Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

[clenn]

My girlfriend and I are planning a vacation in the Western US for mid-to-late May. We'll be ironing out details soon but I think the basic plan is to visit a few national parks such as Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and/or Zion.

We'd like to camp in these places. Neither of us have really done any camping (though I've wanted to start for years), just day-hiking. Some of it will probably be car-camping, but we'd also like to do some "backcountry" camping at sites along trails. Given our lack of experience I doubt we'll attempt anything more than two nights without returning to the car.

Of course we'll be doing a lot of research about backcountry camping and necessary supplies before then, but as we estimate our costs this week I need to know if I should invest in a tent.

A few years ago my parents gave me a new Coleman Sundome 2-person tent that they somehow had received and didn't plan to use. It's still unopened. My reading so far (including a post on this forum) seemed to suggest that it's a decent tent with good ventilation, may need some sealing around the seams, and that the half fly may not be desirable.

I'm mostly concerned with whether it is appropriate for the cool weather we may experience on the trip, especially if we camp at RMNP. Of course, we'll be getting warm sleeping bags as well, but I don't really know how big of a role a tent plays in overnight warmth or how this one fares in this regard.

I'm also curious about the space. It seems like I'll need to make sure nothing is touching the tent walls to help keep out water, so I'm worried there won't be enough room for our supplies. It seems like a full fly is also useful for storage, and I assume a half fly is not useful at all in this regard. I have also read that you should have a tent made for one more person than will be using it. I'm 5'5 and she's 5'3, so I expect that will help.

Just wondering what you all think about this tent's suitability for our plans. If there's any other information I can provide I'm happy to. If you think I will do OK with this tent, are there other tent-related supplies I will want (a tarp to go under it, for example)? If you think this is not sufficient, are there any that you'd recommend? I expect we'll want to stay under $200, since we'll both need to get sleeping bags and good backpacks plus a number of smaller items.

I'm also open to recommended routes/campsites in any of these parks! We're both in pretty good shape and I think we could handle moderate terrain and elevation changes.

Thanks in advance!

[Happy Joe]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

My advice; try all food/cooking type things at home first and at least do a trial tent setup in the backyard so you have an idea what goes where.


Since you're thinking may, you can expect at least freezing temperatures at night depending on altitude (higher gets colder).
Personally I like to layer a (with a blanket or fleece bag) a medium weight bag that way if the weather is warmer or cooler than expected you can still get/stay comfortable.


I find that the pad mattress is also very important; to maintain even tempers and avoid sleep deprivation.


Looking on the web it looks like that tent has a lot of screened ventilation, so don't expect a lot of temperature protection. (I mostly cover my (Eureka 9x9) dome's vents with transparent plastic (be certain to maintain adequate ventilation if using an oxygen consuming device in the tent), for better low temperature performance, while camping in the mountains).


At a minimum while the tent is in trial setup mode try it as well as you can (both of you) to make sure you fit, with bags, pads etc. (I once had a 7x7 dome in which I had to sleep in on a diagonal because it did not fit me (I'm 6'0"). Note; any pads/mattresses will lift you off the ground and the space in domes gets smaller the higher you are.


Enjoy!

[drake2]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

Sounds like you have done some decent beginning research and have obtained some helpful knowledge. I'm positive some of these guys can offer you some more great advice that directly pertains to your needs. Good luck with it all and hope to see some pictures!

[MacGyver]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

A two person tent with two people in it is going to be a tight fit, especially if you want to bring any gear inside with you. The Sundome 2 is five feet wide and seven feet long - with sloping walls that cut into your living space a bit. Of course, the tight fit might help with the temperature issue, which could be nice .

[Mike]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

My advice is don't camp in the midwest in spring (March, April, May, to mid-June). Some of the places you mentioned will still have snow cover and the parts without snow will be sponge-Bob wet.

The northern part of the midwest is typically snow-covered in winter and the spring thaws make everything wet and mushy and it is still cold. The trees are still bare giving the area a grey, cold, wet atmosphere. Spring rains can bring spring floods - nothing to make the news, but enough to drench everything you have.

I am a hard-core camper including the dead of winter, but I do not camp in spring. I camp from about the end of June until the spring thaw starts in March or April for the reasons I explained above.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

If you plan on going to RMNP, you better make your reservations online, now.

[clenn]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

Thank you all for your responses and advice!

We're going to keep our eyes on sales and invest in a 3-person tent with a full fly.

We're anticipating cold weather, but I'll mention the wetness to her. I personally don't mind - I like cold/wet weather and recently spent a winter in Fairbanks so I have a lot of high quality cold-weather clothing. She's more of a southerner but pretty adventurous.

We've also arranged our plans so that if the weather is nasty we have breaks between backcountry camping, car camping, and indoor lodging. I think we can handle a night or two of cold and wet (as long as we're properly prepared, which I plan to be), as long as we aren't doing it every night for two weeks. We're also heading down to Zion and spending a couple of nights in Vegas. We're going to visit RMNP on our way back east, allowing a week for additional melt, and will try to get campsites where the snow usually melts early (I found a website that listed the average snow-free date over the past 20 years for all campsites in this park). We were going to start thinking about reservations in the next couple of weeks, but I'll put a rush on that.

And good call on practicing--that's an excellent idea. I knew to set up the tent, but it never crossed my mind to practice the cooking (which is probably the thing that I'm most anxious about).

[tplife]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

Clenn, sounds like a trip to REI (or EMS) and a copy of The Complete Walker are on your top-list.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

FWIW, your tent isn't going to provide thermal protection. If you get one that's too tight, you get condensation (= frost in cold weather), which is really bad. Not really a problem with double wall tents - those generally have good ventilation anyway. Your tent needs to shed rain/wind/snow, according to what you expect. If you're going to be packing it any distance, I like the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo.

It would be a good idea to set up your existing tent to see how tight it is with two people in it. Like most have said, I'm guessing it will be pretty tight.

[Bingo]

Re: Basic backcountry tent for cooler climates

MARMOT has a 3 person tent for that price range with good ratings.