To tent camp or not

[vleolynn]

I'm leaving for Yuma Arizona and then I'll be working my way back to the wrtr and the RTR the question I'm asking is, to pitch a tent or not. How Wendy does it get during the month of December January and February etcetera. Will I be able to stake a tent in the ground. Otherwise I'll just sleep in my vehicle which I have set up to do.

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[Moxadox]

Does your tent take up a huge amount of space in your vehicle? It's always nice to have options, if possible.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[highdesertranger]

it can get very windy in the desert and pounding stakes in can be quite difficult in some areas. we just had the stake conversation on another thread. the stakes they give you when you by the tent are worthless. however I am not saying don't bring the tent. that was real decisive wasn't it. highdesertranger

 

[vleolynn]

Does your tent take up a huge amount of space in your vehicle? It's always nice to have options, if possible.

The Dire Wolfess

I have a cargo box I keep all my camping equipment in. So basically no don't take up much space I was just wondering though how tough it would be to pitch a tent out there.

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[vleolynn]

it can get very windy in the desert and pounding stakes in can be quite difficult in some areas. we just had the stake conversation on another thread. the stakes they give you when you by the tent are worthless. however I am not saying don't bring the tent. that was real decisive wasn't it. highdesertranger

I replaced all my steaks that I got with my tent because yeah those were worthless to for sure. I'm just wondering about the wind. My tent stood up to a 35 mile an hour went one time. Although I ended up in my car that night.

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[Vonbrown]

I had a Copper Canyon 4 person tent by Eureka at my 1st RTR and yes, it got very windy one night camping down in Yuma area. My tent shook, jumped and flapped all night but stayed up. Needless to say not much sleep was had that night.
I made my own stakes out of rebar and a tee with a plug. I drove the four 12" rebar into the ground with a heavy hammer, attached the tent ropes to the tee that slipped over the rebar and secured it in place with the plug. There is a video of this out there somewhere.
Anyways, the tent stayed on the ground. The next morning the only damage was a small tear in the zipper door.
Damn good tent it was.?

 

[ckelly78z]

You could always pitch the tent with good, long stakes, and move the car in a place to block the wind. Even tie the supports of the tent to the car.

Make a decision at dusk whether you will sleep in the car, or the tent that night. You may also want to post a sticky note on the steering wheel that your tent is tied to the car so it doesn't get dragged behind you if you should leave for some reason.

 

[doublegregg]

here's a video of a lady with a tent......she doesn't talk about staking much, afaik... i was in death valley once with my tiny one man tent. it was ideal, though. with ordinary stakes, it stayed put, but it was super low profile, a one person tent, but the winds were -------- jeezus ----- 70mph??? i don't think i've ever been in such winds. i imagine the RTR can face similar winds?

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

I know people from BurningMan (VERY windy) who say the "stock" stakes that came with their Kodiak Flex-bar tent were all the ever used.

 

[highdesertranger]

but Burning man is held on a playa(Dry Lake Bed) there are no rocks. around Quartzsite the problem is rocks, the stakes must find a path through highly packed together rocks. highdesertranger

 

[AJ452]

Here's the recent thread with some stake discussion, some good info: https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=34209

If setting up the tent next to a vehicle to use as a windblock one could certainly tie off to it. I wonder if there are commercial products that incorporate a tie point with a flat plate that one could park their tire on? Easy way to have two solid staking points I should think. Would also be simple to fabricate in one were handy.

 

[geogentry]

I am a tent nomad for the last 8 months. To pitch or not to pitch - that depends on who made your tent and what it was designed to do. Most tents have a problem at the 35 mph mark. My first tent got very damaged in a 35 mph wind or second week on the road. Tent cost about $300. I fixed the tent and redesigned how it was stacked down, doubled the stakes, and used paracord for guy lines. I used 12" log spikes. The tent met a 40 mph wind. Stakes held, guy lines held, the tent exploded. Beyond my ability to repair. I used as cheap tent, about $60 that was rated for 35+ mph winds. It did OK but you haven't lived till your in a tent that lays down on you in the middle of the night during higher winds. That is how it was designed to withstand the higher winds. It got heavily damaged in a 50mph wind. We are now saving for a 4 season tent designed to stand up to 60 mph winds.

If you have a small tent park so you can put this tent on the north side of the car to block the Santa Anna winds across the Sonora desert, this is where the strongest winds will come from. The will be guests from the east in the early part of the day and in the later part of the day it will switch to the west.

If your uneasy about the wind sleep in your car. My wife and I and two dogs have spent the better part of two weeks sleeping in a Kia Sorento. Not the best solution but you do what you gotta do when you need to do it.

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[wanderin.pat]

but Burning man is held on a playa(Dry Lake Bed)  there are no rocks.  around Quartzsite the problem is rocks,  the stakes must find a path through highly packed together rocks.   highdesertranger

I will testify through experience following the advice of highdesertranger, he knows of what he speaks.  

The thing to remember is that a big enough wind will destroy many many things.  Think of what damage a tornado makes.  

I too face the foreseeable future with similar choices (sleeping in my tent vs.  sleeping in my Jeep).  Having spent 2 seasons in AZ in a cargo trailer, I know there will be nights (and days) that I will be spending in my Jeep.  

Regards,

WP

 

[jacqueg]

Here's the recent thread with some stake discussion, some good info: https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=34209

If setting up the tent next to a vehicle to use as a windblock one could certainly tie off to it.  I wonder if there are commercial products that incorporate a tie point with a flat plate that one could park their tire on?  Easy way to have two solid staking points I should think.  Would also be simple to fabricate in one were handy.

Here's one that can anchor to your vehicle - http://www.busdepot.com/details/awning/