Let The Countdown Begin!

[SandrineDeLaTombe]

I'm about to take all the camping gear back out to the van, where it usually lives, so I can get it out of my house (and out of my way)...

I still have to BUY all of our camping gear.  We seriously are not camping people and have very very little outdoor gear. Where do you guys get your gear?  Online or at a store?  I've got a ginormous Cabela's (I think it's called) near me, thinking I may go check it out soon to start buying pieces here and there.

[Breandan]

My wife and I are old-school hardcore campers, eschewing modern contrivances for the rugged mountaineering and wilderness survival tactics and techniques I learned growing up in SE Alaska, and that she learned camping out damn near every weekend with the Venture Crew (co-ed boy scouts... yeah, messed with my head when I first heard about it, and I still reserve the right to make fun of the boy scouts after having to save their butts twice in Tongass National Forest back home... city kids, yeesh). Now, we have an infant. All of the rules we know are out the window. So, since the wee one will not handle austere conditions the same way we would, I am in entirely new territory. Help? 

[Rani Zemirah]

I'm about to take all the camping gear back out to the van, where it usually lives, so I can get it out of my house (and out of my way)...

I still have to BUY all of our camping gear.  We seriously are not camping people and have very very little outdoor gear. Where do you guys get your gear?  Online or at a store?  I've got a ginormous Cabela's (I think it's called) near me, thinking I may go check it out soon to start buying pieces here and there.

Sandrine, you can find decent tents at WalMart for really good prices at the end of summer, and all your other camping gear can be found there, as well, on sale, at the same time.  If you don't spend much time camping then it's best not to put so much money into gear that you will just let sit most of the year.  Anything that says Coleman on it is more than adequate for Faire camping, and since you will be camping with McLot, then a few basics are really all you will need.  Such as...

• A tent (preferably one you can stand up in, for changing into garb) treated for water resistance (you can do this yourself)
• Tarp for under the tent, and one for over the top if it rains heavily (rain flys don't always keep out the moisture)
• Air mattress (the ground can get really cold)
• Sleeping bags (rated to +20 degrees is generally warm enough, although thicker is good later in the year)
• A cooler (the ones that will keep ice frozen for 5 days are AWESOME, but not strictly necessary)
• Camp chairs
• Small first aid kit (cuts and scrapes are common)

These are the main components you will need.  There are some luxuries that help to make the experience more comfortable, but they are not strictly necessary, although they can enhance the camping experience greatly...  It's nice to have a rug for the floor of the tent, as well, and one (or more, depending on size) that will cover the whole bottom of the tent is ideal (provides extra insulation for under the air mattress).  Square sleeping bags can be zipped together to create a full/queen size cocoon that will keep you and whoever is next to you much warmer, and extra bedding is a good idea in case of weather changes.  A thick blanket between the air mattress and the rest of your bedding will keep the cold air from chilling you in the night.  I bring the memory foam topper from my bed at home... but I have a mini-van so I have plenty of room.   Bring your regular bed pillows so you will feel more at home.  You will also want plastic bins for your garb and accessories in case it rains (although during the day these should be locked in your vehicle).  

There is a central fire pit in the McLot camp, but if you can bring a bundle or two of firewood along it's always appreciated.  I'm not sure what their meal schedule will be this season, or what weekends there will be kitchen gear out, but simple foods such as sandwich stuff are always a good choice for your cooler, and if you bring a pan with you then you can always boil water for ramen... because you WILL be hungry after walking around Faire for hours, even if you eat right at closing!  I believe on the big weekends there is usually a meal to be had, and it's nice to donate to the camp to offset the cost of food for however many are in your group.  Snack-type foods are good, also.  Cheese and crackers, summer sausage, granola bars, nuts, chips, sweets... they're all good for that mid-afternoon Faire-break, extra energy boost, or especially late at night to absorb excess alcohol!    

There are other, much more comprehensive lists here in the Ren Faire Camping forum, but this is the basics for first time Faire campers, and from there you can decide if it will be something you want to do every time or not, and whether you want to outfit yourselves accordingly.  


Breandan, for you, my friend... there is a WHOLE other list!    LOL  

[angusmacinnes]

Nice work Rani. 

[Rani Zemirah]

Awww, shucks... twern't nuthin'...      

(edit)
Oh, and DUH... I forgot about the booze!!!  BYOB, most definitely...   

[angusmacinnes]

Yeah all you can pack in the truck. 

[SandrineDeLaTombe]

You are awesome, Rani!  This definitely gives me a great starting point. Now to spend way more money than I would have on hotel costs for two or three nights, but where would the fun be in that?

[bellevivre]

SEWING KIT!

number one thing I always forget and ALWAYS need!

(bad seamstress! no Scalamandre!)

[Bonny Pearl]

Rani has it down!  

Sandrine, as far as food is concerned-yes we will have the camp kitchen on AHE.  The camp kitchen is set up for Opening, AHE and Closing weekends.  We ask for a $20.00 per adult donation for the entire weekend.  This covers dinner on Friday, breakfast & dinner on Saturday and then breakfast on Sunday.  On AHE we are having a friendly little chili competition, so that is what's for dinner on Saturday, AHE, along with some other items.  You can find all the info you need regarding camping with McLot on our forum.  Please feel free to ask questions.  

[Bonny Pearl]

One other item:

Donations can be made in advance via our paypal address and you can find this address on our forum.  We ask that everyone try to donate in advance so we can get our menu/grocery shopping list done ahead of time.  We don't shop the day before faire/camp; we try to order a lot of our grocery items from a food supplier our camp cook knows.

[Breandan]

be careful who you camp near after the chili competition

[Bonny Pearl]

be careful who you camp near after the chili competition

I'll be sure MacKee bunks with you! 

[Rani Zemirah]

Just wait a few weeks and compare prices for the basics at WalMart and whatever other sporting goods stores you have fairly close to you.  Don't go out and spend loads of cash for these things, because you don't have to!  You can get a 10 x 12 dome tent (around Labor Day, on sale) for under $100, and two sleeping bags for under $40, most likely. The camp chairs will go on sale at the same time, and you'll get 2 for well under $25.  The cooler will probably run you between $20-30, depending on the size and the quality, and the tarps $10-15 for both.  A queen size air mattress is almost always $20-25, and they go on sale every other week, but end of season you might get one for $15, including the pump (Intex makes a good one, with the flocking on the top of the mattress, so go for that one!).  Small first aid kit will run around $5-8, because all you really need are some band-aids, gauze pads, Neosporin ointment and ibuprofen.  

So roughly around $200-225, and that kits you out for the season, so if you get the chance to come out for an extra weekend or two you will be set!  Believe me... you wouldn't get a hotel room for that for three nights, and if you have any of these things already (like a cooler, or folding lawn chairs), or can borrow them, then that saves even more!  I estimated on the high side for some things, also, because I've seen huge tents on end-of-season sales for around $60-70, sleeping bags for $10 each, and the chairs for $5 or so...  Just keep checking, and take something with you to write prices down, but don't buy anything until the Labor Day sales unless it's waaaay less than the prices I've listed here!!!  Also, Coleman tents are always sturdy, so don't get any weird off brand!  If you're not sure about one then ask here or in the camping threads, and someone will know...

Oh, and Belle is right... bring a sewing kit, because you WILL need it if you don't have it!    

Almost forgot... when you DO get the tent, take it home and set it up right away so you can see how it goes together in the daylight, make sure all the pieces are there everything is in good shape.  If everything is good, then you can weatherproof it, and leave it up over night to dry.  Practice setting it up at least twice if you can, just so you know you're familiar with all the pieces and where they go. 

[bellevivre]

definitely important to set up in person, in a stress free environment, in daylight (as anyone who watched me and Mitch meltdown at a Sherwood work day can attest!)

I reccomend the new 'cabin' style tents- they are huge, have straight walls, and set up pretty easy.

[Rani Zemirah]

I've seen a few of those, and they look pretty cool, but I've never set one up.  I can set up my 10 x 12 dome by myself in about 15-20 minutes, including tarp, rain-fly and stakes, and my whole camp takes less than an hour.  My daughter has a backpackers tent that she can set up all by herself, and she keeps saying she wants her own tent this season... but I'm thinking that might change once we get there.  9y/o is still a bit young...