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A friend and I are first-timers at Coachella and have a car camping space. I'm just curious how much you can fit into that space without overcrowding. My car is standard size, plus a four-man tent. Would there be enough space for a canopy as well? I have a feeling I won't be able to survive without one...
Thanks!
last year we fit a truck, a large tent and a bbq and a canopy in a space. you'll have plenty room.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie22
This!Quote:
Originally Posted by TheClares
10x30, measuring tape, works wonders! Try it!
^Practice camp! Good idea.
Thank you BeaverCat and Dustin! This is perfect. I'm borrowing supplies, so practice won't be very feasible. The visual is SUPER helpful!
Second question. I've heard and read that tents can get unbearably hot in the mornings and mid-day. Would it be better to use a canopy tent to camp in instead? Or is the privacy of the tent a benefit enough to deal with the heat?
I wouldn't get a canopy tent, because it's still a tent. Better off getting something to cover and cool your sleeping spot, then have your sleeping spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie22
what I plan on doing is getting a tent, then getting a canopy over the tent, to try and cool it down a bit. Then i'm gonna get a battery powered fan or a solar plug in for the fan.
That Google Sketchup by TheClares is sick. Well done.
I just to warn people that you aren't guaranteed to get a spot that is exactly 10x30. Last year our space was more like 8x20. They don't chalk out each full lot, only an exit line which your car cannot exceed due to Indio safety law. Mounted police on horses during the day will enforce this.
After parking it can seem like a land grab, but don't panic. It's best to get acquainted quickly with your neighbors immediately and compare situations. More than likely you will find that things can be worked out quite nicely.
FWIW, the vast majority of people attending this fest are way more laid back and far more friendly than the average user you will encounter on these message boards. Have a great time!
spots were clearly chalked 10x30. There were multiple car camping lots. I personally drove around in multiple camping lots and saw individual car spots chalked off. If you were in an area that the chalker guys missed, it certainly was not intentional. I have mentioned to the camping people that this was reported a few times on the board. Hopefully it wont happen again.
Thanks for clearing that up PF, I apologize for the scare. We were in the very back corner of El Dorado 2 last year for car camping. btw, my neighbors were from San Diego, Isreal and Michigan and they were all absolutely brilliant. I ran into one of them randomly at Bonnaroo this past summer and we had a great laugh/time together.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychic friend
trust me i was sad to hear about it especially after the hours I spend in all the various parking and camping lots. i am everywhere. i am along the entire perimeter of the festival, im in each and every parking and camping lot. i look out for stuff, i report stuff, i give random people hauling their camping crap from one side to the other a random offer of ride in my cart. I have even picked up campers walking along monroe with all their gear a ride in my car to the check in. im always on the prowl. beware. pf is there.
not to be a dick but i honestly dont remember any spots being chalked last year.... maybe the back car camping area, but deff not the one adjacent to the camping entrance. and i am in no way saying it was intentional, infact for being a first run, id say last year went exceptionally well.Quote:
Originally Posted by psychic friend
and thank you PF for everything you do, thank you for being the voice of reason....
Hey PF. Say I have 6 spots for car camping. Is it possible to move all the cars to one end of our 60X30 to have space to put all the canopies/tents together? Also, if it isn't possible to do right away due to the cops on horses enforcing, is it possible to do it a few hours later when they are in a new area where the incoming campers are just getting in?
It would be nice to have a space for everyone to hang vs having 1 car in every 10X30 spot making it hard for everyone to mingle.
Any info is much appreciated.
(Our group has much more than 6)
i can't tell you its ok to break the rules set forth in our permits granted to us by the various permit giving people. try at your own risk, dont complain if it doesn't work.
as i said there were multiple car camping plots of land. they are big. ill be out there patrolling as much as i can. if i notice any unchalked spots i will radio in asap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coachella Bound
Last year I had a 10x10 canopy set up from the back chalk line with my 2 person tent, 2 camping chairs, a table and 2 coolers...and since my car is so small (new beetle) I actually had enough room to throw another tent to the side of my car if needed...this year I'm using my smaller backpacking 2 person tent because there will be a 2nd tent, a 3rd chair and another camp table and I'm pretty positive it'll work fine...a small car is perfect! And the fact that its a hatchback with a roof rack means that I still can bring everything I need without having to make sacrifices...
http://images.icanhascheezburger.com...0943649089.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by psychic friend
OH YEAH!Quote:
Originally Posted by psychic friend
..
ok. maybe not.
I've seen this kind of posting over and over and it doesn't make sense. Yes, there is an "exit" or boundry line. And there is ANOTHER boundry line on the other side for the cars behind you...60 feet apart. Now, I didn't measure it or anything, but they sure as hell didn't screw up by 20 feet. My car is 15 feet long and I managed to fit a 14 foot wide tent behind it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Professor Null
Now it is true that the lot attendants were trying to squeeze the cars as close together as possible, which could result in an 8 foot wide space. I solved that problem by swinging my car several feet short of where he was aiming me. Our group had 4 cars and I was the 3rd one in. We know we wound up with just about 40 feet due to the equipment we had set up, but we wouldn't have fit if I had parked where I was pointed.
Just keep in mind that an average car is about 6 feet wide. You should wind up with about 4 feet between cars. If they are trying to park you in like sardines, swing tight and take the space you were promised. (But don't be a dick about it and try to grab extra.)
What I noticed last year...the thing they care about most is that the cars are facing out and not over the line. Once the cars have been placed, the boundaries have been established. In our group of 4, we wound up scootching the 2nd and 3rd cars left and right to clear a space in the middle for a group canopy area to hang out. This year we have 6 cars, so we can clear an even bigger space.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neighborhood Creep
But no, don't plan on being able to park one car behind another or turning them to the side.
We're thinking about having six people in our car camping spot for 2013. Is that too many? Or could even more than 6 fit?
The group next to us this past year had 6 people. It looked pretty tight. I hope you guys are close friends because it'll get cozy and stanky in tight quarters for three days in the heat.
Even if you're denied the ability to park 6 cars on one end of your 30x60 pad, you can still create a space for everyone to hang with 1 car in each 10x30 area. If you occupy a car camping spot that's 2x3, you can park 1 car facing outwards from each spot and have a totally centralized mingling area with additional privacy, no?Quote:
Originally Posted by Neighborhood Creep
I have a 4 door F-150, something tells me that's what we're going to end up driving unless we rent a van.
Is a big truck or van too big? should we just take a roomy car?
Sleep in the bed of the truck, they make truck bed tent thingys
You don't even need a special tent thingy. I slept in the back of my friend's truck two years ago and it was fine. Had a blanket and that was plenty. Canopy to block the sun and we pulled it low during the night. Changing happened under the blanket or in my friend's tent or the car. That was in a Tacoma crew cab truck. Only a 5 foot bed, but with the tailgate down, it was perfect for my air mattress.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew 619
If you take a van, might want to plan to sleep in it with the windows open. Otherwise you won't have much room for anything else.