First Time Ever Camper

[amateurfishing]

well, as we have slowy built up our camping equip over last 2 years, all of sudden wife is asking bout camping trip to father hennepin. how do you determine tent pad dimensions needed? our tent is 8x 12 not incuding couple extra add on's, do we need extra room, exact tent floor dimensions? also think grass over gravel better, right? thx

[TruthWalleyes]

Plop down your tent, stay a day or two, and you'll figure out what additional comforts you feel you want.

A little"roughing it" is what many people need.

Do you need more space? Dont know. I use a gander mountain tent cot....that's all i need and then some. Most boat trips in the summer i just sleep under the stars on the boat floor.

[upnorth]

If you have storage room I would suggest an inflatable bed. Not a necessity, but a nicety.

[Powerstroke]

Everyone has different needs and preferences. My wife and I use a 2 person tent for the BWCA that is 6'6" long and just wide enough for both our shoulders at the top and it tapers down near the feet. Our main family tent is only 8x8' for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Set it up in the garage or family room and try it out. If you don't have the room then try it out close to home and give it a test run. Any place you stay at an official campground will have a tent site large enough for that tent. If you want cots or an air mattress then you may need more.

[amateurfishing]

we have the Ransom 8 tent, got from REI couple years ago on clearance with garage vestibule. also have 3 rapidy growing kids 3 1/2, 6, & 8. wanted plenty of room to let family grow into it. my main question is when reserving campsite, what does the camping pad refer to and how strict are the rules of matching tent size to lot pad and why are there difft sizes of lot pads? thx

[SwivelDigger]

Any campground I've stayed in has had plenty of room for the tent. I prefer setting up on grass instead of gravel to avoid rock problems. If you have enough room I'd go for a air mattress. Saves on the back. We have stayed in St. Croix state park quite a bit and have had good times there. Good luck.

[Powerstroke]

So, you're talking about Father Hennepin State Park, so I went and looked through their stuff and the only reference to "pad length" refers to the size of the pads needed for RV's. You do not need to select anything on that one. One thing I did like in the new reservation system is if you put your curser on the campsite you're considering, it shows a photo of the site so you can get any idea how big it is and what it looks like.

The "pad" they are referring to is a driveway designed to park an RV on so they are level. You can put your tent on them if you'd like but usually its better to put the tent on the soft ground.

So, to your question, there is no reason to worry about pad length for tents when staying in a state park or any other organized campground. The only time I ever had to worry about the size of my tent was while wilderness camping and those areas don't always accommodate large family style tents.

[JackPineGuy]

Ole father hennepin is super dank. Its like 10 bux a night. STOAK up a fire, have a couple pops. Bring the old dewalt radio. I bring head lamps. So no need for lights anymore. Get sum great PICS of the albino deer. Ohhhh yeeeeeeeeeea. Takes me back.

[Stick in Mud]

Yup, "pop."

Just keep in mind that (in state parks, anyways), that kind of soda is against the rules (if that's what you meant...).

[JackPineGuy]

I honestly did not know that alcohol was not allowed in state parks. That might sound really crazy but i really dident. I don't drink much anyway but Its good to know

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

+1 for the state parks! No booze means less noisy, inconsiderate campers. Another reason why they are number one in my book.

They are a great place to start your camping experience. You can choose your comfort level based on what you are looking for. Want less of a crowd? Choose a rustic, walkin site. Want to be close to flush toilets and showers? Choose a site on a main loop.

Another option is booking a camper cabin. Check out the state park HSOforum for info.

[Redlantern]

Thanks for the reminder, Carmike and Wish, sometimes I forget that not everyone knows this. Sure, it's in the rules but many people pencil whip the sign in and don't bother with reading the fine print. You probably saved a few folks reading this a ticket.

[JackPineGuy]

ya ever been ta fish lake camp ground? they like ta throw em back out there....

[amateurfishing]

so starting to sink in that we have our first ever family of 5 camping trip at father Hennepin in 2 weeks...and also starting to sink in how can I pack & store all "necessities". figuring 1 tote each for kitchen, 2-3 coolers of food, tent, camp mats, 2 bags clothes, bath & games tote, etc. just curious how much ppl take with what kind of vehicle and how it all gets packed to go with you. I do have a car top carrier for explorer but that does not seem like enough space for everything with hopes of the boat in tow.

[highlife4me]

If you are taking a boat along you can pack most of you stuff in the boat as long as you are not overloading the trailer. That way you can still ride in comfort in your vehicle.

[amateurfishing]

yes that would be great IF its ice out on mille lacs AND 1. I knew the weight of my boat and max weight of trailer (how do I find those)

[amateurfishing]

max weight of passengers in boat is 750, with motor & accessories 1200-1300. trailer max is 3,000 lbs. guess im good to go if I need extra space to pack in boat.

[amateurfishing]

put up tent last weekend for test run and practice, wind snapped a pole in half which then tore basketball size hole in rain cover on Ransom 6. called rei, they said just bring it in and we will swap it out, kudos that great professional customer service still lives and is hassle free!

[nofishfisherman]

I tend to buy most of my camping gear from REI for the exact reason. Its a 5 year no questions asked return policy. Camping gear can get used rather roughly so its nice having that kind of return policy standing behind the product. Also with the co-op membership the 10% dividend in the spring is always nice.

[amateurfishing]

well interesting, wife just got email from REI stating effective immediately all refunds or replacements are only good from 1 year from date of sale and does not apply to normal wear conditions or mis use. Only manufacturer defects.....guess we will be returning our membership fee. This is not what we signed up for and not what we were told when joining them. We were strictly told lifetime warranty & no questions asked, hassle free service with returns.

We thought the refund policy was too good to be true, but it was just that for 2 years for us. Anyone else experiencing this with them?

[SkunkedAgain]

I bought most of my camping gear from REI about 15 years ago, with another tent about 5 years ago. I've never used their return policy but it was always a selling point. The dividend just brought the high prices down into the realm of reality. However, they always had good equipment. Now they sell more clothes than anything.

Good luck on the trip and remember when you're packing that half of the fun of camping, is making do with what you have instead of packing the entire house to go with you. It's great to teach kids how to be creative and use their imaginations to solve problems. Don't forget all of the old boy scout games such as races to see who can build a fire fast enough to burn the string, etc.

Personally I wouldn't allow cell phones or ipads on the trip, including in the car. You can't appreciate nature as well when you're staring into a screen. That said, there are some great nature apps out there that can be educational. I have one that helps you identify bird songs and calls

[nofishfisherman]

Just saw the REI email as well. The return policy was a big selling point for me but I never understood how they made it work for them. I know I've seen people get full refunds on items like shoes they obviously wore for years. I'm sure the abuse of the policy is what ended it. Still a one year no questions asked return policy is pretty good but I really liked the insurance of the lifetime policy. In reality I've only returned one item (a water filter that couldn't filter tap water) so I'm sure it won't impact me much. I mainly shop there because they have good gear, knowledgable staff, and I like to be able to play around with gear before I buy it so it beats out online shopping.

Also good point about learning to do without while camping. My motto when packing for a camping trip is "when in doubt, do without". If you aren't sure if you should bring it then leave it home. If you end up needing it then its always interesting to see how you can improvise on the fly.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I think they had to make this change to stay in business. Lots of people abused the old policy. I'm guessing they will still stand behind most "real" issues, but need to have something more firm in writing to cover the abusers. Won't stop me from buying there. REI was often called rental equipment because of their extremely liberal return policy.