Kodiak or Marmot? Anything else?

[Trig]

Hello all, first time poster here -- found your site searching for camping forums, nice forums you have here.

Anyway, looking to upgrade my cheapo Coleman 4 man to something bigger and of greater quality. Have done a lot of reading the past few hours, and have kind of ended up on the Kodiak 10 x 10 and the Marmot Halo 6P.

I mainly camp at state parks in Oklahoma and surrounding areas and weight isn't an issue as I car camp. Just want a quality tent that will last me a while -- what do you all think of the options above? Any others I should take a look at?

Thanks a bunch,
Trig

[tplife]

Trig, welcome to the forum, hope you learn as much as I have here. I have mostly Sierra Designs tents. Most of the other manufacturers pay them royalties for things like SwiftClips, hubs, convertible pole schemes and other features under patent protection. That being said, it's the high production numbers that get more product out there for sale at competitive prices. I've bought 3 of their lifetime-guaranteed tents off Ebay, new-in-the-box for 60% off retail (yes, including shipping). The other high-end manufacturers of equal footing are Marmot, Big Agnes, NorthFace, Mountain HardWear, some REI and some Eureka! models as well. You have to be careful with the last two as they mix in the cheap stuff to make sales in their stores. I'm a big fan of Marmot as I have a few of their sleeping bags, two of them are US made and they use only the finest materials in their products. You'll quickly forget the price once you experience a few seasons of a quality tent. The photo section has shots of my 1987 Sierra Designs Base Camp, still in use for over 22 years. It's the shorter blue tent...

http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=2375

Good luck with your purchase, I'm sure others on the forum have hands-on experience with the Kodiak brand and can share their experiences.

[Smokey Mtn. Camper]

You certainly cant go wrong with either of those tent mfg. I have a Big Agnes Big House six w/vestibule and it is without a doubt the best made and the easiest tent to pitch that I have ever had and I have been camping for 40 years.

It carries a lifetime warranty...all seams are factory taped and sealed...so easy to put up my 9 year old usually pitches the tent...has tons of storage pockets...waterproof...has a full rain fly...outsatnding customer service...I cant say enough good things about Big Agnes.

Good luck in your quest for a tent. It seems like you are doing your homework so you should end up with a goodin.

Here are a few pics of my tent in action...

[renodesertfox]

Howdy Trig! Welcome to a pretty good camping forum! Glad you're here!

I own a Kodiak Canvas Wall Tent 9x12! It is the best made tent I have ever stepped in, struck, pitched and slept in. The floor is very thick vinyl, there is plenty of ventilation and the windows are very large. The tent itself weighs in at 51 lbs and the solid tubular steel poles weigh in at 53 lbs. It'll with-stand hurricane force 70+ winds! The sleeping area is 9x12 but has an added shaded vestibule that's attached that stretches to 8x8 in from of the tent. When I purchased ours from the factory....they included a screen porch that fits the exact dimensions of the vestibule. This has proven very helpful during insect season providing a barrier between us and them. Kodiak recommends that two people are needed to pitch it, but I can do easily by myself, a little at a time and it takes a good hour to erect it. But once pitched, ya never have to worry about anything, cause it won't move. The Kodiak came with it's own 16, 12" steel stakes. The zipper system is the best I have ever seen! Not cheap plastic zippers but great steel zippers that never clinch or bunch up. Step into a 3 season tent during a hot day and what will you become? Hot! Step into a canvas tent with large windows and what will you become, pleasantly cooled! This summer we have taken our Kodiak out 5 times and in less than two weeks we are going again. My Eureka 10x10, Wenzel 6x9, and REI tents have been sitting in storage for nearly a year. I will never camp again in nothing but a Kodiak. A marmot tent would be great for colder conditions....but the Kodiak was fine, this winter our lowest temp camping night was -05f! Of course we use a tent heater too! A 9x12 is perfect for two adults! Our gear is stored in a 5x7 Kelty Cabana! I love our Kodiak! Sure it was expensive, wish I had purchased one before I went through all the other tents that I have now in storage! Now bride(my Desert Rose) and I together can pitch the tent in under 30 minutes and strike it in 20 minutes...but that takes practice! For the camper that camps more than just a couple of times a year then Kodiak is the way to go....for me anything else is just pretend camping! Just my $0.02!

[Trig]

Thanks for the replies guys -- it sounds like I really can't go wrong so long as I buy from a reputable brand.

I've waffled back and forth between canvas and polyester tents for the last two days, and as soon as I think I've decided I read something else that makes me change my mind.

Anyway, as of now I'm going to buy the Kodiak linked in my first post later today. Since I'm a car camper right now, I might as well since I don't have to lug it everywhere. After reading all of the glowing reviews here and at Cabela's (only place I've found them in stock) I don't think I can go wrong.

In addition, I'm going to keep my eye on fleabay for a Sierra Designs Zeta 4 for those times when the big canvas tent just isn't practical. If I can find one cheap like tp said above I should be good to go.

Again, thanks for all of your input -- I appreciate it.

Trig

[renodesertfox]

Trig! You won't be disappointed with either tent. Sure it takes longer to pitch camp with a modern canvas tent...but that is part of the mystic of enjoying the camping experience! Every place we have gone and people walk or drive by I'm only hearing one phrase repeated every time: "sir...that's a nice looking tent and set-up ya got there!" That puts a smile on my bride's face everytime and if I can make her happy camping well then I done good! Stick around the forum too, if you have a mind to...there are plenty of tenting subjects to chime in on and chat about. Nice campers here to be sure! We are happy that you have chosen to be another great campateer!

[tplife]

Trig, don't forget to pickup a handcart for that Kodiak. 64 pounds, you're going to need it! :p

[Bigdog57]

Or a good Llama!

[Rob22315]

Kodiak canvas tents are great - I have one of the flex-bow tents, the 10x14. Sets up in about 15 minutes and loads of room. Materials and construction are first rate - this is the last tent I expect to buy and I intend to camp for the rest of my life. Occasionally, I have to be careful about finding a site big enough. I did get a hand truck to move it (all 70+ lbs) but I haven't found it difficult to carry so the truck stays home. The poles and the tent are in two separate packs which divides the load up and makes it manageable.

The only thing disappointing about the flex-bow was the awning. It doesn't really stay taut as shown in the pictures and tends to collect rainwater unless I move the poles and ropes around, then it tends to block the entrance.