Becoming a tent nomad

[AreWeLostYet]

I've been tenting a while myself. Important thing is a car you can remove the rear seat from giving you enough room to stretch out in. Even if you plan on sleeping in the tent, this will give you options and ample room for gear. Problems with tenting is wind strong enough to rip your stakes out and blow you into the Land of Oz. Also rain - no tent is totally rain proof - especially in wind-driven rain. And waterproofing wears off from repeatedly folding the always sun-baked fabric. Also, some RV parks do not allow tents.

So if you're forced to select a cheap car, look for a hatchback with good mileage (2 liter of smaller engine) and enough room to stretch out in (measure the cargo area with seats removed). Other than that, have someone who knows cars accompany you to look at cars. Lots of scammers selling mechanical time-bombs around. If nothing else, if you've settled on a car, insist taking it to something like Mr. Goodwrench garage for a $30 checkup before handing over the cash. If the seller refuses this, you do not want that car.

 

[prone2wander]

As far as tents go, Nylon is lighter and will work for a year or so until sun damage eventually eatsit. You may get longer if you set it up under trees or throw a blue tarp over it. Cheap way to go for a quick start solution. Canvas tents can last a longtime outside since cotton doesn't have the UV issues that synthetics have but they have their weight issues.

The Springbar vs Kodiak has played out on a couple of forums and what I came away with was if you have to buy American than Springbar but for more features for less money buy Kodiak. The fact is if there are certain features I would want on a in a tent and only the cheaper Kodiak has them so Springbar isn't an option for me.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

I watched Bob's video with the woman who camps with the Springbar tent and have decided to go that route. I've been trying to trade my 2014 Ford Fiesta sedan, but I'm too upside down on it. I had an 88 Dodge B250 but it would have nickeled and dimed me to death. So I will use the tent and my Fiesta as a back up to sleep in. This will be a temporary situation until I get a van or RV. I can't decide what to buy and I can't buy anything until I hit the road for about 6 months.

check out the reddit forums on camping equipment. submit questions. you'll get lots of replies. stress water and wind worthiness, not weight like a backpacker would be concerned about. Don't expect any tent to last forever. but you can repair broken poles, shock cords and ripped material with kits available at camping supply stores. epoxy can fix many issues. aerosol waterproofing can extend the waterproofedness of the tent rain fly. Get at least a 3 person tent to accommodate one person with some gear. try and not camp where there's bothersome noise. in a tent you hear everything. this can be a good thing if you're camping away from roads and other campers. you will hear owls, coyotes, a gentle breeze. other places you might hear trucks, eternally barking dogs, howling winds flapping the fabric of your tent. the real problem is having to put up or take your tend up or down in the dark while it's raining, stuff it into your vehicle where it's dampness will fog up your windows making driving extremely dangerous.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

I was planning on getting a canvas tent like the one's Kodiak and Springbar sell. My car is small but if I take out the front seat and the top part of the backseat I would have just enough room for almost lying straight. I would primarily want to stay in the tent since I would be able to stand up. The down fall is the tent will weigh close to fifty pounds and my back is thrashed. I'm originally from So Cal so I've camped a lot in areas with rattlers. I have a healthy respect for snakes but I don't worry about them like I would with bears or mountain lions.

Some of the nylon rayon tents are a lot lighter and just about as sturdy as the canvas ones like Springbar. You'd want to steer clear of the ones made for backpacking since they sacrifice durability for lightness and make your pay out the wallet for it. You can't go wrong with Coleman and they make a huge variety of car camping tents at reasonable prices. Tents with aluminum, as opposed to fiberglass poles are lighter and stronger and a little more expensive but worth it.

A really good place to go for advice is reddit.com. They have a "subreddit" (forum group) called "Camping Gear". If you post a question, you'll get plenty of replies. You will probably be able to spot the ones that know what they're talking about.

https://old.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/

Probably don't want to doddle too long. With trade war clouds gathering, a lot of the cheap stuff from China we've come to take for granted may be about to dry up.

 

[Neal]

Some of the nylon rayon tents are a lot lighter and just about as sturdy as the canvas ones like Springbar. You'd want to steer clear of the ones made for backpacking since they sacrifice durability for lightness and make your pay out the wallet for it. You can't go wrong with Coleman and they make a huge variety of car camping tents at reasonable prices. Tents with aluminum, as opposed to fiberglass poles are lighter and stronger and a little more expensive but worth it.

A really good place to go for advice is reddit.com. They have a "subreddit" (forum group) called "Camping Gear". If you post a question, you'll get plenty of replies. You will probably be able to spot the ones that know what they're talking about.

https://old.reddit.com/r/CampingGear/

Probably don't want to doddle too long. With trade war clouds gathering, a lot of the cheap stuff from China we've come to take for granted may be about to dry up.

This is my current situation. I have a 5 speed manual Ford Fiesta with 66,000 miles on it. I owe on it for two more years. It gets 35mpg on the highway and I've taken meticulous care of it. I Have to keep it. Im still going to buy the Springbar tent, but I'm going also going to do modifications to my car in case I need to sleep in it. I did check out the Reddit site thanks for that.

 

[wasanah2]

I lived in a tipi for an entire summer and loved it.  Granted, I am Native American, and maybe I was wanting to enjoy it more because it's my heritage.  And others were there doing the same.  It was great.  I did move it a few times but for the most part, it stayed in one place.  I was able to put it up solo too.  The tipi was a modern one, not a traditional one and I still have it.  I think the model was Guide Gear, and it wasn't that expensive.  I got the really big one.  It has an 18' diameter footprint.  Guide Gear makes a smaller one that's like 10' but I used every bit of space in mine and needed it.  Back in those days, I wasn't as much of a minimalist as I am today.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

Check out this video someone made of a Springbar tent in high winds:



Any tent is going to introduce many problems any vehicle for sleeping in don't have. Wind is one. Noise is another. Hearing sounds around you - highway, noisy neighbors etc. Imagine what that tent in the linked video must sound like.

 

[bob91yj]

^^^^That's impressive.

 

[bigskybob]

Good Luck.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

I'd be interested in knowing how long the lady bob interviewed head been living in the tent. It look pretty new.

 

[kygreg]

I lived in a tipi for an entire summer and loved it.

How did hold up to high wind? Seems like it would work great.

 

[Dan 1]

I lived in a tipi for an entire summer and loved it.  

Hi "wasanah2". What are your Thoughts about Tipi's and Wind?

 

[Qxxx]

Dan, for reference, you'll notice this thread is about a year old, and wasanah's account has been closed.

 

[Dan 1]

Dan, for reference, you'll notice this thread is about a year old, and wasanah's account has been closed.

Thanks "Qxxx".

 

[mert3957]

Imagine the pop up similar to what's on this grocery shopping cart made to slide into the Festiva. It could be used for a beginning traveler or student on weekends.

Well, I've been waiting for two years to become a nomad while I try to find a way to buy a car. And all along I could have just picked up one of those discarded grocery carts in my neighborhood! Just have to get in shape to push it 500 miles!!