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Tent

Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
35
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Location
Panhandle, TX
First Name
Robert
Im looking for a nice 2 or 3 man tent to pack on my bike or a nice sized one man. I want room for me and my bags in the tent.

Main feature i want is WATERPROOF at a fair price.

Which ones have yall had good luck with?
 
I like my old Eureka! 4 man "A" frame. I also have a Cabela's Alaska Guide Model, but that is harder to set up and does not have the room of the Eureka. Both have weathered tornadoes and pouring rain with nothing getting wet or weathered upon. I am just up the road in Pampa if you'd like to try one or both out on a trip.
 
I have an REI Half Dome 2 that I like, but would definately recommend a eureka tent if they are still like the old ones.
 
Im looking for a nice 2 or 3 man tent to pack on my bike or a nice sized one man. I want room for me and my bags in the tent.

Main feature i want is WATERPROOF at a fair price.

Which ones have yall had good luck with?

I did some camping gear shopping last fall and learned a few things.

My tent criteria:
  • 2 person with at least one vestibule (solo camping with room for gear)
  • tall enough to sit up in (for ease of changing mc gear)
  • 4 season or 3+ season convertible models that have have zip up panels to cover the mesh. These are generally more durable and wind resistant.
  • aluminum poles (durability and wind resistance)
  • Top brand, like North Face, Eureka!, Big Agnes, Mountain Hardware, Sierra Designs, Kelty, Marmot, REI, etc.
  • $200 budget (that was the hard part)

I patiently watched ebay, amazon, REI, etc. for about three months and found a slightly used $400 North Face Polaris on ebay for $73 including shipping. ;-)

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I camped in Arkansas New Year's Eve in temps around 20f and I was snug as a bug. The fly comes off and there's plenty of mesh for summer air flow and stargazing.
 
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Any of the top brands like kp600 listed have models that fit you needs and are (or will be after you seam seal them) waterproof. I've probably owned at least 10 tents over the years and all served their purpose well. Motorcycle camping is in general not very extreme, so many of the things you could pay extra $$$ for (packs really small, extreme lightweight, ability to withstand high winds and snow loads ...) aren't really needed.

If this thread goes like most I've seen, everyone will say that the tent they use "serves them well" or "worked OK for me" which is a testament to how good all tents from the major manufacturer have gotten. Maybe the better question is has anybody bought and used a tent they didn't like.

Also, as kp600 says, look for close-out, discontinued models on ebay or other places on the internet.

Cheers,

Ben
 
For motorcycling I'd stay away from 1 man tents. I have a Mountain Hardware 3 man thingy and it's pretty much adequate for me, and all my gear tossed out next to me inside the tent. I wanted something that would hold all my gear so that if it's raining I don't have to mess with either sleeping on my gear, or having my gear and bags sit out in the rain.

If it's use is going to be motorcycle camping, then I'd get something that holds you and all your stuff.
 
For motorcycling I'd stay away from 1 man tents. ... If it's use is going to be motorcycle camping, then I'd get something that holds you and all your stuff.

Very good advice. Here is my 3-man tent with just my stuff in it ...

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Cheers,

Ben
 
+1 for a 2+ man tent. Always buy a tent that's one size bigger than you plan to fit in it. I'm currently running a North Face Tadpole 21 and love it. It's big enough for me and all my riding gear and has a vestibule for all the junk I don't want in the tent. Love it, and with the rain fly it holds warmth quite well. In TX I wouldn't worry about 3/4 season, a nice 3 season is good enough.


Here's this:

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Mountain Hardware Light Wedge II.

At (gasp!! I didn't realize it was this old!) almost 10 years old it still keeps the wind and rain out, and me, gear, a dog, and a guitar in.

No matter what, aluminum poles.
 
Most bang for buck. REI Camp Dome Only one drawback; no vestibule. And the floor is a few inches shorter than the other "dome" tents. Easy set up and no problems with rain. Two doors with plenty of ventilation. Other than that it is great for a single person. $99 every day price.
 
Im looking for a nice 2 or 3 man tent to pack on my bike or a nice sized one man. I want room for me and my bags in the tent.

Main feature i want is WATERPROOF at a fair price.

Which ones have yall had good luck with?
Waterproof can be most any tent if the user is smart about it. I've camped in $50 wal-mart tents and stayed dry just by staying away from the walls and staking it out so condensation doesn't build up.

Spending the money for a better tent makes staying dry easier. Still gotta follow the basic rules though.

I've got a Kelty 2-person tent that I've had for nearing 10yrs and love it. REI, NorthFace, etc are also good brands.
 
Anything you buy from REI has a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. If it blows a seam 5 years down the road and you don't think your sewing skills are up to the task, take it back, they'll replace it or give you store credit equal to what you paid for it. Use it for a year and decide you should've bought that other model, take it back, same thing. I *heart* REI for trying out gear I'm not sure I'm going to like.

Save your receipt or get a membership (they store everything in a DB in the case of the latter) to take advantage of the guarantee.
 
Might I recomend Bass Pro Shops is having a pretty big camping gear sale.. I picked up a small 2 person with vestibule for 24.99 and it only weighs 3.5lbs
 
When dome tents first came out in the mid 70s I bought one and was camping at Canyon Lake one summer weekend when a huge thunderstorm blew through. This crowded campground was empty the next morning as all the other tents blew apart in the 60 or so mph winds. The fiberglass poles flexed, sometimes severely but did their job.

The modern tents are even better. Just pick the size and I would not even worry about fiberglass or aluminum pole choice.
 
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