I'm looking to go camping with some buddies.  I'm starting from scratch and needing to buy everything.  

I'll be tent camping in the middle of June in Wisconsin.  Here is what I've picked out. My biggest concern is the tent options as there are so many to choose from.

I've looked at cabelas tent:

Tent

and it seems like they do not have a matching tarp to go under it and that the thickness of the floor is covering for the tarp.  Does that seem right?

I was also looking at REI's tent:

REI Tent

with matching floor tarp:

floor tarp

My biggest concern with this tent is that it's an open tent.  The only cover for it is the tarp that goes over it.  While nice sunny days that probably works great but if the rain comes with wind kicking, I can imagine that it gets through from under the tarp and that will make for a miserable experience.  


I've also picked out this blanket instead of a sleeping bag.

blanket


I can't wrap my head around the idea of a sleeping bag.  From what i understand you zip yourself up completely in a sleeping back?  I can understand that for really cold weather but not for summer weather.  Seems like even if you didn't zip it all the way up it would still make for a very warm bed.

I've also picked this out for a mattress.
mattress

I figure these are the most important items for camping while everything else can be picked up later and learn as you go.  I want to make sure I get these right.

Car camping or hiking in and setting up?

REI has some great gear as well as Cabelas, but you might get more bang for your buck shopping at Campmor or Sierra Trading Post.  

How often do you see yourself going out? How many nights a year?  

What temperatures are you expecting?    (I have a Thermarest Regulus blanket 40* similar to your choice and it works great and packs small about $140 on Amazon)

Lots of questions to help you narrow down your gear....



 

Rei tents are a good value. Id get a smaller one if its just you. A vestibule would be nice so you dont bring wet stuff into the tent itself.

The fitted footprint is a huge waste of money. Get a $5 blue tarp from HF and trim it to fit if you feel like you need one.

That groundpad is pricy for car camping and too heavy for backpacking.

Blankets work just fine for summer.

Have you thought about a hammock?

If you are car camping you can go much much cheaper and likely be more comfy.

Especially if you don't plan on going very often.

+1 to NozzleNut

These choices seem rather conflicting and less than ideal for either car camping or backpacking. I do like using a footprint but rather than buying a pricey and likely bulky OEM one, you could use some poly drop cloth or tyvek cut to size saving you money, bulk, and weight. If you're unsure if/when you'll use the gear again or unsure of what type of camping you'll like, I'd steer way clear of dropping $600+ on gear off the bat.

Have you ever camped before? What type & How old were you?
Are you car camping, backpacking, short hike?
What temperatures do you expect?
How many people will be in your tent?
What is most important to you? Cost, comfort, pack size, weight, etc?
Is this a one time deal or do you plan to camp more frequently?

I will be car camping.  Not hiking in.

I used to go camping in a pop up trailer when i was a kid growing up and that stopped probably in my mid teens.  I'm 32 now.  There's a possibility a buddy will be crashing in the tent.
I also plan on going camping again on a yearly basis.  Most likely for just a couple nights to a week.  It will be during mid or late summer but having camped before I know that the temps can quickly get much colder in the woods so getting something warmer than what you need is better.

Reason I went with thermarest is cause I read in the past that while pricey they offer great warmth and comfort.  Am I better off jsut getting a blanket and cheap air mattress from walmart?

The campsite we are going to is right on lake michigan so that could do all sorts of things for the temperature.  

Cost is a concern but not too big a concern.  I'd rather buy once, cry once.  

The cabelas tent looks like overklil honestly for what I need.  It looks pretty heavy duty but I like the REI tent better.  The only thing keeping me from it is the open design.  Is the open design an issue or am I just making it an issue?  I can't help but think even if it's summer with warm weather, if it rains and it's windy, the rain will find it's way up the tarp into the tent.  Looking at some of the Sierra Trading Posts tents I can see they are similar to the REI tents.  They don't look too bad and many come with a footprint.

That said I'll give my $0.02 but will provide links to all later when I'm not on my phone.

Big Agnes Soda Mtn SL4 $162 @ Steep&Cheap (taller, lighter, fully enclosed, higher quality than the REI) this will be a palace for 1-2 people!

Grab a cheap blue tarp for $6 as a footprint for the tent

Snugpak sleeper Lite semi rectangular sleeping bag (open it up if you want a blanket, or zip it up if you get cool) $66 @ Amazon

Klymit static V or static V Luxe $76 @ Amazon (2.5" thick, very comfortable, not noisy if you toss and turn, easy to blow up)

Updated with links & accurate pricing

Jerz_subbie - thanks for that info.  Going to the tent, I'm still concerned with the design of the tent.  The tent itself is an open design with mesh and then you put the tarp over it. Am I being paranoid that wind/water will get under it or will it work just fine?

Not sure I follow what you're saying. I understand that the REI tent's rainfly (tarp over top) is vey small and doesn't enclose the tent as most do but the Big Agnes's has a full rainfly that can be closed up and even creates a vestibule area for gear you want out of the elements but not in your tent. Every tent will have a good bit of mesh, especially towards the top, to help with ventilation and reduce condensation and they'll all have a rainfly that will offer varying degrees of protection from the elements. If it's warm out and no chance of rain you may not even want to put the rainfly on. Does that make a little more sense?

It does.  My major concern was the rainfly (thanks for correcting me on the right word) doesn't enclose the tent as there is the gap at the bottom where it meets the ground and as such on a windy/rainy day, water in the form of mist will find it's way up underneath the rainfly and into the tent. In my mind a tent with windows should have zippers where they can be closed allowing you the ability to determine how much wind comes in.  To me, it seems like there's no choice there even though you have the rainfly covering it.  Wind/water always finds a way to get in.

Am I crazy?

Ahhh OK I see what you're saying now. Basically, yes you're crazy lol. The chances of mist/rain coming under the rainfly up the "bathtub floor" height and through the mesh body is quite slim unless you're in a monsoon. For the sake of ventilation, which is important, all quality 3-season tents will have that gap at the bottom and many will have a vent at the top that can be opened or closed.

Great.  Thanks to know I'm a little loony :-P.

As I've been researching tents I've found that manufacturers have been moving towards lightweight and as such, many floors are only 1500mm thick.  While that + a footprint/tarp are enough to keep it protected that thickness isn't optimal for waterproofing.  I've come across Mountain Smith tents in paritcular this model:

tent

It has 5000mm floor thickness while still maintaining a light weight.  Any experiences with them?

Yes, th industry is using lighter weight materials as their strength becomes even better and more fitting for use in tents. However, the "5000mm" and "1500mm" are not thickness of the floor. Think about it, a 5000mm thick floor is 5M, you don't want a piece of nylon 5M thick. That number is a measure of "waterproofness", and thing 1500mm or greater is technically waterproof. If you're using a properly sized footprint you don't have to worry about that and don't have to worry about durability either.

Hopefully others will jump in so that I don't come off as preaching, as I'm no expert.

I appreciate all the information you (and everyone else) have given.

Continuing my research I think I've narrowed it down to 2 tents.  

The Mountainsmith Genesee and the Alps Mountaineering Lynx.  Both are nearly identical.  The only difference I can find is the Genesee has a higher rated waterproof floor (5000mm vs 2000) and a bathtub floor design where as the Alps has a "longer" vestibule.  Seems one of the complaints against the Mountainsmith is the vestibule is on the short side and hugs close to the tent.

I like the idea of the sleeping bag which can unzip all the way to a blanket.  I'm thinking of going that route.

For car camping, weight and bulk don't really matter (unless you have a "Smart car.)
I started with the old Coleman cotton lined square bags.  For your use, I think it would work well.  The big pluses here are they are cheap, comfortable, and you can completely unzip them.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Green-Valley-Degree-Sleeping/dp/B0068REHQC/ref=pd_sim_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R8KCSW11HFS0GB9K6G1

For a good rainy-day tent, look for rain flies that go down almost to the ground.  You want some space, as airflow will keep the inside from getting clammy and wet.  For warmer weather, I would look for something with quite a bit of mesh.  I have a serious 4-season tent, but it's HOT in the summer because it is overbuilt and doesn't have as much ventilation.  Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Lynx-Brown-Orange/dp/B00B7N6R0Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t
or a Kelty Gunnison, or REI tent with a full fly will do nicely.  
If you expect it to be windy, going with a lower roof and more rounded shape helps, but in nice weather, a taller tent is generally more pleasant.
I recommend getting 1.5-2x "people" tent for your plans.  E.g. If it's just you, a 2 person tent will be comfy.  If you plan on sleeping 2 in the tent, get a 3 or 4 person tent.  

As for pads or mattresses, there's a lot of ways you can go.  The inflatable air mattress will be nice, as long as you get a half-way decent one.  They are generally bulky, so make sure you get a good size for your tent.  Camping pads vary from the GI closed cell foam (insulates well, but doesn't offer a lot of comfort) to the Klymit Static V (I like this one) or the Thermarest Neo-air dream ($$$ but I hear good things).  These will vary in price, insulation value, comfort, and compressed size.

Don't forget a pillow!

Buy once, cry once is a good philosophy if you know exactly what you want.  For people getting into camping, I recommend either entry or mid-priced gear, until their preferences are a little better known.  I have a tent, a bivy bag, multiple hammocks, 3 sleeping bags, 4 backpacks, 3 kinds of chairs, 3 sleeping pads, pocket knives out the wazoo, lots of flashlights, etc, etc.  Some of them are great, some aren't.  Some are better for car camping, and others for hiking.  Don't be afraid to experiment to find what works for you, but I don't recommend dropping $1,000 when you can do decently for $300.

A couple points OP-  Things to think about; interior height of the tent,  number of people, and number of doors.  Interior height because getting dressed in a state park type of setting either bent over in the tent or getting changed outside the tent is a PITA.  Number of doors; depending on how many people are in the tent someone will have to take a piss at night and stepping over 1-3 people is a PITA too.  Number of people for tents; the manufacturers will rate the tent as a 4 person.  4 people will only fit in the tent if they're sleeping in a specific direction and they're of average size.  For car camping I like 6 person tents.  Plenty of room for 4 people or a palace for 2.  

I have a couple mattress options depending on how much room I have or weight I want to carry.  Car camping I use a coleman inflatable twin size air mattress.  Sometime in the bed of my truck or the big tent. It's inexpensive and pretty comfortable. For canoe trips where I still have room and don't care about weight, I use the REI camp bed 3.5.  Luxurious backwoods sleeping.  If I'm hiking I'll use my ridge rest or my thin inflatable depending on temperatures expected.  Good enough to put some padding over the tree roots.  Lightweight backpacking style sleeping pads might not work the best for you if you have a ton of room and want some extra cushioning...

I agree with the buy once cry once for gear you have formed an opinion about and narrowed down your likes, dislikes or needs.

New question.  Any of you side sleepers?  I'm a side sleeper and wondering if these inflatable mattresses by thermarest or Klymit are thick enough that if I'm on my side, my shoulder/ship won't be poking through the mattress to the ground.

As far as tents go for car camping I recently bought a Marmot 4 man Limestone.
And I will be using all next week in Big Bend National Park.
I looked at a Big Agnes but liked the Marmot better.
Another to consider for a more heavy duty floor is the Kelty Outfitter or maybe the Timberline model that a lot of scouts use.
Fwiw I bought my Marmot at Cabela's on sale for $270 which was the best price I could find anywhere.

For a side-sleeper, the Thermarest NeoAir is a good pad.



I'm a side-sleeper too, I use a Exped DownMat 7, but that's overkill for you in June. Unless you're planning on using the pad in the winter also.

Yup, I sleep on my side most if the time and that is why I like the Klymit. Not only is it 2.5" thick such means you won't find your hips/shoulders on the ground, but the "side rails" keep you from rolling off. The std neoair is also 2.5" thick but is just flat so it's easy to roll off and it's much more expensive. Anything 2.5" or thicker you should be fine.

Changing inside a tent is going to be an issue no matter what unless you get a cabin style tent.  That's why I figure going with a 4 person tent, 2-3 can sleep in there pretty comfy with space and having 2 doors should be a must so that there's easier access. Even if i'm by myself it will be spacious.  Most tents that I'm looking at seem to be around 50-60 inch max height so not too bad but slouching over will be required to change.

I'm narrowing my gear selection down based on all the feedback in this thread.  Since I'm not going camping till June, I have plenty of time to continue researching but as the time draws closer and I actually purchase the gear, I'll check it out and give it a test run in the backyard before going out.

The Klymit Static V works just fine for me (tall and skinny).

I used to car camp some.

A fold up cot is a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, regardless of the ground pad used.

I am not a fan of floorless tents. They are fine until it gets windy and rainy and then you end up with water inside your tent.

Blankets work as well for car camping as expensive sleeping bags, and are more flexible and comfy.

If your cot does not have a foam mattress, get some foam sleeping pads to put on top of the cot. The extra insulation works wonders.

Bring a couple extra tarps to throw up over the picnic table at your camp site. There is some kind of law that says rain is required whenever one goes camping and unless you want to hide in your tent or car, a tarp set up as a rain fly will give you some place to hang out. A comfy chair is a must as well. The tarp gives you a sheltered place to cook. Walmart sells shelter kits that include poles, ropes, and stakes that can be put up over a picnic table in a few minutes.

The tarp comes in handy for keeping a fire going in the rain as well. If you light the fire along the edge of where the tarp covers on the down wind side, most times you can keep a small fire going, even in the rain.

A piece of indoor-outdoor carpet in front of your tent is helpful to keep the mud down. I used fake grass.

Great tips.  I'll have to remember to bring a tarp to use over the fireplace.  I also thought of bringing a couple MRE's just in case we can't get a fire going.  At least I'll have hot food.  I've thought about buying a cot but my concern is size though it's not a huge concern.  Does using a cot + air mattress make that big a difference compared to just air mattress? I've read that if you do use a cot, you should buy one with rounded/curved legs rather than your typical foot stand if that's even the correct description.  Reason being is that the end foot could tare up your tent floor where as a rounded leg doesn't have an edge to it.

You WILL have issues using a cot inside of a tent. You can save the plastic lids from coffee cans, and use one for the base of each leg to distribute the pressure on your tent floor. In time they will punch holes in your floor.

Fir car camping...

I suggest buying a queen sized air mattress and one of those foam mattreas topper pads from target. while there buy a rubbermaid bin you can fit them both into. Have an extension cord long enough to go from your car's power to the airpump.

After  setup, the rubbermaid bin can be a small coffee table or foot-rest if you have camp chairs, or a kitchen countertop if you bring a good spill resistant table cloth.

As for MRE's... FUCK THAT. Go to the market and buy normal food and put it in a cooler Filled with ice. You can freeze water bottles solid to use as cold packs. Combine each meal (everyones lunch, day 1, all the plates you need, toppings, whatever...) into a big ziploc, so you can quickly open the chest, pull out the meal you will need, and reclose the cooler, so the ice lasts longer. Open it ONCE, remove bag, prepare meal, consume meal. Trash or leftovers can go back in that same ziploc.

Oh yea we will eat normal food.  I"m just suggesting MRE's in case a monsoon decides to hit us those days we are camping and we can't get a fire going.  At least with the MREs we can heat up food and eat it to have a warm meal.

For car camping OP this is what I would do (and usually do).

Get a decent floored tent that will last you. REI or Cabelas, larger isn't bad here because you don't have to carry it. Go to walmart and grab a cheap blow up mattress, like a twin size, and a battery or car powered pump for it.

Pair the mattress with one of the cheap blue foam pads if you expect moderate or cool weather and use whatever sleeping bag or blanket you like.

For cooking take everything but the kitchen sink.

You can go extremely comfortable for little money when car camping because the "light" leg is taken out of the "Cheap, Light, Good" triangle. Lots of cheap good things available if your car is doing the hauling for you.

I have a 40 lbs backpack with lots of money worth of gear in it, and I have about 500 lbs worth of stuff I take car camping that probably cost roughly the same. For total comfort outside, the latter loadout is best.

Mountain house meals are better I think, way tastier anyway. Just heat the water with a cheap iso butane stove.

Mountain house is pretty good but Backpackers Pantry is even better!

OP while you're picking up your air mattress, topper and rubbermaid bin..

go to the camping section and get a simple camp burner Stove. The backpacker kind use thin walled gas cannisters, and will boil small cup style stoves or one medium pot. The bigger briefcase style ones take quart container sized coleman propane tanks, or even grill propane tanks. $30-100

So now you can cook without campfire And should be golden.

Really it is supposed to be a vacation, right? Keep camping fun.

I agree. More calories and less sodium.

I can't find them without ordering them or driving all the way to EMS though.

cooking over a fire is a lot harder than a camp stove.

get a cheap propane stove at walmart and make your camping a lot easier.

jmnso.

While this is true, it certainly doesn't taste as good.  Somethign baout cooking over an open wood burning flame that just gives food amazing taste.  Especially steak/burgers. I'll have to check out backpackers stuff for food.

There are certainly things that taste better cooked over a hardwood fire. but some things like scrambling eggs or heating up vegetables are not as easy to cook over a fire and are much easier to cook on a camp stove.

if all you eat while camping is hot dogs, some campfire forks is all you need to cook with. :)

Anyone have recommendations on a pillow?  I could always bring my own pillow but it's a queen size pillow and seems like it would be a bit big. I'm checking on the thermarest pillow which seems to be getting descent reviews.  I use a foam pillow at home with medium firmness/loft and I sleep on my side.  My concern with looking at the thermarest pillow is after your heads been on it for a whiel i'm sure it compresses down to nothing offering no support.

Further reviews show this pillow to be pretty darn good.

http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Aeros+Pillow+Premium&o1=0&o2=0&o3=572-30

Seems the common thing to do with the non-air pillows is use clothing to raise the pillow to your preferred level.

Gear is coming along nicely.  I have the snugpak sleeper lite square foot sleeping bag.  The klymit static v luxe and the sea to summit pillow.  I'm going to put them all through a test run this weekend by sleeping on the floor with them.  Not exactly the same conditions as sleeping in a tent but living in IL, I'm not going to set up tent outside and test it out :P

New question that has come up is has anyone combined a air mattress + foam pad together?  Does it make a difference?  Is it worth it?  From what I can see about the static v is it should be really all I need but if not, I guess an additional pad would work? When I say pad I'm thinking something like a yoga mat that just gives a little bit more thickness to get you off the ground and not a full on sleeping mat.

The rain fly covers most of the tent, and the door visible in the rain fly opening will have a panel made of tent material that zips behind the screen. I'd still look for something with a rain fly that extends to the ground and offers a vestibule or 2 for your backpacks, boots, etc. A few years back I picked up a 4-season ALPS Mountaineering Jagged Peak 2 tent on steepandcheap.com, it has 2 doors and 2 vestibules so you don't have to crawl over someone to get out. The tent is discontinued, but SAC is full of good tents. Or as mentioned, Sierra Trading Post has a bunch. Create an account at activejunky.com and get cash back from dozens of stores.

Here's my Jagged Peak 2 without the rain fly:



And with the fly installed and zipped up:



The pic with the fly was taken about 45 degrees CCW from the first pic, the panel with the "A" on it is the rain fly door and it's right over the D-shaped tent door. The vestibule is the whole right side panel (with ALPS on it) and there's room for boots & other small items to the left of the door as well. The other side is the same way, it has its own door and large vestibule.

+1

If you don't have to carry it, then use what's comfortable!  My blow up mattress will defiantly be included if I am within eye shot of my jeep!

-Food?  I like bacon, eggs, toast, hot dogs, burgers, canned beefaroni etc.  -Oh don't forget the BEER!  

That's all I plan on eating.  Beer, bacon and having toilet paper for the impending doom to follow that :P

I gave my sleeping bag (snugpak sleeper lite luxe), sleeping mattress (klymit static v luxe) and pillow (sea to summit) a test run in my bedroom floor last night.  I trashed about till 2 am before i said screw it and jumped into bed.  I think the pillow was over inflated to my liking.  I'll have to let out quite a bit more air next time I try it.  I was also a bit cold so had to throw on a sweater for my upper body.  Lower body was quite comfy.  It can be a real challenge unzipping the bag while your inside it.  

I plan on testing the gear again next weekend to see if i can manage to actually sleep in it.

Pillows are very tricky, but you're doing correctly by trying it out beforehand. If I were you, I'd just grab a normal pillow, or a throw pillow if you'd prefer. The sea to summit is nice for backpacking but I do not find inflatable pillows to be the most comfortable. I wrap at least a tshirt around mine.

As for being cold, keep in mind that the 32F comfort rating assumes you're using an insulated mat, have the bag closed up to prevent warm air from escaping, and that you're wearing warm base layers. I'm a cold sleeper so I considered my snugpak sleeper lite mummy a 40F bag.

You could throw a foam pad under your Klymit Luxe pad and many people do this in cold weather. It wouldn't add much comfort but it would provide some insulation. A basic blue foam pad from WM for $8 would be a good way to go, or a thermarest SOLite if you want to spend a few more bucks and want heat reflection properties.

OP, I should of piped up sooner when I was following this thread. But it seems to me you are going a little on the "light" side for car camping.

I do lightweight tents and hammocks for backpacking, but for car camping we go big.
Cots over pads for sleeping. Big heavy square sleeping bags over mummy style bags.
Big tents you can stand up in. Here's the wall tent we use for car camping. It fits 2 cots, a small table and a Big Buddy heater with plenty of room to walk in. The roof is 7'.




We usually camp right next to streams/rivers. My wife lounges around while I go flyfishing.


We take the pillows off our bed that we are used to.

We take stoves, chairs, tables, 2 coolers worth of food and beverages. We eat good and are comfortable at night.

I don't mean to barge into your thread and be one of those "do things my way" guys. But if you go big, you will be more comfortable.

I apologize if you already answered this question and I missed it. I hope you have a lot of fun this summer and explore new places..... And post pics!

Do you mind posting some of the gear you are using (model/brand)?

The way I look at the tent is the only reason I'm goign to be in it is if it's either raining or I'm sleeping.  A cabin style tent will certainly offer luxury for standing/changing and just overall room.

The tent is a Kodiak Canvas, 12'x10'. I put a Walmart tarp under it to help protect the floor, may not be necessary but it makes me feel better.

Stove is a Coleman Perfect flow. It sits on a table that has the fold up wind screen, utensil holders and washbasin tub for doing the dishes. It's a foldup mini-kitchen that folds into it's own carry bag and is very stable. I'm not sure of the name brand on the table, it might be a Coleman also, but it comes in a blue carry bag, most Coleman stuff is green. You can kinda see it in the top pic.

We use a folding card table that is probably older than me for eating and stuff outside the tent. I have a pic of it but photobucket is sucking balls right now and I cant get on.

We have a small table that serves as a night stand between our 2 cots and also the Buddy heater goes on it when we need it.

Inside the tent is a Schumaker 400 watt portable inverter, it runs small lamps, fans and recharges Kindles. It is about 8 years old and will need to be replaced soon. It doesn't hold a charge for more than a day or two now.

The cots and sleeping bags are Sportsman's Warehouse or Cabelas brand. For car camping I like the flannel type of sleeping bag, since it's more comfortable on my skin than the synthetic of backpacking bags.

We set up a solar camp shower to get clean at night before we get in our sleeping bags. You can get those at any camping store for fairly cheap.

We have a few other oddball things that make camping easier and more fun, but I think I covered the bigger items.... One thing I recommend is a style of grill that squeezes burger patties from both sides. It's designed so you can flip the whole contraption over a fire so you don't need a spatula to flip individual burger patties.... I love me some campfire burgers...

Photobucket has got's the gay....

here's the only pic I could find of the table, it's not much, but it folds up flat and is stable.

Anyone have a good recommendation for sealant?

I personally haven't used it, but people I know & trust swear by a 50:50 mix of mineral spirits and silicone sealant, applied with a low-nap roller. Just cover the entire rain fly and any non-mesh areas on the tent, paying special attention to the tub (as in 2 coats.)

not seeing anything to cook with...how are you gonna eat?

For moderate to warm weather camping hammocks are the shiznit.

Unless you're somewhere that just doesn't have any trees they're great.

I tried a hammock exactly one time and it killed my back.
No thanks.

buddies who i'm camping with are bringing cooking gear.  

I went camping this past weekend and had a blast.  I wanted to thank everyone who posted in this thread for their feedback and suggestions as they helped a lot.

We went to Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin.  Was a really nice place. I had been there once before but it was so long ago I barely remembered any of it.

I'm a side sleeper and I had the snugpak sleeper lite and the klymit static v luxe.  I brought my home pillow with me and tried to sleep on my side the first night.  Didn't work out well.  Didn't sleep a wink.  Temps also dropped into the low 50's and sometimes 40's throughout the trip which didn't help.
I read somewhere that someone said no matter what type of sleeper you are, when camping you tend to end up sleeping on your back.  That is exactly what worked for me.  The next couple nights I slept on my back, layered up and bought a couple of those hand warmers with me. I cracked one of those open each night after the first night, stuffed it into a sock as they did get quite hot and threw it around my chest area.  That worked well and kept me quite toasty.

I have no idea how but many of my friends were able to sleep in a shirt/shorts and their sleeping bags.  Guess I sleep really cold and they sleep hot :-/

I found my tent to be ok. I bought the mountainsmith genesee 4.  The tent itself is fine and very easy to set up.  My biggest complaint with it is the vestibule size.  The area between the tent door and the rainfly door is so small it was a pain to move in and out in the rain.  When there wasn't rain it was fine but that certainly opened my eyes to having a good size vestibule area for rainy situations.  Not sure if I'll keep it for future trips.  Still deciding.

It did rain a couple times during our trip but I sealed my tent pretty well and didn't have any leaks.  Condensation started to appear on the floor a bit but overall it wasn't a problem.  

I found that it pays to have a good head lamp.  I had a very poor head lamp that wouldn't light up anything past 3 feet.  While I did have an LED lantern and flashlight, it's worth investing into a good headlamp as being hands free is quite helpful.  

I need to bring a proper kitchen knife.  We all had eating knives but no one had a proper kitchen knife.  It made prepping dinner interesting at times.  While what we had worked, a good, large knife would have been better.  

Bring LOTS of garbage bags.  They come in handy for so many things besides throwing out garbage.  Dirty clothes, extra gear, etc can all be thrown into a garbage bag.  They are very useful when packing up for things that were clean when you came in and are now dirty but you don't want to stuff them back into the same container you had them in when you showed up as it would make things very dirty.  

Someone mentioned freezing water bottles and using those for ice instead of actual ice as when the water melts, it stays contained within the bottle.  This was an awesome idea.  Not only did it keep things clean and dry but the bottles stayed frozen for so long it was unreal.  Bags of ice we had purchased had melted far faster than these bottles did.

I'm not really one for taking a pictures so I didn't take many at all.  I lent my friend my phone (galaxy s6) so he could snap pics to send to himself.  Here are some he took along with a few I took.  Not much to see but wanted to share any way.  

Mine and a friends tent:


Sunset







Dinner



panoramic shot



hiking



Overall between myself and the 5 other friends who went on this trip, the consensus was this was the most fun we've all had in a really long time and we can't wait to do it again.

I'm sure I'm missing other items that were posted which helped me but thank you everyone for all the feedback you've given me.  Hopefully some of the info I posted above helps others who are in the same boat as I am.