Any suggestions for a good 4 person tent? I've been googling a bit and came up with the eureka! timberline, but I can't find any localy (seattle area). I'm kind of warry about ordering things like this without seeing them "in person" first. Anyway, any suggestions?
tent suggestions?
- Thread starter eart
- Start date
Bright Scouter
Enlightened
What are you going to use the tent for? Backpacking? Car camping? What weather? Any winter camping? Do you need to be able to stand in it? Is it really for four people? Just four people, or 4 plus their gear inside?
I have a Cabelas 6 person dome that is heavy. But I love it when all four of us go camping from the car. It will withstand torrential rains and has room to stand, plus all our gear can go in it.
But I have a 5 man tent made by Alps Mountaineering. It has two doors and two decent sized vestibules. It is light enough to backpack. Cool in the winter since it has LOTS of mesh. But cool in the winter for the same reason. It is very similar in design to a Eureka Apex 4XT.
I have never felt a tent that is labeled as a 4 man tent, can really sleep 4.
I guess to give a good answer, we would need more specifics about how you really intend to use it.
I have a Cabelas 6 person dome that is heavy. But I love it when all four of us go camping from the car. It will withstand torrential rains and has room to stand, plus all our gear can go in it.
But I have a 5 man tent made by Alps Mountaineering. It has two doors and two decent sized vestibules. It is light enough to backpack. Cool in the winter since it has LOTS of mesh. But cool in the winter for the same reason. It is very similar in design to a Eureka Apex 4XT.
I have never felt a tent that is labeled as a 4 man tent, can really sleep 4.
I guess to give a good answer, we would need more specifics about how you really intend to use it.
Fair enough. I want a 4 person tent that can sleep 4 people if needs be. 3 comfortably? I'm looking for one with a vestibule as I understand they are very convenient. I dont do any winter camping, so I guess it's 3 seasons. I do some car-camping and some backpacking so it can't be too too heavy. I'll look into Apex, thanks.
zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
It would also be helpful to know what region you are going to camp in. For example in the dry desert states a single wall tent might be fine. Here in humid Virginia you need as much ventilation as you can possibly get.
Eureka makes a very good line of tents with an excellent warranty (okay, I grew up near their plant in NY so I'm a little biased).
Any tent light enough to be backpackable is going to be small and I personally would never backpack anything larger than a two person tent with the weight split between the two people.
For backpacking solo I usually use a Henessy Hammock.
When it's me and the wife we have a Mountain Hardware Hammerhead II (on the heavy side of backpacking tents but by far the most comfortable and adaptable one I've ever owned)
and for shameless car camping we use a really cheap generic model Coleman tent that was on sale at Target. This tent has been a real surprise in terms of weatherproofness. It's not bombproof like the Hammerhead but so far it has done very well through several good downpours!
Eureka makes a very good line of tents with an excellent warranty (okay, I grew up near their plant in NY so I'm a little biased).
Any tent light enough to be backpackable is going to be small and I personally would never backpack anything larger than a two person tent with the weight split between the two people.
For backpacking solo I usually use a Henessy Hammock.
When it's me and the wife we have a Mountain Hardware Hammerhead II (on the heavy side of backpacking tents but by far the most comfortable and adaptable one I've ever owned)
and for shameless car camping we use a really cheap generic model Coleman tent that was on sale at Target. This tent has been a real surprise in terms of weatherproofness. It's not bombproof like the Hammerhead but so far it has done very well through several good downpours!
I camp in the pacific northwest. I've hauled 4-5 person tents before, it's doable when there are 4 people invovled, the load is distributed equally across everyone's backpacks. Any idea what big chains might carry eureka's stuff? The timberline series is apparently foolproof and has been mostly unchanged for the last 30 years. Plus they make accessories (like the vestibule). THe price is pretty reasonable too.
MichiganMan
Enlightened
I've seen Eureka's in Gander Mountain and ****'s Sporting Goods. I've been a very happy backpacker with my two person REI Half Dome tent. They don't make the one I have any more but it looks like they now have a Half Dome 2. Invest some money on a good tent, you're going to rely on it more than you realize in the store, plus the good ones come with nice touches that greatly enhance your enjoyment of using it.
Ras_Thavas
Enlightened
I'm going to have to agree that you should get a seperate tent for backpacking. If you plan on hiking into the woods for any period of time then the weight adds up quickly. I have a one person Eureka tent for when I go backpacking without my wife. I also have a 2 person tent that we take if we both go and we split the load.
If you are going to use this for car camping then get a large 4 person tent and don't worry about the weight. Yes, vestibules are very nice for keeping the rain off your packs and giving you a place to change clothes so you don't drag your dirty wet body into the clean tent.
Is there a Costco, Sams Club, or BJ's wholesale club near you that you can get into? They usually have adequate 4-6 person tents for reasonable prices.
If you are going to use this for car camping then get a large 4 person tent and don't worry about the weight. Yes, vestibules are very nice for keeping the rain off your packs and giving you a place to change clothes so you don't drag your dirty wet body into the clean tent.
Is there a Costco, Sams Club, or BJ's wholesale club near you that you can get into? They usually have adequate 4-6 person tents for reasonable prices.
Bright Scouter
Enlightened
I go along with the idea of a backpacking tent and a car tent. For four people, an Apex 4XT, if you can find one will be good. They also make a very similar, newer model that I don't know the name of. But they have double doors and double vestibules. Alps also makes a 5 person that is the same way. I would definitely recommend Alps Mountaineering.
smokinbasser
Flashlight Enthusiast
I have one of the Eureka 4 man?? timberline tent with doors on both ends and bought two of the vestibules for winter camping. The tent IMO isn't a 4 man tent, maybe a 4 young boy tent but two adults take up most of the space and that is leaving backpacks in the unfloored vestibules. If you have access to a bass pro shop they have a bunch of what appears to be fairly good tents for great prices. My scout troop had 5 @10X20 canvas tents made by beltzer tent in St Louis for the troop and they were nothing if not rugged but if they were wet when you broke camp they had to be unrolled and left to dry as soon as they got "home"
Mike Painter
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2002
- Messages
- 1,863
For car camping I bought a 10 x 10 pop-up and put walls around three sides using the rear end of my Explorer as most of the fourth wall. I did the walls on the cheap with some blue tarp I had but they make regular side walls. It goes up fast and all the room is stand-up.
zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
Mike Painter said:
I've always wondered about that. What do you do if you want to leave base camp. Do you leave the back of the vehicle open? What if you want to drive away from basecamp, do you have to dissassemble the tent? If not have you just blasted exhaust fumes all over the inside before you drive off?
I'm really not picking on you or making fun, these are serious questions I've wondered about on that sort of setup.
