Hey, tenderfoot, it’s not as scary as it sounds.
Good for you! You’ve decided to go tent camping! Maybe this is because you’re just now getting into this camping thing, and you want to see what it’s all about. Maybe you’re a seasoned veteran, and this is still you’re favorite kind of camping even though you’ve tried all kinds from sleeping under the stars to sleeping in a custom RV.
Don't leave food in your tent! (sniff sniff) Here come the party animals!
If you’re still new to tent camping, this article’s for you. If you have had the pleasure of figuring it all out already, this will probably still interest you. After all, if you’re not fortunate enough to be doing something you’re passionate about, you might as well do the next best thing and pretend like you are!
Since it rains on everyone during their first time tent camping, that should be first on the list…
But it’s not. First we have to select a camp site. You might go to a national park very far away. You might choose a local state park from one to 3 hours away. Or, you might keep it very local and pick a spot in your back yard. For all of these instances, the factors for picking a site to pitch your tent are the same. Choose carefully, because this is your home away from home. Your hotel suite sans concrete. Your master bedroom with minimal headroom. Your place to abide in the great outside.
Improvised drainage ditch
Sorry. That was fun for me. Okay. Pick a spot that will be optimal for when the wind and rain come, even though it was a beautiful still, clear day when you set the tent up. When the rain moves in, it can bring some major wind with it. Always use all tie downs and stakes that come with the tent. You want an area that will water will move away from, not towards. I remember once in Scouts, a couple of Tenderfoots woke up early one soggy morning to find that their tent had a small stream running underneath the middle of the floor. Look for a patch of soft, cushiony grass. If you can’t find nature’s equivalent to a pillow top mattress, at least decide to settle on a piece of earth that has no rocks, sticks, roots, ant piles, etc. It’s okay to park your pad underneath a tree if you’re inside the drip line. If it rains, being under the drip line can funnel the rainwater right onto your tent. Also, if the tent is under the tree, be sure to use the rain fly because a heavy dew can cause water to fall off of the branches just as if it had rained overnight.
Tents are built with reinforced, heavy duty floors, but they could use a little extra care from us. Use a “ground cloth” like a polyethylene tarp, or canvas. It is nice for it to be larger than the tent floor so you can position the extra material by the front door to serve as a bit of a “front porch” to wipe your feet on and leave muddy boots outside. A clean tent is a happy tent. A bug free tent is a happy tent, too. Leave snacks and food items outside! Also, it pays off to be proactive with the mosquito repellent. Please, do not burn a citronella candle inside the tent. Never use flames inside a tent. There are plenty of other ways to fend off those bloodsucking females. Easy, easy there…for those of you that don’t know, just the females mosquitoes bite.
Truck Tent
Comfort is key. If you’re camping in warm weather, set up a cot in the tent. It lets the air circulate underneath you for more cooling. Remember the tarp you put down under your tent? Put another one under the feet of the cot. It’ll help protect the floor. If you don’t have an extra tarp, at least use the cot bag under one or two feet and find something else to place under the remainders. Buy a battery operated tent fan. It could cool off the beads of sweat that are running down your forehead. Hey, every little bit helps.
In cold weather, there’s lots you can do to keep toasty warm. Here’s some basics for cool to cold weather camping. This should cover you for anything you might experience anywhere south of the Red River. Put on a stocking cap, just like you do when you’re hunting in cold weather. Major amounts of heat escape through your head, and the heat retention you gain from covering it is one biggest things you can do to stay warm at night. Change your clothes right before you go to bed, especially socks and underwear. The moisture on your clothes from earlier in the day will become cold as you rest in your sleeping bag at night. Clean dry clothes will make a difference. Lastly on this quick list, sleep with a blanket inside your bag. It will eliminate most drafts. For even better results, fold it in half lengthwise and sew it together like a sleeping bag at the feet and about halfway up.
Enjoy tent camping! It can get you close to nature without totally roughing it by sleeping under the stars or unexpected rain down bursts. It’s amazing what a thin layer of polyester or nylon will do. Just take time to do it right. A wise man builds his house upon the rock and a wise camper pitches his tent on high ground.
