Camping

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. . . Parents Survival Guide

“Go to your room” . . . . how many times do you throw that old chestnut in? Go on, admit it, you sound just like your mother did when you were small . . . well, that’s one thing you won’t be able to say on a family camping trip, (but at least there’ll be no door banging to put up with, zippers are much quieter).

“My father being an outdoors person, he used to take us on quite a few adventures thorugh the wild areas down there, introducing us to alligators and rattlesnakes and all the trees and plants.”  -
Jim Fowler 

Family camping in the great outdoors is brilliant fun, but there are a few things which you need to think about very carefully before you start packing your camping and hiking gear into the trunk of the car . . . if you want to keep your sanity that is!

Choosing Your Family Camping Tent

The tent must be your first consideration when you are planning a camping trip, it’s got to be your “home from home” for the next few days, weekend, week or even longer . . . so it had better be right! Yep, the tent is the most important piece of camping equipment when you’re introducing your brood to the great outdoors . . . after the beer cooler of course. Let’s presume (okay then) that you and your family will enjoy their first camping trip so much that they’ll want to camp again next month, next year and for a lot of “next years” to come. But how do families change over the years? Do try to keep up with me . . . they get bigger . . . sometimes they get bigger in number, and they always get bigger in size. Don’t you remember how your Aunt Nellie used to say the same cringeworthy thing to you on your annual visit “oooh haven’t you grown?” . . . and now you say that to your own nieces and nephews . . . you see, you’re not only turning into your mother, you’re turning into your Aunt Nellie too . . . there is no escape and resistance is futile!

FAMILY CAMPSITE WARNING – Do not pitch your family tent anywhere close to this camping family . . . if you do spot them proceed with extreme caution as far away as possible.

Family Camping for Happy Campers

I seem to be getting off the beaten track a little (or hiking trail!), let’s look at the things which you really must consider when you choose a new family camping tent. Whether you want to camp for camping sake at the camp-site of your choice or just want to use your family tent as a base to explore the surrounding area, think about this,

Types of Family Tents

Family tents are classified as those which sleep at least 4 people and are available in a few different styles.

• Dome style family tents – are pretty self explanatory, they’re in a dome shape. Dome tents are stronger and have more wind resistance, so if you think that might be an issue go for a dome style family tent. They are pretty tall in the middle, but the walls do slope  from the edges (because that’s what domes do) so the living space isn’t as big as it would be in the next type of family tent . . .

• Cabin style family tents – are the upright ones with easy access (you don’t have to crawl in and out . . . which can be quite good fun for a five year old but not so good when you get a little older more mature!) These family tents have other features which can make camping with the family fun and convenient too – room dividers (I can still hear you!!!) and an awning (great for leaving your muddy hiking boots and hiking gear outside leaving more space on the inside for sleeping in comfort).
• Sun shelters or Screen rooms - are not technically a part of the tent, but do make a great addition and can increase the size of your camping space rather dramatically (check out the photo at the top of the page). You see, somewhere to sit and eat without the sun drying out your burgers or the bugs trying to share your supper (if you have those with mesh sides anyway). They’re not very good for keeping the rain out, in fact, that’s a bit of an understatement, they won’t keep the rain out at all but they do offer good shelter and shade so come in really useful on a family camping trip . . . or a day trip to the beach.

You see, family camping trips are fun, fun, fun . . .

Family Tents – Points of Interest

When it comes to the price of family tents and camping equiment . . . as with many other things, ya gets wot ya pays fer! Okay, now we all know that you can pick up a family sized tent for a ridiculously low price (less than a weeks groceries) at discount stores, but how long do you really think these tents will last for . . . one trip, one night, one erection!  Outdoor camping equipment stores can have very similar looking family tents which cost a whole lot more . . . did you ever wonder why that is? If you want to enjoy many family camping trips in the years ahead, make sure that you choose a tent which will stand up to the job and will keep your growing family comfortable and happy.

• Zippers – get a lot of stick on a family camping trip (the tent zippers – really), and can be a real pain in the a$$ if they get snagged or stuck.  YKK zippers are tougher and are less prone to snagging.
• Poles – fiberglass poles are not actually as durable as aluminum poles . . . just saying!
• Rainfly – a roof only rainfly will not give half as much protection against the weather than a full coverage one on your tent.
• Fabrics – think of the fabric of your family tent this way . . . the higher denier ones are definitely more rugged!
• Floor design – higher denier fabrics with seam taping are less likely to let the rain seep in through the corners and from down under – we all know that nobody likes sleeping on a wet patch.
• Guyout loops – if you choose a tent for your family camping trip which has guyout loops, you’ll be able to really batten down the hatches if necessary . . . alternatively check the long term weather forecast before you go, but you still never really know do you?