I need a new tent - no more Dome Tents for me

[cajuntec]

My last tent was a dome tent - the kind where two tent poles cross at the top and then come down to each of the four floor corners. Not that it was a bad tent - it lasted me a very long time. But I don't want another one.

I'm looking at other designs. The Eureka Copper Canyon 6 person tent has caught my eye, but I don't know anyone that owns one. I also really liked how fast the Coleman 6 person Instant Tent went up, but when the people in the You Tube video were done, it still looked flimsy.

This tent will be used for father / son weekend camping trips, and I'm looking at models between $200 and $300. I am getting older, and my back is killing me lately, so I want to bring a bigger air mattress with me. The smaller dome tents walls rub the low profile air mattress I have now, so that is reason one that I want a different design (I want almost-vertical walls).

The second reason that I want a change from the dome is the tent poles. I've seen so many people break / crack / explode them. I have been extremely careful, and never had a problem until the last camping trip. A buddy "helped" me (he was being nice, I know, so I didn't say anything), and he rushed the process. I have always taken my time so the poles don't over-bend, and this last time doing it rushed - two cracked. Not bad, but they are toast. They will never be able to be used again. I know I could replace them, but the tent probably needs to be retired anyway.

Any input would be appreciated.

All the best,
Glenn

[Man]

I love the Magellan instant tents....set up in under minute. Coolest thing since slice bread

[wellingtontx]

Cabelas Outfitter

[cajuntec]

I love the Magellan instant tents....set up in under minute. Coolest thing since slice bread

I can't find the Magellan instant tents. I found the Coleman, but not the Magellan. Do you have a link? Experience with their durability?

All the best,
Glenn

[cajuntec]

Cabelas Outfitter

Way out of my price range ($600+), and not quite the type of tent I'm looking for. Thanks for the reply though.

All the best,
Glenn

[LWD]

If you're car camping get a Coleman Instant Tent. I can put the 6-man up in the dark, by myself, after drinking a 6-pack. They're that easy. I think I paid less than $200 for mine with shipping. It's help up pretty well after 2 years.

LWD

[txpitdog]

Check out the Sierra Trading Post and Campmor websites. I have a 3-man 3-season Sierra Designs tent with light, string, and REPAIRABLE aluminum poles. The quality is way better than anything you'll find in Academy, and mine has been used and abused for going on 11 years. Plenty of room for a thick queen size air mattress and a full coverage rain-fly. I got the last year's model for $235. Anything from North Face, Sierra Designs, Kelty, Mountain Hardware will outlast a "family tent" and will work great for those trips with your little buddy.

Here's some in your price range.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368487?ip_navtype=AdvancedSearch&catFilter=&searchKeywords=200368487&ip_sortBy=&filters=Price%7E200-300%7E%24200-%24300%20%2837%29&ip_constrain=&pageSize=24&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&sizeFilter=&ip_state=&priceFilter=&currentPage=&colorFilter=

[txpitdog]

This one looks pretty good. Decent price, light and easy to set up, but a total bomb shelter with the rain fly tied down.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28059#

[32drawlength]

I bought a Eureka Copper Canyon 8 & really like it. Eureka makes a great product & most are easy to set up.

The one drawback of this tent is that the floor is made if the same fabric as the walls...thin.
Other tent brands use a tarp based floor which tends to be more durable.

[Gummi Bear]

First off, fiberglass poles are awful for tents. Good tents will have Easton or Alcoa aluminum poles.

Spend the money for a good one, and you don't have to get a dome, but rather a modified dome, or A-frame tent. I am a big fan of free standing tents, they are stronger when the weather turns crummy.

I have a The North Face tent, no longer made that is a heavy duty 3 season version of the Tadpole. It has stood up in a tornado, under 3 feet of snow, been staked on a glacier with ice screws, and other adverse conditions. Now it is basically a screen shelter. http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/...ml?from=subCat I bought this tent nearly 20 years ago, when I was backpacking a bunch up in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado and Wyoming.

I also have a REI Basecamp 6 tent. It has stood up in 70mph winds and some pretty violent rain, and never failed. http://www.rei.com/product/777755/rei-base-camp-6-tent I bought this one when the Twerpy was little, and we use it a couple of times a year. It has been a great tent. Slightly out of your price range, but the 4 person version should fit the bill nicely.



If any tent you buy has a "footprint" available, pick one up. It will help preserve the floor of the tent, and also help to route some water underneath the floor if it starts to rain. They help, and are worth the few bucks.

Tent stakes are also often overlooked. Lots of tents come with some pretty cheap aluminum solid rod stakes, they bend pretty easily, and don't hold well when hammered in. I buy the good Easton stakes for all of my tents: they look like a big aluminum nail. MSR makes a comparable one that is pretty good too.

[cajuntec]

If you're car camping get a Coleman Instant Tent. I can put the 6-man up in the dark, by myself, after drinking a 6-pack. They're that easy. I think I paid less than $200 for mine with shipping. It's help up pretty well after 2 years.

LWD

Thanks. I really need to know how sturdy it is though. Have you been in high wind with it? We regularly camp at Canyon Lake, and the wind there is unreal every time we go. It flattened out my dome tent on one trip to the point that the front wall was almost touching my face as I was sleeping (head at the rear wall). A lot of people broke tent poles that night.

All the best,
Glenn

[cajuntec]

Check out the Sierra Trading Post and Campmor websites. I have a 3-man 3-season Sierra Designs tent with light, string, and REPAIRABLE aluminum poles. The quality is way better than anything you'll find in Academy, and mine has been used and abused for going on 11 years. Plenty of room for a thick queen size air mattress and a full coverage rain-fly. I got the last year's model for $235. Anything from North Face, Sierra Designs, Kelty, Mountain Hardware will outlast a "family tent" and will work great for those trips with your little buddy.

Here's some in your price range.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/...=&colorFilter=

Thanks. I'll check those out. For some reason, I can't get those links to work. I'll do some searches for the brand though.

All the best,
Glenn

[cajuntec]

I bought a Eureka Copper Canyon 8 & really like it. Eureka makes a great product & most are easy to set up.

The one drawback of this tent is that the floor is made if the same fabric as the walls...thin.
Other tent brands use a tarp based floor which tends to be more durable.

I was afraid of that, but wanted to confirm. That's very important to me. The floor was listed as the same material as the walls, and I was hoping that was a typo on their site. Since you verified it, I think I'm going to pass on that one. That sucks too, as that one has been at the top of the list for a while. Thanks for the info!

All the best,
Glenn

[cajuntec]

First off, fiberglass poles are awful for tents. Good tents will have Easton or Alcoa aluminum poles.

Spend the money for a good one, and you don't have to get a dome, but rather a modified dome, or A-frame tent. I am a big fan of free standing tents, they are stronger when the weather turns crummy.

I have a The North Face tent, no longer made that is a heavy duty 3 season version of the Tadpole. It has stood up in a tornado, under 3 feet of snow, been staked on a glacier with ice screws, and other adverse conditions. Now it is basically a screen shelter. http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/...ml?from=subCat I bought this tent nearly 20 years ago, when I was backpacking a bunch up in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado and Wyoming.

I also have a REI Basecamp 6 tent. It has stood up in 70mph winds and some pretty violent rain, and never failed. http://www.rei.com/product/777755/rei-base-camp-6-tent I bought this one when the Twerpy was little, and we use it a couple of times a year. It has been a great tent. Slightly out of your price range, but the 4 person version should fit the bill nicely.

If any tent you buy has a "footprint" available, pick one up. It will help preserve the floor of the tent, and also help to route some water underneath the floor if it starts to rain. They help, and are worth the few bucks.

Tent stakes are also often overlooked. Lots of tents come with some pretty cheap aluminum solid rod stakes, they bend pretty easily, and don't hold well when hammered in. I buy the good Easton stakes for all of my tents: they look like a big aluminum nail. MSR makes a comparable one that is pretty good too.

Great advice. I like that Base Camp 6. That might be a contender. I have to look into it further, and put aside a bit more money, as it's a little higher than I was expecting to spend. I always make my own "footprints" for every tent I've ever owned - very good insurance against floor leaks and rips. I get the heaviest tarps I can find and cut them to slightly undersize of the floor footprint so water doesn't pool on the overlap sections. I also throw out most every manufacturer supplied tent stake. I've never bought a tent with ones I like. Most of the time, I just bring a big box of these 12" x 3/8" spikes with me: http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?...llow&cId=PDIO1

The land we set up on is very rocky, so it eats up most aluminum or plastic tent stakes, including most aftermarket replacements. The spikes I use are .70 each, so picking up a couple dozen was cheap "insurance" that my tent would be staked down properly. Never had a problem with them. In softer soil, I used some heavy (big) plastic ones that weren't really designed for tents, but they work well. Those Easton ones look nice, and i like that hole in the top. I might have to order a few and check them out.

Thanks!

All the best,
Glenn

[Sit-n-Sleep]

For two people i would go with 2 eno hammocks. The best hammocks ever invented in my opinion. And the best night of rest in the woods