ac-tent questions (and other tent ?s)

[FLkid]

hello everyone!

This past week we visited FWC to get an idea of what we were getting into if we decided to go camping. Well two days later we were confirming our reservation for October for a regular campsite/reserving a golf cart and purchasing a tent.

While we were driving around the camping loops we saw 2 different sites where people had hooked up a window unit ac to their tent (Brilliant!)

Dealing with the heat was one of our cons to camping at the fort. We’re born and raised Floridians and love our ac.

I was wondering if anyone has hooked up a portable ac in their tent before? Like the kind with the hose/duct that runs outside. I know they’re more expensive but I’m not sure how to make the window unit work for our particular tent.


Also, Do you put a tarp under your tent? I’ve been reading that on sand it’s not recommended.

Can you recommend a screened canopy/tent? I’ve seen some that were placed right over the picnic table.

 

[snowmedic]

I have a large tent ️ with two doors on the front. A friend lent me his portable a/c a few October’s ago. I ran the vent out the bottom of one of the doors and zipped it around the vent, used a couple of zip ties to keep the two zippers tight around the exhaust hose, and I had a nice and cool tent in the Florida heat.

As for the tarp under the tent, nope I don’t do that. This year I might put one over the top of my tent in case there is rain when I am there.

I have a 12x12 ez-up that I got a couple years ago from Gander Mnt. It can with the mesh screen that I can hang if the mosquitos get bad, it also came with 3 fabric walls that I could put up for privacy either with the screen or without.

 

[amcc]

This past weekend we camped with my cousin in St. Augustine and he had an a/c unit in his tent. It was one of those that has the duct venting outside and that you can roll around (not window). Totally worth it BUT it was so humid that he had to empty it once or twice a night. He says it actually made sleeping pleasant. We are native Floridians as well and the a/c is a top priority.

 

[KornBred]

I spent the last 4 days of June in a tent at Fort Wilderness this year. I did use a tarp under the tent and it worked well to protect my tent even when it rained so much it flooded the pad a little. I have a portable A/C I bought for the trip that has a duct for the air exhaust and a drainage tube for the water. On these units a lot of them will have two water drains, one for continuous drainage and one for draining every now and then. I had to hook mine up for continuous due to the heat and the amount of time it had to run. Otherwise the air would blow out but not become refrigerated. I ran the drain tube alongside the air duct out the front door. I just placed them on the bottom and zipped the door tight around them while in or out of the tent. I also put one tarp on each side of the top of the tent tent insulate further and block out the sun, silver side facing upwards. The pic below shows the set up, you just have to focus in on the bottom of the door and you can see it.

 

[mkoerner]

I can't speak for the AC, but we have never put a tarp under the tent and as long as you keep everything zipped tight, you should be fine. I highly recommend a screen tent with the table and cooler inside to keep as many of the bugs out as possible.

 

[Scherzermk]

We use a blue tarp that is slightly smaller than the footprint under the tent to help keep most of the crushed rock off the tent. It's easier to hose off a tarp than the bottom of my tent.
We also use a very large reflective tarp over the tent. We had know idea how much that was helping until we didn't use one while camping near home.
Reflective tarp + ac = very comfortable tent

 

[team bradfield]

back in our tent days we did the same as Scherzermk

 

[bama_ed]

Some portable AC units require a drain tube for the moisture produced by the cooling process and some don't (I got one for DS#2 that did not require one).

The ground cloth under the tent floor is generally used to protect the floor of the tent from dirt/etc. and to prevent rainwater from leaking into the tent after the ground becomes saturated. The Fort, whether it be the coquina or the newer stones, still has hard packed dirt/clay beneath the surface cover and rain water could still accumulate in the site and not necessarily drain out/off if it were a heavy downpour.

Bama Ed

 

[snowmedic]

I was wondering if anyone has hooked up a portable ac in their tent before?

Here now with my potable ac. It is sitting on the table with the vent pressed up against one of the window screens. Didn’t bring the drain hose, have a bucket on the floor catching the collected water, needs to be emptied once a day. We slept really well, it was nice and cool in our the tent.

 

[burnaroonie]

Here now with my potable ac. It is sitting on the table with the vent pressed up against one of the window screens. Didn’t bring the drain hose, have a bucket on the floor catching the collected water, needs to be emptied once a day. We slept really well, it was nice and cool in our the tent.
View attachment 342913

Kewl!

 

[friendofeeyore]

We always puts a tarp down B4 we set up the tent. We are in camper now,but loved tent camping.