Rain under the Footprint
You are right about that, if any water runs down between the tent floor and the floor protecter (footprint) it will seep through the floor materal and get into the bedding, spoiling the happy home. The best footprint I have used was made from an old waterbed mattress and cut so it’s an inch or two smaller than the tent floor with an extra bit hanging out under the vestibules to form a porch for boots and such just outside the tent doors.
Try this site…
– Last Updated: Dec-06-06 9:34 PM EST –
http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eureka/dept.asp?s_id=0&dept_id=3002
The specials and factory seconds are very good.
If you're not in a hurry, the close out and factory seconds change frequently. They seem to be up and running after some very severe flooding in their main outlet last June.
Always owned Eureka, always took advantage of the "seconds". Very seldom found a defect in the tent, outside of a bit of crooked stiching. I think it's five tents in four decades. Heavy use. Two have been large car campers, two have been two man tents, one three man. We still own two of these, one large, and the three. Probably would have owned two less if I didn't loan them out.
And, in response to the inside/outside drop cloth issue, I use the outside drop cloth to keep the bottom of the tent subjected to less moisture, enabling me to break camp with less fuss. I use the inside drop cloth in traffic areas because I like dogs and kids.
T
A
Found another but,
no specs on it other than WxLxH and weight. Nothing on the coating. Anyone have any info on Wneger Tents?
http://www.campingcomfortably.com/wenger-gstaad-ll-backpacking-tent.html
REI outlet
Have you checked rei-outlet.com? I’ve found some good tent deals there in the past, though I don’t have any experience with the models currently listed.
sketchy
I’d be sketchy about a company that makes 90% car camping tents. At least the higher end Coleman stuff has actually proven to be not bad. For a tall 3 person tent, frame of 2 8.5 mm poles sounds a bit light duty if you had to set up in some strong winds.
Coleman Inyo2 sounds decent, another ripoff of the Clip Flashlight but i don’t think as roomy as the Eureka Spitfire 2. The 2 hoop style tents pitch VERY fast and easy as long as you can stake them in.
Tarn 2 would be pretty good though a bit out of your budget. The Coleman Aries 2 should have similar amount of space and pitch quicker but have a much smaller vestibule.
Also if you have an Infinity/Asolo dealer locally,the Raptor 2 is pretty decent( owned one but never got into a serious rain) and roomy tent.sized about halfway between somewhat squishy Tarn 2 and huge Tarn 3.
Eureka Mountain Pass 2XT
I use this for camping solo - plenty of room, great ventilation via big mesh windows. bilateral fly lets you seal up completely or use one or both vestibules half open. 6.2 pounds incl FG shockcords, fits thru an 8" hatch. Use a footprint. Very dry in humidity or heavy rain (Michigan need I say more) Can be found for $150 or less, got mine very lightly used for $70 on eBay.
Eureka
– Last Updated: Dec-03-06 1:40 PM EST –
I have a Eureka Apex 3XTA I picked up off of Ebay for $117 a early last year. It's been discontinued, but the new "Pinnacle Pass" is the exact same model, only it's no longer the loud yellow and black color design of older Eureka tents.
I've been through severe thunderstorms in that tent without a single leak. It was left standing while most others nearby had been blown over. Like most tents, it's small for it's rated capacity (3 man), but is spacious for 2. Ventilation is pretty good, but you could still use it as a 3.5 season tent if you have a good sleeping bag. The vestibule space isn't as large as more expensive tents, but it's enough for my uses. I think Eureka tents have a high "bang for the buck" factor and my Apex (Pinnacle Pass) is no exception. Though it's too heavy for serious backpacking,it's fine in a boat.
A word of advise, look for the XTA versions as opposed to regular XTs; they come with aluminum poles that are lighter and stronger than the standard fiberglass. EDITED TO ADD: It looks like some Eureka tents come with aluminum poles without the "A" designation. Either way, seek out aluminum poles if you choose a Eureka tent.
Also, in this price range, a footprint is rarely an incuded accessory. I use a trimmed sheet of 4 or 5 mil (can't remember) plastic sheeting that works great.
Just plug in "Eureka 3xta" (or 2xta) into ebay and you find plenty of tents in your price range. There's a "Buy it Now" Pinnacle Pass 3XTA on there for $125. I have no affiliation with the sellers...
Phreon
E-bay
Lots of tents for sale.
as with boats
I would rather buy a good, well made used one than a cheap, badly made new one…
A tent (shelter) is way too important to be a cheapskape. It is your last resort of comfort if you ever get miserable on a trip. A leaking tent that can’t stand a little wind or that is difficult to set up could become a real hazard to your health.
Thanks for all the great replies
We use a footprint under the tent AND
plastic inside the tent. It’s insurance and makes it easier to keep the tent clean. It also acts as a vapor barrier and keeps the tent warmer.
We have a Eureka Apex 3TA and it’s storm worthy, but the ventilation is poor. Especially bad in warm/hot weather.
Priorities
I just recently bought a new 3-man Kelty and am very happy with it. It’s the first tent I’ve ever owned that has a “skylight.”
Anyway, my biggest shopping criteria were:
- Buy from reputable store. REI and Campmor have GREAT return policies. Make sure you can send it back if you get it and the front-door zipper doesn’t work.
- Bathtub style floor. It’s harder to sweep out, but I made the mistake of buying a tent without this design once and…WHEW!..that was a mistake.
- THICK floor material. Get the thickest you can (depending on your weight requirements). Adding a pad below it is great, but starting with a thick floor material helps more than a secondary pad.
- Some type of “porch.” There’s nothing like slogging your way through the rain and mud, only to get to your tent and try to pull your rain-jacket and boots off while still standing in the rain. I got the Kelty that has the rainfly that extends out over the entrance. It was priceless on it’s maiden voyage!! Some tents actually have an extended material “porch” so you’re not standing in mud. I couldn’t find one of those on sale when I was shopping, so I got an extra little (heavy) tarp to serve the same purpose.
- Dome tent that doesn’t require stakes to be set up. This may not be your priority, but it needs to be considered. Some dome tents still require stakes and I needed something that didn’t require that.
Good luck with your search!!
Sierra Designs
I have a Night Watch, by Sierra Designs. (They don’t make that one anymore.) They are very well made tents. I also have an inexpensive Spalding 4 man dome. We bought the Sierra Designs for backpacking in the Whites. Reducing the packing size and weight cost you a lot more with good tents, and it really is not as much of an issue with kayaking. If I were buying a tent now, for kayaking, I wouldn’t worry nearly so much about weight, and I wouldn’t spend nearly so much, (the boat can carry a lot more than I can pack through the mountains.) They’re all a heck of a lot better than a canvas shelter half and poncho, (which is what I had gotten used to before I moved here and started hiking again in New England.) It is nice to have room to keep some gear dry, and since you’re not carrying it, why not go big?
LL Bean #2 Dome/ SD Sirus
The LL Bean #2 dome is around $120 and a good, all around tent. Its on the heavy side for backpacking (8lbs), so I usually split the load with my partner and he/she takes the poles.
Its sheds water well and is practically indestructable. The first one I owned I gave to a friend. Its almost 20 years old is still going strong. My current one is 8 years old and as good as new.
Its officially a roomy, 2 person tent, but can fit 3 people in a pinch (but you’d better be good friends). It comes with an optional vestibule that I have, but usually leave home.
For a lighter tent, you might want to consider the Sierra Designs Sirus. Both the 2 and 3 person Sirus can be found for under $150 and both check in around 5 lbs packed. It has a mesh roof so you can sleep under the stars and a fly that can quickly be pulled over the tent should a nightime shower pass through. It offers great ventilation even with the fly attached. The Sirus has doors on both sides so you don’t have to climb over your tentmate when entering and exitiing.
Unlike the LL Bean dome, room is very tight in the Sirus, so the 3 person is probably the the better choice even if you are only camping with 2 people.
Kelty Gunnison II
We used a Kelty Gunnison II on the Mississippi River for 73 days last summer. Just a simple 2 pole dome, but it held up fine. Runs about $150.
http://sourcetosea.net
I agree with
Source2sea… the Kelty Gunnison II, albeita bit heavy (9lbs), is reasonable, well made, and I have used it for two years.
I picked up
a Wenger, 4 person dome for my daughter a few years back. The quality was good, but it was one of those 5 pole jobs that you need an engineers degree to assemble the first time. We ended up color coding the poles and the clips so it could be quickly set up. For what they try to charge for them (notice I said try, because I always see them on clearance sites or on Overstock or Amazon at bargain prices). You can do better.
Just to be fair, remember…
– Last Updated: Dec-08-06 1:14 PM EST –
... that Jacobson stores his food in air-tight containers and stresses they must be clean of all external food residue so the critters can't smell them. Also remember that he spends more time guiding large groups of people in the north woods in a single month than most of the rest of us spend up there in a lifetime, and if he's never seen food lost this way that's worth something. Finally, doesn't everybody know by now that many Boundary Waters bears have learned that when they chew on ropes that point up to a tree, tasty gifts drop from the sky? I've heard of dozens of accounts of people losing their food to bears this way, but haven't heard of anyone losing their food when it was packed in air-tight containers and kept away from camp (admittedly, not as many people store their food that way). Laugh all you want, but all those people who have lost food to bears even though it was properly hung up were not laughing at the time.
As far as the ground-cloth issue, there is *some* justification for putting a ground cloth inside (you are more likely to be dry with this method when there are pinhole leaks in the floor than with the ground cloth below), but when it comes to the issue of long-term wear and tear, I have to say that I've certainly gotten more holes in the tent floor from twigs and stuff poking up from below than the other way around.
Sorry
– Last Updated: Dec-08-06 3:04 PM EST –
I drove trips for two differant wilderness camps BWCA, Porkies, Picture Rocks, Sylvania, Sawtooth Mountains, Namakagan, Brule, Apostle Islands, Isle Royal...etc
this was over a period of about 10 years
I've also lead many as a Scout Leader(Isle Royal, Porkies, Sawtooth Mts, BWCA, Apostles,North Country Trail Sys, Brule, Namakagon, St Croix,
(lead trips for over 20 years)
One camp Hung food ...the other didn't
I saw plenty of dammage using Cliffs method, (and probably newly trained critters)
None with proper hangs
guess your actual milage varried...or the hangs really were done in a poor manner (I've seen many poor hangs in the woods) and Cliffs method was done impeciably and at a time the critters were elsewhere...(things are differant when using Garcia Bear Canister's)
Best Wishes
Roy
My “mileage” didn’t "vary"
I honestly had a hard time making sense of all that you wrote (couldn’t figure out the relationship between all those years of camping and the “one camp hung food, the other didn’t” statement), but of course not that many bears have learned that trick about chewing ropes, and it works fine most of the time.
As for me, I didn’t say I’ve ever had a problem. I made no mention of my experience at all, but when I was up there, I hung my food and all was well. It’s just that I’ve been hearing so many stories recently about “educated” bears, bears which know what happens after chewing on a rope. When you say that “properly” hung food won’t be gotten by the bears, do you tie-off the rope way up a tree or something? That’s probably what I’d do next time- make the tie-off point very hard to get to. I imagine when a bear chews through a rope, it’s a rope which is easy to see and which can be reached from the ground. I also have read that some people have started hanging their food using dark-colored ropes, but with a white rope installed nearby as a “decoy”, because white ropes are what the educated bears have been chewing through.