look at some of the Sierra Design tents, I can set up my orion in easily 2-3 minutes in the wind, it will take the elements much better than some of those popup tents, plus those popups take up too much room in your rig when they are folded down, and often times they are a pain to pack back down in the wind. I worked at an outdoor/camping/backpacking/flyfishing store in college and we rarely saw any issues with the sierra design tents, they are fantastic, some of the three season tents can handle four season conditions... i love 'em
I would agree with Cannondale. Sierra Designs make some good tents after setitng them up a few times it is a piece of cake dark, windy or calm.
Hehe ... I'd listen to cannondale .... lubbock is the wind capital of the world
I didn't have any tents in particular in mind, but I know there are plenty of quick and painless setups out there, ones that don't require fumbling or searching for a particular loophole ect...
Good luck with the tent hunt.
hey Mayor,
I dont think it gets that windy here.....
however it is a great place to practice setting up tents...
for FJ camping it's pretty tough to beat the REI Base-Camp 6 person. It's tall enough to stand in, has plenty roomy for 4 adults or 6 if you REALLY like eachother.
The best thing is it has an awesome full rainfly with a vestibule that is great for cooking in should the weather be crappy. It has alum. poles not the cheap, snap in half fiberglass and also an internal lacing system should you find your self on a windy beach or a heavy snow. It's a winner for my family adventures & NO I don't work for REI!
It's a winner for my family adventures & NO I don't work for REI!
Heh, you should, employees get amazing discounts! I used to work there...wish I still did!
Anywho, I've had my tent for about 6 years now, the Eureka Tetragon 7. They have changed the design recently, but you can't really get a better tent for the money imo. I dragged this thing through the Grand Canyon and every other camping trip we have ever been on in the last 6 years now with rain, gusting winds, a little snow and lots of sunshine...it has held up beautifully, with no rips, tears or leaks. It's pretty easy to set up and can sleep 2-3 comfortably, 4 if you are close.
I think that as long as you get a real aluminum pole tent from a good company you will do well. Everybody has a favorite, mine happens to be Sierra Designs, actually just got an Alpha 4 season convertible today for my b-day from my wife, I love it already. just stay away from the fiberglass pole tents, they are heavy and usually pretty cheaply made and often don't stand up to the wind or water very well. Big Agnes is making a killer lightweight tent, I am a fan, as well as mountain hardwear. I am not completely sold on the three season north face tents, I think they cut a few corners, but the four season hard core tents are pretty sweet.
I'm with Cannondale. He knows his tents. I have owned a bunch of them--a weakness of mine and Sierra Designs in easily my favorite, but I backpack a lot. The clip 3 goes up quick and is light, but not free standing.
I have an Alpha and it is my all time favorite. I managed to tear up the zipper on that one, sent it to Sierra, they repaired it cheaply and quickly.
Everyone raves about Big Agnes and I have one. It is light, but mine is single wall and I don't like it too much even in dry climates. There is just too much condensation.
Eureka quality is questionable IMHO
Mountain Hardware makes a good, but heavy tent.
For car camping weight is not a big deal.
I would suggest Al poles and a quick clip system (not sleeves to thread the poles through). I also suggest a fly i.e. double wall unless you alway sleep solo in desert environs. The fly should be large! Those cheap Walmart dome tents with a nonbreathable wall and a fly (breathable portion) the size of a pie plate are worth the $30 you pay for them. The tent cot is cool and you should try them, but I roll around a lot so they don't work well for me ( I am already on TRD's crap list and hesitate in saying this. A great vendor that I like a lot though)
Rambling recs--sorry about that.
I agree razor, I am not real confident in Eureka tents, but they do have their place in the market. I am with you all the way on the sleeves, they are miserable to set-up especially if there is any sort of weather(try to set one up when its wet), that's one of the things that I think that North Face dropped the ball on some of their tents. I have slept a few times in a single wall and I felt like I was in a jungle because of the humidity, or if it was cold there was a sheet of ice inside the tent from condensation from breathing... but the owner kept pointing out how light it was, I should have slept outside that nite... if you have ever had a splinter from a fiberglass pole from a tent, you might never set up a tent ever again, that is if you are still alive after the pain, not to mention the speed that one of those poles will travel if anything goes wrong... I will tell you this, never, and I mean never purchase a tent without setting it up yourself in the store, and set up more than the one you like... set up it's closest competitor, it may surprise you. That being said, that will likely take out some of the retailers, they might not like you setting up tents in their store. Another piece of advice, take the reviews on the web and in magazines with a grain of salt, when people are unhappy with a product they will gripe and moan to anyone that will listen, while the other person is out enjoying their purchase and don't think about posting, go with what you like. Lastly ALWAYS seam seal your tents, and never fold or roll them, always stuff them... folding or rolling them develops creases in the fabric and could compromise the waterproofness of the fabric, when you stuff the creases and folds are never in the same place... and now i will step off my box...
Quote:
Razor J previously said:
I'm with Cannondale. He knows his tents. I have owned a bunch of them--a weakness of mine and Sierra Designs in easily my favorite, but I backpack a lot. The clip 3 goes up quick and is light, but not free standing.
I have an Alpha and it is my all time favorite. I managed to tear up the zipper on that one, sent it to Sierra, they repaired it cheaply and quickly.
Everyone raves about Big Agnes and I have one. It is light, but mine is single wall and I don't like it too much even in dry climates. There is just too much condensation.
Eureka quality is questionable IMHO
Mountain Hardware makes a good, but heavy tent.
For car camping weight is not a big deal.
I would suggest Al poles and a quick clip system (not sleeves to thread the poles through). I also suggest a fly i.e. double wall unless you alway sleep solo in desert environs. The fly should be large! Those cheap Walmart dome tents with a nonbreathable wall and a fly (breathable portion) the size of a pie plate are worth the $30 you pay for them. The tent cot is cool and you should try them, but I roll around a lot so they don't work well for me ( I am already on TRD's crap list and hesitate in saying this. A great vendor that I like a lot though)
Rambling recs--sorry about that.
Linear Mode
