Tents

[WyteWatt]

Going camping and would like to buy a new tent. Does anyone here know much about tents and recommends any ? I am not getting a cheap one at like walmart or anything. I want a high quality tent. I guess nothing more than $300 to $350. Maybe less. Its going to be used for all kind of weather. Snow, rain, sleet, hail, wind, etc. What would last a lifetime? I am not expecting it to though.

Would a canvas tent be better to get then a normal fabic tent ? Would it last any longer? I have been researching for a while and I believe The UV Light from the sun damages the normal fabic tents. Though I know there are rainflys you can put over them to protect them from that but how long would a rain fly even last to protect the tent? I know canvas tents are very heavy.

Where would be a good place to buy a tent ? (You can recommend online retailers as well incase I have to buy it online) I do really want to buy it locally fhat way I can look at it before buying it but I can't find any place with the real life size tents set up.

 

[HappyPuppy]

You can't beat REI if you have one in your vicinity.

REI

 

[CrackRabbit]

Or if you dont have an REI there is always Campmor

Just a bit more info, Canvas tents are going to be hard to find unless you are looking in an Army Suplus store,plus as you said they are very heavy. Most modern tents are made of some form of nylon.

 

[WyteWatt]

I don't know.

 

[Xionide]

Make sure there is enough room to give her a go in. Theres nothing like hot tent sex.

 

[WyteWatt]

The tent is just for me.

 

[acemcmac]

Eureka Timberline

should be about 100$

If millions of Boy Scouts trust it to the end of the world, shouldn't you?

make sure you buy a tarp or cut a plastic sheet for a groundcloth and waterproof the seams. you should do that with any tent. Bring extra stakes just in case.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
Eureka Timberline

should be about 100$

If millions of Boy Scouts trust it to the end of the world, shouldn't you?

make sure you buy a tarp or cut a plastic sheet for a groundcloth and waterproof the seams. you should do that with any tent. Bring extra stakes just in case.

He beat me to it. I used a Timberline for 7 years in Boy Scouts and now own one myself. Provided you take care of it, it will last a long, long time. The rainfly should last the life of the tent. The groundcloth is critical, in fact I recommend two: one for underneath the tent and one for inside of it. That will guarantee that you won't get wet, no matter how hard it rains. For extra protection you can get a bottle of seam sealer and put that on all the seams (the tent might even come with it- I don't remember).

I definitely would not recommend a canvas tent. They're a pain in the ass and I just don't see the point, especially since this tent is just for you. The Timberline is perfect.

Edit: A note on the tent stakes: the ones that come with the Timberline aren't that solid. Don't get me wrong- they work fine, but over time they will start to bend. When you hammer them in they hit rocks and whatnot and eventually they start to twist. You can pick up a bag of those thicker plastic ones for a couple of bucks and be set. It's not a big deal, but I can remember numerous times trying to hammer in a bent tent stake and wishing I had a straight one handy.

 

[WyteWatt]

The Eureka Timberline looks nice but it seems to good to be true for it to be only $100 it seems? Is it a high quality tent? I am asking because I didn't think you could get one for $100. Does it handle snow ? Its only a 3 season tent I see. I do know that Eureka makes good tents though but just curious why go with Eureka instead rather than Northface, etc ?

 

[Gatos]

I just bought a tent from REI on there outlet. North face roadrunner. NO longer on the website. A good tent from REI is there half dome 2. It is a two person tent only 159.00 high quality. I took it up to pikes peak and camped over nite in boulder field, winds were about 70mph, the tent worked great. I would definitely recomend it to any novice campers. Very easy to set up and works great.

 

[WyteWatt]

Do you think a tent you can stand up in instead is any better ? I know there are some big tents but are those types of tents really worth it ? I know I am the only one that will be in it but I want to make sure I get a tent that is not hard to move around in.

 

[Platypus]

you pitching a tent this weekend?

 

[CrackRabbit]

Ok another question for you, are you going to be backpacking to the location you are camping or getting there by some other means.
As for a tent you can stand up in, they are going to be heavy, bulky and generaly much more expensive than your price range.

 

[WyteWatt]

Depends really. Getting there by other mean though if possible.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
You can't beat REI if you have one in your vicinity.

REI

Yup, I have one of their older 6+ person tents. (Though the rain fly got screwed up a few years back )

 

[ElFenix]

eureka timberline is a pretty good normal tent. i guess it doesn't handle snow, but in texas i don't have that problem anyway.

 

[LaBang]

You really should decide if you are planning on over carrying the tent on your back. If not, You can go for a cheaper, heavier, more comfortable model.

 

[WyteWatt]

I am carrying it on a bicycle.

 

[CaptnKirk]

COLEMAN

You can buy direct, usualy saving tax and freight cost.

 

[LaBang]

Check out gear discussion at http://forums.backpacker.com

Also, good deals can be found at
sierratradingpost.com
killerdeals.com

 

[LaBang]

Are you going on a long bicycle trip?
You'll probably want something as light as you can get.

http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/index.html

http://www.tarptent.com

 

[WyteWatt]

Originally posted by: LaBang
Are you going on a long bicycle trip?
You'll probably want something as light as you can get.

http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/index.html

http://www.tarptent.com

Yes I am.

What about comfort though ?Is a heavy tent on a bicycle really that hard to move? Haven't tried it. I know it won't be real easy but is it really hard to do ?

 

[LaBang]

Well, it IS easier that carrying it on your back. I lean towards ultralight backpacking though. My pack only weighs 12 pounds and I use the Tarptent. I find it sufficient but also understand the benefits of a traditional double wall tent. Still though, remain weight concious. You don't want to be carrying around a 6-10 pound tent. Find something four pounds or under. You'd be very happy with a MSR Zoid 1.5 I bet.

Check out this ultralight fanatic. Look at the amount of gear they had for two people!
http://www.rayjardine.com/adve...04-America/index.shtml

This tent table should help too:
http://backpacking.net/geartent-chart.html

IMO don't get a Colman or such tent.

 

[WyteWatt]

Originally posted by: LaBang
Well, it IS easier that carrying it on your back. I lean towards ultralight backpacking though. My pack only weighs 12 pounds and I use the Tarptent. I find it sufficient but also understand the benefits of a traditional double wall tent. Still though, remain weight concious. You don't want to be carrying around a 6-10 pound tent. Find something four pounds or under. You'd be very happy with a MSR Zoid 1.5 I bet.

Check out this ultralight fanatic. Look at the amount of gear they had for two people!
http://www.rayjardine.com/adve...04-America/index.shtml

This tent table should help too:
http://backpacking.net/geartent-chart.html

IMO don't get a Colman or such tent.

Wow that looks like hardly nay gear at all for two people. Pretty amazing how you can have all the gear you need for 2 people in that little bit of space. So I guess I will need about half of that.

Imagine how much money someone could make if they invented a shrinking machine. That way you could carry it all in your pocket. I know thats not real just saying it would help out a lot.

How small do tents fold up ?

 

[Emrys]

Siera Designs and Mountain Hardware have always been two of my favorite brands for backpacking.