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tents ? cannot find one all specs I like

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    • tents ? cannot find one all specs I like

      Ah, the wonder of looking over tents. I can find light ones, that might fit me, then I read the reviews that they leak like a sieve.

      Find one I can afford, weighs 6-7 pounds. But sleeps one and a half people.

      The two person Gander Mountain tent I bought for $50 is okay. Can't put it up in the rain unless I can figure out a way to attach the rain fly to the top of it at home... the top 1/3 of it is a mesh screen to keep out insects. And the side windows are not completely blocked if the rain fly is stretched tight. The rear window has a zipper window. The front doesn't have a vestibule, but I can live without it. I have two waterproof tarps, one thin one; one is 8' x 10' and the thin one is 6' x 8'. these are to put under the tent.

      The bottom of the door zipper looks to me like it would leak. The side/upper of the door zipper looks like it would be okay, unless the wid driven rain came from the left side of the tent, as viewed by looking at the front of the tent from the front.

      Okay, enough ranting.

      Looking for a 2 person tent, one can sit up in at one end. I'm 6' 2" tall. noseeum mesh to keep my blood inside my body. With a rain fly, but I can put up the tent without the fly no it doesn't wind up a swimmng pool in the rain. A vestibule is nice, but I never really used one in the past. Waterproof tub bottom. Waterproof material in the tent. I prefer a maimum weight; including pegs, pole, and fly; at most 4 pounds.

      Here is the tough part: a maximum of $180. I might be able to save up and spend $200.

      Any suggestions ?

      Thanks.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • Eureka makes some bomb-proof budget tents and they are my go-to recommendation for affordable freestanding shelters.

      Check these two out, haven't used them personally, but I have owned 4 eureka's in to date. I currently have a Pinnacle Pass model which is an older model similar to these. It has about 50 nights on it in all four seasons on the A.T. and is going strong. I did end up upgrading to a tarptent, but the eureka still comes out with me if there is a reason I need the extra room.

      Eureka! Sunriver2 at Dick's sporting goods - I think this is the current equivalent model to the one I own.
      dickssportinggoods.com/product…38600001603954&cadevice=c

      Eureka Amari Pass 2
      store.eurekatent.com/Amari_Pass_2_Tent
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
    • Have you thought about a used tent? You can often find great deals on used backpacking equipment.

      Also, I'm curious why having a double-wall tent is a criteria.

      "By simple definition a double wall tent uses a rainfly over the tent,
      whereas a single wall tent does not. A tent needs to satisfy two
      functions: it needs to repel water from rain and dew on the outside, and
      it needs to breathe in order to eliminate condensation from the inside.
      A double wall tent repels outside moisture with a waterproof rainfly,
      and it eliminates inside moisture with breathable tent walls.

      A single wall tent performs both of these tasks with just the tent wall, which is usually a laminate of waterproof and breathable materials. Both type tents have their place. Double wall tents have more parts, are heavier, and cost less than single wall tents. For these reasons single wall tents are most often used by backpackers, mountain climbers, and bicycle or motorcycle campers. That is not to say that either tent can't be used anywhere. Remember too that if you camp under humid or rainy conditions water will accumulate inside either type tent, and you'll need to take advantage of the first opportunity to open the tent up and dry it out. Good ventilation will help keep any tent dry on the inside. Whatever tent you use, understand its characteristics, keep it vented, and air it out at every opportunity."
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Double wall tents offer a lot.
      When there is no rain sleeping inner only is very nice. Also good for bug protection in a shelter or under a pavilion.
      A great advantage to me of double wall versus tarptent (I have both), is that it is far easier to dry out.
      Laying the fly out upside down my BA tent gets dry much quicker than the tarptent.
      I just really encourage people to really think about how often you are going to sleep in your tent. If the answer is more than 20 nights then in my view a $400 tent ceases to be an expensive investment.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • I went through a bunch of tents till I finally settles on the Tarptent Notch, it's one person but they make a two person version, Strato??? something or other. Love the tent, can set up in rain and break camp in rain without getting wet, good ventilation and I've never gotten wet, even when waking up to find I set up in the dark in a low spot and was setting in an inch or so of water. It uses hiking poles for set up, has two doors and tw vestibules, I hand my pack on a pole under one of the vestibules for easy access off the ground and out of the weather, weighs 26 oz, dont know the weight of the 2-person version, sets up fast, comes down fast, only 4 stakes required, I'm 6'1"+ and it fits me just right, all I need but nothing extra....too bad I'm having to switch to a hammock because of the back. Go to tarptent.com and watch the viseos.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • OzJacko wrote:

      Double wall tents offer a lot.
      When there is no rain sleeping inner only is very nice. Also good for bug protection in a shelter or under a pavilion.
      A great advantage to me of double wall versus tarptent (I have both), is that it is far easier to dry out.
      Laying the fly out upside down my BA tent gets dry much quicker than the tarptent.
      I just really encourage people to really think about how often you are going to sleep in your tent. If the answer is more than 20 nights then in my view a $400 tent ceases to be an expensive investment.
      After just spending around 40 nights in my tent I totally agree with Oz. I have a Big Agnes Flycreek 1 and it only weighs 2 pounds and you can find new ones for less than $300 (sometimes even $250). If you are serious about backpacking, the big 4 is a place money can pay big dividends for your back, shoulders and knees.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I want to avoid tents that have large mesh windows if the tent fly is left off. I've put up tents in the pouring rain, I can just imagine the lake a tent would have if I had to put on the fly as a separate item.

      I did see several online articles on making my own tent out of a tarp. I have access to a sewing machine and have made a sleeveless shirt... not a pillow. By that I mean, first time sewers tend to sew completely arpund the shirt, making it into a pillow, instead of just the parts that need sewing.

      I have camped using the old T-pole Boy Scout Explorer tents and 4 shelter halves to make a reasonably roomy tent with. They didn't have floors, so a tent with a floor would be nice.

      The Notch looks nice and roomy.

      I did see a Coleman tent that is just tossed and goes up in seconds... unfortunatey, the 30 inch circles make it a car camping tent, not for backpacking.

      Oh, I'm living on substantintialy less money no that I'm retired. 401K long gone.

      I'll try to save up more money. I did spot some used tents for sale, either on Dicks SPorting Goods or Campmor's sites. One of them was the bright green one
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by JimBlue ().

    • jim, the single wall tents don't have a fly but are designed in a way that they protect you from the rain. I left the "door" open on mine in the rain recently and stayed dry (mesh was zippered closed). When the doors are closed, I can still see out and have ventilation.
      I'm not arguing for or against single vs double but you might find something in your budget that meets your needs with the single wall.
      Images
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • JimBlue wrote:

      I am mostly wanting to avoid the lake in the tent thing which a separate fly seems to guarantee in a number of ways.

      I can save up money, but due to limited income it might be next year before I can get another tent.
      In the meantime, there is car camping and day hiking, both are fun and rewarding.

      I backpacked for 2 years without a tent by staying in shelters in the Smokies. It's best to always carry a shelter but I don't always do what's best. :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • I do intend to walk some... and probably go out to a park somewhere with a light load of water, snacks, first aid kit, insect repellent, and rain gear. Around 10 pounds. Increase the weight by around 5-10 pounds per trip.

      My siblings were worried that I was going to try hiking long distances right off... I have no idea how they got that idea, I'm very much a planner and list maker.

      Well, I think they came to that conclusion because I was enthused about taking up hiking again after reading 'Through Hikers Eyes'.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • Thanks for the info, but I cannot afford most of them. One for $110 caught my eye. Its about what I have already in weight. Somewhat smaller.

      Hmmm. Ran into something I don;t know what was meant.

      Footprint ? Is that a floor for floorless tents ?

      I am looking at taking my 8'x10' tarp and making a tent out of it. I got a pdf with instructions from somewhere.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • grayblazer wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      what it amounts to is saving and spending more once, rather than buying cheap, and replacing it 2 or 3 times, till you finally break down and buy a tent that works.ive spent over $10k over the years, to get to the $1500 of gear i actually use today
      That's why I'll never be a real hiker.
      I'm way to much of a cheap bastard to ever spend that kinda dough for nylon, cuban, or whatever. I'm still savin' so I can actually put money in the cuban wallet I got from jim. At the rate I've been going out of doors, that hello kitty tent is lookin' like quite the bahgain.
    • JimBlue wrote:



      Hmmm. Ran into something I don;t know what was meant.

      Footprint ? Is that a floor for floorless tents ?
      a "footprint" that you can buy at rei et all is piece of nylon that is just slightly smaller than your tent floor. it goes under your tent to protect your tent floor from wear. footprints are not necessary in my opinion. however, if someone just bought a $300 tent and they want to get a $30 footprint as insurance i certainly can understand the logic behind the purchase.

      a cheaper way to go would get hold of some tyvek and make your own.
      2,000 miler
    • socks wrote:

      grayblazer wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      what it amounts to is saving and spending more once, rather than buying cheap, and replacing it 2 or 3 times, till you finally break down and buy a tent that works.ive spent over $10k over the years, to get to the $1500 of gear i actually use today
      That's why I'll never be a real hiker.
      I'm way to much of a cheap bastard to ever spend that kinda dough for nylon, cuban, or whatever. I'm still savin' so I can actually put money in the cuban wallet I got from jim. At the rate I've been going out of doors, that hello kitty tent is lookin' like quite the bahgain.
      I never carry a wallet in the woods. Well, not since the early 1990s in any case. I wrap a rubber band around my drivers license, credit card, ATM card, health-insurance card and a few $20 bills and call it done.
    • rafe wrote:

      socks wrote:

      grayblazer wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      what it amounts to is saving and spending more once, rather than buying cheap, and replacing it 2 or 3 times, till you finally break down and buy a tent that works.ive spent over $10k over the years, to get to the $1500 of gear i actually use today
      That's why I'll never be a real hiker.
      I'm way to much of a cheap bastard to ever spend that kinda dough for nylon, cuban, or whatever. I'm still savin' so I can actually put money in the cuban wallet I got from jim. At the rate I've been going out of doors, that hello kitty tent is lookin' like quite the bahgain.
      I never carry a wallet in the woods. Well, not since the early 1990s in any case. I wrap a rubber band around my drivers license, credit card, ATM card, health-insurance card and a few $20 bills and call it done.
      I have one of JJs cuben wallets too but have always just used ziplock bags.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • I bought some velcro closure sacks. One is a bit larger than a wallet. The largest one is right for a folded topo map.

      Ah, I bought a small tarp for under my tent. footprint. Seems to me just calling it a tarp would 'fit' better. But then maybe it wasn't a good enough word for some body.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • JimBlue wrote:

      I bought some velcro closure sacks. One is a bit larger than a wallet. The largest one is right for a folded topo map.

      Ah, I bought a small tarp for under my tent. footprint. Seems to me just calling it a tarp would 'fit' better. But then maybe it wasn't a good enough word for some body.
      If they called it a trap too many people would go to the hardware store and buy some cheap plastic tarps. Then they would not be able to sell many footprints.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • Rasty wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      I bought some velcro closure sacks. One is a bit larger than a wallet. The largest one is right for a folded topo map.

      Ah, I bought a small tarp for under my tent. footprint. Seems to me just calling it a tarp would 'fit' better. But then maybe it wasn't a good enough word for some body.
      If they called it a trap too many people would go to the hardware store and buy some cheap plastic tarps. Then they would not be able to sell many footprints.
      True. Have to get those tourist dollars.

      To paraphrase George Carlin, if you attach two things together, someone will buy it.

      Nylon tarp, new name, sold !
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • Rasty wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      the expensive footprints (which ya don't need) are cut to fit your tent. tarps at the home improvement store can be waaaay too heavy and bulky.
      painters plastic tarps
      yeah; i said "can be" cuz i was thinking that some would pick up those heavy blue things out of ignorance. i imagine some of painters plastic tarps would be too thin and would self destruct in a short time. don't know what the lowest mil is to use as a groundcloth.
      2,000 miler
    • socks wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      a well known hiker uses an altoid tin as a wallet. one day in town he went to a restaurant, and when he went to pay discovered he had accidentally picked up the "other" altoid tin that he used to carry his condoms. oops!
      So did the waitress end up letting him slide? gif.013.gif
      he was with other hikers so a good laugh was had by all.

      that masturbating banana is perfect for this topic.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      socks wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      a well known hiker uses an altoid tin as a wallet. one day in town he went to a restaurant, and when he went to pay discovered he had accidentally picked up the "other" altoid tin that he used to carry his condoms. oops!
      So did the waitress end up letting him slide? gif.013.gif
      he was with other hikers so a good laugh was had by all.
      that masturbating banana is perfect for this topic.
      it pays to have buddy's with bootie to settle a bill.