[darkpuppet]

Euro Ford Fan,Jul 5 2005, 03:43 PM Wrote:Puppet we are practicing putting the tent up tomorrow night it’s a new one. We are going to leave it up at her parents house until Thursday night before we leave Friday morning.  Good idea about the airing out I think I'll open up my sleeping bag for a day or two.
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not sure how much you spent on the tent or what brand it is, but did you get any seam sealer as well? if you have the time and wherewithall, it's never a bad idea to setup the tent, and go over the seams with seam sealer when you first get a new tent, especially when you have a few days like you do in this case.

seam sealer just seals holes that get stretched in the nylon by the stitching when a tent is set up and everything is taught over time.

another handy tip to make your tent last longer - never fold it back exactly the way it came. folding along established creases over and over and over again leads to fatigue and premature wear... best to losely fold, then roll that baby up in the dimensions required to fit in the carry bag.

If the sleeping bag comes with a compression sack (you have to physically stuff the bag into a carry bag) , make sure you don't store the bag in the compression sack, the insulation gets squished and over time loses it's fluffyness that makes up it's ability to insulate ya.

(you can also buy 'couples' sleeping bags that work individually, but you can zip together for optimum cuddle capacity as well)

just a couple random thoughts.



oh yeah... a little handbrush is handy for 'sweeping' the tent and brushing off all the little whatsits off the tent/chairs, etc. before and after use.

anyways, camping is fun.. I'm sure you'll have a grand ol' time.