My Camping Tent and Furnishings

Introduction 

When I go camping…I go car camping… you know…where you park your car at your campsite and unload, or load everything into a cart and haul it to the site. I’m not a backpacker. But that doesn’t mean I like crowded, noisy campgrounds filled with RVs.

When I go camping, it is to be in the woods, on a lake or the ocean…enjoying the peaceful serenity of the outdoors.

My criteria:

1. Must be tent only….no campers and no RVs allowed (which means no electricity).
2. Must be on a lake or on the ocean.  
3. If on a lake, must be an unpopulated lake (no or extremely few houses built on the shore and must not allow motorized boats (unless maybe it is a trolling motor). 
4. Must have sites that are on the water that allow me to swim and put my kayak in.

These tent-only campgrounds are very few and very far between…but worth it. I get peace, I get quiet, and I get to enjoy being out in the woods and looking out over water. I do have my favorite spots…and they are a closely guarded secret because they tend to be small, with just a few sites…and competition is fierce to get one of these tranquil, idyllic spots.

All this being said, when I am camping…I have no intentions of roughing it. I like to be comfortable. I want to have all the comforts of home when sleeping at night…and I want to make sure I am warm and dry if the weather turns ugly.

I consider the tent and its contents to be my bedroom. The rest of the campsite I also break up into “rooms” the kitchen and dining area and then an outdoor living space. I may do other articles on these “rooms”….and one about my kayak and equipment…but let’s start off with my “bedroom” - the tent and what goes inside it.

It has taken me over a decade to put this combination together to find just the right products for my taste and comfort. I hope you find this helpful.  

Tents

My first tent is the Black Pine Freestander 6 Turbo Tent. A 4-season cabin-style freestanding tent. It is 10’ x 10’ and the wall height at the edges is 5’6”. Center height is 7’.

I use this tent when I am not sharing space with anyone else. If I am camping alone having a tent that is quick and easy to put up and take down is one of my key considerations.

• Color: Beige and khaki (2nd picture)
• Aircraft aluminum poles, jointed and connected (most 3-season tents use fiberglass poles)
• Tent walls and fly are 150-denier ripstop polyester with Thermoguard lining (most 3-season tents use 75-denier)
• 210-denier nylon bathtub-style floor (most 3-season tents use 150-denier nylon) 
• Rainfly with front awning 
• Two side windows with zippered storm flaps 
• Zippered pockets for stow-and-go guylines 
• Heavy-duty MAX zippers 
• Electrical power cord inlet 
• Wind rating: 60 mph (no 3-season tent I know of has been wind rated – not meant to be out in that type of weather) 
• Weight: 32 lbs, including tent, rainfly, stakes, and canvas carrying bag  

My second tent is my Coleman Durango. They don’t make these anymore…had this forever (ok, maybe not forever, but since 2003) and it has never failed me…never leaked once. This tent is 10’ x 20’, with a 6’ center height. This massive tent has steel poles and has 3 rooms…two sleeping rooms on either side and a sitting area in the middle.

*needless to say I use a ground cloth under both my tents.

Furnishings

I’ve tried sleeping on four different air mattresses, on cots, on a Thermarest…but the combination detailed below is the only one I have found where I don’t wake up with hip or back pain. (I admit….I’m in my 50s now…sleeping on the ground is no longer an option and my joints need cushioning).

My cot is a TexSport King Cot – a very long, very wide, very tall cot. The actual dimensions are 83" x 35" x 20" I sleep on my side…with me knees pulled up, and this size cots is the only one I have found that, when I sleep, my knees are not resting on a hard metal bar or hanging off the side of the cot.

On top of the cot then goes the Basecamp Thermarest = XLarge 30” wide x 77” long x 2” thick.

  

On top of the Thermarest goes my Dream Form Green Tea memory foam mattress topper. Cut down to the size of the Thermarest. It is also 2” inches thick.

 

I had a friend sew me a flannel cover that fits both the Thermarest and foam mattress topper inside. One end has Velcro, so I can remove the cover and wash it..and it also keeps the Thermarest and mattress topper from sliding part at night.

For Fall and Spring camping….on top of the cot goes my Slumberjack Country Squire 20 sleeping bag. Size: 84” x 42” I need room to roll around at night. I hate tight covers that bind. The Slumberjack has a sheet that is attached to the inside of the bag that can be taken out and washed. It is heavy, thick, cushy, and very, very cozy.

My summer sleeping bag is either of these depending on the temperature and my mood. An L.L. Bean Fleece bag, which I usually unzip and just use as a blanket or a Coleman Adjustable Layer Sleeping bag.

Bring my pillows.. and this combo is as comfortable as sleeping in my bed at home!! 

On the floor of my tent, I like something soft and cushioning…and insulating, both from the cold, hard ground and to protect the tent floor from the furniture. 

This is from Displays2Go…and is a blue foam portable flooring measures 10’x10’ -  in 24”’ x 24’” Inches x ½ “ thick square pieces, non-toxic, stain-resistant, anti-fatigue, odor free

The rest of my tent furnishing are simple. A folding chair from Picnic Time (with side tray and handy side storage pockets), a wood folding TV tray table, and a small folding table (from Texsport) next to the cot. Then two lanterns…one hanging from the center ceiling…and one on the table next to my cot. Clothes are packed in my rolling suitcase which easily stores under my coat.

And last, but not least,…depending on weather – tent heaters, either a Coleman or Mr. Heater, and/or some Coleman tent fans. And just in case you are wondering – NO, I would never run a heater at night while I am asleep in a tent!