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Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

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  • #1

    Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

    Ok this ones a multi parter so apologies ahead of time.

    I'm not new to camping, however I haven't gone in at least 6 years. This means I will be procuring new equipment. I'm interested in suggestions for a tent, air mattress/cot, etc.

    Let's start with the tent.
    I'm looking to get a 4 person 3 season tent as it will be my fiancé and I for now. I'd like something with two doors, and would really love a decent vestibule but this is not a must as I can always use a tarp to make one. If I had to set a budget I would say somewhere in the 2-300 range. Cheaper the better as long as I'm not selling myself too short on quality. Weight is not an issue as we will be car camping. And we really don't need a ton of floor space beyond what will fit a comfortable bed.

    Bed: here's the real conundrum, we are hikers. We go on long hikes and it would be nice to have a comfortable place to bed down in the evening. At first I was thinking an air mattress, however I don't like them at all. I've spent plenty a night on them indoors and hate waking up on the floor. Now I'm leaning towards a 2 person cot, or perhaps two single cots lashed together. Maybe toss an air bag on top of that. I've even considered designing and building a collapsible frame out of PVC pipe. But I'm open to some other suggestions I might not have thought about. I need to point out I'm looking to avoid a metal pole in the center dividing the bed. We are engaged, not married

    One thought was the cabellas 2 person cot tent. But it was just a thought.

    So in summary, I need some tent suggestions, and maybe affirmation or alternate suggestions for a shared bed.

    Thanks in advance
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

    Topping this one for folks.
    “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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    • #3
      Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

      Wow - this is a tough one. I can't say I know of any way to get two people off the ground, and together, without carrying more weight than is feasible on the trail. I will tell you, as someone who keeps a ton of PVC pipe and fittings in the workshop, that PVC isn't the answer. By the time you get into a size pipe that will support the weight of two people, you'll be at least in the 2" diameter range and still have stability issues if you aren't both dead still sleepers. You'd need to pull a wagon behind you to carry all that bulk. Go any smaller than that and your platform would flex like crazy and probably snap at the fittings. The give you an idea of how much I've thought about this kind of thing, I've been trying to come up with a simple platform for a small tent based on galvanized steel pipe and Kee Klamp fittings. (For car camping, of course!) After a couple of months, I'm into 1-1/4 inch pipe and still having problems with flexing and bulk.

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      • #4
        Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

        Currently I'm researching foam padding. Maybe I can fashion a decent camp mattress out of some foam, which could be light weight. Anyone make a DIY pad out of foam before?

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        • #5
          Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

          If you have the space, big thick foam pads covered with fabric (ala RVs) are the way to go. If space and comfort are both a premium, then self-inflating sleeping pads from ThermaRest or MegaMat (or even knockoff versions) will keep you comfortable AND warm when temps drop below 50-degrees F. Whatever you buy, if the seller can't give you an R-value rating, then either ask why or get a copy of The Complete Walker.
          “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
          ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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          • #6
            Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

            I would skip the cot and get two Thermarest NeoDream mattresses. These things are crazy comfortable (like a bed, not like an air mattress) and two of them lash together to form one mattress. They are available able in either 25 inch wide or 30 inch wide versions.

            Two cots are barely going to fit in even the largest 4P tents. I use one cot (and a 30 inch wide Thermarest) in a Marmot Halo 4 tent. But, your requirements really rule out using two cots.

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            • #7
              Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

              Have you considered setting up a base site that you wander back to nightly? That way you can get a slightly larger tent and maybe that two person cot will fit better and be less of a trek to carry. Don't want to suggest an air mattress since you seem to have had bad experiences with 'em. Since your budget and trip plan is between car camping and backpacking maybe renting some equipment would solve part of the problem.

              Seen some of this company's equipment on site and it was pretty nice/well maintained:

              https://www.lowergear.com/product.php/cat/2#A

              Of course there is also REI and EMS that rent equipment according to location.
              2017:

              July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
              Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



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              • #8
                Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

                Oh yeah, we are absolutely setting one site to return to after day hiking. I'm sorry, I should have been more specific about that. Day hiking, car camping. What I was hoping to get was some specific recommendations for tent brands or models that can fulfill my desires.

                In regards to the mattress query, I'm leaning towards buying some foam padding. 4" thick should be ample. After all we aren't glamping!

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                • #9
                  Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

                  OK - somehow I missed that they're car camping and not hauling everything on their backs. In that case, I second hwc's recommendation of the NeoDream mattresses. If I weren't putting my smaller tents up on platforms, I'd have bought one of those for sure.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

                    Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                    OK - somehow I missed that they're car camping and not hauling everything on their backs. In that case, I second hwc's recommendation of the NeoDream mattresses. If I weren't putting my smaller tents up on platforms, I'd have bought one of those for sure.
                    Well doncha worry about a thing. Icompletely missed that the thread title said he wanted to set up a base camp:zzz:.


                    I saw this tent on sale and thought of ya, ppp.

                    http://www.rei.com/product/868735/al...ecial-buy#tabs
                    2017:

                    July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                    Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Ideal setup for a comfortable basecamp?

                      Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                      OK - somehow I missed that they're car camping and not hauling everything on their backs. In that case, I second hwc's recommendation of the NeoDream mattresses. If I weren't putting my smaller tents up on platforms, I'd have bought one of those for sure.
                      Originally posted by NYCgrrl View Post
                      Well doncha worry about a thing. Icompletely missed that the thread title said he wanted to set up a base camp:zzz:.


                      I saw this tent on sale and thought of ya, ppp.

                      http://www.rei.com/product/868735/al...ecial-buy#tabs
                      :lol: I was wondering what you both were talking about.


                      Anyway, I am not going to opine on the tent issue. My tent was bought at walmart. But I will say that I do not like sleeping on cots. They just aren't as comfortable as my air mattress. And the only problem that I have with my air mattress is that it is not long enough for me. I am 6'3" and either my pillow or my feet have to hang off the end. Along those lines I was at Costco a few weeks ago and saw an inflatable sleeping pad set up and tried it out. I almost bought it. It is close enough to the ground that if my feet or pillow hang off the end it wont really matter.
                      “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                      – E. B. White

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