Whats a good "PopUp" Tent? Fairly Cheap.

I have a pretty nice tent that I use when camping,
its rated for four ppl, but can easily sleep two, you know how they rate them.

However, it is way too large and heavy for backpacking trips.
I need something pretty small, and real light.
Alot of the time I dont get to "camp" till its really late, and I want to just crash.
Setting up even some of the small "simple" tents is a PITA when you are dead tired and ready to crash.

So, I am looking for one of those "PopUp" Tents.
The ones that basically spring into shape, without having to get all those rods addembled etc.
I know that most these types of tents arent that great, but I wont be in many EXTREME condidtions, this is mainly for quick one nighters.

I am about 6 foot tall, so it cant be REAL small,
but I think they make some nice ones that are oval shaped... ?

Thanks
~John

The one I have and others I've seen are fairly heavy and *very* awkward for back packing. Mine forms a nice tent, over six feet long but when folded forms a circle about two feet in diameter and it must be kept in it's case.
You can have it set up in about 30 seconds but they don't tell you about folding it back up. If you are a surveyor you know how to pick up a chain, forming multiple mobius strios, then folding that down into a circle. That's how the tent works and it can be an exercise in frustration even with the "directions".

I've wanted an inflatable tent for years and they may eventually work their way down to the camping market. There are a few commercial ones out now.

Note: I'm talking about a high pressure system that would inflate the ribs, not the ones supported by low pressure blowers.

True and good pop-up tents are not cheap unfortunately. If you want to go this route, consider a single wall tent from Bibler. You can read more here:

http://www.bdel.com/gear/shelter_overview.php

- Chris

I have a fairly nice one that's about $200 retail, that I got for $60 from a rental shop at the end of a season. It's obviously not new, but it's not seriously thrashed and it works just fine. It has a small hole in the floor that was neatly patched by the shop, no leaks or problems. It's by a big name manufacturer (Marmot?) but I forget which one. I've had it quite a while.

Mike Painter said:

The one I have and others I've seen are fairly heavy and *very* awkward for back packing. Mine forms a nice tent, over six feet long but when folded forms a circle about two feet in diameter and it must be kept in it's case.
You can have it set up in about 30 seconds but they don't tell you about folding it back up. If you are a surveyor you know how to pick up a chain, forming multiple mobius strios, then folding that down into a circle. That's how the tent works and it can be an exercise in frustration even with the "directions".

I've wanted an inflatable tent for years and they may eventually work their way down to the camping market. There are a few commercial ones out now.

Note: I'm talking about a high pressure system that would inflate the ribs, not the ones supported by low pressure blowers.

Click to expand...

That sounds like the original Speed Dome which JC Penny sold about 30 years ago. I got my desert camo one at the Pomona gun show about 20 years ago. They are truely self-erecting (careful not to get whacked by it when you let go of it. ) They're bitchin tents but I think they would be a little heavy for back packing, especially with the 4 SKS bayonets I use for stakes. I did an online search for them a while back, and don't think they are made anymore.

Larry

the one true pop up tent is made by "khyam"... they advertise on their 1-2 person tents, and insane set up time. pop, go. none of that magic circle stuff, but real struts, wind tunnel tested.

i'm told if you shop around, and get one from canada the exchange rate works in your favor. they aren't (or weren't readily available in the USA) as far as i know.

personally, i lust for one, and it's on my short list of things to buy if i get back into camping more and can't stand the rain/bugs during setup

there were also some clearouts of a "clone" being sold, for a lot less than full list, on ebay. the search string to look for is "camptown tent". the tents have the printing: "Manufactured exclusively for Khyam by Camptown".

good luck

leddite

You might check out some of the bivvy tents at Cabelas, Campmor and NatchezSS.com. I've seen some for $20 or so on sale.

Generally, they are one-person, a little larger than a sleeping bag. But very light and compact. Most set up with a couple of stakes and one or two hoops. Some are large enough for a bag and room for a pack.

I've had a "no-name" for years and have used it a couple of times, mostly on float trips - primarily to keep the bugs off. Never been rained on and don't think it would perform very well in more than a light, short rain. But it does keep bugs out.

Thanks for the input guys.

Those Caomptown tents look pretty nice, will have to look into them more.

Bigiron,
I have thought about bivvy sacks, but I usually like to store gear in the tent,
and change clothes in it etc.

Thanks
~John

Bigiron,

Actually, after looking at the Bivy sacks again,
those might be what I need.
They are alittle larger than I recall, and very light weight.
I think this one might suit my needs well.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bivy-Tent-2-Man...716215283QQcategoryZ36118QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Then theres this one, which I think is alittle too small,
But its VERY packable.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tents-WENZEL-St...716215470QQcategoryZ36118QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

~John

Check out these I know you said cheap but that is relative.I searched for sst."60 second tent"which is what the jcpeny tent Larry mentioned was called I bought one in the mid 80's

http://www.supplycache.com/products.asp?dept=14

Chris,

Those do look nice, but they are much higher priced than I am looking for currently.

It also seems that all the popup tents are much heavier, and larger when folded up, than I origianally thought.

I think the Bivy sack type tents are actually what I need,
alot smaller, and only about 3 pounds

Thanks alot guys !
~John

I've done a lot of the kind of camping you are describing and I just want to mention that some standard dome style tents are a lot harder to set up than others. It may be that you can get the ease of set-up you desire in a standard dome style tent that is typical for backpacking. They are also more packable than a self-erecting tent and more comfortable than a bivvy.

Go to a good outfitter and tell them what you want. Look for a dome tent with aluminum poles and continuous pole sleeves. Kelty makes some that are very good and have some other neat features that make them easy to set up. Actually set one up in the store.

Once you have practiced a couple of times, you should be able to set one up in the dark by yourself in just a few minutes with no exertion or frustration.

This kind of tent won't be real cheap, but it will meet your needs.

Or do what I usually do -- if there's no bad weather or bad bugs (do you get the idea that I really, really don't like skeeters?) I just put my pad and bag on the ground, cover with my nylon poncho and sack out.

I'm not sure how easy you need a tent to go up or what qualifies as "cheap" but you might take a look at this Sierra Designs tent.

http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=45

It only weighs 2 lbs 11 oz and would stand up to most weather conditions fairly well. I find the clips very easy to set up quickly and the tent retails at $139. There are similar tents from several other manufacturers that would work equally as well. I picked on the SD tent because they are a relatively well known brand. I know The North Face and Mountain Hardwear used to make similar models.

You might check out http://www.gearfinder.com/ as well. This is a tool on Backpacker magazine's website that might turn up some tents you haven't heard of before.

Mike Painter said:

I've wanted an inflatable tent for years and they may eventually work their way down to the camping market. There are a few commercial ones out now.

Note: I'm talking about a high pressure system that would inflate the ribs, not the ones supported by low pressure blowers.

Click to expand...

Look no further: http://www.airzonetents.com/airzone2.htm


I've got a kelty vortex 2 (2 man). It uses nice aluminum poles, and I can have it setup in 5 minutes or less in the dark by myself. They still make it, but it's been renamed.

jtice said:

.... spring into shape, without having to get all those rods addembled etc ...

Click to expand...

No addembly required!

http://www.airzonetents.com/airzone2.htm