Thread: Tent camping help...

Ok, so the wife and I take vacation a couple times a year to the Corpus Christi, TX area and tent camp on the beach. Been doing this for several years and we are wanting to get a tent that will last more than a 2-3 trips. Heck, last one from Academy almost didnt make it thru one trip.

The problem is the Gulf's constant 20 mph +/- and gusting winds. I've come up with three tents in our price range ($350) and would like some opinions from some who may do some tent camping. I'm looking at the following tents:
Coleman Weathermaster 10
Eureka! Copper Canyon
Columbia Cougar Flats II

Any assistance would greatly be appreciated...

I get down there quite often and have to say my Kelty's have never let me down for quality. They last in frozen high winds of the mountains of colorado and the high wind on the beach. I have to say the three you have listed will not last on the beach. Tough environments don't tolerate thin gear.

There is a company in Colorado that specializes in adventure equipment GoLIte.com. It is highly recommended and used by the folk up here in mile high country. Or there is always REIoutlet.com for some pretty good stuff.

While I am a member of REI, they are not cheap in price. Here is a link to campmor.com that should have what you need for size and durability. The gunnison 3.1 or 4.1, the salida or teton should do what ever you need. I have pushed these into 4 season service in the mountains and they function flawlessly.

I used to love my tent camping as well as rough camping, but the wife won't go since we've had a child; "15 F is too cold for a baby"

Nag, nag, nag...
Don't tell her I said that.

I used to love my Kelty as well, great tent. Then one day I found out that there is a custom tent maker near e. They made a lot of the set for "Dances with Wolves"
I had two made before I realized that I wasn't made of money. They were quite expensive, but will last for generations. Anyway the company is Yakima Tent and Awning. I don't know if they have a website, but they are nice.

I guess I need to back step a bit and mention that I am also looking for one that is large enough for our two cots and two grown German Shepherds...it's amazing how much room they can take up! Especially when wet and sandy! We normally use 8-10 person tents.

I have considered the canvas type tents...it's just that my pockets aren't very deep at this time and if I were to have to spend in the $1500 range I will just go and get a small bumper pull camper.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Ok, so the wife and I take vacation a couple times a year to the Corpus Christi, TX area and tent camp on the beach. Been doing this for several years and we are wanting to get a tent that will last more than a 2-3 trips. Heck, last one from Academy almost didnt make it thru one trip.

The problem is the Gulf's constant 20 mph +/- and gusting winds. I've come up with three tents in our price range ($350) and would like some opinions from some who may do some tent camping. I'm looking at the following tents:
Coleman Weathermaster 10
Eureka! Copper Canyon
Columbia Cougar Flats II

Any assistance would greatly be appreciated...

The best tent I ever owned was a Cabela's Alaskan Guide® Model Tent will hold up to any wind and i do mean any wind, and lasted me almost 4 years of heavy every other weekend camping. I would check out the tent on their site.

As Glen mentioned, it takes three or so "tent" people to actually equal one real person, which is why I am looking at a 8-10 person tent. Those GSD's take up more room than we do in our cots...then there's our gear. The larger the tent, the more wind it catches. I'm actually thinking about making a wind deflector out of schedule 40 pvc and a disposable blue tarp...I can break it down at the end of the trip. For a tent to stay set up for a week to 10 days under the buffeting of that constant wind, sand, salt, and sun really takes it out of a tent. I have a duffle bag FULL of large plastic stakes, by large I mean over a foot long. Standing up is a must. Secondly, I've been camping in the same area for 6, going on 7 years at twice a year for 7-10 days...just hoping to see if someone knows of a better tent or has experience with any of the tents that I mentioned.

I've been reading a lot of reviews and it seems as though the Columbia Cougar Flats II and Eureka Copper Canyon 1312 or 1512 edge out the Coleman...but they are much more expensive.

What to do, what to do...

Gotta "do" by the end of the week so we can ensure it's sealed and we are proficient at setting it up under controlled conditions in the back yard...

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.