Camping sound fun! but if you are new to camping, you must be a little afraid how you can set up the tent yourself and find a suitable place that will not mess up your holiday! Its not very difficult at all, you just need to try it once and then you’d be on your way! Its definitely a learning experience throughout, but if you follow our Camping tips and tricks for beginners, you may be saved from a lot of hassle and issues that might end up spoiling your vacation.
Lets go through the contents of this page so you know what we will discuss here.
Table of Contents – Camping tips and tricks for beginners
- Buying a camping tent
- Types of camping tents
- Selecting a camp site
- How to setup a camping tent
- Camping tents replacement parts
- Camping tips for beginners and new campers
- FAQs
1. Buying a camping tent
There are a few things you need to consider before buying your next camping tent. Will this be a good choice for a rainy day? Will it sustain cold weather? Is it have sturdy stakes to keep you safe in rain rains and heavy rains? Will is actually accommodate the number of persons written in the specifications? We have summarized in detail in our reviews of camping tents if you are looking to buy a camping tent. The reviews are very helpful in ensuring you make the right choice when you are buying a new tent.
It all depends on what you are looking for, but to make your choice easier, we will break down some of the important features to consider while you look for buying a tent on Amazon. You can review in detail on our blog Beginners guide to buying a camping tent? as well.
| Feature | What to look for? |
| 3-Seasons Tent or 4-Seasons Tent | If you are looking for a tent for cold weathers and snow rains, don’t go for anything less than a 4-season tent. 3 season tents are good for rainy day protection but not meant for very cold temperatures. |
| Setup Time | Is it a pre-assembled tent or not? How long does it take to set it up? How many people are required to set it up? Always good to watch a tutorial video of the tent setup and then try at your home yard for the very first time before going to your vacation. |
| Frame | Is the tent made of steel or fiberglass? Or both? Do you prefer strength over weight? Or you can pay a little extra to get high quality fiber glass that can withstand strong winds and rain. |
| Poles | Similar to frame, the poles also come in variety of materials. Mainly steel and good quality fiber glass can be trusted. |
| Stakes | Stakes are key for most of the camping tents for additional support against high winds and heavy rains. If your camp does not come with steel stakes, we recommend you to buy a few extra steel stakes and don’t rely on stakes of other materials. |
| Tent Fabric | What fabric does tent have, is it Nylon or Polyester? Do you prefer light weight thin fabric or more rigid thick UV and water resistant? What is the Denier of the polyester? In brief, polyester with greater than 75D is recommended to keep you safe and waterproof. You can check out the details of fabrics |
| Floor Tarp | Does the tent you have chosen have a floor tarp? Is it a heavy-duty tarp? Do you need to buy an extra footprint to make your stay more comfortable? |
| Sealed Seam | Most leaks in camping tents happen through the seams. Its recommended to get a tent with factory sealed or taped seams. If you like a tent which does not have factory sealing, you can seal the seams yourself with tent fabric sealants easily. |
| Room Dividers | Need privacy in the tent? Not to worry. There are multiple tents available on amazon that give you plenty of privacy by letting you install the room dividers. You can find plenty of good options from 2-4 room tents on Amazon. All of the multi-room tents come with detachable dividers than you can install and take off when required. |
| Tent Height | Do you want to stand in the tent? How tall are you? Do you just need a place to crash and don’t really care about the height? Small dome tents usually have low height as compared to cabin tents with near vertical walls that give you ample height to stand in the tent. |
| Tent Size | This is the most important feature for next purchase. Ask yourself, if you prefer to sleep in a sleeping bag or an airbed? Airbeds take a lot of space whereas sleeping bags can adjust in quite less space. The marked capacity of the camping tents is always per sleeping bag so be careful when you buy a tent, make sure to check out the footprint area it covers before you buy it. |
| Weight | Do you need a tent for once a year fun in your backyard? Or do you need it for your next hiking trip and plan to carry it on your shoulders throughout your trip? Camping tents weight varies a lot from extra light-weight camping tents which weigh around 7 lbs. up-to 70+ lbs. large multi-room tents. |
| Entry Mat | Do you prefer entry mat so that your tent remains clean and tidy? Not every tent has it but again, not everyone wants it. |
| Shade Awning | Shade awning gives a great tidy entrance so you can have a small porch and keep tent dry. |
| Screen Room | Do you like to view the nature from bug free screen room? Some tents have a large meshed screen room that is great for site viewing. For bad weathers, probably you wouldn’t need the screened room. |
| LED | Mostly tents come with the center hook for LED or fan, some come with built in LED with variable settings. |
2. Types of camping tents
There are several types of camping tents available to choose from. If you are new to camping, we highly recommend to go through our blog to understand which type of tent suits best for your needs. Honestly, as far as a tent meets your requirements, it does not matter as much as to what type of tent it is but it’s always good to know what the types are so it will help you easily search for the right product. Follow our blog below for details:
3. Selecting a campsite
The first step in choosing your campsite is to decide on the type of camping you want to do. Some campgrounds offer primitive camping. When you see primitive on the sign, what does that mean?
How to choose the perfect camping location?
Before you can find a camping site that will be perfect for you it is necessary to find a great campground. Fortunately, the Internet has made this task a lot easier and many campgrounds now have websites. You can check out the campsites through the website before actually going there, allowing you to make an educated decision about your choice of campground.
First thing’s first – Select a camping site
4. How to setup a camping tent
If you are new to camping and have never setup up a family camping tent, you can follow our blog with a quick demonstration for setting up a basic camping tent.
BEGINNERS GUIDE: How to Setup Up Generic Camping Tent
Note: Each camping tent setup is slightly different and we recommend you follow the general instructions provided with the camping tent package.
5. Camping tent replacement parts
Thinking about what if you broke something? What if you lost a part or yours kids misplaced it? Don’t worry at all. Camping Tents replacement parts are available very easily on Amazon. Depending on what item you need, you can easily search and order online. But this is not to scare you at all, if you are handling the equipment with care, it should withstand the normal usage and extreme weather without breaking down.
6. Camping tips for beginners and new campers
Do consider the complete checklist for camping essentials along with keeping eye on tips and tricks for you first adventure.
Want your zippers to last long?
Don’t let people climb in and out with the door unzipped only part way on the long vertical side. Open it all the way to the top. The area around where the side panels change color puts the hardest lateral pull on the zipper. Opening it only that far, and then having people move the door flap out of the way adds to that stress and increases the chance you might damage the zipper.
What to do when you break your tent?
When you break camp, if the tent isn’t going to be set up again very soon, let your tent dry before you roll it up. If you roll (or stuff it) while wet, and then forget to dry it out when you get home, you’ll have problems with mildew. It can lead to a musty smell, unsightly spots, and (in the most extreme cases) holes in your tent. If you must pack up a wet tent, be sure to air it out when you get home. You can set it up in a sunny space, or hang it (we hang it from our deck, but you could hang it from a tree or clothes line).
Before you pack your tent away … Do this
Bring a broom and sweep out your tent before you pack it away. If you pack it up with dirt and sand inside, it will act like little bits of sandpaper and wear away at the materials.
Avoid eating in your tent if you can
Avoid eating in your tent, or keeping food in your tent, especially if you’ll be in bear country. Smells from dripped or spilled foods can stick around a long time, and animals’ noses are often far more sensitive than ours.
Keep the rain-fly off if you don’t need it
If you’re not too concerned about privacy, it’s warm enough, and you know that rain isn’t likely, consider leaving the rain fly off. It makes set up and tear down quicker, and it will let you watch the sky while protected from the bugs. Just keep the fly and stakes in the bag near the door, in case you need to put up the fly quickly due to unexpected changes in the weather.
Clear your area before setting up the camp
Don’t get too hasty or excited; make sure you clear up the space and remove any noticeable rocks, sticks, or anything that might damage the tent floor or make your sleep uncomfortable.
Camp away from dead trees and branches
If setting up in or adjacent to a wooded area, look around for dead trees that could blow over or fall onto your tent, and be sure to look up for any live trees with dead branches hanging above you. You don’t need a lot of rain and rain for dead wood to come down! It’s very common for dead branches will fall from rain or with time, sometimes quite large limbs drop off. It makes sense to look up before you place a tent, or your chairs!
Full-dress before the final event!
Be sure to set it up once at home before you head out, even if you’ve set it up before. It’s a great way to remind yourself how to set it up, and to make sure you have all of the stakes and poles together (especially if you broke camp in a hurry during your last adventure
FAQs about camping tips for beginners
Is the brand of camping tent important?
Yes. The tried and tested brands have developed design technology to keep you safe, dry over the years incorporating customer feedback. Unless you do know about a new brand or it has been reviewed positively by our reviewer’s, it is always safe to choose a well-known brand when it comes to buy a camping tent.
What size tent should I buy?
It really depends on your requirements but always know that the listed capacity for sleepers is only enough for sleeping bags and more often than not, does not give you much room to move about. If you need a spacious tent with some privacy, go for the tent with rooms or get a slightly bigger tent than you need.
I am new to camping and have never setup a tent. Will I be able to setup the tent easily?
Most tents in the market are fairly easy to up. The time it takes to up the tent is usually mentioned on tent reviews. Generally, if it says it can be up in 5 minutes, realistically it may take you 20 minutes to up for the first time. Remember that it is always recommended that at least 2 people set up the tent. This will make the process quicker, easier and also ensure that you don’t rip off the tent if you are pulling from one side alone. Don’t forget to check out details on our blog How to setup camping tent?
Will I be able to carry the tent in a backpack?
Almost all of the tents come with a carry-bag. Some of the light weight tents are easier to carry for backpacking. Make sure you read the weight of the tent so you are well aware of it when you plan your holiday.
Which tools do I need to take with him to set-up the tent?
Most of the tents reviewed by us don’t require highly sophisticated tools and assemble pretty quickly. We always recommend to keep an ordinary hammer with you so you can make sure stakes are well hammered in the ground. Be careful with the hammer since some of the stakes are made of fiber glass and may break if too much pressure is applied.
What is 3-season or 4-season tent? Which one should I buy?
Most of the camps are season rated. 4-season tents can be used in any weather condition. These are generally made of strong fabric which keeps you warm in colder weathers as well. 3-season tents can be used in all weathers except winters since they do not protect against cold weather and snow. If you don’t plan to camp in cold weathers, we recommend not to go for 4-season camp and get a well ventilated one 3-seaons tent. Don’t forget to check out our blog Types of camping tents for more details.
What accessories do I need?
If you are new to camping, we strongly recommend to go for the Ozark trail bundle option that has a lot of useful accessories with the 4 person tent. Generally, it depends on where you are camping, what weather would it be there, how many people are going and how do you plan to stay. Some people prefer air beds, though it reduces the capacity in the tent. It all depends on you. Generally, you can consider getting sleeping bags, sleeping bag mats, thick tarp of you tent does not have a strong one, basic tools, seam sealant, lantern, extra batteries, extra ropes, dry bags, sand bags if you tent needs those specially canopy tents require them and so on.
Can you actually setup the tent in 30 seconds?
Well, for some tents it is advertised and claimed that you can setup in 30 seconds. They often label it as Instant Tent. Yes, its definitely possible. The instant tents are generally pre-assembled tents that means you don’t have to actually screw and join the poles and fabric. This process is way easier and takes far less time than the usually camp erection. So, if you have another person helping you up with setting up the pre-assembled instant tent, yes you will be amazed how quickly you can set it up. It is basically just expanding and pulling the tent to its place and does not take more than a minute after the second or third try. Check out in this video how a 6 person dome tent is set up.
What is a rain-fly?
The outer part of the tent is called the rain-fly which protects the tent from any rain water coming in. Most of the tents come with a mesh ceiling and a detachable rainfly. It means that you can install the rainfly when you need to, and at the same time enjoy star-gazing and sky through the mesh ceiling if there is no rain at night. Keep an eye as there are some tents which are sold without rainfly however it is very rare and normally if we feature such a product, we will highlight this in the cons section of the review.
What is necessary for good water-proofing of tent?
As you have heard, the product is as strong as its weakest link. You tent can be very solid inside out, but it has one weak part that is leaking, your holiday will be messed up.
There are a few things you can keep an eye on while considering waterproofing of the tent. Each of the below feature adds to the tent’s capability to protect against rain and rain.
- Weather resistant Fabric
Always prefer tents that use coated polyester fabric with anti-wicking thread, webbing and zippers designed in keeping you safe and dry.
- Leak-free Protected seams
Seams are somehow the weakest link when it comes to durable camping tents. Always go for the tents that come with factory sealed or taped seams which hide the needle holes to keep you dry. However, as a general camping rule, we highly recommend to keep seam sealants handy on every trip. For more useful and handy tips on camping, please visit our blog camping tips.
- Wind-strong frame
Technology has evolved the design of the frame to be stronger and more rain-responsive. The frames are generally made of fiberglass and steel depending on your tent, with poles and guy-out triangles which withstand winds and rain. Always go for aerodynamic tents if you think you can face strong winds.
- Zipper Protection
Zippers! Be it your winter jacket or tent, when they don’t work, it’s ANNOYING! Always make sure the tents have sturdy smooth zippers and the cuff adds protection from outdoor elements.
- Waterproof floors
Most of the tents have strong tarp floors that eliminate needle holes and protect you against water seeping in from beneath. Make sure you check these before getting a tent.
What kind of different tent fabric is available in the market?
Most tent fabrics nowadays are polyester, and sometimes Nylon. But is it a good quality polyester? You need the tent to be insulated most of the times, to keep to either warm or cold so generally thicker fabric is preferred. It gives you insulation, keeps the tent cooler for longer durations in summers and warm in winters, and at the same time it is more lasting. You can always roll up the windows for ventilation when needed, and most of the times the tents come with ventilated ceiling and ground vents as well.
Nylon fabrics are lightweight, preferred by backpackers but not as UV resistant as polyester so we recommend polyester fabric with good thickness and blocking. The Denier (unit for fabric thickness/threads) should be 75 or higher at least. The higher the D the thicker the fabric is. 75D to 150D fabrics provide a good protection and insulation. Lower than that will not give you protection but definitely will be light-weight.
Can I install an AC with my tent?
Most of the campers do not prefer to do that, however if you are camping in heat and have access to electricity, you can definitely do that. If you want to install and buy a tent which suits installing the AC, we suggest you read our blog 5 best tents with AC opening.
WARNING! You must take care of the safety concerns since there are quite a few in this case including the high voltage electric cables, heat from condenser and melting of your tent fabric. If the condenser of window AC is blocked by fabric, it may lead to heat and fire
Some of the accessories you need other than the AC are:
- AC Stand
You need AC stand to put your AC on, in a stable position. Usually the tent flaps are 10-12” high from the ground, so depending on your AC design, you need a stand for your AC that can keep the AC on the required height.
- Power cord
This is pretty basic, but you need a high-power AC source at your camping site. Make sure you have the length of the cable you need to go through to the power source.
- Portable Generator
If you are looking to camp far from formal camping sites where you don’t have any AC power source, we suggest you buy a small portable generator that can keep you cool and run the AC. Any portable generator from 3000-5000 watts will be enough.