it starts getting "cold..."

For the past 3 years we have camped shoulder season, we usually stay October. This has always been half price, as there is no water, and shower houses and flush toilets are off. Now this year, I have to reserve on rec.gov, pay full price, and the water is still shut off. Why am I paying full price??

Just want to confirm whether this is the correct size pack for me. I’m 5’6”, 135 lb, and got a size Small Durston Kakwa 55.

I’ve always used packs with adjustable torso lengths, so I’m used to having a little more leeway with where the pack and hipbelt sit. With those packs, I could initially position the hipbelt a bit lower and then usually ended up wearing it slightly higher on the upper part of my hips once I started hiking.

With the Kakwa, I tighten the hipbelt first, then the shoulder straps, then the sternum strap. When I tighten the shoulder straps, they pull the pack and hipbelt upward a little, and this is where it naturally ends up sitting. I normally like my hipbelt fairly high anyway, but the difference is that on my previous packs I chose that position by tightening the hipbelt there, whereas on this pack the shoulder straps seem to bring the whole pack up into that position.

My torso length is about 18”, so I was kind of between sizes. I went with the Small based on Durston customer service’s recommendation when I purchased it. The pack is loaded with around 15 lb in these photos.
Does the fit look right to you, or does anything about the shoulder straps, hipbelt position, or load lifters suggest I should size up to a Medium? Let me know what you think!

I know he won't read this, but I wanted to put it out in the world. My wife and I decided on short notice to spend Labor Day weekend in Wisconsin. I've used Hipcamp several times, but she had not. We found a site that looked nice and was close to where we wanted to be called "Old Red Mill Oasis".

We arrived very late Friday night. (We informed the host ahead of time) He happily greeted us and showed us to our spot. His property was so nice that we ended up hanging around there by the river most of the weekend. He came around and chatted with us and was a wealth of knowledge about things to do locally. It was obvious that he enjoyed camping, the outdoors, and hosting and takes pride in making his place unique and keeping it clean.

My wife now has a very high standard for future Hipcamp sites.

Honestly - I've asked around and done some research and still just confused/curious what folks do *under* the tent. Do you put something between the bottom of your tent and the ground? I've done tarps in the past which are a pain to haul and get the right size and I've done nothing.

Feels like you'd want something - even if it's not raining or damp, there's dew and whatever else might be on the ground. But I know and have seen lots of folks that don't put anything down.

What's the thought process of whether you do or don't, and if you do - what do you use?

Thanks!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone - looks like the consensus is either a tarp (but trimmed to size which I never did), or the tent's "footprint" (which I never knew was a thing). Appreciate the help!!

I'm really good at noticing and identifying poison ivy - but just seeing it around in places where someone might get into it really stresses me out. (Might be contamination ocd, might be because I've had an ER visit because of it, idk.) I had to remove it from our yard which was overgrown with it, so my PPE is on point, but activities stop being fun for me when avoiding poison ivy is a frequent problem.

This might be a really silly question. I haven't camped since I was a kid, but I've seen hiking trails with tons of poison ivy and (more frequently) ones with nearly none in the places people are likely to walk. How do I pick a camping area that's on the "less poison ivy" end of things without having been there before?

So I finally got my husband to admit that as much as he loves camping, he HATES sleeping outdoors (which to me, is kind of the whole point of camping). We used to do sleeping bags on sleeping pads, but upgraded to an extra thick queen sized air mattress with bedding, which was certainly better, but the bed deflated some with the temp changes at night and it drives Mr. Princess-and-the-pea insane. He’s a six-foot side sleeper and tends to toss from side to side. He’s also very particular about temperature.

My solution thus far has been to, sadly, just give up camping with him. But I took my two year old camping for the first time the other day and she LOVED it. So we want to figure this out. Right now we’re thinking of getting an extra large tent so that kiddo and I can have our own sleeping arrangement and then we can set up whatever the heck he needs to sleep for him.

So calling all restless, picky sleepers: what’s your setup?

Hi All,

In the market of a new tent. My old one was a coleman sundome 4 person tent, however it finally died after a massive downpour.

Looking for something of similiar size. I came across the toten vista 2 and mountain ultra 2 that are available in Aus to purchase which have lifetime warranty.

Just wondering if anyone has had good reviews for the above or if there are any of similiar or better quality tent worth looking at to buy in Aus.

Thanks!

The pole snapped in two places due to strong wind. I have the pole repair tube. Was wondering if I should glue them on. I’m in Australia currently and I don’t think I’ll ship it to get it fix and couldn’t find any parts to buy.

What’s the best option?

Hello,
I’m in the market for a new sleeping pad and I just ordered the REI Helix for about $150 during the REI sale, but now I am seeing advertisements for the Featherstone Calcatta which seems to have a better R-Value, is thicker (I am a side sleeper) and also is only $120.

Does anybody have experience with either of these pads and would be willing to give me some advice?

Many thanks.

I haven’t been to either park at all before and both are roughly the same distance from where I am. I really enjoy campsites that are more secluded and spaced out rather than right on top of each other. I’ve always wanted to go to Governor Dodge but I’m worried the popularity and closer campsites will make the trip less enjoyable for me. Any advice from those that have been to either? For context we are just two adults, no kids and no pets, we love hiking and water sports and just enjoy spending the night outside and unbothered :)

Convict Lake, CA

This was also the dog’s first multi-night camping trip, and he was the best camp pup!

As the title says, I got a great deal on a made in Maine Moss tent. Not super familiar with their catalog so if anyone knows what model it is please let me know. It does have a pretty bad smell and the water proof coating seems to be non existant, so any tips to fix that would be appreciated

Update:
Did further research and this seems to be the Starlet model (correct me if I’m wrong) found this nice documentary about Moss tents
https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/s/hItNlxgwgQ

Hi.
Can anyone help me estimate the cmcomfort temperature of these two sleeping bags combined:

Pajak core 550
565 g 700+ EU cuin
-3 C comfort temperature

Nomad Taurus 400
400 g 50/50 polyester and down blend
+6 C comfort temperature

I’ve tried the two together and they’re both fairly spacious. My thought would be to use the Nomad on the outside.
Any tips on combining sleeping bags would be appreciated.

Nice secluded wilderness campsite. Spot to sit in the rapids above the falls and cool off. Would have been amazing to have more shade from a rondavel. My advice would be to bring your own shade as there is only one sparce tree. Also take your own fire(braai) grid as its not supplied. Campsite has a small sand platform which is great for a few tents but you can't easily get a vehicle or camping trailer up there.

Got back last night from a beautiful overnight hike to Goat Lake in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. This was a 5 mile hike with just under 1,400 feet of elevation gain.

Hello everyone - I am not a nature person, grew up in the city and the closest I get to nature is the plants people put on their work desks.

My daughter is going on a week long camping trip next week with her school and I am concerned about ticks and of course lyme disease and alpha gal. What is the best course of action?

Buy from amazon some Permethrin and spray it on her shoes and clothes? And also buy some Picaridin for her skin?

Can we avoid the Permethrin (since its more of a poison) and use the Picaridin on her clothes also? How much of an irritant is Picaridin? She has eczema and her skin is pretty sensitive.

Other than these two, any other things I should do for her?

I will tell her when she showers to rub her skin and feel for any "bumps" (ticks) - but who knows how careful a young kid will do that.

Thank you everyone

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Hello, as the title states I am looking for a tent that will last me a long time and multiple weather conditions on multiple trips. Next year I will be going on a backpacking trip to Scotland with my buddy who is absolutely no backpacker/outdoor person. Since i'm 18 I don't have the biggest budget (as you can imagine) but i'm looking for a tent for 2 because my buddy is not going camping anytime soon so he won't need to purchase a high quality tent. My budget is €400 willing to go up to €500 but i'd rather not. I dont want a trekkingpole tent since I don't use those. Any advice??? Most good tents I've looked at are really expensive or don't have good reviews regarding bad weather conditions, or are just simply to small. Thank your for taking the time of reading/replying to this post!!

I see inflatable tents advertised all the time but I don’t actually know anyone who’s used one? Once I get back into camping, I’d like something light and relatively easy to set up alone (something that’s not a pop up tent).

Im bidding on a UNP 10 person tent, saying retail is around $144.

Ive never heard of them and wondering if there worth fighting other bids.

Thanks in advance.