Tents that work?

[Missourileo]

Hi,
I've been researching tents for a some time now and can't seem to find what I like. I have ran through three Coleman tents and one Wenzel. I'm amazed at the cheap quality of those tents. I mean, just setting one up you can rip the sleeves, tub, guide straps.............wow. Absolute garbage. I am looking for a two-three person tent, with room to stand up in, and some longevity to it, without breaking the bank. I did see the ALPs tents and realized the 6' ceiling is in the center of the tent, which is fine, but it looks cheaply made as well. I'm leaning towards a canvas tent like a Kodiak, but that is China crap, so that leaves Swingbar? Are there any decent tents left or is it one way or the other.
It actually seems that most of Coleman's camping products are absolutely cheap and gimmicky. Coming back into the camping world after a ten year stint camping in the military, and it's like playschool camping. Not to mention, all the gear is so outrageous. Are there any buy, sell, trade forums worth a shot? Just some questions for an old camper, but a noob on here.
Happy Camping !!

[gatordude]

Re: Tents that work?

Try looking at REI. We've got the Kingdom 6 and love it.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Tents that work?

" I'm leaning towards a canvas tent like a Kodiak, but that is China crap, "

Wow, just Wow

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Tents that work?

Well, it would help if you could tell us what you are comparing against? There is a TON of quality gear out there. I'm personally not a canvas fan - here in MS there are really only two seasons - hot and wet - and neither require canvas. So I guess the question is, what is the standard you are used to? That might help. I guess you could always buy shelter halves, if you're nostalgic. You can get a set for about 30 bucks.

[MacGyver]

Re: Tents that work?

If you feel like spending a lot more money for a Springbar rather than a Kodiak, go right ahead. But first check this out:
http://www.familytentcamping.com/fil...Comparison.pdf

I almost bought a Springbar myself. But, even before I'd seen that comparison list, I noticed the T-zip doors and the metal tent peg rings on the Springbar. T-zips are a pain to open and close and metal tent peg rings aren't readily field repairable in the event of a failure. And the floors on the Kodiaks are insanely heavy, almost to where you'd think about leaving the groundsheet home.

[terasec]

Re: Tents that work?

Really comes down to what you want out of the tent
Don't confuse thinner lighter materials with being cheap
Todays fabrics are light years ahead of what we had +20 years ago
I use a wenzel 1 person tent 10 yrs old and no problems
Before that had a eureka 6 person tent for +10 yrs that was also a great tent
I also had a kodiak flexbow, absolutely hated it, not for my type of canping
76 lbs!!!! No way
Just spent a few days camping with a group of about 20 people probably 7-8 tents in total
All your typical store bought name brand low priced tents
Even with thunderstorms and high winds no one had any complaints about their tents

[Missourileo]

Re: Tents that work?

Hi and thanks for the responses. Let me clear up some things. I'm not saying Kodiak tents are junk, but I'm saying that most of the stuff coming from China is cheaply made and junk. Kodiak tents seem to be rated pretty well. It's not that I'm a fan of canvas or they nylon type, it's about rugged durability for me. Every nylon type tent I've used has horrible zippers, a cheaply made tarp base, which tears and collects mud and the tie downs rip apart from the tent after a couple of uses. I'm just not impressed with them. As former military, I camped a lot. We had durable canvas tents, always. They were heavier, but lasted.
It is generally just me camping, maybe one other, if I'm lucky that week. I would like the headroom to stand and put my pants on, but I don't need a three bedroom tent. I have been reading on this forum, quite a bit. I see a small group of canvas guys and I find that to be pretty cool. I see there pics and campsites and I'm jealous. I'm also a car camper, I drive to the site, unload and camp. Maybe one day, I'll backpack and camp. I have a shelter half for that.
I did look at the REI tent, but I can't seem to get an idea of how big it is. I'll google some pics and find it that way. I appreciate all the info fro you happy campers. I think I may be leaning towards a canvas tent. I'm just kind of shocked at how difficult it is to find quality gear. I tossed everything Coleman I had, except the coolers...............lol.

[Missourileo]

Re: Tents that work?

I was also contemplating a tipi or teepee style tent. But it seems you have the cheapos(sportsman guide), which don't work very well, or the OMG how much?(seek outside) tipis. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground, but one of those would be downright awesome.

[Missourileo]

Re: Tents that work?

So does anyone know why it takes like three days for my posts to.........post?

[clint]

Re: Tents that work?

We have (and love!) a Turbo Tent by Blackpine Sports. The canvas is very durable, they have high ceilings, and the best part is that they get set up in only a few minutes. Check them out: http://www.blackpinesports.com/

[actad]

Re: Tents that work?

How about military surplus tents?

BTW, I am in my 4th season on a Coleman tent.

[sunnymw]

Re: Tents that work?

Generally you get what you pay for. As an above poster said, check out REI. Also look at Marmot. For a little cheaper there's Eureka.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Tents that work?

REI let's you rent equipment so you can try it out in the field and decide it's worth to you.

Looking to buy/trade/sell?
I've done well at CL and others sing the praises of E bay. Then of course there are the local PennySavers.

I used to know a site that encouraged trading camp equipment but I pretty much have all I ant and forgot the name. Maybe google?

[MacGyver]

Re: Tents that work?

REI let's you rent equipment so you can try it out in the field and decide it's worth to you.

There are very few REI stores that actually rent gear. To be honest, I'd never heard that any of them did (kind of odd to me since I spend so much time in their stores). So this is what I found when I checked:
http://www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html

[Mick]

Re: Tents that work?

Have a Marmot Limestone 8P that I really like but have a Kodiak 10 X 14 deluxe on the way to extend our camping season. Weight is not an issue but size is. I would suggest REI, Marmot or Big Agnes for quality offerings. You might want to check Paha Que too. A great company with fantastic customer service. Jeff Basford is a stand up guy.