Looking for tips for an overnight hiking trip!

Hello!
We are group of friends, living for some time at the Changping area. We want to go on a weekend hiking trip to the Great Wall and I hope to get some usefull advice before planing it.
First of all, we definitely want to spend a night either on the wall or in a village close to it. We do not have tents. Is there a possibility of renting some? And if spending night at the village - how are we supposed to search for a place to stay at? Are those places marked? Should we try to contact the hosts beforehand?
Like I mentioned before we live at Changping - are there any convenient ways of getting to the Wall from here?
I would be very gratefull if I could get at least some answers :)