Tents

[MGfromBC]

The steppes of Mongolia are wide open and prone to high winds.  The Mongols brought their hearth and home out of that area to conquer most of the known world.  Their homes were yurts and resistance to wind is discussed in this forum.

Wind and the Yurt - Yurt Forum - A Yurt Community About Yurts

MG

 

[RoamerRV428]

agreed in that know your location, you area you tent up and camp but in the end, it won't be 'all that dramatic' if we do research and handle it best we can.....what else can we do on what funds we have and the life we must handle?

 

[MotorVation]

I plan to head out to Quartzsite by October…I need to learn from you guys how to camp , etc .   So it will be my boot camp…lol

Historically it starts to cool off pretty well around Quartzsite by the first or second week in November. To each their own but I personally wouldn't want to camp there any sooner. You can search by monthly weather and get the rundown from several weather services. Most of the rest of the country will be cooling down by Oct.

When stuff starts to feel like an ordeal, my wheels turn.

 

[Gypsy108]

I wanted to leave before winter set in....i live in the Midwest...hoped to leave while the roads are still good ...but i'll keep my eyes out for weather conditions there too......thanks !

 

[txmnjim]

if the OP has a small budget i'm sure she could find a tent that would stand up to the elements 
a few months at least. maybe plan on replacing it a couple times a year. heck i had an old 2-person
Coleman (smaller the better in wind) that lasted at least 10 years with many a night in wind, especially
one terrible night in Raton Pass that was the roughest i've ever been in but it survived till the morning. 
Good luck Gypsy! Edited to add; My wife informs me it was an Ozark Trail

 

[MotorVation]

I wanted to leave before winter set in....i live in the Midwest...hoped to leave while the roads are still good ...but i'll keep my eyes out for weather conditions there too......thanks !

Got ya. No way I would drive my van in snow and ice by choice, tank that it is...

 

[Gypsy108]

Well… I’m very experienced driving in snow & ice … but I’ll be stressed enough.. and hope to eliminate as much stress as possible….

 

[BelgianPup]

"... so the mice can reach inside..."

I was visualizing that!

Just fyi... Regular rats can jump 3 feet high and 4 feet across.

 

[Gypsy108]

Maybe i should get some 4' high aluminum fencing to go around my camp ?  Ha .  Maybe a  pet python or two ....

Was wondering if a pop up trailer would be better than a tent ?


I put the Traveler Clam & the Pavillion in my cart...not sure which one I'll get yet....
Then i thought about those pop up trailers....would they be stronger than a tent ??  I can't really afford them either though.....it will just boil down to what i CAN afford..... :s

 

[RoamerRV428]

you are OK Gypsy cause it does boil down to what you can afford truly............we all know life runs of the friggin' damn dollar.

NOW IF YOU can get a decent used small popup then yea, that is good

You also can get a very short maybe all in camper, as in like 10-12 ft which is ALL hard sided but thing is.........you have to know you on this one and what your tow vehicle can do.

You tow it is ALL about the car towing.

You tent it, it is all about your location and what you need in that area. Tents have been around for billions of years so you will be ok on it truly if you opt this way

you wanna do a small popup can ya find one in your price range and can tow vehicle handle it.


OKOK.............when do you wanna hit the road? What is your all in time schedule for it all?

when that hits it either makes you 'choose fast' or ya got that 'bit of time to decide' but one must decide faster if that time line is looming

You are OK...........you will find you in this and the move forward if pushed or we have time to think is never easy as it never is in our minds but once out and about, we learn SO much on just how damn strong we are to push thru it all

 

[Gypsy108]

Thank you Roamer  :heart:

I plan to leave mid- October.   So I have a little time left to plan….I still need to get a tent & a few other things… I won’t be able to get a pop up or small trailer… good thing because I’ve never towed anything before…

 

[RoamerRV428]

Yes mid-October will come flying at you for sure   Just feel out your tent you want to buy, one that works well for you of course.  Get some of your other gear you need and be ready to roll.  If you have a hitch on the back of your vehicle you can get a small cargo flat carrier to store stuff if you need....like this kind of thing and it isn't towing ya know, it is carrying LOL

You will have a grand time out and about....enjoy yourself!!

 

[Cammalu]

Any way to trade for a van or RV? Tent life can be tough on a single woman out there. I’m thinking safety. You can’t just turn the key and leave. Same for a pop up tent.

Neither will work in the parking lots we all tend to overnight in from time to time.

 

[Gypsy108]

I’m thinking of just using it for daytime lounging & cooking & artwork…. 

I will sleep in my car
I wish I could get a van .. but I can’t afford one … I wish I could get one from these organizations that help veterans…. I’m looking into it…. But it seems like EVERYTHING I try to do to help myself I JUST GO AROUND IN CIRCLES and never get anywhere….. I guess my luck has run out

 

[maki2]

I suggest starting a tread and stating your vehicle type so you can collect suggestions about making a good interior arrangement for sleeping and for storing a shade structure and your craft supplies, kitchen items, clothes etc.

I am pretty sure people will refer you to some videos or web articles done in similar sized vehicles. I know that once you get enough visual examples into your head your creative thing will expand and you will come up with a functional and affordable layout. You have a good eye for design but you just dont have enough informative examples as a foundation to light up your synapes.

It is not magic, just start by looking carefully a thousand photos of cars setup for living, camping and that will train your brain into seeing the space in the vehicle in new ways. Then take measurements, do mockups out of cardboard inside you vehicle. Those eventually turn into patterns to cut pieces from. But it all starts with looking closely at images, thinking about what is going on. One word of warning, do not get caught up in if it looks emotionaly cozy, cozy is superflous to function. At the design stage stay focused on function. Cozy is very quick, cheap and easy to add as a final layer. Function is the underlying bone structure.

 

[Gypsy108]

I’ve been watching videos on SUV camping mode for a long time .  There aren’t any on my particular SUV.   I figured out my plan though :

Just lay the passenger seat down flat, with the head rest off… and then I can stretch my legs out and be in a sitting position… or… I can actually lay down… 
I will use the cargo area for my stuff… easy peasy….very practical…no build…
I will improvise as needed…
I will have a tri-fold mattress just in case…

When I put the back seats down to expand the cargo area it doesn’t lay flat by a long shot…. It would be difficult for me to have a bed in there PLUS. my stuff… 
Seems to be more organized just keeping the cargo area without the seats down, for my cargo area .   
It’s hard for me to get in contortions like most younger people in good shape can do.
I have to make it easy for me to function.

I sat in my car for about an hour the other day & was very comfortable in that back seat with my legs stretched out…
With blankets & pillows , hopefully I will be more comfortable….

It would be hard for me if something is down too low… like if a mattress was down on the cargo area floor.   I don’t have anyone to help me … so I gotta figure it out myself…

I’m not going to build anything either .

I can’t do anything yet because I’m still in this situation… he can’t know what’s going on… I have to pretend everything is normal… the day that I leave when he’s at work will be my only time to put my curtains up … & get ready…

I have a huge roll of reflectex I need to custom fit yet .

Maybe I will take pics next week to show the inside of my SUV, then you will see ….

Then I will start the thread….