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Tent, Tarp, Trailer or Dirt

What do you sleep in when you go out into the wilderness? Do you sleep in a camper or under the stars? Do you have an outfitter lodge style tent or a small one man backpacking tent? Or do you construct your shelter yourself once you get to where you are going? Anyways tell about the different stuff that you use and how you like it and if you would recommend it. Feel free to post any pictures that you have.

Ben

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Replies to This Discussion

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 6, 2010 at 13:33

.. depends on what's available .. when I was young & got drunk & stupid .. bare dirt by the campfire ..

Young but not drunk & stupid .. a tent w/ a shitload a leaves under it (and anything else dead & reasonably soft) ..

Still young @ heart but a little more seasoned .. I'll take a sleeping mat if I'm not hiking in very far .. otherwise .. use what's available @ campsite .. leaves, ferns, "soft" plant matl, tender boughs, etc .. under the tent ..

i.e. pick out a decent flat spot to pitch tent .. cover area w/ above described matl .. pitch tent on top .. wks great ..........although I've never camped where "mattress" matl wasn't readily available ..

Oooah .. and don't pitch your tent where the morning sun will hit .. or .. you'll be up early in a sweat !!

Permalink Reply by Ben on July 6, 2010 at 13:45

Haha for me it usually depends on what I am doing and where I will be at for what I sleep in.

If I am at a campground I usually use my tent and either my Eureka A-frame if it is going to be a few days of camping or my Kelty Grand Mesa for an overnight since I won't have alot of gear.

If I am out in the woods camping and I have plenty of resources I will usually build my own shelter, but bring a tent as back up just in case. I will either build it out of all natural materials, or if I have a tarp with me I will use that if I think that I will need it .

I also do WWII reenacting and the tent that I use for that has no bottom to it and I really love sleeping in that tent just because I don't have to worry about getting my boots or muddy clothes off right away if I am wanting to get out of the elements.

Haha oh yea I was out of my tent bright and early this weekend because the campsite had no shade until about 11am and the morning sun was right on it. I was hoping to sleep in a little bit but only made it til 8am before the tent was to hot to stay in lol.

I will try and get some pictures up of my tents later on here either this evening or in the next few days.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 7, 2010 at 0:40

.. pictured are economy "cheap" tents .. the one has served me well for ~ 20 yrs .. the rainfly goes to w/i inches of the gnd .. totally covers the entire tent .. the water resistant floor comes up the side of the tent ~ 3" ..

I hit a storm once north coast of WI / south shoreline of Lake Superior .. about 30 ft off the shore .. elev up enough to be safe .. wind gusts/heavy rain that night .. read that sideway's rain .. the flexible tent frame bent & kinda "flattened out" during wind gusts ..

!! .. stayed dry all night .. !!

Permalink Reply by Andy Voelkle "AxeMan" on July 7, 2010 at 0:40

I have used about everything from bivvy sacks to $500,000 RVs, North Face tents, Montana hunter wall tents, pup tents, tarps and cots of various types. What I sleep in now is the old standby I started using over 50 years ago -- the jungle hammock. I still have some (new mfg) original WW2 design jungle hammocks for guests, but have really started to like my new jungle hammock by Tom Claytor (http://www.mosquitohammocks.com) which has the essential mosquito net, capacity for a person 6'6" tall and 350lbs and a rain fly to keep you dry in a hurricane. This is the hammock used by the SAS, Rangers and a ton of hardcore outfits.

If you've ever been woken up by a 15ft snake rubbing on you because you're warm (I have) the hammock seems to make sense.

These images were found on their web site. I recommend the hammock for anywhere you can find to hang it. It is usually not possible to hang a hammock in artic tundra or open desert, but you can hang one on a yacht, between two vehicles or indoors.

Permalink Reply by Ben on July 7, 2010 at 0:46

Cool glad you posted this. Yea reminds me that I have a hammock that I havnt even tried out yet. Yea I have never used a hammock for sleeping in while camping I think I will have to give it a try this summer here. Haha yea I bet they are really nice to sleep in especially to keep all the creepy crawlies off you.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 7, 2010 at 0:49

.. the pictured campsite is family farm in rural southwest WI .. mid summer .. we've an established fire pit .. split wood is hauled up w/ the 4 wheeler .. note the bench of treated wood left of tent .. if you look close .. there's even an 18' cargo chute suspended as a canopy .. visible above & behind the tent in the backgnd .. we're not exactly "Roughen' It" !!!

Permalink Reply by Ben on July 7, 2010 at 0:52

Hey if you are in a storm like that and the tent keeps you dry you know it is a good tent. Especially when you have storms on one of the great lakes because those storms can get real nasty.

Permalink Reply by Ben on July 7, 2010 at 0:56

haha nice setup there. Nothin wrong with going out and being comfortable. Gotta take a break from roughen it now and then lol.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 7, 2010 at 1:03

Andy, you're right .. compact, comfy, effective .. have only had occasion to try hammock camping once .. great night .. no need for cvr .. wierdest thing .. freaked my dog out ???? I ended up sleeping on the gnd.

Permalink Reply by Andy Voelkle "AxeMan" on July 7, 2010 at 1:07

Sounds like an awesome campout. I only visited the Great Lakes once, camped out in a tent in Windsor, Ontario in perfect Summer conditions. What I remember most is the accents of two French-Canadian girls walking by. Beautiful.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 7, 2010 at 1:31

.. cheap tent .. but proof is in the pudding .. I stayed dry ..

.. after yrs of use .. the key weather resist features I've identified are:

.. the rainfly, except for cvrd zipper above door, is one solid piece

.. the rainfly is suspended about 2” outside the tent surface over the external frame

.. the rainfly never touches the tent

.. the rainfly can cvr to w/i inches of the gnd ..or.. well above the gnd for circulation

.. the tent floor of water resistant tarp like matl extends “UP” all sides of the tent ~ 3”

CONS

By hiking stds .. it aint light !!

A good tent is expensive these days .. just what do you look for in a tent .. just how much do you value lack of wgt ??

Just asking .. I’ll probably die w/ my tent .. never found the need to replace it .. but, daughter has spent 12 * what I’ve ever spent on a tent .. that’s just the going price for performance these days ??

Heah .. maybe a sub grp / discussion area where people can identify “deals” out there .. inexpensive equip that really performs for the buck .. or .. pricey equip that taint such a great performer ?????????????????????

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 7, 2010 at 1:57

.. my dog couldn't understand me suspended in air .. really weirded him out .. he just sat/laid there & moaned/groaned/whined/weirded out .. I literally pulled the bag outta the hammock & threw it on the gnd just to get some sleep ..

.. the hammock was damned comfy for awhile though ..