Tents.....

[dvideohd]

Does anyone take a tent with then for camping out on shore?

just curious - and wondering about what kinds work...

--jerry

[Moe]

Single? Couple? Family Size?

[bubba]

I have never taken my big tent on our Mac yet but maby someday a 12 ft x 24 ft tent with a wood stove would come in handy for a big party. I guess if we had another couple sailing with us and they were shy about my BA they would need a tent.

[dvideohd]

how many....

two adults + two teenagers + two children..

I would not like to stay on the water at night with the children on board.. If I can pull up onto a beach (state park) and camp out.... it's an idea...

seems likely that lots of folks do that already... .and so I ask...

Some Texas beaches are just completely empty... unlike a lot of the US...

--jerry

[Moe]

A tent sounds like a good idea with the size of your family, unless you got a full enclosure for the cockpit and put two out there. Definitely need protection from bugs.

We camp as an empty nester couple in a 4-person, aluminum-framed Eureka Timberline. I can tell you tent manufacturer "person capacity" is exaggerated by about 50% when you consider for comfort you want about 30" width per person in addition to a bit more to allow for sloping tent walls, as well as some room for shoes and other gear per person. We use a Coleman Queen size (60" wide) inflatable air bed with an alkaline D-cell powered inflator, and there's room around the mattress for spare clothing, shoes, etc.

We've had campground neighbors with three-room cabin tents holding family with several kids. I'd imagine it was at least 16 feet wide, maybe more. Cabelas probably has a good selection to look at, as would Campmor.

--
Moe

[James V]

I have seen it done. Make sure that the people ashore can handle the raw nature of primitive camping.

[dvideohd]

"raw nature"....

I understand what you mean....

My kids have only known living in a nice house with "indoor plumbing"........ I certainly remember a different time... They need to understand something about that too..

I was thinking about a tent primarily from the standpoint of Hot Texas Nights... It would be hard to stay below and sleep... and staying on shore is more attractive that way. But there are surreal swarms of bugs.. mostly biting - or itch causing.. so a tent is attractive..

This thinking process started with "what kind of tender do we need.....?" - then went to figuring out capacity.. and how to get on board from the stern of the boat... and so forth.... If we allocated 100# of gear - for two trips to shore then we have an inflatable weight rating that we need.. and then figuring out the gear - led to the tent question.. It's not backpacking... :>

--jerry

[Don T]

Hello,
We routinely let the kids camp ashore if they wanted to. They took a CB (or later an FRS) walkie talkie with them so they could stay in contact with us, mostly about food. We called for the dink (only had one) so we could use the park facilities ashore. It gave them both freedom and responsibility. We appreciate "alone" time on the boat. Since we were gunk holing in the San Juan islands is wasn't like they could get into too much trouble. Of course we have been camping, motorcycle riding in the desert and hiking into the mountains since they were little so they were used to the outdoor life. It's important that they know the skills needed (safe, dry way to pitch a tent, build a campfire, store their food, not bother other people etc.) Up north the "skeeters" can eat you alive ashore so they reconnoitered the area before deciding to camp. They used a small 2 man tent with good ventilation and a rain flap, air bed / mattress on the floor. Seems like you would have to bring a bigger one so you could join them until they are confident camper kids.

Don T

[Andy26M]

One of my annual trips is to an Adirondack lake where other members of the family also go and camp in their tents on shore-side campsites.

I just put the Mac next to the campsite; I sleep in the boat and they sleep in their tents. It works out fine, and you gain a lot of options like having a campfire late into the evening, etc. The only problem is you have to get your feet wet on the way to bed (I usually anchor/moor the boat in a foot of water rather than beaching it). On a few damp and stormy nights, I've found myself hosting "guests" overnight in my dry and cozy boat

As far as the issue of heat/bugs I can definitely see the wisdom of having a lightweight/mesh tent to allow yourself to get off the boat and sleep in fresh air - a backpacker's summer tent, ultralight sleeping bag, and air mattress would only take up a small space and weigh a few pounds, but add a huge bit of flexibility.

Modern tents are so simple to put up/take down that there's really no reason not to have a small one available, and would not pose much of a hassle to move ashore in the evening and pack back up the next morning.

Andy

[Boblee]

We travelled in company with two other couples down our Murray River, we were on the and they were on a pontoon (barbie boat), any thoughts I had of doing it their way ie camping on land disappeared.
They had at least an hour packing each morning and had to allow an hour each night but they also had to be able to locate a suitable campsite.
We stayed with them two nights but then let them do their own thing as they had to go flat out all the time with all sorts of extra problems (fuel), we on the other hand drifted along and could pull up wherever we found a good fishing spot or shelter etc but it was good to arrive and find a camp set up to sit and have a drink.
Personally though it was better and far easier to just throw a line over the stern and drink in the cockpit, rarely took the dinghy fishing but did use it for shore excursions etc.
Bob

[jackie m]

Some Texas beaches are just completely empty... unlike a lot of the US...

--jerry

Wonderfully empty

I'm orignally from Texas where we used to kayak out to the barrier islands and take our camping gear including tents and camp out for days. Great fun. Would do it in a heartbeat with the Macgregor if we ever get a chance. Do you plan to camp on the barrier islands or on the mainland?

You want something that will hold up to the strong winds that can occur along the Gulf. A geodesic dome tent (more than four sides) is best for that. Something with sleeves where you insert the poles, not just hook them to the poles. Invest in a really sturdy tent and you can have years of fun sailing and camping out along the intracoastal waterway. If you are camping in the sand on the mainland (the barrier islands are mainly made up of shell), then you want a fly (tent cover) that will reach the ground. Better yet is to make sure that the tent windows will zip up completely as well as any vents in the top of the tent. Not fun to wake up covered with sand after a windy night. Small price to pay for the camping experience, though

Jackie
adm

[dvideohd]

South end of Galveston Island "was" a great place to camp and sail... like this huge secret.... Will try again...

will try up and down the coast - Galveston to Corpus Christi... just pick an old historic town and hotel to stay a while.... sail a weekend - and then move down the coast the next time... Galveston will be our first try this spring... my son went to TAMUG.... he wants to go back in the fall... So he comes too.. we will make the "round Island" trip.... Will try Palacios soon, too....

--jerry

(so different from Dana Point!!! - but we really like it there, too...!!!!)

[Night Sailor]

Back in the '60s and '70s when we were cruising the West coast of Florida in the summers a 16' open day sailer, we found it best to have a small surplus pup tent to store provisions in, but the four of us, three adults and my young son, slept inside a screened in a 10'x10' dining enclosure from Sears. The advantage was that all four sides were nothing but screen so breezes blew through. It had poles for a full seven feet of hieght, but we only used the top section so it was half high, giving about three feet of head room inside. This made it resistant to occasional 25 to 30 mph gusts in thunderstorms.
Discomforts can be viewed later as wonderful parts of the adventure. You know, like trying to sleep with the sound of gators bellowing in the swamp inland, sand crabs digging at the walls of the tent or enclosure, smelly driftwood campfires and wind blown sand supplementing the spices on your food or the dregs in your wine glass......
With a boat as big as a Mac, we would no doubt have skipped the tent for storage, but used the enclosure to sleep. Used the Mac prepare and eat most meals with water supply handy and most important, backrests. You don't appreciate the invention of chairs with backs until you go for a few weeks with nothing to lean back on! Nowdays, with a Mac you have enough room to take lawn chairs with you!