Need To Find Reasonable 3-Season Tent

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JJS

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I'm taking a camping trip up into high elevation. I need to find a 3-season tent (1-person is fine) that will hold up to some abuse. I looked at the North Face, which is available online for around $200. Is there anything of similar quality for less? Thanks.
 
Go to REI.com check out their tent buying guide...they carry many tents and have great descriptions of what they sell, use their guide to choose..maybe buy at better price somewhere else..I just bought a Taj 3..somewhat bigger than you want and not light but 3 season and pretty much fits my bill for cruiser camping with one other person.

Also have a Kelty 4 season..another high quailty tent..2 person and kinda difficult to set up quickly. But really a nice tight warm tent once up. Kelty, North Face, Sierra designs Mountain Hardware..all the big names all make quailty tents.. Or go to Costco get a $20 Coleman one man use it for the trip then throw it away...That's the American way...
 
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2x Get a Eureka! Green 2 man tent.

JJS said:
Yeah, we might be subject to some wind. What style do you suggest? I don't have a huge budget for one right now. That Eureka looks to be a 2 pole style as well.
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Looks are deceiving on this one. It is actually a 5 pole tent.
2 on the front A frame, 2 on the back A frame and one connecting the two A frames over the top through a set of tinker toys.

I have had a Eureka! green 2 man tent for going on 20 years. I have been through 40 mph continuous winds with 70mph gusts in it during hard rains in the middle of a prarie without getting water inside it. I've had it snow 6+" on it, piled 3 grown men into it when another tent crashed and slept through the storm shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. For a 2 man tent, it is actually quite generous. By far the best tent for the money.

That said...
Get the 'outfitter' version. It is the one that most resembles my 20 year old one. The newer 'standard' versions... not quite the same. Be sure to get a vestibule for it. Nice to have a spot to put muddy boots out of the rain and out of the tent.

I have 5 tents. When I'm camping by myself or with 1 other, I take this one. At 20 years old, mine doesn't look new, but then it isn't ready to be retired yet by any means.
 
JJS said:
Awesome. That Mountain Hardware for $119 is right up my alley. Thanks for the help.
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Keep in mind that tent is not free standing. If you can not stake it out it will not stand, let alone hold up to any kind of wind loads.

I always have purchased free standing tents as I never know where I will be setting it up. Solid Rock, Sand, or a nice grassy meadow.

Take a look at this:

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=3&prod=143&cat=27&viewAll=False

Maybe you can find one on sale somewhere. My wife and I have the larger version we use for car camping. Very versatile tent. Handle warm or cold weather, rain, snow.

When I'm on foot I take my Bibler.

I've always believed you should not skimp on a solid tent if your heading into the back country. If your 20ft from your truck then what ever your budget allows.

Buying the matching footprint is worth it too. Saves the bottom of your tent as that is usually the first thing to wear out.


EDIT: here is a sale: http://www.e-omc.com/catalog/products/335/Mountain-Hardwear-Hammerhead-2-Tent.html
 
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It's very difficult to find something as good as a North Face for less money. Like anthing else, you get what you pay for. I would check out REI, they also have an online outlet with very reasonable prices.
 
LXLouie said:
It's very difficult to find something as good as a North Face for less money. Like anthing else, you get what you pay for. I would check out REI, they also have an online outlet with very reasonable prices.
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I agree on that. I have a North Face sleeping bag insulated to about 0 degrees (never tested that). I just am low on money right now.


I may pull the trigger on this...
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39267171&memberId=12500226

I like this but it doesn't appear to be freestanding...
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39266647&memberId=12500226
 
Old North Face stuff is good stuff. The new stuff... I'm not sold on.

New high end stuff... MSR. (Mountain Safety Research). I've been thinking about getting an MSR Missing Link for backpacking. It's hard to justify though since my old Eureka green 2 man tent never seems to wear out.

Tried and true... There are reasons why so many Boy Scout troops use those Eureka! green outfitter tents. They last forever, keep the kids dry and quiet, and they're on budget. They're not the lightest things though.
 
If the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead fits in your budget, Corbet may have hit it spot on. I've had the 2-man version for about 4 years and couldn't be happier. Another plus is that it fits 2 tall people comfortably- a lot of "2 man" tents I wouldn't sleep in with another dude, they're narrower and shorter, often with less headroom. I've also never gotten wet in a storm, and it does really well in wind. The huge roof vent is also nice when it gets a bit warmer.
 
To add onto what Brandon said above, another consideration is your gear storage, rain-fly design, entrances, venting, etc.

I own or have owned a wide variety of tents (most 3 season but some 4) and have been very satified and comfortable with Mountain Hardware, Big Agnes, Walrus, REI, Arctic Oven, and North Face. I am an anomoly because I own tents for various situations (camping alone, with wife/friends/dog, packing in or car camping, etc.).

The North Face you have listed and the Mountain Hardware are both good tents, here is a link to others: http://www.rei.com/REI-Outlet/search?vcat=OUTLET_SEARCH&query=tent

Another place would be to check ebay and look for a seller Ubermatic -- they always have camping gear and tents for sale.

IMO the REI Half-Dome is a good compromise for a 3 season tent that is not to heavy but is durable and has some nice accesories. Whichever tent you decide to go with either buy the footprint or create one so that your tent is protected and can serve many seasons.
 
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goschbrandon said:
If the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead fits in your budget, Corbet may have hit it spot on. I've had the 2-man version for about 4 years and couldn't be happier. Another plus is that it fits 2 tall people comfortably- a lot of "2 man" tents I wouldn't sleep in with another dude, they're narrower and shorter, often with less headroom. I've also never gotten wet in a storm, and it does really well in wind. The huge roof vent is also nice when it gets a bit warmer.
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x2 on the Mtn Hardware Hammerhead. I've had mine for 5 years now and it gets used quite often. It has held up well during rainy and windy conditions. The roof top vent is an added plus.
 
Marmot, Sierra Designs, Walrus, Mountain Hardware qre some of the best tent makers around. the North Face has slipped a bit in quality, which is the last thing you want to find out when you are sleeping in bad weather.

the best three season ten I have ever owned is the Sierra Designs Meteor Light.
I worked at the alpine shop for years and could by anything at wholesale. No one really bought other 3-season tents.
It is light, solid and has an open top for sky watching and two side doors, so you don'at have to step over anyone. it has storage inside for glasses flashlights etc. can be put up or taken down in less than 10 minutes. three poles, two sleeves and a few clips.

As for the footprint, I bought it, but don't take it with me when I am backpacking. You can use a High quality light weight tarp. It will stop most tears or rips and can function as a rain tarp if you apply an inexpensice DWR
(durable water repellent like nikwax to it) 10 bucks for the tarp and 8-12 for the nik wax as opposed to 30 or more for the footprint.

Backpacker has written it up
http://backpacker.com/article/1,2646,1969,00.html
http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=54
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39198525&memberId=12500226
 
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