Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

[Bparker]

New to camping. Looking to take my wife and 2 young children to the Oregon coast to camp. My question is this. I am on a tight budget. And wal-mart has a 5 person tent brand ozark trail. For $50. Is it a good deal or is it just a cheap quality tent that matches its low price? And what about the same brand sleeping bags? And camping equipment such as cookware and folding chairs.

[MWcamper]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Oldest saying in the book. "You get what you pay for".
Wal-Mart sells some real junk when it comes to tents, screen rooms, pop up covers, sleeping bags, air mattresses etc. Ozark Trail is horrible.
Only thing I use in my camping gear that came from Wal-Mart is re-usable plastic plates and cups. The only thing I'd trust would be along those lines and any items that are not made by Wal-Mart and are only carried there, like Coleman for example. Sometimes they have a better price then say Bass Pro or Cabela's for the same gear.

REI has nice tents that are not uber pricey and a lot of guys on here surf Ebay a lot for good deals.

There's always Craigslist for second hand but still quality items.

[Bparker]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Granted I'm a rookie and don't know this from that when it comes to tents. But my son and I did a test run in the backyard with the ozark trail tent. And it performed well. Stayed dry throughout the rainfall at night. And in mid 40 degree temps we stayed warm in the sleeping bags also from ozark trail. I'm surprised cause there is nothing but bad reviews on this stuff similar to yours but it seemed pretty good. Now maybe it's gonna fall apart rip or whatever time will tell but as of our backyard test run. I'm pleased with it

[caheaton]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I'd say it's a mixed bag. I've never been real impressed with their tents, but if you're camping in mild and dry weather it should suffice. For not much more you can buy Coleman which I've had good luck with (I'd purchase Coleman from Amazon though, as the one's they sell at Wal-Mart are special models made for Wal-Mart and may not be up to normal Coleman specs). Be aware that there is a contingent on this forum that doesn't like Coleman.

As for their other gear, I'd inspect it and decide if you think it's a worthwhile buy. I have a 2 burner Ozark Trail propane stove I bought a decade ago that still performs flawlessly, though I did my research first and found it was made by Brinkman...a known stove manufacturer. I've also purchased their screen house. It lasted about 6 years or so, not bad at all given what I paid for it (at the time I bought it I'd expected it to last a season). Other gear such as LED lanterns and such seem to be fine.

A big key is to take good care of your equipment regardless of the make. Always make sure your tent or screen house is dry before storing away. (I open mine up after coming home and let them air out in the sun while giving them a good cleaning...sweeping inside, wiping off bird droppings, etc). The propane stove is cleaned after every use and covered with a tarp if rain threatens. One word of advice...don't use the pegs that come with your tent (even the better ones), it's better to purchase the stakes that look like long nails. They hold much better.

[gatordude]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

If you're gonna keep the Ozark tent, I would get some seam sealer and some water proofing. I've got friends that have Ozark tents, and they've had no problems.

[sunnymw]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I would also be even more cautious about where you pitch your tent on a site. Make sure it's not a place where water sits and collects. Make sure your footprint is not peeking out at the edges which will cause it to collect water.

It's good beginner equipment and in fair weather camping it'll help you decide if tent camping is for you (now, if you have a bad experience due to weather, don't let that deter you--that can be fixed as you upgrade equipment over the years piece by piece).

Watch for sales on stuff and upgrade a piece at a time as you can. We carry Coleman lanterns and one eye propane burner. REI is a good brand and they have sales spring and fall usually for members (definitely get a membership, you get money back every year).

The quality of sleeping bags will vary depending on what weather you're camping in. It stays in the 70-80 degree range here at night when we camp so we just take a thin blanket. If you're on cots or sleeping bags, your home bedding can just be used in most weather IMO.

If you keep the tent definitely consider a tarp in the future to keep the rain off of the tent as well as the sun, because the worst things for tents are sun exposure, children, and neglecting proper care (wiping down poles and zippers, making sure all is dry before packing, etc).

I am a major proponent for quality equipment but I think you'll be fine with what you have and you'll learn what you like and dislike about it before sinking big bucks into an upgrade.

Happy camping!!

[Mike]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Of course you can use Walmart gear for camping and it will serve you well. The Walmart stuff today is so much better than even the good stuff we used to have. How many millions of Americans created lifetimes of happy memories camping in Sears or JC Penny single wall canvas tents. When it rained outside, it rained inside. Even the simplest Walmart Ozark Trails tents today with their coated nylon and rain tarps are much better than those old canvas tents.

Even the lower-cost poly filled Walmart sleeping bags today are a million times better than the old cotton or kapok sleeping bags that millions of American campers have used in the past. In the old days, the rain came through the cotton canvas wall tents and rained down onto our cotton sleeping bags that would then soak up the rain like giant paper towels. We were cold and wet and soaked to the bone. Still, we did it again and again. With today's much improved technology, designs, and materials even modest priced equipment provides so much better weather protection and comfort under harsh conditions.

When you ask a group of enthusiasts on a website forum for advice, you are bound to get a lot of noise from elitists, just like you would with any group of hobbyists. They will tell you that THEIR favorite brands are the only real way to go, "you get what you pay for" etc. Never mind that blow-smoke. Use what you have. Go camp. Have fun. Upgrade if you have the interest and the money to do so as you go along.

If you don't have the money to invest in camping gear, use your bedding from home. Use your pots and pans from home - why not??

Camping can be a very economical recreation. Economics should be a reason to GO camping, not a reason to stay home.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I think there is some good advice here. I use stuff from Walmart, mostly Coleman stuff. Coolers, lantern's, and such. Walmart sells Lodge cast iron and I have bought all my Lodge cast iron skillets from there.
As far as tent's, it's good place to start. When I got back into camping, I ended up buying a bunch of used stuff from a buddy whose family tried camping and didn't like it. I upgraded from there, once I was sure we would enjoy camping.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I think others have covered WM's goods pretty well and since there is no WM in my area I never buy much from them. Still let me just say that if you are looking for a good bang for your camping gear buck take a look at this link:

http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eureka/default.asp

There's a toll free telephone direct to the outlet where you can have many of your questions answered like more detail about grade A and B tents. Supply seems to disappear as we get closer to camping season. In fact currently the backpack tents are all sold out.

HTH

[Bigdog57]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Anything from the big box stores is basic 'economy grade' gear. It can be functional and work well, or it can be garbage. I have seen both. If you want quality, do your research and order online. My Amazon Prime account stays active!

[tplife]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

W'Marts are a great place to get your camping gear - every couple of seasons you buy all new again and don't have to deal with replacing 50-cent stove o-rings or tossing your down bag into a washer. You won't even need to wipe-down your polyester tent's rain-fly...Just throw the whole thing in the trash and go shopping. Ain't America great?

[MacGyver]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

So, tplife, do you suggest he go buy a $300 tent, a $200 sleeping bag and an $80 stove, just to find out he's not all that into camping? I agree with the buy cheap, buy twice philosophy, but jumping into any hobby with both feet can end in a very expensive disaster.

[tplife]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Everyone starts out with the same $50 tent, $30 sleeping bag, and $50 stove. REI (and EMS?) is a good place to explore camping, because they offer affordable rentals of quality gear. After a trip or two, few are likely to head over to WalMart as they have hands-on experience with quality gear, and likely, the alternative.

[actad]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I am in my fourth camping season with gear from Walmart or Kmart - Coleman, Ozark Trail, and Northwest Territory. All are holding up well.

[maxx]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Should you trust products from an outfit that advises it's employees on how to apply for food stamps, because they know they do not pay them enough to survive?