Tents

[MOAK]

Some 20 plus years ago we got what we thought was our first "good"  tent from my company as a safety award. You know, they send you out a catalog full of really poopy costume jewelry, cheap knock off stereos, speakers, cameras etc,, but there was this, what we thought at the time, this beautiful and well built coleman tent. On our  first trip we went up to the Gaspe' peninsula and camped amidst nearly 3 million acres of remote back country. Anyone who has been there knows  four things about the Gaspe',,  it is a hikers paradise, there are more moose per acre than anywhere in the world, the high plateau is home to a free roaming herd of caribou, and it rains,,,,, every day... Our new tent was a disaster, we were sopping wet constantly, no amount of seam sealer was enough. We put up with that tent for several more years, using tons of sealer and erecting tarps overhead. Finally after several years we decided to plunk down the big bucks, ( to us anyway ) for a Kingdome 6 from REI.. This tent served us well for many years and many trips, until we finally outgrew it. As in, two falls ago we stopped off at  Rocky Mountain NP after two weeks in Moab, during which the area had intense rainfall and was evacuated 6 hours after we packed it in. We lived inside the tent for 3 days, venturing out occasionally during the few let ups in precipitation. We decided then and there to start looking for a tent we would be comfortable in during inclement weather such a deluge, or sandstorm.  Last weekend we camped in our new Jet Tent 25X by Oztent deep in the woods of Pennsylvania. It poured down rain 3 out the 4 days we camped. Plenty of room for our gear, my two grandson, their dad, and myself.. I'm very impressed with this tent, and will keep this thing forever. With a bit of practice I can now get this thing set up and staked out ( with the help of an 11 year old ) in about 15 minutes.   I can pack it in alone in about the same time, including the footprint.  Some ask why we, as experienced overlanders, waited so long to get a great tent? I can only answer, I'm basically a cheapskate and at that, I bought a demonstrator model that was 300 dollars off.. I hate paying top dollar for anything !!

 

[Michael]

That's a great story, and looks like a great tent! How was the Kingdom 6 in the weather? I have an REI, and like it for the speed of setup, but haven't really weather tested it (CA).

-M

 

[deeker]

A good tent is worth twice the money if the weather is bad!

 

[MOAK]

The Kimgdom 6 kept us dry, kept the  sand out, and stayed relatively warm on cold nights.. It also held up exceptionally well in those nasty 40 mph gusts that are encountered in the Moab region..simply put, it's a very good midrange tent . I know my kids and grandkids will enjoy it.. Ty for compliment.. Peace !!

 

[WUzombies]

I have a large canvas wall tent, it uses modern sunforger treated canvas and is the best tent I've owned. Since writing this post we've slept in the tent for another 20 nights or so between the GSMNP, another trip to Big Bend and a couple of random weekends camping. So far we have been kept cool, kept dry, kept warm and kept comfortable in a tent that could sleep 30 (if using the sardine backpacking tent sleeping arrangements).

My approach to the tent is different than some, but there are thought out reasons for each piece. Before this summer's trip I used mesh tarps to create magnetic closing bug screens, which were a huge help. It didn't keep the little ring neck snake from breaking camp with us in our clothes bag though! (Boy did my wife scream when it came out of the bag in the hotel stop on the way home)

http://talesofadventures.net/wall-tent/

 

[hidesertwheelin]

I bought a Cabelas Alaska Guide 8 man tent that we used near Mammoth for deer hunting this year. It worked great, kept us warm and dry.

 

[mmnorthdirections]

We are enjoying the Oz Tent RV3, as seen in our camp site at the OFF THE GRID RALLY. I read review after review of tents by several manufactures. We liked the style and durability of a spring bar tent but the ease of setup of the Oz Tent was the final decision maker.

 

[Michael]

@mmnorthdirections I really loved your tent, and I think I'm a ground tent guy until @CorrieOB and I get an Adventure Trailer! :)

 

[mmnorthdirections]

@mmnorthdirections I really loved your tent, and I think I'm a ground tent guy until @CorrieOB and I get an Adventure Trailer! :)

Totally agree......

 

[TxTerra]

im still a fan of my hammocks. I have some nice marmot tents (limelight 2, limelight 3, limestone 4), a north face mountain 25 for the winter months, and a eureka 8p tent as well for a large group. I would like to get a good awning with some side though as it would be more open than any tent, and more comfortable to be in during inclement weather

 

[NorthStar96]

The Kimgdom 6 kept us dry, kept the sand out, and stayed relatively warm on cold nights.. It also held up exceptionally well in those nasty 40 mph gusts that are encountered in the Moab region..simply put, it's a very good midrange tent . I know my kids and grandkids will enjoy it.. Ty for compliment.. Peace !!

I use a few different tents for different situations.
For very inclement weather I use my Eureka Assault Outfitter 4, and a Moss Astraldome GT.
( )...( ).

When I need more room, I use my R.E.I. Hobitat 6.
( ).

I was really impressed how well the Hobitat 6 performed in wind very rainy weather for being a big tent.. Having it staked out is absolutely necessary because it is taller and catches more wind.

 

[Overland-Indiana]

Started recently looking into RTT setups. Sleeping on the ground here in Indiana gets really cold at night in the winter. Plus, i like the ease of just unfolding it and it pops up and your ready to camp anywhere.

 

[Michael]

@NorthStar96 i have the Hobitat as well!

 

[RescueRangers]

I have a large canvas wall tent, it uses modern sunforger treated canvas and is the best tent I've owned.

The canvas wall tent has been around for at least three hundred years so the design has been well thought out. We were debating getting one just before we stepped back from doing 18th century living history. We have two 7' convertibles and a 6' bell back (actually belongs to the daughter) that we used for almost 10 years. We are looking at getting a modern tent (thinking about the Coleman Instant 8) because the canvas tents take up so much room (mainly the poles), and there ain't much room in a Jeep.

 

[SLO Rob]

@mmnorthdirections Hey Mason, how big is your Oz tent when it's all rolled up? I heard they take up a good chunk of real estate?

 

[mmnorthdirections]

@mmnorthdirections Hey Mason, how big is your Oz tent when it's all rolled up? I heard they take up a good chunk of real estate?

Yes they due! But I don't mind the trade off and here are the dimensions of the RV-3

SPECIFICATIONS

Packed Size: 6’6” X 0’11” X 0’5”
Setup Size: 7’10”(w) x 6’6”(d) x 6’2”(h) + 6’6” Awning
Sleeps: 3-4 | Weight: 46lbs

 

[Mike W]

We have a 10'x10' Kodiak canvas flexbow tent. It has been fantastic. I am 6'2" and I think the roof is 6'5" at least. I can stand up anywhere in the tent and even under the awning. Its a heavy tent and requires staking but can be setup easily by one person in 10 minutes (very few steps). I have the add-on vestebule which is nice for rain, I can setup my camp table and cook under that. I need to get an awning that I could setup over the back of my rover, just to make it easy to cook out of the back of it. Anyone have suggestions for a sturdy and slightly taller/tallish awning?

It will hold up in crazy wind and doesn't leak at all (and we pretty much always end up getting rain every time we camp)

 

[WUzombies]

The canvas wall tent has been around for at least three hundred years so the design has been well thought out. We were debating getting one just before we stepped back from doing 18th century living history. We have two 7' convertibles and a 6' bell back (actually belongs to the daughter) that we used for almost 10 years. We are looking at getting a modern tent (thinking about the Coleman Instant 8) because the canvas tents take up so much room (mainly the poles), and there ain't much room in a Jeep.

With even the expensive coleman tents we couldn't get one to last more than a season. I chose a period correct design to have no zippers to fail. If a tie fails I can sew it back on by hand in a few minutes. The longest pole on my design is the rafter at 77", other brands have shorter peaks and would have shorter runs. Check with The Wall Tent Shop in Colorado, he makes modern versions for hunting camps and expeditions. I am using his angle kit with 1" EMT for the frame instead of wood.

Before building a full sized van I used sewer pvc to make pole holders and hung them from the gear basket I had on the minivan.

 

[RescueRangers]

We have had ours for well over ten years and still look brand new. Our poles are two piece, which means length isn't an issue but we have to pack six 2 1/2 inch diameter poles per tent.

 

[squishware]

Shangri-la 3 by Golite. I bought two of these five years ago and could not be happier. It has a complete screened in nest with bathtub bottom and the tipi design is naturally resistant to destruction by wind. True 4 season performance in a compact and lightweight form factor.