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Lets Talk Tents

Skylinerider

Skylinerider

Wandering the desert
Location
Ephraim
ZUKEYPR said:
You might want to revisit this, DAA uses a spring bar and he lives in a tent more than anyone I know. Yes he has an LJ as opposed to a TJ but that truly isn't that big of a difference.
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my son is getting to be the age where he is wanting to be out with dad on the longer/harder trips. On easy camping trips we just take the Commander and have room for the kitchen sink. Its cramped in the YJ however when you pack for more than one.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Do you need to be able to stand up in your tent, or are you OK with a smaller design?

Check out outdoorgearlab.com for some good info (and somewhat biased reviews) on high-end gear that'll really hold up to the elements.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
My next tent will be a hilleberg, mainly because I already have a great 3-season tent and a killer backpacking shelter. I don't have a hardcore winter tent yet. One of my favorite features (just like my backpacking tent) is how you pitch the rain fly first so your gear stays dry(er). Once the rain fly is pitched, you climb inside and pitch the tent inside it.

Also, I don't know many other companies that set their tent up with a wind machine to test their tents. That being said, the only time I'd rather be sleeping in a hotel than a tent is during strong winds. Even if my tent can stand it, I often can't. :)

[video=youtube;3eFAyKMz314]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eFAyKMz314[/video]

http://hilleberg.se/product-testing-wind-machine

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/4-Season-Tent-Reviews/Hilleberg-Nammatj-2
 
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sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
For 90% of my camping, I use a basic REI Quarter Dome T3. I've got 60+ nights in it, and it has really stood up. I'm pretty sure Sierra Designs makes REI's tents.

It's cheap, it has aluminum poles, color-coded to ease in late-night assembly, a stuff bag that is almost twice as big as needed with compression straps (why doesn't everyone do this?), clips to snap to the poles (rather than fabric "tubes" you have to push your pole through), a matching footprint designed specifically for the tent, and replaceable parts. For me, the best feature is that it's free-standing; meaning I don't have to use tent stakes if I don't want to. It has held up remarkably well, and the only downside is that it gets condensation on the inside when it's humid and I don't stake the vestibules out. If I were to modify it, I'd make bigger vents for more airflow.
 
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Skylinerider

Skylinerider

Wandering the desert
Location
Ephraim
sixstringsteve said:
For 90% of my camping, I use a basic REI Quarter Dome T3. I've got 60+ nights in it, and it has really stood up. I'm pretty sure Sierra Designs makes REI's tents.

It's cheap, it has aluminum poles, color-coded to ease in late-night assembly, a stuff bag that is almost twice as big as needed with compression straps (why doesn't everyone do this?), clips to snap to the poles (rather than fabric "tubes" you have to push your pole through), a matching footprint designed specifically for the tent, and replaceable parts. For me, the best feature is that it's free-standing; meaning I don't have to use tent stakes if I don't want to. It has held up remarkably well, and the only downside is that it gets condensation on the inside when it's humid and I don't stake the vestibules out. If I were to modify it, I'd make bigger vents for more airflow.
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I like that quarter dome, and it's on sale right now. How big is the vestibule in real life? It doesn't look too big from the photos, but photos are usually misleading.
 
mesha

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
Another thing to consider about how weather/wind resistant a tent will be is your ability to properly set it up.

practice

If you tent has external guy points, but you don't understand proper line angles or stake angles your tent will still blow away. Understand the side of your tent that is best facing into the wind. Imagine the tent in the video steve posted was pitched sideways to the wind. It wouldn't be nearly as strong.

I am terrible at properly setting my tent. I know how to do it I am just too lazy usually to pitch every single guy line.
In greenland we had winds kick up to at least 70 MPH one night during a pretty awesome storm. It was a decent tent, but the storm was too much. We had to break camp and run for a small cave I saw earlier in the day. One of the best nights of my life.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Skylinerider said:
I like that quarter dome, and it's on sale right now. How big is the vestibule in real life? It doesn't look too big from the photos, but photos are usually misleading.
Click to expand...

The vestibule on the Quarter Dome T3 isn't huge. It's enough for shoes and a pack. But there's a vestibule on each side, so that helps. One nice thing about that tent is the way the walls go straight up, instead of dome towards the center. It gives you a lot more useable room in the tent. You're not constantly brushing up against the sides because they're vertical.

You're welcome to borrow my tent anytime.
 
Shawn

Shawn

Just Hanging Out
Location
Holly Day
I bought one of these this year and there is not a better tent. We shore camp at Powell and the winds are unbelievable. This tent will laugh at them.
 
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