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tent question

Coleman has been pretty good for me. They keep changing their tents from year to year, so some years, the rain fly is longer than others.

My customers for the most part stay dry, unless the rain comes down at a more horizontal direction. Then all bets are off, spray will enter under the rain fly.

I do lose fiberglass poles, but with the inventory I carry, I always have spares.

The bathtub design of the coleman tent has been great, my tents have been in standing water while remaining dry inside.

Oh, for the record, I provide a 7x7 and 7x9 tent. I use the 7x7 for one person, 7x9 for two. The 7x7 will sleep three, but only if you leave all gear outside and don't mind sleeping in an intimate environment.

When buying a tent, you should consider height, if I were just packing a tent in a trunk of a car, I'd use a tent where I can stand up and change clothes. I've known others to use the small one man tent, and when the weather is foul for hours on end, it's a pretty cramped area to be holed up in.

My tents fared rather well during the Lima storm. Many laid down flat in the 60+ mph winds. The secret there was that I tossed away the OEM tent stakes and replaced with the 10" nail/stakes.
 
My Switchback came in about 10 days ago.

I set the tent up and found a 1/4x1/2 L shaped hole in the top next to the hub. I don't know if I caused the hole when I set it up, or if the hole was in the tent beforehand. I called the company and told them about the hole. They arranged to have the tent picked up and returned. A new replacement showed up today.Excellent service I'd say.

I thought it looked good. Plenty of floor space and head room. I really like the color. I liked the gear loft and the pockets around the insides. If it packed up any bigger I think it would be too big for the back of a bike; just my opinion...they vary.

It took me longer than 30 seconds to set it up the first time, about five minutes I guess. I figure after two or three times it should be pretty quick. I can't believe it will be that much faster than a Big Agnes Parkview or any of the tents that clip to the poles. We'll see.

I'm pretty excited. The weather here in South Louisiana is perfect for camping. I'll let everyone know how the first night goes.
 
I have just found the best tent I have ever had, a Coleman Exponent Helios x3. Spent 8 weeks in it this past summer and it never let me down in both strong wind and heavy wind. Got it on E bay for $216.00.
 
I guess he didn't make it back....

Didn't know what you meant by that until I checked the previous post date; a 2 year bump.

Catoma's "Lone Rider" is reviewed in the December ON and got a pretty good review here as well. And at $287 the price isn't too steep.

catoma-tent-review-pic-616x371.jpg


The Coleman is a good looking tent. On sale right now too for $300.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/cole...00000435&categoryid=11070&brand=#.TvodqFb4JLo

9830-759_500b.jpg
 
I've got to stand by the vote for the Eureka Timberline 4. I finally retired mine after nearly 20 years, and I loved it. Never leaked, never tore never failed ( It just finally got too ratty to use anymore!).

I replaced it last season with a Eureka BackCountry model primarily for the pack size - (it fits in a pannier) and while it is a good tent and hasn't let me down, I think I'll be going back to the TL4.

Maybe I'm a creature of habit, but I just like it better!
 
They aren't cheap...

The best tent I've ever used/owned is a Hilleberg Keron 4GT. Their whole product line is incredible and highly respected among the more adventurous/remote backpackers/travelers. That particular tent is fairly easy to set up with two people, but it would be too much for just one person. I want to get/try out one of their smaller tents.

If you ever have been caught on top of a mountain in a serious thunderstorm (50+MPH gusts), you want one of these!

http://www.hilleberg.com/usa.htm

Edit: Unlike most manufacturers, they don't cheat on specs either. You get exactly what they advertise. Then again, for what they charge you'd better!
 
I like my Catoma Switchback but am considering a tent I can standup in like the Redverz Series II Expedition tent. It packs smaller than the Catoma and has more room.
 
The best tent I've ever used/owned is a Hilleberg Keron 4GT. Their whole product line is incredible and highly respected among the more adventurous/remote backpackers/travelers. That particular tent is fairly easy to set up with two people, but it would be too much for just one person. I want to get/try out one of their smaller tents.

If you ever have been caught on top of a mountain in a serious thunderstorm (50+MPH gusts), you want one of these!

http://www.hilleberg.com/usa.htm

Edit: Unlike most manufacturers, they don't cheat on specs either. You get exactly what they advertise. Then again, for what they charge you'd better!

WOW! :bow
those are virtually the same as several brands of tents i saw over in the UK & Isle of Man- where it rains a LOT. underhung & tunnel shaped, with HUGE vestibules- big enough to park a [smaller/vintage] bike in, or hang out in for the day if it's raining cats & dogs. sweet! but boy they don't give those away.

IMO a tent should hold up and keep you dry no matter the weather. i've owned tents by The North Face, and Marmot that were fantastic and filled the bill plenty well. +1 on having a *FULL coverage fly* (one that goes all the way to the ground). a lightweight ground cover cut to the size & shape of the tent's footprint helps withstand the weather, too. as someone mentioned already, tent usages are so subjective, you really must take a hard look at what your primary demands for personal shelter are going to be. i found that no one tent really covers all my needs. to add versatility, i also have a Parawing... which adds both bulk & weight to a M/C pack job... but adds a lot in certain situations, like heavy rain, or excessive sun (read- it was GREAT at Bloomsburg)

for some deep discounts on great outdoor products, remember

www.sierratradingpost.com
 
Another maker of great (but not cheap) tents is Exped. I'm quite happy with my Venus II. The body of the tent is suspended from the rain fly. The poles slide into the fly. Set up and tear down are a breeze, rain or dry. The vestibules are medium in size... plenty large for gear but not big enough to sit in. Since I also carry a 12x12 tarp it is a non-issue for me.

p-20110415-1815-2937.jpg


More than anyone could care to know about this particular tent at http://www.snafu.org/pics/exped-tent/
 
We spend anywhere between 100 and 120 nights a year in our tent. It doesn't leak. It is well vented. It has poles that go through sleeves. It doesn't blow over or down, and the poles don't break in the wind. It is tall enough to stand up in. It is called a 4 person tent so has room for us and our stuff, all out of the weather. So far it lasted two seasons - at least 200 put-ups and take-downs. It has been set up on rocks, in gravel, on concrete, in grass and in sand. It doesn't really show signs of wear but I found another - same place, same sale price, and bought another just like it.
 
Another maker of great (but not cheap) tents is Exped. I'm quite happy with my Venus II. The body of the tent is suspended from the rain fly. The poles slide into the fly. Set up and tear down are a breeze, rain or dry. The vestibules are medium in size... plenty large for gear but not big enough to sit in. Since I also carry a 12x12 tarp it is a non-issue for me.

p-20110415-1815-2937.jpg


More than anyone could care to know about this particular tent at http://www.snafu.org/pics/exped-tent/

your Kelty tarp is very similar to my MSR Parawing, only the Kelty is made of lighter weight material, and appears smaller than the 19' 'Wing. how well does it do under heavy rain conditions? the Parawing does really well in hard rain but for the money (mucho $$$) you'd expect it to be amazing no matter what.

one of the things i consider to be a sort of bogus selling point used by tent manufacturers is their description of how fast their tent will set up. i can't think of a single time in all my decades of camping where it was imperative that i set up my tent in under 3 minutes or whatever. maybe on Everest or someplace similar it could really matter? short of that, no biggie.

i'm not opposed to dropping a big fat dime on a tent just to know it will serve me reliably under the most adverse of conditions. however, it constantly surprises me how well many folks do with el cheapo tents! maybe it's just me but i've camped in some really stupidly bad weather... my philosophy has always been to go no matter what. a good tent and a good tarp should withstand anything short of a tornado.
 
Great discussions here

Not Having tented since way back and then trying Mr. Sherpa in Bloomsburg, I liked the Idea of the no fuss and muss of set up and take down but, was not too keen on getting up and down from the ground. I was wondering the opinions of those who have used Kamp rite cot tents for those who may be challenged after a day of riding. This seems to be the best of both worlds of tenting being off of the ground for us "older guys" and tall enough to be comfortable while in the tent. With a 8 x 8 x 38 packed size and 15 pounds, it seems to be on the max end of solo riding stowage but seems fine for hack use.

1003377_TC701_A_400.jpg


http://www.meijer.com/s/kamp-rite-compact-collapsible-tent-cot-with-rain-fly/_/R-167907#ReviewHeader
 
your Kelty tarp is very similar to my MSR Parawing, only the Kelty is made of lighter weight material, and appears smaller than the 19' 'Wing. how well does it do under heavy rain conditions? the Parawing does really well in hard rain but for the money (mucho $$$) you'd expect it to be amazing no matter what.

The 12x12 tarp is only a few years old and I've not yet had to use it in a hard rain. It works great for shade and in a light rain. It doesn't work very well in the wind when staked out in soft sand. :whistle :laugh

one of the things i consider to be a sort of bogus selling point used by tent manufacturers is their description of how fast their tent will set up. i can't think of a single time in all my decades of camping where it was imperative that i set up my tent in under 3 minutes or whatever. maybe on Everest or someplace similar it could really matter? short of that, no biggie.

It's not so much the time savings; but the one less step. I stuff the poles through the sleeves then position the tent just right, finally pounding pegs. No additional step of adding a rain fly. That is very nice when trying to pitch a tent in the rain. I'd guess that the entire process takes me 10-15 minutes. What I really enjoy is the speed of tear down. That speed comes mainly from the shape of the "burrito bag" sack that holds the tent.
 
Rei

REI tents are perfect in one respect: No matter how or why it breaks, REI will ALWAYS either return your money, replace the defective product, or exchange an unwanted model for a more appropriate model. No questions asked. Period.

I currently own four tents.

I have a 16 year old The North Face two-man tent that my wife and I used while backpacking before our son was born. It's still perfect for solo touring, as it weighs nothing and takes up no space.

I have an old REI four man "Camp Dome" tent that while worn and tired, still works great for when we take grandmas car camping with us.

I have a Mountain Hardware "Trango 3.1" four season mountaineering tent that has seen some seriously hairy adventures on alpine expeditions in the Cascade Mountains, including spending a couple of nights at 12,500' on Mt. Rainier. I take this tent on most of my moto-camping adventures, as I like having all the extra room inside for storing my helmet, Roadcrafter suit, etc. I can keep my hard cases inside the tent instead of locked to the bike, which adds to the convenience factor.

Last year, we added a REI Base Camp 6 to the shelves in the garage. We've been using this tent for our family week-long stays at music festivals. Were I looking exclusively for a 3-man tent for moto-camping, I'd pick up the REI Mountain 3 tent. http://www.rei.com/product/739349/rei-mountain-3-tent

The tent is aerodynamic, meaning it won't blow over in windy conditions. It's light and packs down small. And, like all REI products, it's guaranteed for life.

Here's how I transport my tent:
20110625-019.jpg


The roll on the top of my radio box is my Therma-Rest "Dreamtime" sleeping pad. At home, I'll unroll the sleeping pad out on the floor, lay the tent body, groundsheet, and fly on the pad, use the tent poles as a spindle and then roll the whole thing up into the "bedding burrito" that sits on top of the bike. When I get to camp, I take the entire burrito off the bike, plop it on the ground, and unroll and then set-up my tent and mattress. When it's time to pack up, I'll put the mattress on top of a picnic table or on the grass and put the tent body, groundsheet, and fly on top of the mattress, roll it all up once again, strap it to the bike, and I'm off to the next destination.

I highly recommend this procedure if you have the place to strap a "bedroll" across your bike - like across a rear seat or rear rack if you have the options.
 
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