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Need advice on Tents

88bmwjeff

SF Bay Area
Hey Campers,
I've been doing some research, and noticed some tents have sleeves for the tenant poles, while others have clips. Any suggestions (sleeves vs clips)? My initial thought is that the sleeves would be better, but the salesman at REI said they're both equally as good. I'm most concerned about longevity. It looks like the clips might break or the stitching might come out where the clips are sewn into the tent.

FWIW. I'm looking at getting a two man tent. It's only for me. I've got some good suggestions by reading the past posts.
 
As an owner of 4 tents I see no advantage clips v. sleeves. I do recommend a fly that extends quite low and large vestabules. Our favorite tent is a 4 person Quest with a front and rear vestabule.
 
friends want to know

my riding buddies want to know if they make a tent with a shield that reflects snoring noises back into the tent??
 
I'm with Statdawg- I too have an REI tent that didn't flinch at the Lima storm. I prefer clips though, as I find sleeves to be a bit more labour-intensive to set up since you have to thread the poles through them.

I have the Taj 3- check it out; it's a great tent.
 
I have two tents, one of each type, sleeves and clips. I find it easier to set up the clip tent to the sleeves. Mine has had no problems in the wind. I do like the Taj3 from REI it has served me well.
 
Thanks for the responses so far. That put my mind at ease with regards to the clips. Although, there are plenty of tents to choose from, I'm leaning towards the REI Half Dome. It seems to be a good sized tent (54' x 90') for someone 6'1", and not too expensive. Next weekend I'm going to to the North Face outlet and check out their tents.

I'm sure many of you have your own opinions on which tent to get, so don't be shy and lets hear them (both good and bad).

Thanks
 
Tent

Take a look at the Eureka Apex XTA, the 3/4 man is the best bet. Vestibules at both ends, aluminum poles in tunnels. Plenty of room for me and my gear. Slightly bigger to pack than the 2 man but well worth it for the extra head room and length. Campmore always has them at a fair price.
 
(sleeves vs clips)? I'm most concerned about longevity. To answer your question, sleeves are stronger, but clips allow more airflow. Theoretically.
 
Bibler...no clips (outside) no sleeves, no fly. A little pricey! but like any good piece of gear, well worth the investment.
 
Poles can catch on sleeves as you try to insert or remove them, especially in the dark or when you are trying to work quickly in poor weather. That's why I swore off sleeves, even though they are supposed to be stronger for the weight. But remember, the tent is on the bike, not on your back.

The tent you've chosen is one of the best for solo motorcycle camping: packed size, inside height and no sleeves. I would have bought one, except it was released shortly after I bought another.

Fred
 
I am on my third tent in thirty years. First was a Eureka Timberline, clips. It stood up great on top of Mt. Washington for two winter trips, 100+ mph, it also toured Mexico for two Summers. Alas it did not withstand my partners crampons tearing the floor. I then bought a Moss, tubes, it was great dual vestibules went with me kayaking in Florida for ten years, no footprint and the sand wore out the floor. Now I have a Marmot,again tubes, It packs up small in a "taco shell" and has a huge vestible dual doors and a gear loft. Bought it on sale at REI. Buy the best you can then amorterize by the number of nights spent in it, Both of the old tents cost less then $.50 per night. Using that philosophy I buy good toys thus the R1150R, and MG LM1 from 1976 in my garage.
 
tent advice

Jeff:

You have a little more flexibility when choosing a motorcycling tent, because you're not worrying about the weight you have to carry on your back (unless you're going to be using it for backpacking as well.) So you can get a roomier model (with clips or tubes) than you otherwise might have. I have a 25 year old Eureka Meridian with tubes, which is very tricky to set up, but I put up with it because of its huge interior volume, and its weight of only 6.5 pounds.
I was at one rally where a guy had a tent so big that he could keep his bike inside. I've noticed, walking around at rallies, that MOA members are real tent connoisseurs.
For wind resistance, I have a set of four 10 inch high zoot unobtainium tent pegs, and use these on the corners, in addition to the regular ones. I'm sure REI carries them, and if they don't the climbing specialty stores will have them.

Rinty
 
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tent pegs

Whazzat? FredRyder

Sorry. They're made out of a really tough, light alloy whose identity is unknown to me, so that's what I called it. They have a purple outer finish that is possibly from a nitriding process, and they're so strong you can pound them into stony ground (of which there is a lot in the Rockies backcounty) without bending them. I get them at Ribtor's, a local tent and awning place.

I first saw the term used about 30 years ago in an article where Mark Donohue was being asked to identify an alloy in one of the components of a new Porsche race car, and his reply was: "It's "unobtainium".

Rinty
 
I've had both and clips are for me. Much easier set up and just as strong for any conditions I would ever camp in. I was recently looking for a tent with much the same requirements as you mention and bought the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead 2. It has a good clip system. Quality aluminum poles, dual vestibules, available footprint, excellent ventilation, doors on the two sides, and has a good amount of mesh for warm weather camping. Not on the cheap side, but it will last me a very long time and you do get what you pay for.
 
I've only used tents with sleeves, I don't have any issues with them. you have to push rather than pull the poles out, I thought they would be easier than clips?
 
I am on my second REI Half Dome tent. The first had sleeves and fiberglass poles. The new half dome is the cheaper of the two models available. It has clips and metal poles with shock cords that hold them together. Once you are accustomed to either one they are no big deal. I have been in heavy storms with both and the stood (or should I say learned up to) the force of the winds well.

Your concern should be on the bottom not the poles / clips /or sleeves. My first tent required normal maintenance with seam sealer and the bottom wore well. I had my first half dome for 20 years and traveled the world with it. It also survived camping children camping trips. After heavy use the bottom finally was not worth repairing. The fabric was breaking down from age and use. I picked the new one because I could not decided what I wanted to up grade to and this seemed to be a new model of a familiar friend. Wrong. I solo camp from a R1150R, no backpacking or canoe camping any more with it. After two seasons with it I donÔÇÖt think I will obtain any longevity because the floor is of poor quality to stand up to the demands of motorcycle camping.

I looked at the Half Dome HC or what ever it is. Things were tight at the time and I did not part with the extra $70.00 for it at that time. The two things that were different in my observation were ventilation and floor. I travel north so ventilation is not the same issue as if I were camping in the west and southwest. The floor is what I am kicking myself about.

Floor
Foot print size
Pole quality
Head room for sitting/ changing

In order these are my key items. After that the rest seems to fall in line.

I like the REI Half Dome very much. The HC(?) has a better floor I think. If you go with it go with the upgrade.
 
While the concern for longevity in a tent appeals to the Cheap B#stard in me I don't think the theoretical lifespan of clips-vs-sleeves should be a deciding factor. How many times do you really think that tent is going to be deployed every year? Buy a medium quality tent that meets your needs from a good manufacturer and I suspect you'll get bored with it before actually wearing it out from normal use. I've got an old eurka timberline that's got more nights than I can remember on it and the only thing it hasn't stood up to is a squirrel that chewed it's way in one day.

Having tried other tents along the way, the most important factors (for me)are weather proofness, internal size and how useful the vestibule area/rain fly is for keeping the rain off when you open the door to get out.

Steve
 
tents

I am currently using a Sierra Designs Omega. Clips, aluminum poles, will stand up to any weather. I got it because the Kelty I was using (sleeves) would take any weather except snow and I was doing some snow camping at the time. Downside to the Omega is poor ventilation in hot weather. Tents are all compromise, single walls are lighter and pack smaller but tend to accumulate condensation in cool weather. The more mesh, better ventilation and more opportunity for wind driven rain to find a way in. Less mesh, more weather resistant but less air flow and gets stuffy inside.

Pick a quality brand that is designed the worst weather you are willing to camp in and it should give you many years of service. I wouldn't make a decision based on clips or sleeves, both are trade offs and, I think, balance out.

First thing you need to do when you get it is throw away the cheap little things they send as tent stakes and get a set of Moss Groundhog stakes. They are around $3.00 each and worth it. When you stake a tent with them the tent fabric will rip before the stake will pull out and the stakes are almost indestructable. A few years ago we pulled into an OK state park after sunset with about 4 inches of snow on the ground. While setting up, 1 stake was hard to drive, but we were in a 4x4 and carrying a 3 lb. shop hammer and were able to set the stake and get the tent up. The next morning when breaking camp we found we had driven the stake into a concrete and asphalt RV pad. It took help from a tire iron to get it out, but the stake was not damaged.
 
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