Placement of tent

[Lamebeaver]

My criteria for seleting a campsite is as follows (not in any particular order)

Good drainage and not in a low spot
eastern exposure so the sun hits the tent earlier
nearby water source
nearby cover (bathroom privacy)
no dead trees nearby that look like they're ready to blow over
trees nearby for shelter in rain and hanging food
nice view
relatively flat spot to pitch tent

[AlphaMale]

Good advice guys. At least the kids learned a lesson without being damaged. If they had been in a flash flood it could have been tragic. I learned it the hard way too. A nice little grassy valley that I camped in, became a drainage ditch. I was young and stupid. I didn't get anything but wet (thank goodness) but I learned my lesson.

[candycane]

I remember the camping trip fondly when we had a spot next to the restrooms. The restrooms had a tin roof, and that summer happened to produce a bumper acorn crop. The entire night it sounded like a gun going off next to the tent as the acorns would drop from the trees and hit the tin roof with a very loud BANG! Good times.

[firedancer]

Definitely something you just learn over time. I do remember my aunt and uncle setting up once on an ant-hill, so that's something else I try to avoid is possible. It's funny how ground can seem flat until you're laying down and then it can feel like a ski slope!

[rockytibby]

We have pitched the tent under trees and had those tight hard cones come down and tear a hole in the tent, not a good thing.Now we move away from the trees. I do like the morning sun to warm the tent.

[Hikenhunter]

Reminds me of the time my buddy and wife set up on a low spot while we were canoe camping. It rained buckets that night and the water flowed under his tent as though he had put it up in a creek bed. Next day they said it was lie sleeping on a waterbed, but the rain never soaked through the floor of their Eureka Timberline. This is a testament to the quality of the Eureka tents.

[ppine]

Trees are a double-edged sword. Falling danger, but wind protection and thermal cover on cold clear nights. I look for healthy younger trees with no snags or decadent trees.

Drainage is the second most important issue. After waking up on Boy Scout trips in a puddle of water, I am very careful about topography. I do not understand the current fad of putting a footprint or tarp under a tent. If it hangs out at all rain water goes under the tent. Afternoon shade is good in warm weather, but morning sun is really good almost always in the mountains.

I learned from the horsepackers how to use trees for thermal protection to keep the dew and frost off the bedroll. Herding animals do the same thing.

On a river trip on the Snake in ID we camped next to a rapid close to the river. During the night an upstream hydroelectric dam released water to generate extra power for air conditioning. At 3 am we were being inundated by water. The aluminum pots were floating around near the campfire. After putting all the gear in the canoes, and dragging up to dry ground, my partner turns to me and says "It's a good thing there are no women on this trip."

[wvbreamfisherman]

Hikenhunter- Once I was camping up at a state park in Michigan. I'd borrowed my brother's Eureka Timberline tent. The park was flat as a fritter and the ground was about 75% sand (we were right next to Lake Huron).

During the night a massive thunderstorm passed thru the area, and it rained about as hard as I've ever seen it rain for about an hour and a half. The tent barely took on any water, mostly thru the zipper along the door.

Next morning I got up and could see a high-water line all the way around the tent about an inch and a half above ground level. The floor never leaked a drop! I heartily second your testimonial about Eureka tents.

[Terry]

Experience makes the difference here. I remember setting up my pup tent under some overhanging bushes. It was fine until the rain started and those bushes got so heavy they ended up laying on top of our tent and eventually wicking the moisture inside. Yuck.