Kamel's General Discussion

[Rick]

One of my tents is a Coleman Montana 6. I love it and we've never had a problem with it. Coleman makes some good gear, too. I have stoves and lanterns that are as old as me and still work quite well (better than me I'm afraid). Tents are just another tool. You have to figure out how you want to use them and then go from there. I wouldn't use it on a trip to S. America but for around here for week-end jaunts with the grand kids it's just fine.

[wildWoman]

Yeah, we have a couple Coleman stoves and lanterns, too Still wouldn't be the brand of tent I'd get, but it's all a matter of preference.

[Sarge47]

Yeah, we have a couple Coleman stoves and lanterns, too Still wouldn't be the brand of tent I'd get, but it's all a matter of preference.

I have several different types of Coleman tents. One is a "pop-up" design that allows you to set it up really quick...it needs a tarp. However the other two are a lot better. One is a three room cabin tent to be used when car camping. The other is a "dome" tent with taped seams and is really good in adverse weather. However I don't do any backpacking. If I did I'd probably use the Coleman dome tent.

The Coleman tents have fiberglass poles used in their setups. they hold up quite well. A dear friend of mine honeymooned with his new wife at the Cornerstone Festival one year and used an off-brand...Ozark Trails or some such shoddy piece of equipment. The fiberglass poles broke right away and they had to buy a new tent. Wal-mart was the closet place for them to go on such short notice so that's where they went. I advised them to leave the off-brand tents alone and buy a Coleman. They did and had no more trouble. You get what you pay for.

[wildWoman]

Oh sure, for car camping you can use pretty much anything ... worst case, you sleep in the car.

You get what you pay for.

Yep, that's why my Moss tent ist still going strong after 15 years of use

[Rick]

I wouldn't use it where you are or along the Inside Passage where rain is a perpetual event. But here it works fine. Don't get me wrong, I have much better tents and when I'm out alone or with my DW one or the other of those goes with us. But I don't have to worry about blizzards and buckets around here. The only rain I got in while in Alaska was rafting the Talkeetna. It was a 7 incher in one day. That was rain!

[Sarge47]

Oh sure, for car camping you can use pretty much anything ... worst case, you sleep in the car.



Yep, that's why my Moss tent ist still going strong after 15 years of use

Moss tents rock!

Too bad the company has been bought out by MSR after Mr. Moss' death:

http://www.oregonphotos.com/Moss Tents-1.html

[wildWoman]

Yeah, I wish I had bought another one before before the company disappeared, just to replace mine with eventually ... but that might have been an unnecessary purchase anyway. This one just won't die

Around home 341.jpg

Around home 242.jpg

Atlin Lake 016.jpg

[Sarge47]

Yeah, I wish I had bought another one before before the company disappeared, just to replace mine with eventually ... but that might have been an unnecessary purchase anyway. This one just won't die

Around home 341.jpg

Around home 242.jpg

Atlin Lake 016.jpg

The late Mr. Ross designed and built tents for several expeditions, including some of those done by Jacques Clouseau. His basic concept of design was the same design used on old church windows for there strength and support. He was an engineering genius.

[Kamel]

Hopefully, a lesson learned. Anyway....

When you go camping keep a list of the things you have but didn't use and things you needed but didn't have. Add to your gear from the didn't have list. Do that each time you go out and before long you'll have a pack that is right for you. Any of us can tell you what you need based on our experience and location but you need to build a pack that is right for you. Tailored to your knowledge, skills and geography.

Great tip. thanks. Also our 2 day camping trip went good, she did well. we made knives and I made a club with split-wood technique i saw in a survival guide book i downloaded to her ipod. Its not pretty but it was sturdy, my knots and stuff could be a bit better and the wrapping could be cleaner. Ill post a pic.PICT0290.jpg

I wont be buying mosquitoe coils ever again, things are terrible and im definately gunna look into a bigger and better tent. Ive seen people mentioning Moss tents but they got bought out? We have a 3 person tent i got on clearance at Dunhams sports for 25 but i can tell it definitely wouldnt hold up in rain. So a recommendation for a good tent would be great. Coleman is looking popular from you guys. Anyways, thanks for the tips guy, you guys are awesome. also yes my gf can go into walmart. but like someone else said, we should be buying cheap equipment.

[Sarge47]

Great tip. thanks. Also our 2 day camping trip went good, she did well. we made knives and I made a club with split-wood technique i saw in a survival guide book i downloaded to her ipod. Its not pretty but it was sturdy, my knots and stuff could be a bit better and the wrapping could be cleaner. Ill post a pic.PICT0290.jpg

I wont be buying mosquitoe coils ever again, things are terrible and im definately gunna look into a bigger and better tent. Ive seen people mentioning Moss tents but they got bought out? We have a 3 person tent i got on clearance at Dunhams sports for 25 but i can tell it definitely wouldnt hold up in rain. So a recommendation for a good tent would be great. Anyways, thanks for the tips guy, you guys are awesome. also yes my gf can go into walmart. but like someone else said, we should be buying cheap equipment.

You did it dude! Boots in the field! I'm proud of you and that's a fact! I've never used a mosquito coil, but I do use Deep Woods Off insect repellent. Citronella candles can help as well. Moss tents were very expensive, $350 and up! But they were worth every penny! MSR has bought out the company, and they aren't cheap/low cost either:

http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/category.

One good place to shop for a tent is Sierra Trading Post. They sell close outs at a greatly reduced rate.
Here's a Kelty tent marked down a bit. Kelty is one of the best companies out there for outdoor gear:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/kel...colorFamily=01

You get the idea. You like using the internet for Survival info, use it for comparison shopping!

[Kamel]

thanks, i quoted you to my gf when we were out there. i made the club when she was napping she woke to me slamming and wedging the rock in the stick haha. that looks to be a good tent, 4 person should be perfect.

[Sarge47]

REI sells tents, their own line as well as MSR and other famous makers. North Face, Mountain Hardware, etc.. Good luck and happy hunting!

[Kamel]

Alright, im looking for one now, like i said we wont have a good chunk of change till october, she gets 15 grand a year for graduating HS. So we'll prolly buy some decent stuff then. Or atleast until I have a job aswell and pay all my fines and get my drivers license back ha.

[Rick]

Sounds like you had a good time. Don't worry about pretty. Just practice. If it works it doesn't really matter what it looks like.

The last time I used a mosquito coil was at the drive in and I was with.....well, it doesn't really matter. Suffice it to say it was a loooong time ago. Not many outdoor drive ins left.

[hunter63]

Good on you to just get out there, you will find out what works and what won't in short order.....but you never know till you try.

[Kamel]

Yah, Ive been watching instructional videos on here. Think ill try making char cloth for the hell of it next time, looked pretty sweet.

[Sarge47]

A tent is going to be your biggest and most important buy. It can protect you from the elements as long as you apply the proper know-how in setting it up, as well as where to set it up. Top of the line tents are pretty pricey, but you can get good medium quality tents for less and still make out all right. Whichever you decide on, set that as your goal and start saving! I'd rather be in the woods with just a tent than have everything else but no shelter in bad weather. True, you can make a shelter, but learning how to do it properly takes time and the right weather to determine if it will stay dry. In warmer weather you can get by with a nice tarp and no tent, but that's just another thought. When you buy a tent, look for a rain fly that comes all the way down to the ground, not one that looks like a cute little "bonnet" sitting on top of it! That won't protect you at all. Also on the rain fly look for taped seams. If it doesn't have that you'll need to get some seam sealer and seal them yourself. Also, on the tent itself you want "bathtub floors." You can read up on all of this at the REI website I posted earlier.

[Sarge47]

Guess I forgot to post the REI site. Here ya go, scroll down to find what you want, some good reading here:

http://www.rei.com/learn

[Kamel]

Will do sarge, thanks for the help! never heard of bathtub floors lol. and yeah our tent is guilt of the pretty little bonnet.

Ill post more pics for the hell of it

PICT0284.jpgPICT0289.jpgPICT0293.jpgPICT0323.jpg

We ate good, you can see our fire grill, i got it from a Pot and pan set and that was in there. I figured it would work to be over the coals for hot dogs and such. The food you see is, just potatoes, onion, and 2 packs of 79cent ham and bell peppers. My gf's knife, i added serrated bits to it later to make it look knifey haha, ofcourse it was more of a prison shank than anything else and the lake we were near. was a nice little campground, we were the only ones with a "primitive site" despite being only a few yards away from rv's and sites with electric and water.

[Sarge47]

Will do sarge, thanks for the help! never heard of bathtub floors lol. and yeah our tent is guilt of the pretty little bonnet.

Ill post more pics for the hell of it

PICT0284.jpgPICT0289.jpgPICT0293.jpgPICT0323.jpg

We ate good, you can see our fire grill, i got it from a Pot and pan set and that was in there. I figured it would work to be over the coals for hot dogs and such. The food you see is, just potatoes, onion, and 2 packs of 79cent ham and bell peppers. My gf's knife, i added serrated bits to it later to make it look knifey haha, ofcourse it was more of a prison shank than anything else and the lake we were near. was a nice little campground, we were the only ones with a "primitive site" despite being only a few yards away from rv's and sites with electric and water.

1st, thanks for the pics, I'm really enjoying them.

2nd, forget the serrated edge, serrated is over-rated.

3rd, chow looks great! I'm getting hungry.

4th, if you haven't already got them get a fishing license and a pole. That lake looks great for fishing for supper!

5th, great idea with the grill as a fire base! Keeps the area safe! You get points for that one to!

Overall, nice job for a beginning adventure!