Camping Shoot with Lanard I-Girl Asia

Earlier this month, DollDivas called for photos of dolls camping. Me, I have no camping skills. Remember the tv show, Green Acres? He'd have NEVER got me to that farm; I would have  divorced him for asking, lol. So my camping scenes would probably look bizarre. However, I do have the Lanard I-Girl Cool Camping Days playset.

Back of the box for the Lanard I-Girl Cool Camping Days play set

So I thought, I'll share photos of that set. No real camping experience called for right? In fairness, maybe having a camping background would have made setting up this play set easier. Maybe. The doll model shown with these items is NOT the original doll who came with the set; this doll is I-Girl Asia. Asia agreed to pose in I-Girl Sahara's place.

I-Girl Cool Camping Days play set contents:

1 nylon and plastic tent with 3 tent poles
1 nylon sleeping bag for 1 doll
1 plastic folding card table
1 plastic folding camp stool
1 nylon backpack with a pink plastic hair brush
1 sheer pink laptop computer
1 mini stove
1 "mess kit"
1 bottle of plain water
1 plastic lantern
1 campfire
1 portable cooler
1 Sahara doll (um ... Sahara is MIA. I'm not sure where she is now.)

Do you miss what I miss from this inventory? F-O-O-D. No food. OMG, did they mean for poor Sahara to gather her food in the woods? Where is the can of baked beans with mini hot dogs? Who goes camping without chocolate and trail mix? Why camp except to eat chocolate and trail mix in the fresh air? Asia and I think we understand why Sahara pulled a no show.

By the way, there is at least one Barbie camping accessory that has the fixings for S'mores. I'm not that big on marshmallows, but at least they add some CHOCOLATE. Even if it's milk chocolate. Ick. But NO food in this play set. Just water. Not even a soda in the cooler. Sigh.

Lanard Cool Camping Accessories

Lanard Cool Camping Days sleeping bag for one

Munching fun completely removed from this trip, Asia tries on the sleeping bag. Voila, she fits! Not the coziest thing she's ever tried on, but she supposes it would do if she were the type to sleep on the ground instead of in a bed.

Tent, you ask. Tent, tent, tent, someone chants. Sigh. Oh, we thought you would ask about that. First, let's see the instructions to put together the tent and table and stool:

The table and the stool were as easy to set up as the sketch indicates. Whew. Easy peasy. Tent talk now. Remember: a picture paints a thousand words.

You are looking at the rear view of the tent with one of the tubes partially woven in place. The other pole is supposed to cross fit along the purple tags on the diagonal so that the tent roof can rise. In someone else's imagination.

Setting up tents has been a comedy staple for years. Here was my opportunity to experience the nightmare. Those poles have minds of their own. How do I flex them enough to fit them to the loops on the tent without causing them to break? They spring back and sting my hands and face. Oh joyless deed. I finally got the longest pole/stick to form the facing arch so Asia can go in and out of the tent. I gave up on getting the other two poles to cross. Life is too short.

I-Girl Asia attempting to adjust the tent from the interior.

Lanard I-Girl Asia pushing the tent walls up.

Score? Tent 1: Dana and Asia, O. Setting up a real tent must be frustrating. People do this for fun? Asia and I lost patience with the tent. I let her punch it a few times. If I were to let loose on it, I would have done some serious damage. The camping life is not for us.

I-Girl Asia pummeling the triumphant tent.

Okay, Sahara, you can come out now. You don't have to set up the tent.