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.
I’ve had good luck
Locking down tents after adding an extra 5 feet of p cord to each major tie down or corner. If you pile a good size stack of rocks, or tie it into something solid like roots or a log, the tent won’t go anywhere. Much better than stakes,especially on a beach.
only a comparison …
the Alps seems to review well…
http://www.google.com/#q=review+Alp+Extreme+3+season+tent
and claims status as a ‘mountaineering tent’ where the Gunnison is merely ‘a tent’
the Alps adverts a lot more for an extra $50 where the Kelty has a solid background of reliable durability.
buy color coded cord n practice setting the Alps with cord n stakes …cut cords n pack. Add midspan loops. Buy extra long poly stakes if the geology is loose ground.
Then you should have an idea of Force One guying, Force Two…
after 4-5 practice sessions, onto the bank n setup and in will take 10-15 minutes for Force two
Agree on 3 poles
My two pole Eureka 2 man was wind flattened with me in it and left me thinking an extra pole would have helped, 3 poles for me now.
I like the MSR Elixir I have now. The fly takes on a rounded shape which slips wind well
https://www.rei.com/product/865346/msr-elixir-2-tent-with-footprint
If you want more screen, their Hubba Hubba series is similarly designed.
They are well made.
I have that same tent
Kelty Grand Mesa 2. Have not had it in severe wind. Am curious if you had wrapped the Velcro tabs on the rain fly, around the poles. It would be an easy step to leave out, but, might make a difference.
Its in the rigging
Find a tent with multiple tie down points…
Or put a sil-nylon tarp over what you do have, but be sure the tarp is spiked down on 7 to 8 points.
There are plenty of two pole backpacker tents that work fine in the wind if you have the line and spikes, pockets, or pickets to bolt them down. Heavy rain will generally require an auxiliary tarp though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7OyVDMRchY … enjoy the color commentary. MSR Hubba Hubba… I used this for along time. It would have not blown away if I would have been it. I was chicken shit that day. This was the storm system that flooded Duluth in 2012. .
The rain fly started getting leaky after several years, not during that storm system though. I bought a new one last year, they have less netting in the walls now and I like the fly design better. I used it at this same campsite last October and it was another TS show. No hail though. They are white / red now. No photo of it at the storm campsite. This is the only trip I used it on so far. Packs nice. single pole design. Free stand.
That’s an adventure Pattit!
Wow.
An altogether different approach is to sleep tentless. I’ve slept next to my kayak, with and without a bivy bag, and with and without a very low tarp (using top of kayak as ridge line). Depending on how high above water you are, you can trench out a little area where you’re sleeping to increase head room (to keep tarp off of nose). Precipitation or other environmental conditions may make this more or less practical. If it’s especially windy, one of the disadvantages of sleeping tentless (mosquitoes & other biting flying things) will likely have taken care of itself.