Thread: Tent camping help...

I have a number of tents and have used them from beach fronts to over 19,000 feet in the Andes, and lower elevations in many other ranges in many conditions. I hear "tent sale" and I get excited thinking its really a tent sale and not a sale of cars, furniture etc.

+1 on what everyone has said about cost/quality: you get what you pay for. But consider primarily what and where you will use it (e.g, if rain is a possibility then a quality rain fly design is nice. If hot weather and rain are a possibility...a rain fly that allows good airflow over the tent; will you need to use a small cook stove in the tent; do you want to see stars?).

For car camping you shouldnt need the best; wieght goes down at significant price. You aren't packing it...so no worry. More important than weight might be the setup time, number of doors/ windows for ventilation, profile (to shed wind) and pole quality. Set it up in a store if possible.

If camping on sand; snow stakes are a must; a good groundcloth can save the floor of your tent too. One with a profile of the tent will cost; a larger profile needs to be tucked in to avoid bringing water under the tent.

Campmore is a good place to shop; find a "tent sale." And don't worry. There is no perfect tent; (If it gets bad, you can sleep in the car - yrs ago 6 of us slept sitting up in a junked '40 dodge we found in a field after rain soaked us out of our cheap tent) and most are pretty damn good compared to what I used in some incredible conditions in my adventuring days.

Well, I ended up buying a High Sierra Appalachian from Cabela's...it was on sale for $249.99, it is essentially a Columbia Cougar Flats II if you really get to looking at it. The salesman mentioned that they carried the Columbia version last year and apparently the design was sold or the same Chinese company is making it for High Sierra. I sure appreciate all the assistance. We will give it a trial set-up here at home to seal the seams and learn to set it up right before we get out to the Gulf Coast for vacation.

I know you bought one but i would highly recommend this brand of tent
Springbar Tent Models
Don't buy one of these unless your car camping.. they are not anywhere near backpacking tents. I have had mine for 5 years. I have had it up in the snow, rain, sleet of the Utah weather. They are waterproof, and the canvas drys out nicely when it gets wet. We can easily put 4 cots in it. In fact my wife and I use a queen airbed on a frame.
anyways, Since you already bought one, think of these guys for next time.

I've owned a couple Kelty tents over the years and they are pretty good quality, but I have always used them exclusively for car/family camping.

Welcome aboard Scrub21,,,,,,

Your first post was to a 6 year old thread.
You provided a link to a blog site on "tents".

Introduce yourself in the Members Introduction section, at the top of the forum page. Tell us what interests you about shaving.

Read our rules on promoting & advertising please. "Front page of the forum, left side"

Thank you.

I would like to hear how the OP's camping trip went.

Tent occupancy ratings, as well as sleeping bag temp ratings, are written by optimists. I find my two man backpacking tent is just the right size for me and a little gear.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

I would like to hear how the OP's camping trip went.

Tent occupancy ratings, as well as sleeping bag temp ratings, are written by optimists. I find my two man backpacking tent is just the right size for me and a little gear.

LOL

The "Glen Rule" of occupancy simply divide by 3