Looking for Set-Up Advice

[Sute]

Okay, so I'm looking for some tips and advice on how to better set up a small area for around 8-15 people in 5 or so medium sized tents, for a three or so day camping break.

I've camped a lot with various friends and family, and over the years growing up doing it, we've started to want a little bit more comfort and sensibility I suppose.

For example, we started setting up a large tarp above all of the tents, attached to large trees and pinned with ground ropes, to keep a relatively big area dry. The problem with this obviously is that we can't have a very big fire underneath it, but it really is great to have a dry communal area. Underneath it we put most of the tents facing each other in a small circle, and a couple of tents off to the side sometimes for, ahem, certain couple's privacy. A couple of people bring little chairs but most of us are just happy to sit on logs we find. We get our fire and firewood set up early on etc.

So are there any little tips we haven't thought up that could really make our setup nice or just things we could do that would be fun and improve it?

 

[steves]

We always set up a separate cooking,kitchen area with it's own fire pit and wash station. Unless it's your turn to cook or clean STAY OUT!! In fact anyone caught mooching,sampling or bothering the cooks has clean up 2x next

 

[ppine]

Sute,
Put an 8-9 foot pole in the middle of your tarp and tie the corners and edges to trees as high as you can reach. A cooking fire doesn't need to be very big. If you want a larger warming fire build it off to the side of the tarp. Find a site big enough to spread out the tents.

edit-
For a big group get a big blue tarp. They are cheap and work great. I have used one as large as 24'x 20' on a pack trip. Invite people to be in your kitchen and to be part of the process. It is the natural gathering place especially in bad weather. I have fond memories of hanging out starting in the Boy Scout days, making a stew out of whatever we could find under a tarp with a fire going. It is the heart of camping in crummy weather. Camping friends are as good as any when they share that experience.

 

[Hikenhunter]

We set up a seperate Kitchen area as well. When it is raining and we aren't cooking this becomes the social room so if there is a picknick table we will set our 12x12 canopy over it and lay out the cooking area around that. If we are doing any cooking over a fire it usually is done out in the open and away from the main cooking area.

 

[Gunny Webb]

Agree with the other posters. We centralize the cooking to one area and for fire we have a low fire using very dry wood. Using dry wood keeps it burning and not smoking all the time and keeping the area under the tarps smoked out. Fire ring is just out from the edge of a canopy or tarp.
Nice to have large group. Someone usually volunteers for dishes when you cook.

 

[Grandpa]

We like to spread the tents out as much as possible. Snoring and other night sounds make sleeping much easier the more space you have. Like others, we tarp the cental area, particularly if there is a table and keep the firepit area open.

 

[ghostdog]

We like to spread the tents out as much as possible. Snoring and other night sounds make sleeping much easier the more space you have.

↑ This ↑

We dearly love the friends we travel with but our space is important too. I make sure all tents are placed far enough from ours to keep that personal space at the sublime level. We can still see them, just not hear them. Here is a good example of one camp;

I set my little home on a sandy knoll. It is still hidden from most of the surrounding landscape and will remain high and dry if the washes flash during a storm. The other little yellow and white tent is over across the way, far enough we can't hear normal sounds at night but could hear a loud sound. We selected a common area for cooking and lounging nearby and set a good tarp shelter there. This makes the comfort sublime for everyone. For more people and tents just extrapolate...

 

[CozInCowtown]

Tip#1, everybody bring their own tent.
Tip#2, everybody camp somewhere not near me.
JMO,
DC

 

[Sute]

Well, thanks for the advice everyone. Although we generally prefer to camp nearby to each other (we've all been friends since pretty much the duration of our childhood) I think I got some good ideas about setting up a separate cooking area.

 

[IndianaHiker]

Not sure I understand the need to have a large tarp over all the tents. However I backpack much more than I car camp. It just seems to me that if the tents are on good shape and have been seamed sealed really not much need to have the tarp over the tents. In thinking about this though even without the tarp you still wouldn't want to have to big of a fire near the tents. Embers will drift and tents will get holes.

If I were doing it would do as other suggested. Set up cooking area with tarp away from living quarters and common area.

 

[Sute]

Well the tarp is to create a larger communal area where we can all sit and talk, and people can either be in their tent or out of it but still be part of the socialising. We really go camping to all be together and catch up with each other rather than for the challenge or something.

 

[shaun]

You need to be organized when camping with a large number of people because it can get messy! you should be fine so long as you have planned out the appropriate space and positioned your facilities correctly. The rest is down to personal preferences.

 

[Grandpa]

If you want the tents in a cluster, determine pathways first. Nothing worse than climbing out of a tent for a late night nature call and having to dodge someone else's guy ropes. A guy rope can be a real trip in the middle of the night, not to mention that closed in feeling your friend is going to get.

 

[Sute]

If you want the tents in a cluster, determine pathways first. Nothing worse than climbing out of a tent for a late night nature call and having to dodge someone else's guy ropes. A guy rope can be a real trip in the middle of the night, not to mention that closed in feeling your friend is going to get.

hahaha, we've found that one out the hard way I'm afraid!