Tent Camp Considerations

Your sleeping tent should be big enough to hold both the intended people and their personal effects. Many have found that what is normally called a "six-man" (10' x 12') tent is actually ideal for two men and their equipment. Pup tents and small 6 x 6 tourist tents are fine on fair weather days, but three days of rain can make the best of friends a little grumpy when they are cramped three men to a tight, damp tent. Space is a nice thing to have.

Make sure that your tent has been recently waterproofed. You can usually find a quality waterproofing agent by the gallon can at an outdoor or camping store. Get some and apply it to your tent's canvas roof and seams. If you have a nylon tent, ensure that the waterproofing agent will not dissolve the nylon. Ensure that your door and window zippers are in good working order.

Remember that all tents present a fire hazard, and that candles, propane or gas lanterns and stoves belong outside your tent, not inside. Use only battery powered lighting inside your tent.

Having a dining tent is a convenient thing. On a rainy or buggy day such a facilty is well worth the space required to carry it along. You can use it for card playing, cooking, and meals. Another good idea is an extra tent, say a 7 by 7 tourist style tent, to store extra equipment and dry clothes, or use it as a special place to crawl into when your buddy's snoring won't quit at 3:30 a.m.

If you are a member of a larger group, pool you resources to get your grocery list together. Usually, I find that buying with the group in mind saves the extra expense of each person buying individual sets of spices, dish soap, coffee and other such common items. Pooling in this manner also has the additional benefit of allowing those with special cooking talents to each identify required ingredients to make his or her "speciality" meal. Planning ahead can make mealtimes both tasty and enjoyable.

Plan your meals so that your big meal of the day is the afternoon meal. For best results many find that this meal should happen about 2:00 p.m. giving you time to clean up, take a snooze and prepare yourself for the evening hunt.

Should you want more than a soup and sandwich snack after the day's hunt, plan your grocery list to include some "quick-fix" meals, such as canned ham, chicken, stews, or boil-a-bag instant meals.

Breakfasts are truely an important meal. Save your best cooks for breakfast meals. Only they can prepare multiple servings of eggs-over-easy with Canadian bacon, a slice of tomato, and golden-brown toast with freshly brewed coffee. A warm and sunny morning, a slight breeze, and a good breakfast makes you feel loved for the whole day!

No matter what the size of the group, we suggest that you make clear and specific arrangements and assignments for who does what when. Nothing screws a trip up as much as disorganization. And disorganization at meal time can be a real frustration. Also assign each person a backup man in case the assigned man is late in getting back to camp, hasgame down or something similar. Don't forget to assign someone to wash dishes, pots and pans. Nothing is as discouraging as looking at yesterday's chili congealed and crusted on your one and only "egg frying pan". These chores are an important part of daily life and like it or not, someone has to do them. It's best that all do their fair share.

Some larger groups assign a rotating "officer of the day". This has proven to be a good idea. The job, for that day is to ensure that all things happen as planned, and plays mother-hen to the others in reminding them who's responsible for what. Sometimes this reminding is necessary when the fishing happens to be hot or you’re out tracking game. In the excitement, the preparation time for meals is not taken into account, and everyone gets back expecting chow, only to find the cook-of-the-day was "out there" with the crew... You can and should avoid these problems with proper planning well ahead of time. Make a schedule, and follow it.

Keep a camp clean. Keep the place as clean as possible. This means food scraps, paper plates, wrappers, and coffee grounds etc. are picked up and placed in trash bins, and the stove and tables left wiped and clean. If this doesn't happen, mice, bugs, flies and other pests always seem to compete with us for our meals.

Get together long before your hunt trip to discuss your likes and dislikes for chores, meals, and tent partners. Be honest and straightforward. Realize that both your attitude and your actions are important in maintaining a good camp atmosphere. Make your agreements known to each member of your group so that all understand each other's role and responsibilities. As when you were in boyscouts or the service, organization matters. Take the time to plan and be prepared.

Good Hunting!

Lark...