tents

[johnbaker]

don't know if this is the right place for this , but here goes. i am thinking about buying a new tent . after thinking and doing some research i am starting to narrow the field. price is somewhat of a factor , but not to the point of being cheap.the most important thing to me is that it is waterproof.i kind of like the northface roadrunner 22. any pros / cons ? and what are some of you other people using ? thanks , john

[HMarc]

I've used a number of tents over the years, and the best advice I can give is two things:

1. Get a "3-man" tent if you ever plan to share the tent with anyone. If it's just you, then maybe a "2-man". But the larger tent will give you a place to put all your stuff (weather protection, security).
2. Try putting the tent up before you buy it. You want one which you can put up in the dark, with poor light. Ideally one which doesn't require a lot of tent stakes. That means simplicity is paramount.

Just my $0.02...

[johnbaker]

thanks for your insight.

[Aussie Dave]

I have trekked most national parks in South Eastern Australia, New Zealand and goodly sized chunks of South America. My motto for buying equipment is, "If it's Macpac, it works." Their tents are superb: light and strong and come in a number of sizes. I use a 1.9kg 2 man tent. It folds up very small and can be set up in minutes in a very small space. It's pretty squeezy for 2 people but has heaps of room for 1.

Macpac is a New Zealand company (macpac.co.nz) and their kit lasts forever and never breaks. Macpac kit has saved my life on at least 2 occassions.

I have no affiliations with Macpac (except that I have probably put the owner's children through school). I just like their kit.

[marc]

I curently use an REI Half Dome 2. It is nominally a 2 man tent which means it's perfect for me and my gear. Two vestibules, two doors, good ventilation, and free standing.

I almost always stake my tents down, but find a free standing tent is easier to set up. Once it's up I can fine tune its postion before staking it down. The reason I got my current tent is because my last tent wasn't free standing.

// marc

[johnbaker]

my current tent is not freestanding either . hence the search for a new tent .

[Time Traveller]

I recently upgraded my tent from a Eureka to an Outpost Long 3. The Eureka Apex weighed in to about 5 lbs and the Outpost around 9 lbs. Since the new tent accompanies me only on the GS, I am not concerned that much by the weight. Packing size is close to the Eureka. I bought the tent from Jim (http://www.mt-sun.com/catalog.php?type=category&id=3131) of Mt Sun while at the Autumn Bash in Quincy. I agree 100% that consider a tent for two+. The Outpost is a freestanding tent with a fly that includes a vestibule, a must for me.The tent measure 7' x 7' x 4, good head room. The vestibule has plenty of room for your gear, you and your easy chair,etc. Plus, it has a "window" in the vestibule. The tent was easy and fast to set up; the fly/vestibule requires guying. The tent uses 2 poles, the fly/vestibule uses one. The tent also has 2 doors. Right after I got it set up, it rained! The next morning it cleared up and dropped to 29 degrees. The tent impressed me.
The price of the tent was $200. Since I bought it at the rally, that was the total cost.

Good luck in your search!

[johnbaker]

thanks . keep going back to the marmot swallow . am going to check it out in person soon .

[bigsash]

I am a huge fan of Sierra Designs 2 person tents.

check this one http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=31

It's a two person 4 season tent, if you only need 3 seasons there are other options. The vestibule is more than big enough to comfortably fit whatever gear you can take on your bike, so that shouldn't be an issue. I have taken back packing trips with this tent and slept 2 people plus all our gear relatively comfortably.

They also offer a nice line of accessories if you want to add interior storage like a "attic" or "coffee slings"

[bigsash]

Here's the tent I got. Sierra Design AST Orion 2 person 3 season tent convertible to 4 season.



There's a picture with or without the rain cover, If you are using it in the snow i think you need to buy the snow cover which makes it a 4 season tent. It is very light and compact.

It goes up super quick you lay it flat on the groun, put the polls in and then clip the tent to the polls no sliding through sleeves or any BS