Tents

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Altaf

Altaf

Joined
Feb 20, 2004
Threads
53
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377
Location
DC area
First time tent buyer, not exactly sure what to look for. Some requirements on my end:

- No more than 4 people sleeping

- Won’t be doing any rigorous expedition camping but I’d like it to be water/wind proof. I’ll be camping in the NE/Mid-Atlantic area the most

- I want a tent that can be setup in 5 minutes with minimal hardware (less things that can go missing or get broken, the better)

- Lightweight and portable a plus

Just looking around, I’ve seen tents range from $40 - $300. Of course I’d like to spend $40 if it would fit my needs. Any particular brands/models to stick with? Educate me! :bounce:
 
I have a Eureka that I like, and was a good tent, but it is getting old.

I have a friend with Kelty Mantra 6. That is a nice big tent, but still easy to set up. It is a good tent with aluminum poles (stronger than fiberglass) and a fly that goes all the way to the ground.

I think that is usually the difference between a good tent and a cheap tent. Most cheap tents really skimp on the fly. If the fly doesn't come close to the ground I doubt its ability to keep out the rain.

I think my next car-camping tent will be the Kelty Mantra 7. A slightly bigger version. I see no reason to camp in a smaller tent when car camping. Bigger is almost always better.

Backpacking is a different story, and for that I use a completely different tent. In that case, weight really does matter.

I would not try and buy one tent for both backpacking and car camping. Better to get two special purpose tents than to try and compromise.

Jared

BTW, I just checked and there are a bunch of Mantras on EBAY right now.
 
Easy answer

Go to urbanlandcruisers.com and check out the oztents. He has your solution.
 
I've owned a bunch of cheap tents....unfortunately, waterproof for a year gets old....none of them held up well. I still have one of them, and use it when I must (once a year or less...lol)

I've seen 2-3 of the OzTents and while they ain't cheap, they sure are nice. Fast setup, lots of room, and seem very well made.
 
I think the first question to anwer for yourself is: How do you plan to use it? Will this be strictly car camping, strictly backpacking, or some combination?

The answer to that question will begin to tell you where to look. If you are car camping only, my theory is the bigger the better. Sure the big ones weigh a lot, but what do you care for 50' or so of carrying it?

For car camping, I use monster Target special, the brand is Eddie Bauer but I bought it at Target, that cost me about $120 or so. Have had it for 3 years, and hasn't leaked yet. Has fiberglass poles, and I've been in winds strong enough to blow it flat (it stands over 6' tall). The second the wind stopped, it stood right back up, no problems. Has deflected heavy rain, but I've never put it to the test in a seriously rainy situation. But for Colorado/Utah storms, which are violent but typically short, no problems. Having three rooms and three seperate doors has come in handy more than once. One year in Moab we made one room a garage for mtn. bikes, so they weren't so tempting when we left camp. Also nice to be able to stand up inside the tent.

If you're going smaller than that, but not down to backpacking only, my rule of thumb is to always buy one size bigger than you think you need. A 4 person tent barely fits 4 people. Add in bags, packs, clothes, etc.... and you get very crowded very quick, so for your needs I would go with a 6 person.

Weight and size aren't real issues (IMO) unless you're backpacking. At that point the whole equation changes.

So my personal lineup-
Eddie Bauer monster tent for car camping.
Eureka 4 person dome for solo car camping, or smaller situations.
REI 2 person back pack tent for backpacking. I forget the model, its been awhile. In fact, I'm not 100% sure where it is, probably wherever my backpack is.

No matter what size you decide on, key leak points are seams and floor. I always seal the seams when I buy a new tent. Most sporting goods stores will sell you some seam sealer, some tents even come with it. Easy to apply (do it outside) and seals all those needle holes on the seams.

For the floor, just get a cheap big tarp (assuming you're car camping). Tarp should ideally be just a tiny bit smaller than the footprint of the tent. Any part of the tarp that sticks out will be a water magnet, funneling water under the tent floor and typically right to your socks.

Hth.
-Matt
 
woody said:
I've owned a bunch of cheap tents....unfortunately, waterproof for a year gets old....none of them held up well. I still have one of them, and use it when I must (once a year or less...lol)

I've seen 2-3 of the OzTents and while they ain't cheap, they sure are nice. Fast setup, lots of room, and seem very well made.
Click to expand...

You know, compared to my backpacking tents, the Oztents actually seemed cheap to me.

Plus if you buy one you get to deal with Dearborn, which is always a pleasure.... :)

TJK
 
I'll assume you are looking for a car camping tent. I would suggest looking around for sales and clearences. I was lucky a picked up a 7'x13' Coleman at a Kmart that was going out of business for $35, it retailed for over $150. I know this deal is rare but a month or so ago Target had tents on clearence for about half price.

For backpacking I buy higher quality but for the price I couldn't pass up the Coleman. The first time I used it was in an all night downpour with swirling winds with gusts that I guestimate at 30mph. I'm glad I set up all the guidelines. I had minor leaks at one window. By minor I mean a puddle about the size of a half dollar. I doubt it would have leaked without the swirling winds. So I'm impressed with the cheap Coleman. I'm not saying it's the best by any means but for the money, even at full price I can't complain.
 
Saw the Oz Tenta at GSMTR - very nice tents and VERY fast to set up.
 
I've got a 10x10 Eureka for car camping and a backpacking tent also by Eureka. I like the quality of both. Troop has 20 Coleman tents. They are ok, but IMHO, not the quality of the Eureka. I think the Eureka seams and zippers are much higher quality comparing the two. Just my $.02.

BTW - agree with earlier comments about tent ratings on # of people. My 10x10 is rated for four (I think). It's wonderful for just me and my cot. Two can also sleep very comfortably with plenty of room for gear. Three people would start to get crowded and I think four is out of the question unless it's three gorgeous naked women and me! hehehe :D
 
If you want to find good quality tents like the kelty, sierra design and so forth go to Campmore.com they have great deals on quality tents............. That is where i buy my camping stuff it is all name brand stuff just last years products.................
 
I bought a tent last year for 4wheel drive trips I really like. It is heavy duty and waterproof. Check out Cabels line of "Alaskan Guide" tents. In my opinion these are great tents, very heavy duty, and most improtantly, water proof in a big storm. The price is reasonable for what you get. Here is the URL:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...catalog/pod-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20075

I also saw Kowboy's tent at Surf and Turf which is one of David Dearborn's Ozzie tents-it's a very high quality unit.
 
>> four is out of the question unless it's three gorgeous naked women and me! hehehe <<

Brent,

You are invited to our next Scout campout. Bring your tent and your 3 friends.

:D

-B-
 
The first decision is wether you are going to sleep on the groud with mats, on on cots. If you are going with cots, you will be a lot more comfortable, but will need a much larger tent. I have a 10 X 13 Eureka that is perfect for three cots and extra room for moving around inside, or cooking on rainy days.

If you are sleeping on the ground, you should still see the tent set up to determine how many people can actually sleep in the tent. Most '4 man' tents are about right for two people on air mattresses.

Mike S
 
I got a “3 person” mountain hardware from REI, very versatile tent for different weather conditions It does a really good job with rain (never a drop inside) has a large vestibule under the fly for gear, but setup time/complication and cost leave more to be desired, I do some hiking but always day hike, so basically car camping only as far as the tent is concerned
 
I have been camping for many of years, outtings from summer beaches to dead of winter snow camping, im sorry to say that no matter how it is advertised, a cheap tent will not hold up in the elements. Minimun rating you should look for is a 3 season, and if you can go for a 4 season. the main diffrence between season of tents is the fly. the fly is the key to your tents. it is the piece that drapes over the tent to protect in from wind, water, etc. Go and check out R.E.I and an employee can show you exactly what i mean. Once you find a tent you like, check for it on e-bay, or REIoutlet.com. and further questions, just PM me.

-Richard
 
I didn't even consider a car tent until you guys mentioned it :idea:. I thought about it and realized that I probably wouldn't be camping anywhere too remote for the Cruiser to access, so it makes much more sense to look for a car tent.

I checked out the OZTent and it looks sweet! It costs more than I want to spend on my first tent though. Good info in this thread... I'm going to look around this week and see what I can find. I'll definitely check out the sites you guys have posted. I need to get one before turkey day, so hopefully there are some bargains out there.
 
If you buy from campmor.com, as someone else suggested, you are only two days for normal shipping. They are quick on shipping. If I order on Sunday I usually have my order by Tuesday, Wednesday latest and I'm a little further away from them than you.
 
Beowulf said:
>> four is out of the question unless it's three gorgeous naked women and me! hehehe <<

Brent,

You are invited to our next Scout campout. Bring your tent and your 3 friends.

:D

-B-
Click to expand...

The camping sounds great - wife may have something to say about the 'three friends' tho. :whoops:
 
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