BajaNomad

Camping with tent

Daniel - 11-15-2009 at 03:06 AM

Hallo
We are travelling (2 Adults, 1 Child) to Baja next February from south to north. How is it to camp with a tent at Bahia Los Angeles and at the coast line to Puertecitos? Can someone help us out with this?

Thank you!

Daniel

LOSARIPES - 11-15-2009 at 04:00 AM

It is gonna be cold... be prepared.... if it is windy..

Diver - 11-15-2009 at 07:11 AM

Wind and blowing sand will be your enemies.
Tent camping is workeable but not always comfy.
On numerous occassions, we have invited tent campers into our trailer for dinner to avoid the wind and cold.

If you are renting a car; consider a van to camp in.

Paulina - 11-15-2009 at 08:29 AM

http://www.bahiadelosangeles.info/

Daniel,

Check out Mia's Bahia de Los Angeles web site and message board.

My first thought was the you could set up at Daggetts Camp as there are three sided shelters that would help should the winds pick up. If it got too bad you could walk next door to Larry and Raquels place for a room, or hang out in the restaurant upstairs.

Bring warm clothes!

Have fun.

P<*)))>{

Mike99km - 11-15-2009 at 09:28 AM

If you are comfortable in a tent no worries. In BOLA the whale camp and Daggets both have Palapa's that you can use if you need to.Gonzaga has Palapa's that can set tarp to break up the wind. So bring along a 8x 12 or 8x 15 tarp and rope so you can set one up. It also works for sun shade.
Don't be afraid to get a room if the wind is real bad or after a few days. My wife loves it after 4 or 5 days of camping. There are lots of other places to camp other than the places you have mentioned.
Bring a good tent, it should be rated as three or four season. Go to the hardware store and pick up stakes that look like giant nails 8"or 9" long. They work in the sand or dirt.
DO NOT USE A CHEAP TENT! THE POLLS WILL BREAK AND YOU WILL SUFFER THE THE REST OF THE TRIP WITHOUT A TENT.
We camp year round in baja and love it. Please give us a report when you get back.

David K - 11-15-2009 at 09:55 AM

We always tent camp when we go to the beach in Baja...



We have camped in February many times... However, as others say it can be very cold at night and very windy all the time... Not always, but that is the time for winds (Feb. through April).

Here are some photos from February tent camping:

Gonzaga Bay (Campo Beluga):



El Huerfanito (20 miles south of Puertecitos):



The roadbed south of Puertecitos:



Puertecitos:



Laguna Percebu, high tide:



Low Tide, the next morning (see my truck?):





Leaving for home, the saddest part of a Baja trip!:

GOT TENT?

woody with a view - 11-15-2009 at 10:06 AM

$20 big 5 special..... it's seen plenty of seasons. BUT make sure the tent you get has zippered windows! it seems all the tents these days ALL HAVE BIG MESH VENT PANELS with no way to keep the wind/sand out.

and bring some rope to tie off to the car for added support. those big telephone pole nails referred to above are the SHE'ITE! we have about 15 of them that go on every trip!

[Edited on 11-15-2009 by woody in ob]

100_3351.jpg - 43kB

Jack Swords - 11-15-2009 at 10:22 AM

As an avid backpacker and dunes camper, we use plastic grocery bags instead of tent pegs. Easy to fill with sand, very heavy, just tied to the tent peg loops. They don't pull out in the wind, weigh nothing empty, and can be used to haul out garbage.

The strong north winds down the SOC correlate with California's Santa Ana winds and high pressure in the 4 corners area. We call them "screaming blue northers" and are always looking for a place to hide in the sailboat when out in the Sea. They are predictable by a couple of days on Wx forecasts (thankfully with a 6 knot cruising speed). When they arrive, one moment it is calm, then suddenly 25 knot winds, square waves, gnashing teeth, and lots of yelling. On the beach, in a tent, big rocks on the floor help.

shari - 11-15-2009 at 11:42 AM

Campo Archelon would be fantastic....the palapas are a dream even in windy conditions...the kids will love it...lots going on there...go say hi to Anna and her husband Tobi who runs the biosphere office..juans cousins!

wilderone - 11-15-2009 at 12:11 PM

Tent camping is fine anywhere, any weather, as long as you're prepared. Better than 9 in. long nail type tent stakes, find those pet stakes that are curly-cued, about 13 in. long. Also bring extra line to tie off to the car, bushes, rocks if the wind is really blowing. A rainfly that entirely covers the tent will be best if it does actually rain. And you could get lucky, and it will be beautiful with no adverse weather. Mornings will be cold. Camping in Feb. the days are short and you find yourself cooking in the dark too. Might want to bring some firewood or presto logs. Just be prepared.

bajaguy - 11-15-2009 at 12:26 PM

I use a medium strength shock cord between the tent and the tie down rope.....gives a little and does not put a strain on the tent hardware

Crusoe - 11-15-2009 at 09:40 PM

The Tent You Need!!!....Find a R.E.I. Base Camp 6. Available on line. It was designed for high altitude Himalayan base camp climbing expeditions. Will hold up in 80mph plus wnd conditions.Use xtra long stakes that you can get when you get to Baja. Sand weighted trash bags work very well to, and 5 gal plastic buckets fillrd with sand.Use plenty, attach even on the hoop poles next to the sleeves. Sleep tight!!! ++C++

Packoderm - 11-15-2009 at 11:18 PM

I'd second the r.e.i. base camp 6, but it costs quite a bit at almost $400. It offers the best combination of ability to withstand the wind and spaciousness so that you don't go crazy if you have to hunker down. It is 6 foot 2 in. at its peak. I wish I had one.

redhilltown - 11-16-2009 at 12:53 AM

I think David K's photo of Isla Huerfanito (small white island with the sea gull "patina") is taken from the hill next to the abandoned concrete/rock house on the hill north of the island right off the road. I have taken shelter there more than once when the winds are howling (it is a bit exposed of course but at least you have some walls.) Just important to remember no matter HOW calm it is when you go to bed at night, look at your camp and imagine the winds coming in at 3 a.m. and batten down the hatches accordingly. And remember the coyotes could care less about the wind and if you leave your water out, they will help themselves to a drink or two.

David K - 11-16-2009 at 07:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by redhilltown
I think David K's photo of Isla Huerfanito (small white island with the sea gull "patina") is taken from the hill next to the abandoned concrete/rock house on the hill north of the island right off the road. I have taken shelter there more than once when the winds are howling (it is a bit exposed of course but at least you have some walls.) Just important to remember no matter HOW calm it is when you go to bed at night, look at your camp and imagine the winds coming in at 3 a.m. and batten down the hatches accordingly. And remember the coyotes could care less about the wind and if you leave your water out, they will help themselves to a drink or two.


That is correct!




We stopped for lunch and beer at the rock house... Timothy Walker of the former TimsBaja.com used to set up a tent inside that house when he and his amigos took there annual trips to Baja.

[Edited on 11-16-2009 by David K]

Martyman - 11-16-2009 at 09:25 AM

We camped near the rock house once. The second or third night out the coyotes chewed holes in our plastic collapsible water jugs and drained all our water. Put your water in the car.

As far as being cold...only if you are a pansy. Wow, you might even have to wear a flannel shirt and put on a pair of pants once in a while.

[Edited on 11-16-2009 by Martyman]

mtgoat666 - 11-16-2009 at 10:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Daniel
Hallo
We are travelling (2 Adults, 1 Child) to Baja next February from south to north. How is it to camp with a tent at Bahia Los Angeles and at the coast line to Puertecitos? Can someone help us out with this?

Thank you!

Daniel


tent camping works great. arrive well before dark so you have time to find a camp site you like. the quality and privacy of commercial campgrounds at either location is variable, so you will do best to leave some daylight time to drive around and choose the one you like best.

Crusoe - 11-16-2009 at 03:49 PM

Another Consideration.... If you can afford cots to get you up off the ground to sleep. In strong windy conditions (which you will get alot of) the blowing sand seems to find itself in every little thing you own. You can store clothes ,food water under the cots. You will sleep good in a Base Camp 6, always knowing you will never have to expierence a midnight tent collapse situation. I own one and swear by it, and have expierenced 80 mph wind gusts more than once. And like Packoderm says you can comfrotably weather out the typical 3 day wind storms that plague some areas of Baja in Feb. Have fun, beach camping is the best Baja has to offer!! ++C++

Bwana_John - 11-16-2009 at 04:34 PM

I dont care if you've got a 4-season technical winter internally and externally guyed mountaineering tent held down with telephone pole deadman...

camp in a tent long enough on the beach in Baja during the winter and you gonna get blown out.

Its not the wind, its the suspension load of sand, dirt, rocks, sheet metal, plywood, ect that gets you.

tripledigitken - 11-16-2009 at 04:50 PM

The cautions about wind are not to be taken lightly. The first photo was the morning after at Gonzaga Bay where the wind was insane the night before. (note the wind break I set up for a late dinner just when the wind started to blow)It roared!!!!! (my tent is a four season Sierra Designs)

The second photo is of Animas Bay, just below Bahia de los Angeles. Those three days were idlyic.

The Sea of Cortez is a great place to camp, just be prepared.




David K - 11-16-2009 at 04:56 PM

Ah Campo Beluga!




We camped there one night (Feb. 2007) and the wind statred up the next morning and stayed with us all the day and next night on Shell Island... Had to tie the tent to my truck! Not much sleep that night...

redhilltown - 11-16-2009 at 11:45 PM

...and the amazing thing is that these are bad winter winds from the north we are talking about. What I have found in that stretch between Gonzaga and Puertecitos is that the TRULY horrific winds that really send the canopies flying are the west to east offshore winds during the warmer months.

The cot idea is great except for bugs...if the jejenes are about you WANT a tent. While the odds are good they are not around during the winter months, it's a bet I hesitate to make. I always sleep outside on a cot if possible but I have a tent somewhere nearby just in case.

It is still a wonderful time to camp that time of year with a little prep and the Corvina, Bay Bass, and Triggerfish still are around for a tasty dinner if you choose to fish.