Camping gears

[Anonymous]

Can someone recommend me easy to put up 4 people camping tent and sleeping bags. I need them in a week so need to order now. Do you recommend sleeping bags or sleeping mattress, is that either or or I have to buy both.

We are camping newbie, so keys are convenient to put up, durable and safe. Link please. We are 2 adults and 1 MS kid/1 MS kid. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone recommend me easy to put up 4 people camping tent and sleeping bags. I need them in a week so need to order now. Do you recommend sleeping bags or sleeping mattress, is that either or or I have to buy both.

We are camping newbie, so keys are convenient to put up, durable and safe. Link please. We are 2 adults and 1 ES kid/1 MS kid. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

You can rent tents and other gear from REI and it's pretty cheap if you're a member. They also have a section of discounted gear that people have used and returned.

[Anonymous]

I would just ask your den leader for recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Get 20 degree synthetic sleeping bags if you're just car camping. They cover a range of temps and are affordable.

You can look at REI Outlet for last season options that are on sale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can rent tents and other gear from REI and it's pretty cheap if you're a member. They also have a section of discounted gear that people have used and returned.

I think renting is a good idea, but be sure to talk to them about what size tent you want. 3 or 4 people (I was unclear on how many people OP means) in a 4 person tent is tight. I'd look at six person tents.

If you're going to buy, we've had luck with the Coleman tents. They're cheap and will do the trick if you're just starting out. We've got a Sundome.

[Anonymous]

Op here. We have 4 people, and sure, we can do 6 people tent. They do camping trips twice a year, so I assume it is better off to buy? How much is for rental from REI? It is tent camping, not car camping. I need to buy 2 more chairs as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We have 4 people, and sure, we can do 6 people tent. They do camping trips twice a year, so I assume it is better off to buy? How much is for rental from REI? It is tent camping, not car camping. I need to buy 2 more chairs as well.

"Car camping" is often used to mean camping where you drive to or close to your site, rather than walking in with your tent etc on your back (backpacking). It means you don't have to worry about weight, can bring more gear, etc.

Most car camping is tent camping, not sleeping in your car, although I've seen people do that.

[Anonymous]

People who are new to camping should take someone old to camping with them when going camping. They will teach you their camping ways.

[Anonymous]

I would just go to REI and ask for help

[Anonymous]

We had Coleman 6 person tent for family of 4, survived through terrible thunder night without water leaking inside, also sleeping pads, sleeping bags, lantern/flashlights, bug spray, some links below

https://a.co/d/gPFIMLW
https://a.co/d/2Bv6WBH
https://a.co/d/0kjb2W9
https://a.co/d/iI3LHCo

[Anonymous]

Lots of easy options for tents to put up. But be warned, nothing is easy to take down and put away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We have 4 people, and sure, we can do 6 people tent. They do camping trips twice a year, so I assume it is better off to buy? How much is for rental from REI? It is tent camping, not car camping. I need to buy 2 more chairs as well.

OP the term "car camping" just means you are driving all the way to the campground, not hiking with all your gear on your back. It doesn't refer to where you're sleeping.

[Anonymous]

I would not go to REI. Everything there is super expensive & fancier than a casual camper needs. The Walmart brand, Ozark Trail, has decent tents, chairs, etc at a good price. Coleman is good too— search on amazon for a 6 person dome tent. It shouldn’t be more than $100-$150.

I recommend sleeping bags and some kind of camp pad or air mattress. Again, doesn’t need to be fancy or super lightweight if you aren’t backpacking. We use air mattresses & bought a battery powered pump, but a camp pad is fine, too.

[Anonymous]

I love my REI brand tent, which is a much older version of something like this:
https://www.rei.com/product/227863/rei-co-op-campwell-4-tent
Mine has been going strong for over 30 years, and I've abused quite a bit it along the way. If you are camping twice a year, one night at a time, at established group sites (I assume this is Scouts?), a less expensive brand is just fine too. Lots of our campers use Coleman tents and they work well.

Mattress pads:
Kids may not need them, or are OK with something inexpensive. One of my kids has always used a folding foam eggcrate pad, the other ignores all pads and puts his sleeping bag directly on the tent floor. My 47-year-old back, however, does not appreciate such treatment. I like a nice, thick, battery-powered air mattress. If it's cold overnight, the pad adds insulation from the cold ground as well.

I have a 30-degree sleeping bag. If it's actually going to be below about 40, I add an extra layer to it and wear a hat while I'm sleeping - I run cold.

You can take pillows from home, no need to buy "camping pillows" unless you start backpacking.

Do have a flashlight or headlamp for each member of the family.

Camping chairs: REI options are great but expensive. Dicks has good options. I like something basic like this:
amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Folding-Mesh-Back-Carrying/dp/B074YRN643/ref=sr_1_1_ffob_sspa?crid=9J06YVGSSPHB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Tpi-BmwXhIv3wR4mn0e0sjKeK1vwEOy8JQFljeZ4egoqkhzVHlCOnIgLWTjxEC-6MyaCz48lGf71ngfsyu93ZKi1QkVkVelOYjNb8NaUYStO-bl11YZHczhbQk0cqnCrsxXvCDUARTY0WU54MfbTu8NOG20W0fbZ3WcZj93nNIhF4OiI-j5I9fqPNpxfnQxHfvfqbqS_r0iHVqw70jTW80tmU6kzS3ieINqH3qH-HopfI9VxLr0I2RMUsLtwG1tYZcFYSc5oZC9khBCrGUojTEmz1EjLZlscgWHkkVngF1w.mj5YxV40sJhnDTHupwZ52hJC4_LWas4-UCqb-6ngIEE&dib_tag=se&keywords=camping+chairs&qid=1757010531&sprefix=camping+chairs%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1