Need help/advice on a camping tent

[Valpo Hawkeye]

My wife and I are going to do some camping this summer/fall. I'd like to find a 3-season tent for her, myself, our 65 lb greyhound and occasionally my 13-year-old nephew. I'm imagining a 4-person tent. I'd like to find a quality tent in the $100-$150 range that will last, is functional and is a good value. I'm open to retail stores, online retailers and even eBay. Neither of us is terrifically outdoorsy, but I'm pretty mechanical so it doesn't have to be a tent for idiots.

 

[Black Rose]

One thing I would advise would be to get a tent that has a square base.

We have what is supposed to be a 5 or 6 person tent that has a hexagon shaped base. After we got our mattress in it, it basically turned into a 3 person tent due to the lost floor space.

 

[half-watt]

unless i missed it, i didn't see if you were planning on going car camping (versus let's say "backpacking"). i'm going to assume yes, b/c you mentioned that y'all weren't particularly "outdoorsy" (i think that's the word that you used). if so, the tent can be heavier (and roomier), plus of a more heavyduty construction - which actually reduces the price somewhat over the silNylon and Spinnaker fabrics we often employ in true backpacking - less wt. to carry).

my advice is to look for an inexpensive Eureka or Coleman tent. if you go to the Coleman website, click the link "Family Store" and use the password "FAMILY" (w/o the dbl-quotes). the prices on lights are often 50% of the normal retail price. other item's prices can be reduced similarly.

a co-worker purchased this spring a new Coleman four-person tent for car camping and loves it. says it held up real well in a storm at the KOA campsite two weeks ago. his tent also has a "port" or window in which he could mount a D-cell powered fan to get some air movement through the tent on a hot, humid night.

eBay may be another source. lot's of inexpensive tents. i can't recommend many of them (though i've bought a couple for $20 or less each) fr/rinky-dink manufacturers. however, sometimes a decent used tent fr/a big-name mfr. can be had cheap. only once did i have a problem purchasing a no longer made "collector's" tent on eBay. it smelled horribly of stale cigarette smoke, so if that is an issue for you make sure that you query the Seller on this particular point. most Sellers particularly mention the presence of a smoky smell or lack thereof.

sorry, i don't have a four-person tent that i could sell you dirt-cheap.

if you have a particular tent that you're looking at and you want my opinion b/f purchasing, just PM me, or Post back here. i'll leave this Thread Subscribed to for about a week (i generally dont' leave Thread Subscriptions in my CPF account for more than a few days).

good luck on your quest.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Hmmm did some quick searching and the best one I came up with would be a Family Camping Tent from REI.

Here is my reasoning if you're interested...
Any 4-person backpacking tent is going to be rather expensive, a 2 person backpacking tent for ~$100+ is often a good deal when you're talking about reputable manufacturers. So a 4-man is going to be out of your price range for high quality elitist brand stuff.
I've never been a big fan of a lot of the "house style" family tents, as I've seen them leak, get blown over, break, rip and cheap poles bend. But then again I also know many people aren't looking for a tent that will stand up to hurricane force winds, and don't want to crawl into their tent at night either. So this seemed like a decent compromise.
I have a couple REI brand tents and all of them are still in pretty good shape (~15 year old 2 and 3-man tents).

A second place to look for cheaper in price (and probably quality) would be looking at coleman tents. Using the family store discount you can pick a big tent up pretty cheap. Some of those look like a pain to set up though. So many choices I will have to do some more looing around in there before I could come up with a suggestion.

edit: and half-watt swoops in just before me

 

[LED_astray]

One thing I would advise would be to get a tent that has a square base.

We have what is supposed to be a 5 or 6 person tent that has an octagon shaped base. After we got our mattress in it, it basically turned into a 3 person tent due to the lost floor space.

Best if you find the dimensions and lay things out before buying. (REI, and other outdoor specialty stores, will set tents up for you to try in store.) I'm sure backpacking tents count people differently than I do. (I wouldn't be surprised if car camping tents aren't the same.) I got a salesman to admit the tents were advertised with people head to toe (your shoulders are wider, so average them out) without any gear in the tent. That I can believe, but I'd wouldn't really be happy to live it.

In our area, REI is the standard go to store for campers. The die hards have a couple very specialized stores and lots of folks hit CostCo for big heavy & cheap tents for their car camping needs. (CostCo, and the chain sporting goods stores, may be seasonal....)

Remember while you tend to get what you pay for, with tents you can pay hundreds to shave a few ounces from the weight, so it is easy to go too far. Good luck & have fun!

PS- do you have your flashlights picked out?

 

[Robocop]

If you are planning on moderate weather camping every few weeks there is nothing wrong with a Coleman brand tent. They are affordable and most use the flexible rods strapped together for framing so they are hard to go wrong when assembling. I have several that have lasted for years with average use and I think they were all under 100 dollars.

Dome tents are popular and easy to set up and most use the flexible rods I spoke of. Coleman makes several 4 person tents and some even have seperated rooms or even a screened in porch area for your dog. My dog always stayed inside with me anyway however it is cool that you include your pet on your trips.

If you want a more dependable and well known tent look into the Kelty brand. These are costly however proven in the worst conditions and have a great warranty dept. I am sure there are many other good brands however I only have experience with Kelty and Coleman.

 

[Crenshaw]

With what limited camping experience i have, im going to say, 3 person tent = Comfortable for 2. 4 person tent = comfortable for 5 people. And so on.

Im not terrifically outdorsey either (hard be in Singapore really)

but at least i know im fairly prepared in my head...

http://www.equipped.org/toc.htm

Information there is pretty useful even if its not for survival sake
oh, thier flashlight section is abit out of date though.

Crenshaw

 

[adamlau]

I typically base my gear purchases based on Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Awards.

 

[InTheDark]

If you want to be comfortable, figure on a tent with 50% more capacity than you need. Tent capacities are based on an average sized Oompa Loompa or 6 year old child, or for people who don't mind being very, very intimate. For 3 people and a large dog, a 4 person tent will work, but won't be very comfortable, I'd go with at least a 6 man or better. If you plan on keeping your gear inside with you, backpacks and such take up a lot of space inside a tent. Also, a tent with a large vestuble (covered area that not inside the tent) is nice. That allows you to keep your stuff outside, without crowding up the inside of your tent.

Also, x2 on the square base, or something close to it. Hexagons and octagons just aren't very space efficient, there's a lot of wasted corner space.

Costco usually has some decent tents for reasonable prices. Sportsman Guide, Cabelas, Campmor, and a lot of the other mail order catalouges always have a pretty good selection at reasonable prices. REI also has good tents, but are geared torwards the more experienced outdoorsman, so they tend to be more expensive. They also rent equipment, that way you can try out different models before actually buying.

The larger family tents aren't really designed for hard use, but it sounds like you dont' really need it for that. They'll be fine in spring summer weather, but in a heavy downpour or strong winds they might not hold up very well.

 

[RGB_LED]

Valpo Hawkeye, you didn't mention whether you would be backpacking or car-camping - that may help with determining weight of the tent. However, for that price range, it may be more difficult to find a very, light-weight backpacking tent.

+1 for REI.com. I have shopped at REI several times for gear and their prices are decent, compared to our CDN prices for similar equipment. Good online store and shipping is hassle-free although not always fast... but, again, I'm in Canada so we sometimes have speed bumps at Customs. :sick2:

That said, I just found the Kelty Grand Mesa 4 on sale now at REI.com for $139.99 (of course, any applicable taxes and shipping will be extra). Kelty makes very good tents and this is also an attractive price for a 4-person tent that's just over 8lbs packed weight. Check this link.

As also mentioned by others, if you are car-camping, going with a Coleman or local sporting goods store brand may be sufficient - ask the store to set up the tent and try it out if they don't have them already setup. Also, check that they allow returns if the tent doesn't perform as well in adverse conditions. ie. Some brands at local sporting goods stores may leak when it rains or the poles may just be cheap and may buckle under moderately windy conditions. I have a friend who had to return his tent to a local store due to the poles breaking during a moderate windy, thunderstorm.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Mike Painter]

Valpo Hawkeye, you didn't mention whether you would be backpacking or car-camping.

My question also. A few years ago I bought a pop-up canopy (10x10) and put my own sidewalls on it. In my case, I back my explorer about a foot into the interior. It works like a charm, one person can put it up (in the dark without practice if need be) in a very short time. It has a lot of full stand up room.

I went real cheap on the canopy and the sidewalls are plastic tarps held on with shower curtains. I did buy a good cot after to much time on the ground or a leaky air mattress.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

We'll be car camping. Greyhounds aren't really hikers.

No, that's not me, and that's not my dog. But you get the idea... They poop out after 5/8 of a mile.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

I'm looking at this or something like it...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Colem...ryZ16041QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I like the tents at REI.com but I'm not sure we'll use it enough to justify extra cost.

 

[BIGIRON]

www.sierratradingpost.com often runs really good specials and closeouts (probably not for tents this time of year), often with free shipping. Their CS is top notch. .

Cabela's will have everything from entry level throw-aways to expedition grade.

My rule of thumb is 4person is comfortable for 2 adults and gear and 6 person for 3 or 4 real people. One thing we've done for car/canoe camping is to have a separate tent for gear, particularly for a lengthy stay. (A small, inexpensive pup-tent - about 3 lbs - for gear and our 3 person Eureaka dome for the two of us.)

Generally, I'd look for a "tub" bottom (i.e. the bottom seam comes up the side of the tent a bit), double sewn and/or taped seams (I'd apply additonal seam sealer anyway). Large, sturdy zippers. A ground cloth (under the bottom of the tent) and another inside will make your tent be dryer and last much longer. The ground cloth needs to be a little smaller than the footprint of the tent - keeps rain from gathering and running under tent - but in real rain, plan to get some water under the tent no matter what. The ground cloth can be a simple vinyl tarp cut or folded to fit. We use an old plastic table cloth, with a kind of cloth backing, inside the tent.

Otherwise, just buy what you like. You'll generally get what you pay for, except for the high-end stuff.

edit - here's sierra's tents http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/322_tents.html?cm_re=main-_-camphike-_-tents&page=3

 

[savumaki]

based on my experience I would think a 6x tent would JUST meet your needs; the mfg use VERY small subjects to rate their product !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing I always look for is a tent with an alcove before entry into the main tent; great for storing wet items (shoes, boots, rain gear) and it keeps the rain out when you're going in or out.

 

[BIGIRON]

Hawkeye, looking at that ebay coleman, two things jump out - inside height 73 inches - that's at the very center. That's pretty low for a tent that size - you'll find yourself ducking a lot. And the entry is pretty small and zipped to one side. I think you'll much prefer an entry that'll zip all the way around so you can roll and secure it up or down.

But it's inexpensive and will let you get a taste of tenting without too much outlay.

 

[BIGIRON]

Oh, and practice setting up the tent a couple of times BEFORE you go. Nothing like trying to set up a brand new tent at night in the rain - no matter how many lights you brought!

 

[Bruceter]

I have spent a lot of nights in a tent in all sorts of weather and have formed a few opinions on tents.

A cheap tent may be the most expensive piece of gear you ever purchase. I have seen lots of people's stuff soaked, ruined, or lost due to cheap tents. I've seen zippers stuck,both open and closed. One friend's brother-in-law was stuck inside a tent with the zipper stuck closed and a very urgent call of nature to answer!!

The closer to the ground the rain fly gets, the better. Rain does not fall straight down. If there is any wind and your fly only goes 1/2 way down the sides of your tent, the side walls of the tent can get soaked. If you roll up against the tent wall by chance, your sleeping bag will get wet.

Buy a good "tent footprint" that is just smaller than the floor of your tent. It will prevent wear on the tent itself.

I have never regreted spending lots of $$$ for a good solid 3 season tent. My familys' first trip in the tent this year, the low was 24 F. We were nice and snug.

Bruceter

Edited to add: One of the best things I did was replace the black guy lines with some bright yellow ones with a reflective trace running through the line. Much less likely to closeline yourself. I think it was Kelty brand "Laser Line"

 

[Patriot]

I used to archery hunt exclusively from tents in rainy weather and I agree with what Bruceter said about the rain fly. The lower it goes, the better.

Something with at least 76-78 inches of head room is great, especially in a dome style tent. Square and hybrid tents tent to offer a little more standing room than just in the center. Head room doesn't sound like it would be a big deal until your force to dress while laying down or bending over. It's really annoying and ample clearance was always a big deal when shopping for a new tent.

I've always liked tent with an stake down loops at each corner or along long runs on sqaure and hybrid tents. It helps to keep the floor down if the wind starts to howl.

Look for a tent with quality YKK zippers. I find that these are the most reliable and wont tick you off by jamming.

Whichever tent you end up with a really beefy poly tarp will make the ground less pokey, keep water from soaking through the bottom, and preserves the floor of the tent from wear.



Let us know what you end up getting.

 

[BIGIRON]

Bruceter makes a very good point about invisible guy lines. If you can't replace them, tie on a "ribbon" of white or bright cloth. Survey tape, available at HomeDepot, etc (the highly visible vinyl tape surveyors tie to stakes), etc will work well and is also handy for marking different spots on a trail, etc. Just recover them and take them with you when you're through with them, please.