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Tent Camping in New England in Summer

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  • Tent Camping in New England in Summer

    I'm considering making a family tent camping trip through New England next July but I'd like to hear some reports on the weather and bugs with regard to tenting. We've made lengthy tent trips the last two summers out west (Colorado, Yellowstone, etc.) but the weather is typically great and bugs (e.g. mosquitoes) were minimal. I haven't done a trip like this around New England since I was a kid and I don't know if the weather (specifically, heat and humidity) and mosquitoes might make tenting more miserable than I like. I'm 50 and don't enjoy the heat/humidity so I thought I would ask for some input. Laying in a tent sweating while scratching mosquito bites is not something I want to do.

    Stops might include: Philly, Boston, Green Mts, White Mts, Acadia, Cape Cod, and those kinds of places.

    My guess is that it will be warm to hot with moderate (but not oppressive) humidity and a fair number of mosquitoes. For whatever reason, mosquitoes eat me alive while the rest of my family sits around unscathed. Oh, well, appreciate any input.

    Dave

  • #2
    Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

    Sounds like a fun trip....unfortunately I am in Arizona and got nothing to help you.
    “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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    • #3
      Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

      Hi Dave! I'm a native Vermonter and tent camp in VT and NH. Summer weather here isn't oppressively hot, but can have a humid day here and there. Early June can still get a little chilly overnight (have woken up to high 30's/low 40's a couple mornings), but mid-month is pretty safe for swimming weather during the day and not too hot for sleeping overnight. July is usually our hottest month, but even then tops out at high 80's, maybe 90, so again, not horribly hot. August falls kind of in between the two, starts getting cooler at night again towards the end of the month, but very comfortable during the day. Due to us having two kiddos, I generally pick parks that have a pond/lake so jumping in the water to cool off is just a stone's throw away. Ah bugs... LOL! Well, for the most part, the worst of the blackflies are gone by mid-June to first of July, but that is pretty dependent on how warm the spring is and how wet the winter was. Skeeters are pretty much here from last chance of frost (about Memorial Day) to first frost in fall (about Labor Day). I don't get too bothered by them myself, but my husband and oldest daughter get eaten alive when it's really buggy. I just try to select sites that are away from marshy or swampy areas where they breed and that seems to help keep the numbers down. Good `ol Deep Woods Off keeps `em at bay too! LOL! Believe it or not, fabric softener sheets (the ones you put in the dryer) work too. When the girls were infants/little I would rub them down with a dryer sheet (the stinkier the better) and tuck one in their sweatshirt hood or pocket and it actually kept them pretty bite-free.

      I VERY highly recommend the Vermont State Parks for tent camping! I have been to a majority of them and I can't say I have EVER been to a bad one. Generally out in the woods (with a couple exceptions) and private with amenities like flush toilets and hot showers (pay) within walking distance from your site. They are very clean, well taken care of, pretty cheap, and the staff are always extremely nice and helpful. You can check out some of my reviews of specific VSP campgrounds here at Camping Forums at this link: http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...ground-Reviews (which reminds me that I never posted the ones from this past summer, ooops!).

      That's a quick overview, please feel free to hit me up with any other questions on areas/attractions/things to do/etc. anyone here can tell you I LOVE camping in the Green Mountain State and am a veritable fountain of knowledge when it comes to our lovely state and all it has to offer.
      Married to Longpants, Mom to Littlepants (9) and Tinypants (5). Love Camping in New England!

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      • #4
        Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

        We completed our New England trip so I thought I would update this thread with some info. We tented in Amish country PA, eastern M**** Freeport Maine, Acadia NP (Blackwoods CG), Crawford Notch NH, Hapgood Pond in Vermont, and on Lake Ontario between Rochester and Niagara Falls (Golden Hill SP). I had been concerned about heat and bugs so I'll offer some info on those two items.

        We normally take our vacations in mid-July but we opted to make this trip in early June so that reduced the heat concerns a fair amount. We did encounter a ridiculous 99 degree day in New Hampshire (hello all-time record) but it was a few degrees cooler at the campsite and we survived. I had a 12-inch fan and a 12-volt SLA battery to help if it got hot but I didn't use it. I sweat a lot so I'm not sure how I would handle a July/August trip.

        The bugs were pretty strong as I suspected. I took a Thermacell unit, 3 citronella candles, and some Repel repellent stakes in addition to some bug spray (Repel Lemon Eucalyptus and some Deep Woods 29% DEET). We also used an REI screen tent over our picnic table to try and give us some protection. On virtually every evening, I put on long pants and a long jacket to help cover my skin. In spite of those preparations, I am a mosquito magnet and still ended up with 25-30 bites. I think my wife had one or two. I didn't feel like I was being munched on constantly but I still got a few new bites each day. We had some gnats and things at some of the sites and they were pretty strong also but they didn't leave me with itching bites.

        This was our first trip with the screen tent and I thought it was a big help. We were generally able to cook and eat without being harassed.

        In the long run, I'm not sure how better to fight the mosquitoes. They just like me but the itching drives me a bit insane.

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        • #5
          Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

          If Deep Woods Off won't keep 'em off, I don't know what will. Mosquitoes don't especially like me; maybe they have a low alcohol tolerance.
          2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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          • #6
            Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

            Sorry I dinna see your original post but sounds like you did pretty well!

            I use the ever popular 30% minimum DEET products and have found that though more expensive the towelettes work best to place the product where you want it as opposed to spraying the air. I also spray all my soft furnishings ( tents, chair seats, sit by the fire clothing, etc) with Sawyer's Permathrin. It stinks when first applied but the smell dissipates after a few minutes. Works on every bug I've encountered in the NE not only as a repellent but in some cases as a pesticide. You can buy it at Walmart's, Amazon and REI.
            Aren't screen tents nice? Wouldn't be without one anymore!
            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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            • #7
              Re: Tent Camping in New England in Summer

              Looks like a good trip so far. Enjoy your best time. lol

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