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Camping Questions

Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:13 pm
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:13 pm
Hello, all. I’ve recently gone camping (drive-in to a tent site at a state park) and have begun to acquire my own camping supplies since I really enjoyed it. I’m off to a good start, having bought a tent, an air mattress, a Coleman 2-burner propane stove, enamelware dishes and cutlery, headlamps, a lantern for the tent, kitchen miscellany, etc. I have another camping trip planned for September and am still gathering supplies.

Here are my questions:

1. I am looking at coffee percolators and am trying to decide between an 8-cup and a 12-cup size. I would be camping with 1 or 2 other people. I usually drink 3 cups of coffee, but my fellow campers usually have only 1-2 cups. Which size do you think would be best for my situation? I am leaning toward the 12-cup but do not want to get something bigger than I need. Thoughts?

2. The last time I camped, I borrowed a tent (Coleman Sundome 4) from a friend and liked it a lot. I have since bought one for myself. When I camped, I did not have a tarp to put under it, so I just set it up on a pine-needle covered forest floor. It was fine. When I packed it back up, there wasn’t any accumulated moisture under it. How important is it to place a tarp under the tent? I’ll get one if I should, but I don’t want to get something I really don’t need. Also, if I get a tarp, how much bigger than my tent should it be? The tent is 7’ by 9’.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
This post was edited on 7/24/22 at 9:46 am
Posted by Chad504boy
4 posts
Member since Feb 2005
170216 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:15 pm to
quote:

1. I am looking at coffee percolators and am trying to decide between an 8-cup and a 12-cup size. I would be camping with 1 or 2 other people. I usually drink 3 cups of coffee, but my fellow campers usually have only 1-2 cups. Which size do you think would be best for my situation? I am leaning toward the 12-cup but do not want to get something bigger than I need. Thoughts?


after 1 cup of coffee, its time for beer when camping. hope this helps.
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
15289 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:20 pm to
quote:

Also, if I get a tarp, how much bigger than my tent should it be? The tent is 7’ by 9’.


You actually want the tarp smaller than the tent. If it's larger, it will collect water and hold it under the tent.

Also, buy a tent with a full rain fly. It will eventually storm on you in Louisiana.
Posted by Brisketeer
Texas
Member since Aug 2013
1495 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:21 pm to
The tarp is a good idea anytime, but especially for rough environments that may pose a puncture hazard to the bottom of the tent. It can definitely save some wear and tear on the bottom.
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:24 pm to
quote:

after 1 cup of coffee, its time for beer when camping. hope this helps.


I hear you, and I would wholeheartedly agree with you if I were still in my 20s or even 30s. I am pushing 50 and, sadly, am way too old for that lifestyle now. I do enjoy my beer and other drinks, but not before lunch. I have to pace myself now.
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:27 pm to
quote:

You actually want the tarp smaller than the tent. If it's larger, it will collect water and hold it under the tent. Also, buy a tent with a full rain fly. It will eventually storm on you in Louisiana.


That makes sense. I haven’t been camping in Louisiana yet. So far, I have only camped in Georgia, and the weather was favorable. I didn’t even use the rain fly because I liked being able to see around the tent. I’m sure it is only a matter of time before I encounter rain while camping, though.
Posted by deeprig9
2023/24 B2B GSB Riboff Champ
Member since Sep 2012
67051 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:29 pm to
All the drive-in campers these days are moving away from the open burner stoves to the blackstone flat tops.

Also, a low-end electric chainsaw comes in handy in places where firewood is well picked through and hard to come by. You can cut up the stuff the other campers passed over due to size.
This post was edited on 7/22/22 at 1:32 pm
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 1:33 pm to
quote:

All the drive-in campers these days are moving away from the open burner stoves to the blackstone flat tops.


I plan to get one for the house soon. However, my grandfather used a Coleman stove, and I like it for the nostalgia.
Posted by weadjust
Member since Aug 2012
15375 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:08 pm to
quote:

The tent is 7’ by 9’.


Harbor Freight has 7'4" x 9'6" tarps from $4-10 for 4-9 mil thick
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
15289 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:19 pm to
quote:

I have only camped in Georgia


Gotta have the rain fly in Louisiana. Even on "dry" nights, you'll wake up with a soggy sleeping bag if you leave it off.

Posted by LEASTBAY
Member since Aug 2007
15111 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:23 pm to
Instant coffee?
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:28 pm to
quote:

Instant coffee?


Nah. Outdoor cooking was one of my favorite parts of the camping trip. Imagine bacon cooked in a cast-iron skillet, and then using the bacon fat to cook diced potatoes and then frying some yard eggs. Enjoying that with a hot cup of fresh-perked coffee while sitting in the woods overlooking a beautiful lake is one of the great pleasures of life.
Posted by deeprig9
2023/24 B2B GSB Riboff Champ
Member since Sep 2012
67051 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:30 pm to
quote:

I have only camped in Georgia


quote:

only drink after lunch


State parks in GA ban alcohol so bring a tumbler. They tend to not be total nazi's about it but you don't want to be the guy to get busted.
Posted by highpockets
Lafayette
Member since Feb 2015
1949 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:36 pm to
We ditched plates needing to be washed and use paper now even in camper. Wish campgrounds recycled.
I liked sleeping in cot over anything on ground never liked air mattress.
you can get permethrin from wal mart or academy, spray your tent with it and let it dry, it will give you 2 months of bug protection.
Use the tarp or some sort of liner under your tent.
If you want to take it up a notch, get some foam tiles for the tent floor or under the tent.

I dont drink coffee so cant help there wife always has her Kureg thingy.
Posted by Sparty3131
Baton Rouge
Member since Feb 2019
714 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:39 pm to
Like others said. Get a tent with a full rainflap. Always get a bigger tent. A 4 person tent is good for two people. Have a tent with screen doors as well to air it out. Get a good 5 gallon water jug with a spigot.
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:47 pm to
quote:

State parks in GA ban alcohol so bring a tumbler. They tend to not be total nazi's about it but you don't want to be the guy to get busted.


Yeah, I noticed that in the rules, but my sister said it isn’t really enforced unless you make it obvious. We put the beer cans in coozies and drank wine in cups from a Bota Box, so we weren’t blatant about it. Rangers drove by periodically but never stopped to investigate or question us.

Oh, and I am not a guy, but I am married to one.
Posted by CoastLSUFan
Member since Nov 2010
740 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 2:53 pm to
The permethrin suggestion is a great idea. I actually used a cot with an air mattress on top of it (not fully inflated because it wanted it to be softer) for the last camping trip. It made for a comfy setup. Under the cot was great storage for my bags, and the dog also slept under it.
Posted by TigersnJeeps
FL Panhandle
Member since Jan 2021
1960 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 3:16 pm to
Rainfly can also help somewhat as shade if tent exposed to a lot of sun.

Concur on having a tarp under it, if only to protect it from rocks etc that may be present.
Posted by m2pro
Member since Nov 2008
28862 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 3:18 pm to
Tarp protects against tearing the bottom. If your ground is protected from sticks that are part of a recently alive plant/bush sticking out of the ground (worst culprits for damage in my experience) or sharp rocks, then you're good to go. Idk much about the coffee thing. i just usually bring the instant dissolvable packs and put my metal cup in the coal bed. ashes be damned.

Yeah, anyway, police the ground thoroughly before using no footprint/tarp.
This post was edited on 7/22/22 at 3:19 pm
Posted by LSUintheNW
At your mom’s house
Member since Aug 2009
35930 posts
Posted on 7/22/22 at 3:47 pm to
quote:

Rainfly can also help somewhat as shade if tent exposed to a lot of sun.


With the fly on it'll be a sweat lodge in no time in the sun.

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