starbeck96 Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 My boys are wanting camping stuff for Christmas this year. We don't have anything, starting completely from scratch. does anyone ever have camping gear on sale BF? Is there one brand that you would consider over another. I've heard of coleman and Wenzel. I really don't know anything about camping gear. We are planning on getting everything you would ever need for camping, tents, air beds, cookware, utensils, the whole nine yards. Please helP!!!!
bigjimslade Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Look for the sporting goods stores like Academy, Dicks, Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander Mtn and such always run sales. Also they have big sales in Feb when they put the winter camping gear on sale to make room for the summer camping gear.
starbeck96 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 Look for the sporting goods stores like Academy, Dicks, Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander Mtn and such always run sales. Also they have big sales in Feb when they put the winter camping gear on sale to make room for the summer camping gear.they are really wanting it for christmas, but we may wait. Their bday is Mar 5 so we could give it to them for their bday. It really depends on what kind of sales i can find. I found a tent that sleeps 7 or 8 and is a 2 bedroom on Walmart.com. It is an Ozark Trail and comes with Coleman queen air bed and 2 sleeping bags. Does this sound like a good deal?
jaymacfla Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 You could always pick up the 4 person tent with two chair deal, then pick up two of the $15 air beds. The large family tent is rather bulky, and keeping things simple is best. get an air pump also. You can always get good sleeping bags on sale, or at yard sales.
peppysfireball Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?234951-BF-Camping-Coleman-SunDome-3-Person-Tent-48.95-(-73.99)-Amazon This is similar to what my son has. We have always had tons of camping stuff, My boys were both in boy scouts and by oldest is an eagle scout. We go to trail rides and while I sleep in the horsetrailer living quarter, he puts up his tent. We don't use air mattresses, too much work. My son has his own quad camping chair and the coleman tools were also in the deals yesterday, the shovel, etc. we use paper plates for less mess. Make sure you get a good sleeping bag with a low weather rating, it makes a difference. My boys both have mummy bags, a ground cloth is a must or you will get wet at night when the dew comes through the tent. I stick with mostly coleman stuff. I don't know how old they are, but most boys want to by in their own tents without parents. YOu may want your own tent, the big ones are a pain . My son sets his up alone easily. Check the bass pro shops clearance section. Cabelas also, had real good black friday sales last year.
peppysfireball Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Dick's sporting goods has extra 20% off clearance right now.
starbeck96 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 Thanks everyone. My boys are 13. I also have a 5 year old daughter that would be going camping with us also. I really had not thought about having two separate tents. Can you put up two tents (on one site) in national or state parks? We will probably do most of our camping in national/state parks since my daughter is so young. I plan on using paper plates some but there is some stuff that you just can't eat off a paper plate...lol. My husband and I both have some back trouble, nothing extremely bad, but we have to have a decent soft bed. Are there any sleeping bags thick enough to be sort of soft?
sammypj Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 they are really wanting it for christmas, but we may wait. Their bday is Mar 5 so we could give it to them for their bday. It really depends on what kind of sales i can find. I found a tent that sleeps 7 or 8 and is a 2 bedroom on Walmart.com. It is an Ozark Trail and comes with Coleman queen air bed and 2 sleeping bags. Does this sound like a good deal?I would stay away from Ozark Trail brand stuff at WM. My son got one of their sleeping bags as a gift and the zipper broke the second time he used it, and the seams started to fray almost immediately. We camp a lot and have a ton of equipment. We have found really great deals at Target during the winter clearance. Maybe you can get some basics to start with as the Christmas gift and then try to get some additional items in late Jan-Feb. Also I highly recommend an air mattress for at least the adults!
mrn8 Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Amazon has good deals on camping equipment, quite often. I'd say, start with a tent (or two if you want kids and parents in separate spaces), chairs for everyone, and a good cooler. Aside from that, you can pick up a couple of pans / cast iron griddle at a garage sale or resale shop and use disposable eating stuff. Depending on how old the boys are, a nice camping knife or a hatchet would make any boy happy! As for tents, Eureka is definitely the best quality for the money. Coleman isn't that great anymore, Wenzel is OK, Ozark Trail is cheap and not worth even one trip, Kelty is ok but too expensive for the quality. Actually, Cabela's branded camping equipment is pretty nice, too. Their store brand stuff is on-par with the mid-level to upper-mid level products. As for sleeping bags, you won't really find anything that is soft on the ground. An air mattress (this is where Coleman is good) or cot will benefit you greatly. I like the army-style cots, but my wife prefers the folding cots (3-sections like the old lawn chairs). You can even get fold-out cots that are full and queen sized. I've never used one, but they actually look like they would be comfortable.
starbeck96 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 Amazon has good deals on camping equipment, quite often. I'd say, start with a tent (or two if you want kids and parents in separate spaces), chairs for everyone, and a good cooler. Aside from that, you can pick up a couple of pans / cast iron griddle at a garage sale or resale shop and use disposable eating stuff. Depending on how old the boys are, a nice camping knife or a hatchet would make any boy happy! As for tents, Eureka is definitely the best quality for the money. Coleman isn't that great anymore, Wenzel is OK, Ozark Trail is cheap and not worth even one trip, Kelty is ok but too expensive for the quality. Actually, Cabela's branded camping equipment is pretty nice, too. Their store brand stuff is on-par with the mid-level to upper-mid level products. As for sleeping bags, you won't really find anything that is soft on the ground. An air mattress (this is where Coleman is good) or cot will benefit you greatly. I like the army-style cots, but my wife prefers the folding cots (3-sections like the old lawn chairs). You can even get fold-out cots that are full and queen sized. I've never used one, but they actually look like they would be comfortable. Yeah I had read somewhere that Coleman was not what it used to be. I was also weary of the Ozark Trail brand. I have read tons of reviews on Ozark and I only found like 1 out of every 4 that were good..I had heard that Wenzel was pretty good. We may have to make a trip to Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop. We live about 1 1/2 hours from Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop. We usually go out for our anniversary in early December so we may go then and do some shopping. The boys have tons of knives already. Their uncle had gotten some at a flea market for next to nothing and he gave several of them to the boys and my husband since he knows they love to fish and hunt. I figured that an air mattress would be the best way for us adults..lol. I think the boys and my daughter would be ok with a thicker sleeping bag though. Thanks so much for everyone's help.
flyjar Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 I haven't done a whole lot of camping but in my opinion for the amount I do, a bigger tent is better. More room to move around. Mine's a Coleman and it sleeps six in 2 rooms (4 & 2), we use the 2 for storage. We are very happy with it and have had no problems. Don't forget a tarp for under the tent. Sports Authority usually gives away money to the first 500 customers on BF.
tinkrbel Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Found 2 big tents at pretty good reduced prices on Cabela's, I have no idea about quality though. http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_519804_999_01?rgn=0,0,2000,874&scl=5.2631578947368425&fmt=jpeg&id=34V-ZLkW2s06e2ySr2hO5tCabela's Deluxe Backwoods Three-Room Cabin 8person 8*16 $127.99 regular $319.99, 10 person 10*20 $151.99 regular $379.99 http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_518211_999_02?rgn=0,0,2000,1009&scl=5.2631578947368425&fmt=jpeg&id=2YrvQ2QrPQby3Vc4TGT0e-Cabela's Two-Room Cabin Tent 8-person 10' x 14' $129.99 regular $329.99, 10-person 10' x 16' $143.99 regular $359.99
starbeck96 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 I haven't done a whole lot of camping but in my opinion for the amount I do, a bigger tent is better. More room to move around. Mine's a Coleman and it sleeps six in 2 rooms (4 & 2), we use the 2 for storage. We are very happy with it and have had no problems. Don't forget a tarp for under the tent. Sports Authority usually gives away money to the first 500 customers on BF.Thanks..I will have to see where the closest one is. I know that I want us to have our privacy as well as the boys. So I am leaning towards 1 big one. I don't know if I'm quite ready to let them have their own...lol.
mcwalker Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 I highly recommend that you do visit one or more outdoor shops where you can see items on display before you buy, even if they are an hour and a half away. Look at the items and talk to the staff, who are often campers themselves in the beter stores. Take notes on the items (exact model numbers) that you think will serve your needs. Then you will be better equipped to shop on BF or online. I wouldn't discount Coleman just yet and note that Coleman has outlet stores in 11 locations--check here to see if one is near you: http://www.coleman.com/coleman/campcoleman/default.asp
mrn8 Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 I've used the Cabela's Deluxe Backwoods tent and it's awesome. Lots of headroom throughout and multiple ways to get in and out. Well worth it if you think camping will become a regular occurance. We currently use the Eureka Tetragon 1210 and love it. So simple to put up, and the top is like a skylight if you have good enough weather to keep the canopy off. So far, it's been though one rain storm and held up admirably. Everything stayed dry with the rainfly on and the washtub floor negates the need for a ground tarp. http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Tetragon-1210-Tent-sleeps/dp/B000EQAUWI/ref=sr_1_9?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1319734465&sr=1-9
starbeck96 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 Ok, I just checked everyone's website to see where all of the sporting goods stores are. There is no Cabelas near us. I live in AL and the closest one is in Louisiana. There is both a Bass Pro Shop and Sports Authority about 2 hours from us. They are both in areas that we visit occasionally anyway. So this year we may just go to the cities to do our Christmas shopping..
peppysfireball Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) Check with your parks individually. The park we go to most has no restrictions on it, the other one that we stay away from is a state park. It allows no tents, campers must be on a gravel pad and 6 people limit in campers. It is much more restrictive that the other one. It could be because we are in the horse camping area. They have primitive areas that allow tents on the grass. My son is 14 , but he has had his own tent about 4 years. He would die if I made him sleep in the trailer with me. He has a small 3 person tent and puts it up and takes it down himself. Edited October 27, 2011 by peppysfireball
jaymacfla Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Found 2 big tents at pretty good reduced prices on Cabela's, I have no idea about quality though. http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_519804_999_01?rgn=0,0,2000,874&scl=5.2631578947368425&fmt=jpeg&id=34V-ZLkW2s06e2ySr2hO5tCabela's Deluxe Backwoods Three-Room Cabin 8person 8*16 $127.99 regular $319.99, 10 person 10*20 $151.99 regular $379.99 http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_518211_999_02?rgn=0,0,2000,1009&scl=5.2631578947368425&fmt=jpeg&id=2YrvQ2QrPQby3Vc4TGT0e-Cabela's Two-Room Cabin Tent 8-person 10' x 14' $129.99 regular $329.99, 10-person 10' x 16' $143.99 regular $359.99 Not suitable for Black Friday concrete, hehehe:razz:
tinkrbel Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Not suitable for Black Friday concrete, hehehe:razz:Thanks for pointing that out sir...I should have said I know nothing about tents instead of quality value seems good though
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