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Need advice on Tents

Choice is between

Cheap tents that you can throw away after they die in a couple of years or an expensive tent like North Face or Bibler that you are stuck with when the new models come out.

Try a Coleman, best of both worlds and has both clips and sleeve :>)

I have 3, 2 7x7's and a 9x7 that I bought in a grocery store last week for $39.

I don't believe that I've paid more than $49 and only replaced that tent because the new version had more windows and I am claustrophobic.

I spent a fall night on Mt. Pinos, 9,000+ feet in a 10x10 in a wind storm that I was SURE would destroy the Coleman, the wind was 50+. The tent held up no problem, no damage.

3 years ago in my brand new 7x7 I was in an amazing rain storm in Death Valley, had not yet taken the tent out of the box and set it up like you are supposed to before you go camping and it stayed bone dry. To my amazement.

The new Coleman's have nice features that rival the Kelty's, North Face etc. and are cheap. I doubt I'll switch based on my experiences.
 
I found a $58 large two man, don't remember the brand name, at the Sierra outlet store website, has enough room for me another person and all our gear. a rain fly, poles with shock cord and clips, mesh on both sides and is large enough that I have to kneel to tie my headlamp to the top for a lantern at night. I sprayed the tent and fly with stay dry and don't get wet or clammy in humid weather. The stakes were cheapie aluminum but I can upgrade those. I can set it up by myself in less than five minutes and have used it for two years maybe 10 times. It is a little on the heavy side, maybe six or seven pounds but fits nicely in my waterproof sealine bag. You can probably find much higher quality tents at REI etc. but do you really need to spend that much money? I'm a loyal REI member and purchased a Gerry two man backpacking tent in 1972 that i still use, for backpacking. I don't worry about the weight on the BMW. Check out the Sierra outlet and campmore outlet stores online, as well as REI, decide on what you are going to use the tent for and have fun camping!
 
Thanks again for everyone's advice. Although I haven't shelled out the $$$$ yet, I have decided on getting the REI Half Dome 2 HC. I think I'll wait a few weeks to see if REI has an end of summer sale.

FWIW, I liked the tent because:
* It's longer than most in it's class at 90", which is important since I'm 6'1".
* It has a decent width at 54".
* Two entries and two vestibules with ample area.
* Wasn't too expensive at $169. (yeah, I know there are some cheaper)
 
I wound up buying a Kelty Gunnison4 and it is a nice setup with stacks of room for me and all the gear and another person too. The prices are a great compromise between the Coleman and others, quality is good, it goes up fast and packs quickly too.
 
I use a Eureka Backcountry 2. The price was reasonable ($130 or thereabouts) and it stood up well to the winds at this year's Iowa Rally. It doesn't have a vestibule but if I have wet things I designate a corner of the tent for them.

See http://www.mrob.net/7101/16701.html and scroll down a bit for a photo and my review.
 
Suggestion...buy the Costco/Sam's club special..I got a 4 main tent that rolls tight and weighs almost nothing for $28.00. I do like the open top (loose the rain cover...unless poor weather is expected) Next year I'll buy a new one.

Spend your extra $'s on a good pad and bag, you sleep much better.

Have been camping for 36 years..and still love it.

Ksmith57
:usa
 
Tent poles and mirrors

The part I don't like about the tents is how to pack the poles. On nearly any 3-4 folk tent, The poles stick out and block the mirrors on the RT. I was almost ready, and still might, try to get the taller mirrors that look over your arm instead of under your arm. Any solutions from the group? Oh I prefer clips.

04 RT (2)
99 FLHR
Sold the honda
 
I added GS mirrors to my RT to get better visibility. I bought a pair used from someone who had put LT mirrors on their GS... best $20 I have spent. :dance
 
I have an AirZone Osprey....no poles. Always carry my Cycle Pump with me anyway, so why not an inflatable tent? Fold, stuff, or roll it, to fit wherever I want to pack it. AND it can be set-up with the rain fly completely connected.
 
Sounds like you already made up your mind... my thinking is as follows:
To your questions about clips or sleeves: I think that is personal preference, the difference is minor.
I actually have 3 different tents and I take the tent depending on the situation:
1. I have a Hillary Tent that I bought at Sears unsale for about $40; it is free standing and has the poles build in. I take this tent when I go by myself. I don't need a vestibule, since I am by myself and it is a 2 man tent. It is bullet proof and withstood the rain soacking at the MOA rally in Charleston, Virginia.
2. I have a Kelty, 2 man tent with 2 vestibules that I bought unsale for $120; it has sleeves and clips, it is a 3 season tent. I take it when I go camping with my son and it withstood the winds and rain at the MOA rally in Lima with no problems.
3. I have a cheap Sears tent that I bought for $40; but it is 5 man tent and I use it on Family camping trips. It get's the least amount of use, but it is good to have around.

Enjoy your search, I can strongly recommend free standig tents, I like vestibules and floor savers are vital for the longgevity. Buy unsale at the end of the season... you can save a lot of money!!! My food for thought... :eat :drink
 
Boxerkuh said:
Buy unsale at the end of the season... you can save a lot of money!!!

I'm waiting until the first week in September, at which point I'm hoping for an end of the season sale. All my luck, the sale will start a week after I need it. Oh well, c'est la vie.
 
stephenson tents:lightest, biggest than all others

even though it seems late for this discussion, here's another recommendation. bill stephenson's "warmlite" tents in new hampshire are the LIGHTEST, SMARTEST, simplest, roomiest 2, 3, and 5 person tents you can buy. plus, you can customize them with features that i guarantee you will appreciate. what you get for a similar more common tent (rei included) you get a tent far lighter and smaller. his little family company does not advertise and is very small. his products are nowhere to be seen in mainstream outdoor press but if you ask some of the most knowledgeable people in backpacking/climbing stores, rei included, you find that thats what they use. at one time, almost every OWNER of those stores had stephensons. they didn't sell them because their attitude was (as i was told) that the general public wouldn't take care of them (trust me, it's not hard) or believe that unless a tent had certain features, they wouldn't work (even though what they, the public, believed wasn't true. etc etc. the owners of these stores had remarkably lightweight, small, SMART stephenson tents while they sold dumbed down brands! bill stephenson is an eccentric ex aeronautical engineer who apparently did well enough to quit his rat race to move to the new hampshire woods to start a small, VERY eccentrically brilliant outdoor company. i once called him to ask for a replacement tent pole sleeve that broke on mt kenya in africa and he yelled at me for not taking care of the equipment! (for temporary repair, i used a small swiss army knife to cut a temporary sleeve from a found tin can and a bit of duct tape.) at first i was a bit offended because i hadn't abused it, but then realized that his brilliant product was worth an unusual customer service moment. hope this adds a worthwhile two cents. david
 
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