RE: [Paddlewise] Time???? (was Tents)

>
> You still haven't told us what your primary tent needs are?  
> At least for this trip.  Do you need a tent to fit in the 
> kayak or just a car camping tent?  



Guess that would help, wouldn't it  :-)

The upcoming trip is a week in Florida on "the Nature Coast" area just north of Tampa.  I'll be at the Chasahowitzka River Campground (I believe it's about a 2-3 mile paddle out to the Gulf), and will paddle different locations each day in the Wildlife Reserves, particularly looking for Manatees.  Anybody going to be in the vacinity and want to hook-up?

I was planning on using borrowed equipment this year so that I could discover what I really do and don't need, and to let the budget catch up with the expenditures I've already made in the past few months, but that's no longer working out.

In general, I "hope" to do a week of camping once, possibly twice each year, and several weekend trips as well.  Lets call it 10-15 nights per year.  The bulk of the time, I'll be in the tent solo, but hope to eventually convince my wife to join me on these trips at least occassionally, and more likely she'd agree to a weekender and not a week.

If we're both in the tent, a 2 person shouldn't be too tight.  I'm 5'9" and 170, she's 5'4" and somewhere between 105-110.

I don't mind using it in the middle of summer, which here on the Cheseapeake Bay could mean temps in the high 90's and possibly breaking 100, and humidity in the 90's.  It would also mean lots and lots of bugs (especially mosquitoes) and potentially strong winds.  Not hurricane strength, though - by that time, I'd be home watching the bay creep up to my front steps  :-(

I could also use it in the winter, but probably not in temps much below the low twenties, but even that wouldn't be more than a few times over the next 10 years or so.

It's also possible that one of my two daughters will eventually have some occassion to use it for something.  They are 10 and 12 and love the outdoors and don't mind being out in it overnight.  We go "period" camping about 12 weekends per year.  By "period", I mean 18th and 19th century style - heavy canvas bottomless A-Frame tents with heavy oak end and ridge poles,  and absolutely NO modern gear whatsoever..... (we're Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactors).

Other than that, it would be hard to describe my tent needs simply because this trip will be my first experience with modern camping so I don't yet fully understand the extent of how much I don't yet know, if that makes sense.  When I went "modern" camping in my younger (college) days (I'll be 40 next month), there wasn't much "gear" except lots of friends, alcohol and junk food.  It was more of a party in the woods than anything else.

Hope that helps.  I'd also like to say that I couldn't be more pleased with all the front and back channel help I've received.  I've gotten tons of opinions and advice and everyone has been extremely helpful - as has been the case for the two years I've participated in this forum.  Wish I could respond to each one, but somehow or another I've got to manage to get a days worth or work done while I'm doing all this, so time is tight.

Rick

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