Thanks for the replies
Wish I could afford a Hilleberger 1000 dollar tent. That’s too much money for me even though it would last a long time. My current tent was only about 110 bucks. It did hold BUT I thought it wasn’t. I was thinking about just a tent that has more poles for extra strength.
Guess I have to just look around more. I did email some tent makers will see if they email me back. Like I said most show how light there new tent is which I don’t care about lightness.
Check out the REI site
they have a number of two person three pole three season tents.
Eureka Alpenlite 2XT
Great tent but it is a tight fit for 2 people
Gunnison
Gunnison is very tight for 2 people plus gear but the 2 vestibules swallow gear.\The vestibules find a top view diagram allow the dome shape for squat to assume an aerodynamic advantage pointed into the wind.
I’m impressed.
My 2nd Gunnison, a pro bathtub model shrunk 4-6" in height for unknown reasons. The newfangled hub-tent connector walked
Those Expeds look nice
Never seen one in person before though.
Eureka!
I believe folks are absolutely right in noting that tents that work well for mountaineering or hiking aren’t necessarily the best for canoe/kayak camping. I think a couple of things that need to be considered for a canoe/kayak tent which are less important in other kinds of tents is the ease of pitching rapidly and taking into consideration that you’ll probably be staking down in sand (which doesn’t always hold stakes real well) with some regularity. Beaches are different from many other camping locations that other tents are well suited for.
I’ve tried a variety of tents - sort of a “sucker” for tents, I guess - but I keep coming back to the Eureka! Timberline 2XT. Its sort of a Boundary Waters standard and hasn’t changed a lot in forty years. Its a lot like the one ecklison mentioned. If its oriented properly to the wind, as also has been previously mentioned, it stands up pretty darned well. I know, of course, that sometimes winds are variable and the pitch may be less than ideal.
I think the vestibule that comes with the XT variant of the Timberline, when placed on the upwind end, goes a long way in preventing wind from getting inside the tent and turning it into a kite. The vestibule also adds two more stakes to the standard Timberline which can’t hurt. I’ve heard of folks adding a couple more loops to the rain fly to allow the addition of yet two more stakes on the side. Not a bad idea. And there are two rings at the fly’s top which can be used for yet more rope/stake rigging or for tying to a tree.
The lack of sleeves speeds set up time considerably. (I believe the sleeve tents are stronger though and handle snow better, but you said that’s not a concern for you.) I too often find myself on the water, it gets cloudy, I plug along thinking it might clear or just be a shower until the wind or rain starts to pick up, maybe a little distant lightning, and it gets a bit more serious… And there I am out cruising around looking for a good place to set camp. Often enough the weather is getting fairly rough by the time I’m actually landed and setting up the tent. I bet I’m not the only one here who that occasionally happens to. Set up speed matters quite a bit at such times.
Carrying along some nice long stakes helps, even 18" lath strips for sand. Nobody wants to be out in the storm looking for something to make a dead man anchor with, though they’re great if you’ve got the time before a storm hits and materials are at hand.
BTW, Eureka! was selling a tent, the Downrange 2, that looks like it might have canoe/kayaking potential also. Might want to look that one over. Its a two pole dome tent with a large fly that puts a sizable vestibule on each side of the tent and should help keep wind out pretty well also.
Packability
– Last Updated: Jul-30-16 7:52 PM EST –
When I started the transition from whitewater rafting (big tent & cot) to kayak touring, I had certain criteria for my kayak tent. Clips only, no pole sleeves for speed & ease of set-up. Two person (for just me) with decent space & height. Two doors & two full sized vestibules. Good mix of fabric & mesh for ventilation. Lots of guy out lines. I wanted all of this for under 5 pounds and in a packable size that would easily fit between the scupper pillars in my SOT kayak. After a lot of looking, I found the Big Agnes Blacktail 2 for under $200. Total weight with footprint & 12 MSR Ground Hog stakes is 5 pounds. 12 total stake spots, 4 corner, 2 vestibules, and 6 guy outs on the tent ends (1 low center, 2 high corners). The fly has two roof vents, and I LOVE the 4 good sized stash pockets that are located on the ceiling of the tent instead of around the floor level. Two of the ceiling pockets have openings so you can stick an iPhone up there and run the earphones down to watch a movie. Handy if you are tent bound because of bad weather. It's a three pole design if you count the short pole that goes across the door area, otherwise it's the traditional 2 pole X configuration. Sturdy little tent that works great for me.
I tried out the Sierra Designs Lightning 2 first, but couldn't tolerate the condensation inside the pseudo single wall design.
tonight
– Last Updated: Jul-30-16 8:49 PM EST –
we're tight in muh E250 big windshield facing a AA Squall Line come down the peninsula off the sand ridge following with RSS and SSD NOAA GOV GULF via a MiFi Inspiron on the doghouse.
Fans running.
SSD in AVN JSL n FUNKTOP all implied via the color RED/MAROON a large storm below Tampa and a pop up storm off Sanibel.
RSS did not display a Tampa or Sanibel storm. I can see Sanibel from here n sky was clear.
My info was RSS derived from SSD.
?
another vote for the eureka timberline
for canoe camping- if you don’t mind the weight the outfitter model is rock solid, any tent you get will have to be staked for windy conditions.
cost is not quality
110 bucks isn’t too tight a budget. You should be able to find a 2-3 person tent for under 200 bucks for sure.
(none of my tents cost over 200, they all handle wind pretty well, they ALL got THREE poles though. I think your primary mistake was the 2-pole part)
Another thing, you want to pay attention to the direction of the wind when pitching your tent. Well, on a dome tent, it’s basically all bad, due to the high profile.
You could also look into a tunnel type of tent. But I think the best compromise probably are the type that’s blending tunnel with dome. So they look like a low profile dome, higher on the head and low on the feet. Pitch it with the feet to the wind.
rare to find a wind-silent tent
I started backpacking and mountaineering in my 20’s and was an outdoor guide and winter camping instructor for a while as well as managing a wilderness outfitter that carried most of the major brands of high end tents (many of which I got to try out.) The ONLY tent I ever used that was completely silent in the kind of gusty winds you get in coastal areas was the Cannondale Wabash T-91 and it’s slightly larger successor the T-891. Unfortunately, Cannondale stopped making tents in the 1980’s and nobody since has really adopted that design. The Wabash was a staked tent (not free-standing) that was an aerodynamic design – looked kind of like two ice cream cones stuck together as it had a 6’ long floorless vestibule that mirrored the shape of the tent itself. It was heavy (7 lbs 6 oz for the T-91 and nearly 9 lbs for the T-891) and the aluminum poles were larger diameter than most other backpacking tents, with center sections made of flexible plastic that created the tensioned arch, front and rear. You set it up with two well placed stakes 17’ across with buckled straps that you could quickly shorten to tighten the tent.
The real innovation was that it had a structural double wall of non-coated nylon with a 3" air gap . Pitched tight, rain would hit the outer wall (the fly), soak through and run down the inside to the ground, never dripping through to the inside. There was never a drop of condensation due to the breathability. And the dual wall went all the way to the ground and was tensioned by the frame so it was impervious to wind and also served as an insulator – great stormy weather and winter tent.
When beach camping (I lead several backpacking trips on Assateague Island) I would bank sand over the edge of the outer fly wall and the tent was completely quiet while everyone else’s snapped like flags all night. The huge open floor vestibule was terrific for stashing grubby gear outside and for cooking under roof in bad weather. You could actually stash a bicycle in it if you removed the front tire or have a third person sleep in it, in a pinch.
I think there are still some mountaineering tents that are made with flies that go all the way to the ground and can be pitched too tautly to snap. Those might be your best bet. the Crux X1 Assault is somewhat similar. http://www.backcountrygear.com/x1-assault.html
I still have the Wabash T-891 but have not used it in nearly 15 years. This link has photos by somebody who owns a Wabash and two other related Cannondale models. These tents occasionally come up for sale used – I just missed picking up a T-91 that was on Ebay last Spring.
http://s12.photobucket.com/user/meganandrusty/library/cannondale?sort=3&page=1
The outfitter I ran had the Eureka Timberlines (both 2 man and 4 man( as outfitter and rental tents and I used them several times. Though they are good sturdy tents, my observation was that the suspension type frame tends to make the roofs flap quite a bit more than tents where the poles run through solid sleeves, reducing slack in the tent body fabric.
My chief complaint with Eureka tents is that the coating on the nylon they used for the floors and flies seemed to degrade and peel much sooner in their life than other tents in the same moderate price range (Diamond and Coleman, for instance). Perhaps they’ve improved that, but it was a major warranty issue during my years in the gear biz.
sqwauk sqwauk beep beep
Rrrrrrr rrrrrrr
FKAPFLAPFLAP
a Gunnison is silent
wind whooshes by…
Z wind forces an aero tent to tighten up.
windward forces flatten tent surfaces pulling leeward surfaces snug.
A Cannondale tent ! tent come with a motorcycle purchase ?
huh?
– Last Updated: Aug-04-16 12:21 PM EST –
Cannondale's central business has always been centered around bicycling -- don't know where you get "motorcycles".
UPDATE: OK, I concede DK's comment. Doing some research I see that Cannondale made a brief and very unsuccessful foray into motorsports from 1998 to 2003, a step that drove the whole company into bankruptcy.
Their first products were in the backpacking and bike touring gear business in the early 1970's, starting with daypacks, panniers and handlebar bags (and the popular "Bugger" bike trailer) and eventually making a wide range of external and internal frame packs, duffel bags and four models of tents. I worked for one of their first dealers and was given a prototype T-91 tent to beta test. In fact they borrowed the design principles that made the innovative (but also short-lived) Rivendell Jensen and Jack Stephenson "Warmlite" tents so wind-shedding.
Doesn't take a lecture on aerodynamic principles to know what does and doesn't work. Experience has taught me that a full sleeve frame tent with a fly that pitches taut and can be banked around the perimeter minimizes wind noise substantially.
Unfortunately, that has been the fate of many of the companies that were most innovative in outdoor products. Many of the brands that remain dominant in the industry are watered down divisions of giant corporate conglomerates, like North Face and JanSport, which since 1988 and 1986 respectively have been branches of Vanity Fair Lingerie and which now primarily mass-produce poorly made "status label" clothing and book bags for the collegiate crowd.
observation not theory
http://s2.graphiq.com/sites/default/files/2237/media/images/t2/_415990_i2.jpg
http://goo.gl/8L4PoF
is T-91 ? or ?
the gunnison is quiet, hugs down to the ground in wind.
Tent n fly need mid span loops.
NF produces AAA designs. I have a 6’6" NF -0- bag. Once in a …I’ll spring for a discounted rag.
not quite a T-91
This photo has the T-891 Wabash in the center in the image. The earlier T-91 was tan with grey-green fly and was 12" narrower across the rear footprint…
http://s12.photobucket.com/user/meganandrusty/media/cannondale/cannondaletents002.jpg.html
!
– Last Updated: Aug-05-16 2:40 AM EST –
The T photo I posted comes from a collection in Google Images
When I examined the Goo Image photo you posted, my reaction was I was looking at a joke photo of broken or badly designed tents.
You"re pulling our leg ?
Think I found my tent
Alps Mountaineering Extreme 2 tent. Looks almost as tough as a 4 season tent but much better ventilation for summer use. Plus its not super pricey like a Hilleberg tent. Its heavy but like I said who cares when kayak camping.
http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/products/tents/backpacking-tents/extreme
not at all pulling your leg
I don’t know why the owners of those 3 Cannondale tents have the side guys pulled out so far in a few of their shots. There is no need for them to sag in the ridgeline – all it takes is a sharp tug on the camlock webbing loops at the front and rear stakes to snug up the canopy.
My Cannondales were fortresses. Shed heavy wet snowloads like they were spindrift, completely dry in monsoon like rains or jungle-like humidity and impervious to high winds. The thicker diameter poles helped – the walls and roofs can’t deflect as they do with skinny fiberglass and flexing aluminum poles. Only the arched middle sections of solid flexible polyethylene bend. Great ventilation for warm weather too and that huge floorless vestibule was an innovation in that era. Sturdier fabrics, zippers and webbing than many other backpacking tents and most seams triple-stitched.
During the years I did a lot of winter backpacking and mountaineering, even though I also owned a North Face VE-24 winter geodesic dome tent, I preferred the T-891 for snow camping. Always was snug, secure and dry in that tent. I haven’t used it in a long time but maybe it’s time to air it out.
packed size ?
Kelty Gunnison
Minimum trail weight 4 lbs. 11 oz.
Packed size 13 x 16 inches
Floor dimensions 84 x 52 inches 7/4
Floor area 30 square feet
Vestibule area 15 + 8 square feet
Peak height 42 inches
The Alps boasts a higher D count…bathtub floor ?
Alps top view plus measures gives a block shape where the Gunnison is narrow and long. Gunnison is tight (er)for 2.
Kelty Gunnison
Kelty Gunnison looks just like my Kelty Grand Mesa 2. Not seeing how that would handle wind any better than what I already have.
The Alps has another full pole which looks to me like it would handle heavy wind much better. Since I don’t have local access to it I can only presume from looking at the pole design its a stronger design.
All the 4 season tents I looked at most have another full pole or 2 like the Alp Extreme 3 season tent. But the Alp being a 3 season is much better vented. I don’t intend to use any tent in the winter but like the tougher design of 4 season tents BUT way to hot for my use. So this Alps Extreme looks best to me. See zero advantage with the Gunnison.