Tent advise

prof

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
463
Location
Western TN
Hey everyone, I need a tent. I used to go camping a lot but have not gone in years. My son is now in scouts and wants to go. We went a couple weeks ago. My wife and daughter will join us sometimes. My wife wants a tent large enough for her to have an air mattress. She also likes the ones with room dividers. If it were just the little guy and me, id get a small dome. However...need a larger one. I will probably get a 6 person so we can take company. I prefer domes but will consider any. Ok, suggestions?

Thanks all

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 

Hooked on Fenix

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
3,076
First, it would help to know your price range. You can get plenty of 4-6 man dome tents with fiberglass poles for under $100. However, they won't stand up to wind very well. If you need more than one room, get a cabin tent with steel poles. The dome tents in this size with fiberglass poles are very weak. They tend to have only one pole crossing at the peak of the tent. I've seen these tents collapse more than once. Multiple pole crossings give more structural strength and keep the tent from collapsing in wind, rain, and snow. If you can handle a one room tent and have a decent amount of money, get a 6 man dome tent with aluminum poles. They cost more, but will last longer. Think of it as an investment, versus getting something disposable. Dome tents with aluminum poles tend to be stronger even with only two poles. Some can be set up in 5 minutes. Expect a 6+ man tent to be $150-$500 with aluminum poles. A 8 man steel pole cabin tent will probably run around $200-$300. Start by looking at outlet sites online. www.reioutlet.com and www.coleman.com/family (type FAMILY as the password to get the discount) have large tents at good discounts. REI is having their annual sale right now, so if you have an REI membership, you could get a deal on a tent. Adventure 16 (on the west coast of U.S.) is having their 50 year anniversary sale right now as well and has 6 man tents with aluminum poles at 30% off. If you have a Costco or Sam's Club in your area and have a membership there, they usually have a large tent or two at a decent price. I've gotten a few good tents from Sam's Club's autions as well. If you order any tents online, remember that shipping probably won't be cheap due to the weight. Factor that in when shopping around. Use site to store shipping if the store offers it for free (especially for reioutlet.com).
 

prof

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
463
Location
Western TN
Thanks for the suggestions. Here are a few answers!

Price: I'm flexible here. I don't want to buy something cheap and then have it fail the first time out, but I also don't want to buy something that may end up as expensive attic decor. Let's say $250-$350 but willing to go up a little as needed.

Time Frame: flexible. I'm not in a hurry here.

Sources: This depends. We live in a tiny town with nothing but walmart. However I've got Amazon Prime and am in Nashville occasionally. I'm also an hour from Gander Mountain stores. In addition most of my family lives around Springfield MO--we're there several times a year, so Bass Pro is an option also.

Size: This is where I'm stumped. If it were just the two of us, I'd get a 3-person dome like I used to use. However I'd love for my wife and daughter to go--and my daughter is interested. My wife will go if the rest of us go, but she wants enough room for an air mattress. She wants 2 rooms for privacy, but I am fine with the group not changing just stepping outside. However it's a good point.

We looked at some LL Bean tents online. My wife really liked the giant 8 person modified dome thing. Do you know how freaking long that thing is? I really don't want to set that up every time my little guy and I go camping with scouts! I'm almost thinking we'll end up with two eventually--one giant and one for hiking trips with just the guys.

Anyway, if you have any specific recommendations I'd love to hear it. I'll see if 2 rooms are absolutely necessary...

Thanks again!
 

eh4

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
1,999
Sorry, I do tarps and lean to's, if bugs aren't a problem they are the Best for experiencing nature. If you can keep a fire through the night, it goes a long way to keeping the mosquitoes at bay. There are some great, big, ultra light teepee style rain flys out there. Not so good in improved camp sites, lots of fresh air, less walls/privacy.
 

TedTheLed

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
2,021
Location
Ventura, CA.
http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eur...ON+1312+A&pf_id=PAAAAAEBBGKHMNEK&dept_id=3057



COPPER CANYON 1312 A


MSRP:*$359.90
Price:*$314.99
Sale Price*$229.00

Size**8 PER
Attribute**A OBS
In Stock






SLEEPS 8 PEOPLE
REMOVABLE AWNING
REMOVABLE ROOM DIVIDER
2 DOORS, 6 WINDOWS, 6 VENTS
FLOOR 13' x 12', HEIGHT 7'5", PACKED 10" x 28"
AREA 156 sq ft
MINIMUM WEIGHT 39 lbs 9 oz
9-POLE CABIN STYLE
16mm FIBERGLASS / 19.5mm STEEL FRAME
USE FLOOR SAVER RECT/3X
 

Hooked on Fenix

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
3,076
REI Hobitat 6 at www.rei.com/outlet for $245.93 if you can handle only one room. It has plenty of headroom and is relatively easy to set up. Has aluminum poles with plenty of pole crossings. I really don't like the modified dome tents with fiberglass poles. As I already stated, they don't last long. The problem you seem to have is that you want a tent that is quick to set up, has 2 or more rooms, is reasonably priced, and is built to last. Fiberglass pole modified dome/ cabin tents won't last because they lack pole crossings to make the structure more stable and use cheap fiberglass poles that crack and break. Most aluminum pole tents are one room. If they have more than one room, they are pretty expensive. An REI Kingdom 6 tent, for example, will cost about $440, but is probably the type of tent you'll want, if you can afford it. Steel pole cabin tents last and are very stable, but take time to set up. Take your pick: Cheap and not durable (fiberglass modified dome tent), one room (aluminum dome tent), durable but slow to set up (steel pole cabin tent), or expensive, but with everything you need (aluminum pole 2+ room cabin tent).
 

ElectronGuru

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
6,055
Location
Oregon
Rather than getting one do everything tent, it may prove to be more cost effective to get one nice/small tent for frequent use and one generic/large tent for the occasional stuff. The small tent can be lighter weight for hiking and large tents sit around more and are easier to find used (or at places like Target). Assuming the full family will be car camping, you also needn't worry about things like weight with the large tent. You can focus mostly on convenience and waterproofness. You'll also have extra space if the kids want to bring along friends.
 

prof

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
463
Location
Western TN
Yesterday we looked at tents at Gander Mountain. My son offered to trade his birthday and Christmas presents for the tent he liked! Of course I won't let him do that but it did suggest to my wife how serious he is!
He is almost seven...that tells a lot!

Thanks for all the input! You're making me trust myself. I've thought all along that we'd end up with two tents...a big one now and a hiking tent later, assuming the little guy stays interested. His scout troop does a lot of backpack camping but he's too little yet. That's a few years away.

My problem is obvious...will the girls go often? Will we go often? I think the boys will go a few times a year, but I'm not sure about the girls. That makes a decision tough. I'm considering a decent family tent knowing that I may have to replace it in a couple of years...either with a better family tent or a good hiking tent. That is a compromise, obviously.

However I'm planning a short (2 night) trip with my childhood camping buddy and his sons...at the same place we used to go! Should be great fun and a chance to try whatever I buy.

I think I'm over thinking this...gotta go learn about the one we saw yesterday.

The good news is that I can afford to replace or supplement later, if we use it enough. The bad news is too many variables!

Guys, thanks again for the input! I appreciate it! (and...can't wait to take my new HDS camping!!!)




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

explorerlyon

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
37
I strongly recommend the REI brand tents for what you want. Why? If you have any problem with the tent, REI will give you a new one, no questions asked. They have the most liberal return policy and really stand behind their products. When my son entered Boy Scouts (he is now an Eagle), I bought him the REI Half Dome 2 ($189). This is a 2 man tent, rugged and lightweight. I also have the REI Base Camp 6 tent for the family or larger groups of scouts ($419). Look at the difference between a quality tent and a cheap tent. With a quality tent, it will hold up in the wind and rain. The poles are aluminum. I see other scouts on campouts with tents that are blowing over or getting wet inside with a rain storm. I also have a REI 4 man tent I purchased 20 years ago. Still looks and functions like new. They really hold up. About half of our scout troop has REI tents now.

My son was snow camping with his REI Half Dome. He used an avalance shovel to clear snow off the tent and torn the rain fly. I took the fly into REI to see if they can repair it. They do not do repairs (at least in So Cal), and offered to give us a new tent. I said but we tore the fly, it was not a defect. They were still willing to give us a new tent. I just bought a nylon repair kit and fixed it instad of taking a new tent. But, that is how good the reutrn policy on equipment is at REI.
 

Hooked on Fenix

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
3,076
If you go with an REI tent, shop their outlet store first: www.rei.com/outlet . They have pretty good deals on their REI brand tents. Here's some examples:

REI Camp Dome 6 tent- $189.93
REI Hobitat 4 tent- $210.93
REI Quarter Dome UL 2 man tent- $204.93 (4 lbs. 4 oz.)
REI Hobitat 6 tent- $245.93
earlier model REI Hobitat 6 tent- $192.93
earlier model REI Hobitat 4 tent- $159.93

The Kelty and Mountain Hardware tents on the same site look good as well and are top of the line brands.
 
Last edited:

prof

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
463
Location
Western TN
Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions. We ended up getting a Eureka dome tent. It's a compromise as expected. However I did get to check it out in person (at a Gander Mountain--an hour from here). I picked it up online cheaper than I could buy it in the store. It will work just fine for now. Assuming my little guy stays in scouts, we'll need a much lighter tent for backpacking in a couple of years. Until then, I suspect the girls will go with us occasionally.

It's been years since I got to visit an REI or Cabela's. The only B&M options I have are Gander Mountain and Bass Pro (the nearest Bass Pro is 3 hours away but I'm in Springfield MO several times a year).

I'm excited--it's been far too long since I've gone camping. I'm glad my family is willing to go along! I suspect my little guy will want to sleep outside in the new tent as soon as we can. The kids are swamped right now -- they're both Munchkins in a local Wizard of Oz production and they're both in a summer camp on campus.

I'm planning a short (2 or 3 day) trip with my childhood camping buddy. We're planning to take the kids to the campground we used to visit when we were little. It should be a blast! I don't know if we'll take everyone, or just my son and his 3 older sons. Either way, it should be a blast!

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 

fomgie

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 16, 2018
Messages
2
I have sent my Cabela's 6 man guide model back 2 times, and at no charge have recieved a new one, new poles, and rain fly.Several years ago I bought my first one with the Aluminum poles and took it on a float trip over on the Alaska peninsula.with only a small thicket of Alders and Willows to protect us, the 80 mph winds tore the tent up. bent the Aluminum poles and wore holes in the fly.The same storm tore up and flipped a plane that was tied down at the King Salmon Airport. Two planes were damaged so bad they were not able to fly over in Naknek too. I sent the tent back to Cabela's and told them what happened. I got a new tent back frоm these blog, i recieved a phone call from the people that designed the Guide model and they had set up my damaged tent to see what failed.I told them to just put the tent in a wind tunnel and fire it up to 80 mph with gust a little higher and then add a fire hose aimed it on full to recreate the event.I don't use either one of my Guide models anymore because I do mostly float trips and they are not easy to set up in rain and take down and then set up again each day.. their are different brands and models that set up take down alot faster..these models will keep you dry and hold up in the rough weather,,( I have a Eureka that I really like now) but I would take the guide model with me for drop camps etc. where I was camping in one spot for a week or longer at a time. I sent the newer Guide model back once too due to rub holes in the material from high winds over a 3 day event on a different trip..My next door neighbor bought the other tent you suggested from Cabelas ( can't remember the name) .. I think he got the 4 man...and he uses it on the Haul road etc. He is a road side camper and he likes it ok. He bought the kit that you can get to set it up in the rain.I have sent one of my Guide models over to Kodiak with a friend of mine on two different spring Bear trips and he said it is the cats meow for those trips. He stays in the tent for 2 weeks at a time and enjoys the room and the ability to stand up, Also when set up properly, with a drop cloth underneath, you can really stay dry in really rainy trips.. like Kodiak and the Peninsula
 
Last edited:
Top