Gimme Shelter

• Tent
• Groundcloth
• Dining Canopy
• Chairs
• Table
• Floor Mats
• Broom and Dust Pan
• Lantern/Flashlights and Batteries

One of the basic human needs is for shelter. We need somewhere to rest that will keep out the elements. When you leave your comfortable house full of modern conveniences for a while it makes you grateful for those conveniences when you return. The simplest form of shelter can be made from a sheet of plastic and twine. I got to practice that for a week in my Senior year of high school when all 39 of the people in my class went on our retreat at the beginning of the year. It rained all week, but my shelter stayed dry.

For more comfortable camping you will want a tent. A good tent treated well should last you many camping seasons, so it is worth putting some thought into what you need. For a young family it is worthwhile to get a fairly large tent that can fit everyone and still allow room to get to the door without stepping on anyone still asleep. Just keep in mind that some campsites have limited space. One of my favorite tents was 18′ long, which made it difficult to fit into some campsites. For singles or couples it is nice to fit a queen size air mattress into the tent and still have space to set your luggage or food at the end. I like being able to stand up when getting dressed, so a tent that is too low to the ground is not fun. As the kids get older they like having space of their own so having a tent for Mom and Dad and a couple of smaller tents for the kids allows everyone breathing room.

I have found that a 10’x10′ tent is just about right for me. They have enough room for my cot and I can still stand up in the middle. There is room enough for a guest or two, the cooler, and luggage. I’m actually in the market for a new tent since my most recent purchase failed the first night. Those “easy up” claims might be right, but they seem to be weaker than I like. If you buy a tent with flexible fiberglass poles I would recommend a tent that runs them through sleeves to the top. That way they have extra support when the wind tries to flatten your tent and are less likely to shatter.

One thing that tents do not come with is a groundcloth. Casual campers can probably get away with not using one, but the minute you need it you will either be glad it’s there or regret not having it. A groundcloth is simply a tarp or sheet of plastic that goes on the ground under the tent. It is very important not to let it extend past the edges of the tent! It serves three purposes: it protects the floor of the tent from wear against any rocks or roots under the tent, it prevents damp from seeping up from the ground, and if it rains, it gives an extra layer of protection against moisture. Rain or heavy dew is why you should never let the groundcloth go past the edges of the tent floor. Any moisture runoff needs to go to the ground under this tarp, not be funneled between tarp and tent floor. So buy a tarp as close to the size of your tent as you can and fold the edges under when you stake down the perimeter as you set up.

A dining canopy is a luxury that I have decided I need. Yes, you can easily camp without one, but when the sun is hot or it starts to rain, being able to prepare meals under cover is so much nicer. Last year I went ahead and bought one of those pop-up canopies. It was worth every dollar. I even used it to sleep under on the last trip of the season because my tent had died. I left the legs at their short position and placed my cot under. It rained all night but I stayed dry. In the morning we moved it to the picnic table and fixed breakfast without getting soaked.

It is entirely possible to go camping without chairs and a table. Most campgrounds provide a picnic table to cook and eat at. Often you can get close enough to enjoy the firepit from the bench of the picnic table, but having chairs is better. Let the kids each pick out a chair to claim and make them responsible for taking care of it. A folding table is another little luxury that can have a thousand uses. When you have a larger group it is nice to set up a cooking area at a spare table and leave the picnic table for eating and socializing.

The last three items on the list are mostly obvious. Yes, you will need at least one flashlight. A lantern is better. Multiple lanterns and flashlights are best, and if you forget the batteries you will kick yourself. The need for a broom and dust pan is also obvious. Being in the great outdoors is not clean and tidy. Sand and pine needles get tracked into the tent and I can’t stand the mess. Well, I can for a little while, but I hate packing up a dirty tent. I actually keep a broom in my truck for sweeping things out as needed. The handle broke off of it long ago, but it still works fine in my hand.

Then there is the one item that feels like the most luxury but is the one that I would never do without if I can help it. Floor mats. Area Rugs. Carpet. The first time I brought a spare area rug to the campground it felt like cheating. I just wanted something more comfortable in the middle of the tent than the plastic floor. A rug can take up a lot of space when you are packing, but I feel like it makes up for it. I currently use a 5’x7′ inside the tent and a 3’x5′ at the door. Shoes are always left on the mat outside the door. The rug inside protects the tent floor from wear, catches sand and pine needles, and makes it more comfortable when I’m inside. Both of the carpets I currently use were about $15 at Walmart so I’m not worried about them getting ruined. When the kids were little I brought their hot wheel rug to put in front of their tent so they’d have a place to play with their cars. Plus it caught most of the dirt before they went inside so their tent and blankets stayed cleaner.

That covers the first category. Tomorrow I’ll talk about sleep. Because if Mama doesn’t get her sleep, ain’t nobody gonna have fun.