Tent Advice.

hey guys. I'm trying to slowly assemble some good gear. I grew up camping, but its been years since I've been on a good, long outdoor stay. I'm trying to decide on a tent. There are soo many options. I can afford to spend a couple hundred dollars, I want it to be something thats extrememly versatile, durable and of course weather proof. I was looking at some tents on REI that looked pretty cool. I want something with 3 poles maximum and a rain fly that covers the entire tent. I'd be camping everywhere from National Forests and State Parks, maybe on the Appalachian Trail and anywhere else you can think of in North Georgia and the surrounding area.

 

REI has some good stuff. How big of a tent are you looking for? Usually REI or Campmor . com have some major sales around christmas. Keep looking. I'm keeping my eyes out for a good deal too.

 

Are you car camping, backpacking, biking, cycling? How you get the tent there and how much room you have to carry it needs to be a factor in your decision. If you're backpacking, weight and volume are an issue. I have a Shires. It's expensive but if I'm going to be carrying it on my back for 6+ weeks, it's worth it. http://www.tarptent.com/products.html
If you say you can spend a couple hundred dollars, that's the place to do it. Big Agnes also makes some good stuff. http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tent_home.php

How many people will be using it? I try to up size my tent for gear or in case I run across someone needing shelter. You'd be surprised how many minimalists think they can hit the AT and will always find room in a shelter. It doesn't happen often during the season. And anyway who'd want to stay in a shelter with 10 strangers snoring and farting and mice and racoons everywhere? You can always barter a tent space for some food or a beverage. If I'm car camping I use one of these:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000133&categoryid=11070

Can't beat the price.

And as many on here will tell you, a hammock in warm weather can't be beat. But it's extremely difficult to stay warm in a hammock below 50 degrees F. It can be done, but at the sactrifice of volume and weight, not to mention expense. I'm eyeing a Hennessy ultralight A-Sym but only for warm weather. http://hennessyhammock.com/

Good luck!

 

I'd be using the tent for a variety of styles of camping. I'd be camping out of my Jeep on Forest Service Roads, in state parks and on short backpacking trips. I found a really great deal on a brand new, in box Kelty Vortex 2. I think I'm going to jump on it.

 

I love kelty products. Also make sure you pick up some seam sealer! You might need it only once, but it'll be worth it.

 

If I were you I would find an army tent that does not have zippers.. zippers are the first thing to go in these new tents.... we had an old army tent that was from WW11, it lasted us 17 yrs.. then we went over to walmart and none of their stuff lasted the season... I'd look in the Army Surpluse Stroe.. you can get most all your supplies there.. like, cots to sleep on.. canteens, boots, camping equiptment ect.... might go ahead and get a coup;e of flack jackets while your there bc you will need them shortly..

 

Two army shelter halves are great, buttons instead of zippers, and if you take good care of them they will last forever. But with stakes, guys and poles they weigh more than my complete hiking base pack weight (everything but food water and fuel). They do fit under the backseat of a jeep though...

Kelty makes great tents. Good luck.

 

Even on high end quality tents like Kelty and Marmot and Big Agnes?

 

Some tents are worse than others. Kelty, Big Agnes, REI, and Marmot are not too bad with zippers. Coleman stuff is more for the recreational family, and their zippers wont hold up to abuse.

The name brands above will last between 2 and 20 seasons depending on how you take care of them. Their zippers hold up pretty well unless you constantly abuse them.

REI has a bunch of Customer reviews on all their products. If you go to the site and look at a tent you like, read the reviews. Most of them are very helpful.

 

How can you abuse a zipper?

 

Pulling the slide freehand without a second hand at the foot. Or zipping up a door or screen without pulling both sides together. Or pitching the tent with too much stress on the zip. You know, the things that break a slide or cause it to jump off one side. Things that people who don't take care of their gear never think about.

 

a good tent I've found is the Zues line by Eureaka. relatively inexespensive and the 1 and two person models will usually fit inside your pack too. atleast they do for mine

 

wow...thread resurection.

I ended up with a Kelty Vortex 2.

excellent

 

someone falling on your tent will rip a zipper out. trust me.

 

LOL yeah I hadn't considered that.

 

Have you ever slept in a hammock before? there almost better than a tent all the way around except if you sleeping more than one person, and they keep you off the ground. Id say check out a hammock, you can get a skeeter beeter pro hammock for around $55 on amazon, I have one and it works great, comes with attached mosquito netting to keep the bugs off you weighs 27 ounces so itll be light in your pack to. Aside from that id recommend the GoLite Shangri -La 1 tent weighs 1 pound 5 oz nice and lite as well. Would also keep you dry. http://www.golite.com/Product/proddetail.aspx?p=SH6119&s=1

 

Uh oh, the invasion of the hammock hangers again. We don't like your kind around here, son...

 

hear hear or anything Big Agnes brand.... another thing to keep in mind is being able to sit up.... long rains you will apreciate it... make sure the rain fly goes all the way to the ground and a big enough vestibule to keep your pack in if you cant fit it in the tent

also a good idea to pick up some different or extra stakes....

 

I have a big family, and I like comfort. For larger family tents, check out http://TheFamilyTent.com They have a good selection of Eureka! Tents and they offer Free Shipping...I don't know about you, but I am always looking for free shipping!

 

dude just hit walmart, mad cheap ish