Help with choosing tent

[568V8]

I'm a firm believer in buying quality. My Big Agnes 2 man tent is great. But if you're only camping once or twice a year it's better to spend your money on a motel or B&B and save hauling the extra weight of camping gear.
If the weather forecast guaranteed to be perfect then I suppose just a simple tarp and sleeping bag would make sense.

[Neonguy95]

Just went through this while gathering gear for Prudhoe Bay this summer.

Found 4-5 tents that peaked my interest looked at those I could in town and then started watching reviews on YouTube. People setting them up, talking about them and made my choice from there.

Ended up with a Rei half dome 2 plus. 160 with free shipping. Packs up small. 22 inches about the size of a loaf of bread. Got the foot as well. One pole setup. Nice and light. About the same as the hubba hubba for 1/2 the price. Lots of good reviews. Setup in less than 5 minutes fits two adults and gear, my wife is super woman but no super model.

My two cents anyway.

Sent from Galaxy Note 2

[cchoc]

I got a Marmot Astral 2P on sale at REI. Fairly roomy and packs down to a reasonable size.

[Smithee]

Originally Posted by acap650

If you join REI you can use one of their tents on your trip and return it when you're done. They take everything back for a full refund.

Bad karma on that. Come back and bite you when you least expect it.

+1 on Eureka and Kelty tents. I second the advice to get a full fly for rain protection. Tents that attach to the poles with clips instead of pole sleeves are easier to set up and take down.

Overstock.com has a lot of tents at decent prices. Campmor is another good place to shop.

[cchoc]

Originally Posted by acap650

If you join REI you can use one of their tents on your trip and return it when you're done. They take everything back for a full refund.

Unethical at best.

REI does have a great exchange policy, though, and if you have a local store keep your eyes open for a 'scratch and dent' sale where they sell the items that have been returned. You can get some great deals on barely used gear there. They list the reason for return on the price tag, and some of the reasons make you certain some people are shameless - I have seen more than one pair of boots, for example, with almost worn out soles returned as "did not fit".

[GearHd6]

Overstock is also a good choice. I looked there quite a bit but REI's return policy is tough to beat. If you buy it and just don't like the layout or anything about it you can return/exchange it with no problems. I was unsure on what I was going to like so that exchange policy was inviting to me. My Passage 2 worked out good though. I did exchange a few accessories I bought from REI though with no problems.

[Jrjoyce2007]

Kelty Gunnison series from REI. just bought my one man on close out for $90. this is a STEAL for a Kelty. Top notch quality. The next tier of tents up is MSR and you find those on Everest and super extremes.

[PineyMountainRacing]

Do all these tents have stakes that go into the ground? Or are some of them "free standing" for lack of a better term?

[joeoldbmwrider]

Look at Catoma Outdoor.

http://www.catomaoutdoor.com

[Patch]

Originally Posted by PineyMountainRacing

Do all these tents have stakes that go into the ground? Or are some of them "free standing" for lack of a better term?

*almost* all tents come with stakes... usually cheaper tents come with thin crappy pegs that bend into almost unusable shapes the 1st time you use 'em while more expensive tents usually come with stronger (possibly lighter) stakes. Always be sure that you have enough stakes for the tent 'corners' as well as the fly tie-down points and possibly a few extras for pole repair or emergency campfire utensils .

Free-standing tents mean the tent body is supported by a frame/pole structure without any stakes or guy-lines. Great for lifting up and shaking dirt/debris out before packing away and usually what you'll find in a "dome-type" tent. Non-Freestanding means that the tent is supported by tension between the poles, stakes and/or guylines. Either way - you still need stakes for the tent proper and then for the fly (but many use the same stake-point, like the 4-corners of the tent for example will each use the same stake).

[PineyMountainRacing]

Originally Posted by Patch

*almost* all tents come with stakes... usually cheaper tents come with thin crappy pegs that bend into almost unusable shapes the 1st time you use 'em while more expensive tents usually come with stronger (possibly lighter) stakes. Always be sure that you have enough stakes for the tent 'corners' as well as the fly tie-down points and possibly a few extras for pole repair or emergency campfire utensils .

Free-standing tents mean the tent body is supported by a frame/pole structure without any stakes or guy-lines. Great for lifting up and shaking dirt/debris out before packing away and usually what you'll find in a "dome-type" tent. Non-Freestanding means that the tent is supported by tension between the poles, stakes and/or guylines. Either way - you still need stakes for the tent proper and then for the fly (but many use the same stake-point, like the 4-corners of the tent for example will each use the same stake).

Zactly what I was wondering - thanks! Last tent I bought was a JC Penny's pup tent back in the 70's LOL,,which I still have but not what I want to take down the TAT this summer.

[birddogone]

Originally Posted by acap650

If you join REI you can use one of their tents on your trip and return it when you're done. They take everything back for a full refund.

Call me old fashion, but that's steal'n in my book......

[bomber60015]

Originally Posted by birddogone

Call me old fashion, but that's steal'n in my book......

You are old fashioned.

Me too.

[Shesaid]

Other than a week in Vermont, what do you need this tent to do? Be super lightweight? Scrunch down small so you can pack it into tight spaces? Be free-standing? Sleep 1? Sleep 2? Sleep 3? Sleep 2 and hold extra gear?

The motorcycle is new for me-- tents! Now TENTS I know. I've been accused of having more tents than friends-- but if I get more friends, I have enough tents for all of us.

I suggest checkingout Coleman's website. Look at their backpacking tents-- the exponent line. I have two tents from this line. They are both simple, free standing, dome tents. They are competitively light and small, and significantly less expensive than the MSRs, Keltys, Sierra Designs, etc. Mostly: I have spent 100's of nights in them and never gotten wet in pouring rain, hail and snow. Absolutely amazing tents for the price.

The only one I like better is my Henry Shires Tarptent. Which has also kept me warm and dry in rain, hail, and snow-- although I don't recommend the snow, it was totally unexpected. But the thing weighs almost nothing and packs as easily as a garbage bag, it's hard not to love it.

[Racenut]

I like my Marmot Limelight 3. Just the right size for 2 people or super spacious for 1. Also has two doors so no climbing over each other in the middle of the night when nature calls. It's freestanding, easy and fast to setup. Even the rainfly clips to tent so no strings unless it's windy and you don't have enough gear inside to hold it down. Even then a stake at each corner has always been enough. Got it on super sale at REI used gear sale. Turned out it had never even been unrolled, the reason marked for return was it was too heavy for a backpacker. Perhaps not an ultralight, but it's certainly the lightest tent I've ever owned.