Hello From Princeton MA

[gso125]

Hello everyone.
Im in my late 40's and when I was young with my family we traveled from Massachusetts to New Mexico many times camping out of a slide out pickup camper. We also spent many weeks up North in Vermont and Maine. Those are some of the best memories in my life. When in my mid 20's with my now wife we went tent camping and while it was fun I had a crappy old tent that leaked and soaked everything on the floor almost every time we went. So I bought a Wildcat fifth wheel camper and had lots of fun with it but we got married and bought a house in the woods so we sold the fifth wheel. Its been about 10 years since we went camping. Now with 3 sons ages 4, 3 and a month I want to start out backyard camping in a tent and thats how I found this very informative site. I have a bunch of tents to buy in mind and will post the ?'s in the tent section. The 3 I'm considering are the 12x14 Kodiak flex-bow, the Cabela's Alaskan Guide 8 person tent with fiberglass poles. and The Cabela's Outfitter Series XWT - Xtreme Weather Tent – 12' x 12'. Im leaning towards the XWT tent. Thanks Gerry

[James.]

Re: Hello From Princeton MA

Welcome to the forum. I am not really a 'tent guy' so I will not weigh in on which tent you should get but I will say that there are a lot of people here with experience and opinions on many different types of tents.

[Mike]

Re: Hello From Princeton MA

GSO125, I am glad to know that you are introducing your family to camping and the outdoors. Glad to see you passing the baton.

So many of today's families have given up on being families and have thoroughly escaped the outdoor scene. I see many parents so busy trying to produce Uberkinder (super-children), that they somehow figure that the things which made the parents happy as children are not meant for their own children. Instead, they push them through a harrowing litany of sports activities, then music, and then some other extra-curricular activity. On and on and on until the kids are teenagers and almost out of the house. THEN, the parents realize that they want to start doing some family things - slow the pace down a little, get to know each other. I have a friend who finally got around to building a tree house for his youngest son. He started building last year when his son was fourteen years old! Too late, man! That train has left the station.

Another friend wanted me to bring him and his son camping to teach him bushcraft before the boy left for college in a couple months. Of course, it never materialized. Another youth lost to the video game culture.

Do it now while they are young. Outdoor life is a little bit like religion. If a person doesn't have it by the time they are a teen, they probaby never will. Some folks discover it as adults, and then it is a catch-up game racing against bad knees, bad back, and sleeping on the ground that just seems to be getting colder and harder.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Hello From Princeton MA

Hi, gso, and welcome to the forum!

[Avery1979]

Re: Hello From Princeton MA

Hello great to meet you on here. See you around.

[noelectricplease]

Re: Hello From Princeton MA

Welcome to the forum ! If you are afraid you will get a leaky tent floor because of horrible storms and rains be sure you take an extra tarp that will fit the tent floor like a bathtub fit. My tent is ancient. I love it - a Coleman. And I never get the lay of the land right to set the tent on - I think That is a gift ! I also donate each camping trip, an old scatter rug or two that I can throw away. I put a chair right inside the tent door on the rug and the grandchildren sit in the chair immediately on entering and take off their shoes and put them under the chair. It sure cuts down on the dirt inside. And eliminates the search for horrible wet shoes outside in the morning. I have young grandchildren that love to camp, but they sure are friendly with the dirt ! After a week up on skyline drive-Big Meadows, with grandchildren, with everyday torrential rains and thunderstorms, an extra tarp and rugs were my best friends. And the dumpsters...... but not the bears.