Tent Camping

[Stacy Rakestraw]

Tons of great ideas!

 

[Sur]

Tent camping at the Fort is great, Probably not as great and being in an RV, but it is still great.

I could "smell" the Fort while looking at your photos... no kidding. Yay!

 

[Chickp]

We tent camp as much as we can, and tent camped for four nights at the Fort last April. I have two grade school kids and a husband, and we brought one big tent with rooms for changing, plus a small one for the kids to sleep in.

I invested in a "camp kitchen" from Cabelas and it is really cool. You fold it out and then you have a couple "countertops" to cook on, plus a paper towel roll and such right there. We put it under our Coleman canopy (lights built in) and had a nice area for cooking and eating. I think a canopy is necessary if you're going to be there a while, because it IS going to rain in Florida and no one wants to sit in a tent while it rains, especially kids.

We bring air mattresses for everybody plus sheets, blankets, and pillows, no sleeping bags. We did get a tiny bit chilly even in April, which was nice at night, so a blanket was good to have. We did bring a fan but didn't need it then.

The comfort stations are amazing at the Fort but they're still a walk away, so it's always nice to have your toiletries in a shower caddy or something, especially while tent camping.

In the afternoon, swimming or some sort of air conditioned activity was GREAT to have planned if you're not going to the parks, or if you're taking a break. It was really too hot to nap or anything in the tent, so we went swimming or over to the contemporary for a snack.

We cooked almost all of our meals, mac and cheese, quesadillas, burgers, sandwiches for lunch, nothing fancy so that we could splurge a couple times on Boma, our favorite restaurant. It's kind of a bummer that you can't cook over a fire, but there are grills and that works fine.

We all agreed that it was our favorite tent camping place ever, so we're going back next April! Have fun, you will love it.

 

[hsmamato2]

As for food dehydrators, I had an Excalibur, and liked it very much. (Lots of reviews if you search "food dehydrator" on Amazon. Also an oldie but a goodie review on Mother Earth News) Dehydrating stews and sauces was easy-- just make sure you chop everything so that all veg/meat chunks are small (1/2" or less?), and cook with as little water as possible (make it thick!) to speed things up. You just put plastic wrap down on the dehydrator trays, and spread out the stew...when it's dry, you just crunch it up into big flakes, and put it into the storage container of your choice. I had loads of ziplock bags-- label and date them because the dry version can be hard to identify-- and kept them in a large tupperware plastic box to keep critters (squirrels!), ants etc out. They take up very little space! It was neat to have gourmet Indian food, and other favorites from home, in a tent at Fort Wilderness! Yum.

I want to try this out!....on the idea of cots... I have used different things over the years... deluxe Thermarest pads(pretty nice, but too low to ground for me) Aerobed camp version,(loved it, but the pump setup died) and now a cot with my deluxe thermarest on top for warmth and comfort(perfect) I LOVE the cot, I can store things under it,it makes it easy to keep our 'beds' separate.... and for rain with moisture seepage,it keeps us dry and off that damp tent ground!(for real big rain I put my duffel on top of the cot during the day to keep it all dry)

 

[SwimminAtAKL]

I want to try this out!....on the idea of cots... I have used different things over the years... deluxe Thermarest pads(pretty nice, but too low to ground for me) Aerobed camp version,(loved it, but the pump setup died) and now a cot with my deluxe thermarest on top for warmth and comfort(perfect) I LOVE the cot, I can store things under it,it makes it easy to keep our 'beds' separate.... and for rain with moisture seepage,it keeps us dry and off that damp tent ground!(for real big rain I put my duffel on top of the cot during the day to keep it all dry)

Ya, dehydrated homemade meals are super fun! Bring all your favorites-- if for nothing else, to help encourage you to make your own meal, rather than caving and hitting Trail's End...one more time! Not that I regret it (love that place!), but it has its impact on the wallet and the waistline!

Cot plus Thermarest...Brilliant combo! I think you've found the perfect mix of plusses between the different approaches. My memory-foam-on-the-ground style was super comfy, but if we'd had any kind of seepage (easy to have happen in a tent, we got really lucky) it could have been pretty disastrous. Plus, like you say, being able to store stuff under the bed is super handy.

And good tip about putting your duffel (really anything protective...cheap plastic tablecloth?) atop your bedding while you're out. Makes a huge difference in how much moisture your blankets & comforters absorb from the air.

 

[RustManFan]

We brought battery powered lanterns for our 2 tent camping experiences at FW. We were on pads too but the aero beds (or other blow ups) would be such a bonus! My adult kids now prefer to stay at a moderate but I want to get back in the tent.... just not in August as we did last time

 

[SwimminAtAKL]

Whew...August must have been pretty rough, temperature- and humidity-wise...

 

[Bearikens]

My DW and I have tent camped multiple times at the Fort. Sometimes we have camped in a primitive fashion with sleeping bags directly on the ground to using thick queen size air mattress. We haven’t had any good luck with air mattresses as they always seem to lose all their air (didn’t matter who made the mattress) before the sun rose, so we found ourselves a full size bed cot. The cot is so comfortable and gives us additional storage space on the floor of the tent that we never had with an air mattress. http://www.amazon.com/Kamp-Rite-FC321-Double-Kwik-Cot/dp/B004M0YY0G

We also bought ourselves a “Deluxe Camp Kitchen” from Bass Pro Shops and while we haven’t yet had the chance to use it at the Fort, we have taken it car camping in the mountains. The kitchen has become very helpful to us executing our cooking and cleaning chores, plus keeping our tools, cooking oil, and spices organized. We’ve used picnic tables as a kitchen in the past, but this portable kitchen is much more user friendly (at least for us) and versatile than any other cooking setup we’ve ever seen. I’m even thinking of attaching a drain/stopper to the wash basin so we can drain our grey water more easily. I find myself wondering if anyone on the DIS boards has used a Camp Kitchen at the Fort and can tell us how well it worked (or didn’t) for them. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Deluxe-Camp-Kitchen/product/10219457/

 

[JanL]

I also have a “Deluxe Camp Kitchen” from Bass Pro Shops and while I have not used it at FW, it has been wonderful at State Parks. It keeps the picnic table from being too cluttered and makes cooking and cleaning a breeze. I usually only take it for a 3-day or longer camptout, though, as it is heavy and takes time to set up.

 

[Chickp]

I have a Cabela's camp kitchen (same idea, but a few more accessories and storage bags, also cheaper just FYI!) and we took it to the Fort last April for five days. It was fantastic! We tent camp and cook almost all our meals there and it helped sooo much not having to juggle all our stuff while cooking. I've taken it a couple other places too, and it's so nice to have all of our kitchen stuff in one place. I just leave the things like can opener, spatula, etc in the green bag that hangs there.

 

[themojosupreme]

The kitchen has become very helpful to us executing our cooking and cleaning chores, plus keeping our tools, cooking oil, and spices organized. We’ve used picnic tables as a kitchen in the past, but this portable kitchen is much more user friendly (at least for us) and versatile than any other cooking setup we’ve ever seen.

Starting to collect items for our tent camping and one was the camp kitchen which was at a good enough price at the Walmart online. Very happy to hear that the money will be well spent. Bought it as an indulgence for all the years that I had to dig thru boxes for the papertowels, the spatula, etc and will now be able to have hanging in front of me. May end up kicking myself for not getting the kitchen years ago. But then, would have had to give up some other indulgence for the kids like ice cream cones and glow bracelets and stamped pennies --- not a chance! Better a smile dripping with ice cream than knowing where the spatula is.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

While we haven't done camping at the Fort, we do camping IRL for vacations/scouts. A few things we do:

1. Cots, with pads.
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P6BGYI/ref=s9_al_bw_g468_i4

http://smile.amazon.com/TETON-Sport...HWEDXWNN&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_

Heavy but very comfy.

2. When we leave our camp area, we take small airplane locks and lock the zippers on the tent and screen house. Both have 2 zippers on one track, so if you lock the two zippers together, no one can open them up! Started doing that after someone raided our campsite when camping in Utah about 10 years ago. Keys are tiny and fit in a lanyard easily.

3. To protect the tent floor from the cot legs, we use something like this:
http://smile.amazon.com/HemingWeigh...F8&qid=1441193254&sr=8-20&keywords=floor+pads
Ours is more heavy duty, but I can't find the link for them.

4. Collapsible trash cans. Easy to store at night after discarding trash.

5. We put a shade pop up over the front of the tent. We have a chair, a "plastic green grass" mat, and a tub by the door. Shoes go off, feet/socks are wiped on the mat before entering the tent. Since we started doing that, no sand/dirt issues in the tent. Tub gets closed up, so the shoes don't get wet.

 

[SwimminAtAKL]

Hey, great ideas! I really like the "footgear processing area" that you set up outside the tent door. That's a great one! The messiest darn thing camping has got to be all that crud we track into the tent. (Although I do somehow also always end up with roasted marshmallow in my hair...)

 

[bama_ed]

The messiest darn thing camping has got to be all that crud we track into the tent. (Although I do somehow also always end up with roasted marshmallow in my hair...)

I have a visual that's pretty funny!

Bama Ed

PS - BTW, SwimminAtAKL, when helping my kids roast marshmallows at the Fort, I have been near kids whose mm has caught on fire and their parents aren't around. They have that "deer in the headlights" look. I just lean over and blow it out before they freak and start waving it around...

PPS - to contribute to this thread, as I've gotten older I've moved to Cabellas folding cots for my tent camping with very happy results.