Camping question

[wyoranch]

All,
I am going to be driving in this year without my trailer so I will be needing to buy a tent and accessories. I am NOT a tent camper and I have very little experience with what is needed to do this. Can anyone give me some advice on tent features and other items that will keep me from suffering while I am there?
Your advice and experiences are GREATLY appreciated!
Rick

[FlyingRon]

You'll probably find people have lots of opinions on it, but in 25 years of camping at Oshkosh, I can tell you that I've gone through more than a few different tents. The one we've been using the last five years or so is the Cabelas Alaskan Guide dome tent. We have the 8 man for the wife and me because it gives us plenty of room to stand up and have stuff besides our cots. The advantage of this tent is it stands up pretty well to the inevitable Oshkosh thunder and wind storm that hits at least once every year during the show. It's easy to set up and take down. In fact, if you wander over to where we camp, you'll find a little compound made up of nearly a dozen of these tents in various sizes. It's popular among our volunteer group.

You can order online or there are Cabelas stores in Green Bay (right by Lambeau Field) and between Milwaukee and Fond Du Lac. I've made shopping runs to both over the years.

[mazdaP5]

Be sure to secure the tent, leads and stakes. It will storm at some point in the week, don't let your tent blow over! I also pack my clothing in some sort of waterproof container. Used to do ziplocs, now I use a rubbermade tote.

[wyoranch]

I am sure that is is a stupid question.... I will be traveling light and a tent like my kids is really easy to knock down and stow. Do I look for a tent that is easy like that and throw it in the car while I am not there? I know it would be a pain in the rear but there is nothing worse then not being able to sleep in a dry place. (My only other tent camping experience was Sun-N-Fun and that very thing happened... T-Storm collapsed the tent and soaked EVERYTHING. Have you ever tried to sleep in a 172? lol ). Is it worthwhile to pack some sort of device(s) for running a fan? Can you run a gen in Scholler during the day to charge a battery? I know I know I am making this WAY more complicated than necessary.
Thanks
Rick

[FlyingRon]

The Cabelas and most of the dome tents break down pretty small and light. Of course, not that we've taken it home EVER. We leave everything up in a storage locker out on Highway 41.

[mazdaP5]

I bring a small 4d fan. I set up camp in the beginning of the week and leave it up. Camp Scholler is a pretty friendly place. I wouldn't let worrying about weather get in the way of watching airplanes.

[Kyle Boatright]

I am sure that is is a stupid question.... I will be traveling light and a tent like my kids is really easy to knock down and stow. Do I look for a tent that is easy like that and throw it in the car while I am not there? I know it would be a pain in the rear but there is nothing worse then not being able to sleep in a dry place. (My only other tent camping experience was Sun-N-Fun and that very thing happened... T-Storm collapsed the tent and soaked EVERYTHING. Have you ever tried to sleep in a 172? lol ). Is it worthwhile to pack some sort of device(s) for running a fan? Can you run a gen in Scholler during the day to charge a battery? I know I know I am making this WAY more complicated than necessary.
Thanks
Rick

Lots of the storms come overnight. You really don't want to have to deal with a collapsed or leaky tent at 2:00 in the morning. Get a good tent on the front end and you don't need to worry about it.

[wyoranch]

Lots of the storms come overnight. You really don't want to have to deal with a collapsed or leaky tent at 2:00 in the morning. Get a good tent on the front end and you don't need to worry about it.
Agreed, besides cabelas does anyone have any recommendations for brands of tents to look at or to avoid?

[RC Gregg]

I agree with Flying Ron, the cabelas brand is very good (waterproof) We use one repeatedly in my son's Scout troop and it has held up well. I have owned a couple leaky Walmart Ozark trail tents over the years, and will not purchase again. Eureka and Columbia are also good brands.

[Kyle Boatright]

Agreed, besides cabelas does anyone have any recommendations for brands of tents to look at or to avoid?

REI does a good job with tents if there is one near you. Their house brand is good. One thing I always look for in a "weather" tent is aluminum poles. Higher quality tents tend to have them, cheap tents (generally) use fiberglass poles.

[wyoranch]

I guess I am going to Cabelas, there is one in Billings, MT which is an hour and a half away. I truly appreciate all the advice. Last question is..... Are there features in a tent that are more important than others? Construction material, vents etc... Again I don't know much about them so that opinions would also be very helpful
rick

[gmatejcek]

Hi there- I also have done this quite a few times, and have distilled a couple ideas. First, when I was younger / more flexiblein the AM, a 4 man accomodated the spouse and I just fine as we didn't mind the gymnastics involved in getting dressed while horizontal. Nowadays, being able to stand up in the tent is greatly appreciated. Also, if you don't have or have access to a screen tent, a larger camping tent gives you a better place to hide out should the weather be unpleasant for a protracted period. I also have to agree about aluminum poles- while they are bulkier to transport and much harder to set up by one's self, I have been beaten about the head and shoulders by a pretty good quality dome tent while trying to sleep through a night time trw. THAT is not fun. Along those lines, forget the metalic joke-stakes most tents come with and use the big yellow plastic variety. Although the very first year I was there ('77) we actually had frost one night, it generally tends to be toasty at the convention, so a summertime / well ventilated tent is nice. Be careful, though- some summertime tents don't have much overlap between the fly and the bottom of the tent. I've had two friends wake up floating on their air mattresses... As someone else mentioned, a 4 D cell fan / light combo suspended from the apex is a handy accessory. Lastly, I would strongly recommend some aerosol water proofer and some seam sealer to help keep the inside dry. An old bath mat just inside the door will radically reduce the mess on wet days.

My most recent tent was from gander mountain, on sale. Good deal, good tent.

FWIW, YMMV, etc etc, yada yada...!

[FlyingRon]

Let's see Oshkosh tents:

1. Little 6' dome tent that was my wife: Never again, too small and when the storms came the poles bent down and the tent touched me in it's claminess.
2. Slightly larger dome tent. Used for one year.
3. Got the Navion so we brought the large cabin tent we owned. This is an old style tent needing periodic resealing.
Then one year I couldn't find the tent. Found it in the garden shed rotted as the kids put it away in the bag wet. Run to 24 hour walmart to buy replacement.
4. Cheap walmart dome tent. Lasted two shows and it shreded itself in a storm. Went into the dumpster.
5. Got a big Eureka which was really spacious. This lasted a few years until a strong Oshkosh storm bent the poles. You can still set it up but it has an odd list to it as I was never able to bend the poles back quite the right way.
6. Got a gander mountain Y shaped thing with two rooms, Worked OK but my wife didn't like it. It's still up at Oshkosh and it gets set up from time to time for the volunteer massage tent and for evening drinking if it's too cold or rainy to be outside.
7. The Cabelas Artic Guide 8-man we've been using for the past four years or so.

[WaltS]

We've been camping and backpacking for close to 4 decades and all the advice I've seen here is spot-on. Can vouch for Eureka and REI tents, both are high quality. For car camping, like at Oshkosh, we used a large 6 person dome tent. It holds up in the wind and as other have said, the taller and bigger the tent the more comfortable you'll be. I'll also strongly suggest using the 12 inch plastic stakes and to utilize every tie down that the tent has. Storms can come on suddenly and bring a lot of wind. You might also consider some kind of additional shelter, either open or screened. We have an open-sided shelter that we erect over the entrance of the tent. It provides a dry spot for entry and exit and gives us a protected place to put our chairs and folding table for cooking and eating or just relaxing.

p.s. Love Dirty Sally's in Ten Sleep. We always stop there when visiting Yellowstone.

[wyoranch]

We've been camping and backpacking for close to 4 decades and all the advice I've seen here is spot-on. Can vouch for Eureka and REI tents, both are high quality. For car camping, like at Oshkosh, we used a large 6 person dome tent. It holds up in the wind and as other have said, the taller and bigger the tent the more comfortable you'll be. I'll also strongly suggest using the 12 inch plastic stakes and to utilize every tie down that the tent has. Storms can come on suddenly and bring a lot of wind. You might also consider some kind of additional shelter, either open or screened. We have an open-sided shelter that we erect over the entrance of the tent. It provides a dry spot for entry and exit and gives us a protected place to put our chairs and folding table for cooking and eating or just relaxing.

p.s. Love Dirty Sally's in Ten Sleep. We always stop there when visiting Yellowstone.

lol My wife and I are meeting someone at Dirty Sallys tomorrow to deliver a horse then on to Sheridan to drop another one off....... The drive from our place to there is gorgeous.

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your advice and opinions. I am sure they will save me from making major mistakes in all of this.
Rick

[Cary]

Agreed, besides cabelas does anyone have any recommendations for brands of tents to look at or to avoid?
I have a Big Agnes Big House 4 (a nominally 4 person tent which works super well for 2 people), which I bought specifically because I wanted a good quality, roomy tent for OSH. I was tired of using my quality but small 2 person back-packing tent--when you're there for a week, it's nice to have the room. Big Agnes builds excellent tents, and they stand behind them. In a big blow of 3 years ago at OSH, I had poles bend but the tent survived--while campers nearby had their tents totally collapse. Big Agnes fixed the bent poles, no charge.

Because of OSH's weather, you'll be more comfortable in a tent that has good ventilation.

Whatever brand you choose, go for quality, with aluminum poles (agreed, they're better than fiberglass), and stake it out thoroughly. DO NOT fall for any garbage about "this tent is self supporting and requires no guy lines", thinking you won't need to stake it. My tent is "self supporting", meaning that it will just sit there fine in a no-wind situation. But I stake it to the ground, and I stake all the factory supplied guy lines, plus I added more guy lines and stake them, too. Oh, and I replaced all of the supplied tent pegs with MSR Ground Hogs--they are absolutely the best and worth using. I've been in pretty big blows with a variety of tents, and I've never had a Ground Hog pull loose.

Since quality costs money, spend a little extra for a "footprint". You can use a tarp, but I favor a footprint that matches the tent. It will preserve the floor of the tent, which helps keep things dry.

I do use a fan at OSH, which makes sleeping more comfortable when there's no breeze. I originally had a Coleman tent fan, but it lasted only 2 seasons of infrequent use--it still works, but the bearings are shot, it vibrates, and it'll give up any time. So I bought a Mr. Heater tent fan, which seems to be better quality for about the same money. I've used it now for 2 seasons, and it shows no signs yet of wearing out. A plus is that it includes a light. Its 4 D-cells will last the entire week.

I have friends who have successfully camped with el cheapo tents, but I've never regretted spending more money for good quality.

Cary

[mazdaP5]

Mine is a Coleman and the floor is made of a tarp material, to about 6 inches off of the ground, and it has never let water in through the floor. It's going on year four this summer.

[Mayhemxpc]

Yes on Cabela's! My family of five uses a ten person tent and a screened in fly as a porch. The lesson, consistent with the previous posts, is to go with a tent rated for double the number of people. If you are older, be sure to get one tall enough to use a full size cot. It makes a world of difference and you can always shove things under the cot.

Shower mat inside. Great idea. We will try that. We always have a regular mat outside the door, but a shower may inside sounds like a must try thing.

Tent stakes. I have found that the one like a 10 penny nail withe a plastic hook and eye whorl very well. Easy to hammer in and easy to pull out. Well, not so hard. I use a 10 penny nail contraption for airplane tie down, too. I have had times where the Wisconsin storms twisted the plastic stakes out of the ground and rendered them unfit for service. Absolutely make sure that every tie down is used and pegged securely into the ground. The tent designer did not include them for cosmetic value. In a midwest straight line storm, very one is needed.

The wife and I still disagree about ground cloths/liners. I based my position on information in the Boy Scout Field Book. She on…well something else.

By the way, not everything fits in one mode of transportation. I fly up with one child and some of the equipment, like the tent and minimal sleeping equipment for me and the one with me. She drives up with the rest in the mini-van.

[wyoranch]

Does anyone know anything about Kelty or Wenger brand tents? There are a few on Craigslist here and I was curious about the quality.

[WaltS]

Kelty has always been known for high quality. I haven't always liked their designs nor their retail prices. Used is another matter. No experience with Wenger.

A big tent and cots are a good idea. We use a blow-up bed with an air pump that runs from the power outlet in the car.

Walt S.

p.s. We both are city born and bred but my wife is a terrific horsewoman. She's retired now but managed a barn for many years and has 'gentled' several BLM mustangs and made them into saddle horses. I tag along. Lots of fun and really teaches listening and patience.

[Mayhemxpc]

I have a Kelty brand Boy Scout 3 person A-Frame tent. It is great. Stands up to weather and wind, keep you dry. A three man tent that can really fit three adults on low profile cots with some room for gear. Can't quite stand up in it and I don't think I could get two full-size cots in there, but a great tent for what it is supposed to do. I use it for camping with the Scouts. The Cabela "Tent Mahal" is for when the wife brings an element of civilization to the great outdoors.

Update: I just checked and apparently my tent is no longer manufactured.

[Rod Schneider]

Does anyone know anything about Kelty or Wenger brand tents? There are a few on Craigslist here and I was curious about the quality.



I had a Wenger tent that I bought brand new last year. Total waste of money. I ended up moving into a friends motor home because that Wenger was an excellent water collector! This year I bought a Cabela's Alaskan Guide dome tent. 3 times as expensive as the Wenger, but it should keep me dry!

[Bob Kaestner]

Browning Camping (made by ALPS Mountaineering) makes quality tents. We purchased the Big Horn model this spring for family and scout camping. It's LARGE cabin style, 15x10 with nearly vertical walls - can easily accommodate 3 queen mattresses and stand-up headroom throughout. It's very well made, uses quality material including steel upright poles.

Endured Oshkosh several years ago in an Ozark Trail tent. We spent an entire day at nearby laundromat drying our stuff after TS. Don't waste your money on Walmart or similar Chinese crap.

[skyfixer8]

Anyone know when web cams on the convention grounds will be turned on ?

[Hal Bryan]

Anyone know when web cams on the convention grounds will be turned on ?

We hope to have them up about 10 days prior to the start of convention. It all depends on when the wayfinding towers that 3 of the cameras are mounted on can go up.

[psvinny]

Hal, that's good news, I always look forward to seeing the cams up and running. I love watching the build-up to EAA Oshkosh. I would be in favor of leaving them up year round. Just think of the labor it would save not having to put them up and take them down. Heck, if the lens would get dirty, you could just run across the field and clean it.

[skyfixer8]

Thank you Hal.

[Hal Bryan]

Heck, if the lens would get dirty, you could just run across the field and clean it.

Across the field...and up about 50 feet. ;)

[skyfixer8]

vinny, I would pay to see the running AND the climbing :D

[Roger Janssens]

Since this thread seems to deal with camping question*s*, here is another one: a friend and I, travelling together in one car, intend to share one campsite. Since we are flying across the Atlantic and have to pack our tent(s), sleeping bags, etc. into our one-suitcase-each, along with our clothes, we are each bringing our own small tent - we couldn't fit a tent holding the two of us in either suitcase. According to the General Camping Guidelines, this means we need to rent two campsites? 60 feet by 20 feet to hold one car and two tents that together are smaller than most tents, even storage tents, described above?
(By the way, I bought my tent in a general supermarket on the way to a British airshow when I realised I'd forgotten my old tent at home. If I'm not mistaken, it cost me c.50 USD, but it has now served me through 4 or 5 AirVentures, and the only time I've got wet was when I got caught in a downpour while setting up the tent - even an economy car can be a really convenient windbreak.)

[rleffler]

Since this thread seems to deal with camping question*s*, here is another one: a friend and I, travelling together in one car, intend to share one campsite. Since we are flying across the Atlantic and have to pack our tent(s), sleeping bags, etc. into our one-suitcase-each, along with our clothes, we are each bringing our own small tent - we couldn't fit a tent holding the two of us in either suitcase. According to the General Camping Guidelines, this means we need to rent two campsites? 60 feet by 20 feet to hold one car and two tents that together are smaller than most tents, even storage tents, described above?)

thats a rule that's usually not strictly enforced. If you can fit everything on a single site, usually nobody will care.

bob

[dclaxon]

DO NOT fall for any garbage about "this tent is self supporting and requires no guy lines", thinking you won't need to stake it.
Cary

I don't know, I've found them to be fairly well self supporting. Over the years I've seen several of them crossing Scholler in "tumbleweed" mode.

Oh, you meant you wanted it to still be where you left it?

Dave

[wyoranch]

I don't know, I've found them to be fairly well self supporting. Over the years I've seen several of them crossing Scholler in "tumbleweed" mode.

Oh, you meant you wanted it to still be where you left it?

Dave

it is always a plus when you get to your tent and it is still there where you left it.

[Sonerai2mx]

Since this thread seems to deal with camping question*s*, here is another one: a friend and I, travelling together in one car, intend to share one campsite. Since we are flying across the Atlantic and have to pack our tent(s), sleeping bags, etc. into our one-suitcase-each, along with our clothes, we are each bringing our own small tent - we couldn't fit a tent holding the two of us in either suitcase. According to the General Camping Guidelines, this means we need to rent two campsites? 60 feet by 20 feet to hold one car and two tents that together are smaller than most tents, even storage tents, described above?
(By the way, I bought my tent in a general supermarket on the way to a British airshow when I realised I'd forgotten my old tent at home. If I'm not mistaken, it cost me c.50 USD, but it has now served me through 4 or 5 AirVentures, and the only time I've got wet was when I got caught in a downpour while setting up the tent - even an economy car can be a really convenient windbreak.)

To answer without incriminating ourselves. In our younger days we'd have anywhere from 10-15 people using one site, cars parked remotely. Now that we're older and make more money we'll be heading up to stake off 6 adjoining sites next week. I wouldn't worry about a car and two tents on one site.

[Roger Janssens]

Thanks for your replies!