Tents?

[Flash]

What's a good tent to buy? Nothing real fancy. Just a good quality tent that will keep you dry if it rains.

[troutned]

I've always been very pleased with Kelty products. Also, REI brand tents are very nice, and generally cheaper than the other big names. If you want something to use several times a year, for several years, I would stay away from Coleman and Eurekas. If you can buy it in a Wally-world type store, it's probably not going to be a great tent. IMO, buying a tent is not a good time to get the cheapest thing you can.

[Powerstroke]

That all depends on your price range. The REI brand and Kelty and maybe a few others will fall in the $250 range. This is a reasonable price for a high quality tent.

Some Eureka tents are good but you have to get the ones made for wilderness camping, not the cheapy ones.

If you want to spend less you have to think about what you want in your tent. A tent can be had for less than $100 but they are not usually well made or waterproof. Size, style and rainfly design will add price, for good reason.

[bikeoutback]

I would stay away from Coleman and Eurekas.

[bobbymalone]

After I bought my first North Face tent about 14 years ago, I won't get anything else. It's kept me and others dry through some serious rains. It's still going strong, kept my cousin-in-law dry during a rainy BWCA trip a few weeks ago. Kept the wife dry during a BWCA trip two years ago where they got 6 inches of rain over the weekend. Been through many many thunderstorms back home in the Ozarks. I joke that the tent is cursed because it rains almost every time I use it. Haven't gotten wet yet. My only complaint is that it isn't free-standing. My second NF tent is a couple years old and have absolutely nothing bad to say about it either.

North Face is definitely not the cheapest tents, but they are priced about the same as a kelty or similar brand.

What are you looking for? A backpacking tent? Car camping? 2 man? Family? 3 season? 4 season?

[Flash]

Thanks for the help. It's just for 2-4 people. Not looking for anything special. I kind of just wanted to get a price range on the good ones. It sounds like I should be able to pick up a decent one for around $200.

[Redlantern]

What kind of camping will you be primarily using it for? Weight can become an issue for some uses and with a high quality, light tent comes a bigger price tag.

[Powerstroke]

I think the reason there are more questions than answers here is because everyone has their own opinion about what camping is like. When I camp I go ultralight, even with the family, because I don't like extra work. We sleep 2 adults and two kids and a 40 lb. dog in a 4 person REI dome tent that weighs under 7lbs.

Some think a two man tent should hold two adult men, with cots, gear and a table and they should be able to stand up straight when changing clothes. That tent is actually a 6 person family tent that weighs 20+ lbs. It can still be had for under $200 but it won't be very good.

I see you're in Montgomery. If you can make it to REI in Bloomington you can see and setup any tent in stock and compare quality. Also REI has a lifetime warrenty on anything they sell. My first REI tent bent an aluminum pole after being in 58mph winds (yes we know the number), so I took it back. The guy gave me the replacement pole for free and the tent still lives.

[BorderView]

Another vote for Eureka! Have a Timberland four man (perfect for two), I've had and used it since 1982 and an Equinox six man (perfect for four), I've had for 15 years. Only have replaced zipper pulls. Also, my experience with customer service has been great.

[BorderView]

Another vote for Eureka! Have a Timberland four man (perfect for two), I've had and used it since 1982 and an Equinox six man (perfect for four), I've had for 15 years. Only have replaced zipper pulls. Also, my experience with customer service has been great.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Another vote from me for Eureka. Same parent company as Minn Kota and Humminbird (Johnson Outdoors).

I have two Eureka Sunrise models, one 9x9 & one that is 11x11. I've had them both for several years and just returned from a trip to Kab where we had 69 mph wind gusts for a day and a half. My 9x9 kept me dry, warm and comfortable once again

Yes, I did tie it by the metal support rings to a couple of trees on the windy side for extra support.

[NELS-BELLS]

In my opinion you don't need to buy the high dollar tents to get a good dry tent that you will be happy with. To me the important thing is that the rain fly is large enough to cover the entire tent from diagonal rain directions. So many of the inexpensive tents have these little rain flies that only work if the rain is coming straight down.

I have 3 tents and use them often thru all kinds of weather. One is an expensive 3 person Kelty and the other two are inexpensive brands. (not sure what kind but one is huge) The two cheaper brands work just as good as the Kelty for summer camping. I won't waste my money on an expensive brand again.

I also put a sheet of plastic under the tent. Make sure it doesn't stick out beyond the bottom edge of the tent.

Nels

[deerminator]

We sure like our Columbia Bugaboo II. You can get one for well under $200 from Cabela's and it's survived many a fierce thunderstorm and kept our family of four dry. It's good for a short stint but if you're looking for more than a couple of days, I'd look for somehing roomier.

[Cheetah]

What's a good tent to buy? Nothing real fancy. Just a good quality tent that will keep you dry if it rains.

All tents will leak, you just need to take good care of them to extend their life. It helps to bring an extra tarp too just in case of really bad rain.

I've been through some nasty storms in Cabelas Alaskan dome tents. They have stood up through winds that easily flatten most other tents.

My Marmot 2-man 3-season tent is nice, but has a lot of mesh ventilation so it really isn't much good in late fall. I bought it on clearance online.

My other 2-man tent I bought from REI on their winter clearance sale, it is made by Sierra Designs and has an extra internal ceiling layer to make it a 3/4 season tent. I haven't used it in the winter, but it is much better for late fall hunting trips.

[Trollin226]

Another vote for rei. I have 4 and have no complaints with them.

[Powerstroke]

All tents will leak, you just need to take good care of them to extend their life. It helps to bring an extra tarp too just in case of really bad rain.

I have to disagree here. I've never had one of my "backpacker" quality tents leak. The only water I've had on the inside is condensation. I will do seam sealer every five years and maybe re-waterproof the rainfly. Never been flooded or wet. That's why I like a full-coverage fly and a bathtub floor. Whatever tent you get buy the groundcloth for it or plan on having a tarp you have to fold every time.

[herefish101]

it's all in the rain fly, if your rain fly don't cover the entire tent your eventually going to get wet if you camp enough. I currently have two guide series tents that feature the gobedry rain fly. I'v had em both in the boundry waters during weather that had i been at home would have put me in my basement, never a drop of water in the tent, that didd'nt fall off of me coming in and out, I like to see the trees as they fall.

[jeffreyd]

Cant beat REI, on thing i will say is if you join their co-op, you can get some good discounts. Plus one stop shop in my opinion. I bought a cheap cheap 2 man tent for my son and i when we want a quick set up. works pretty good, handles the wind but not sure how it would do with driving rain as it never rains in the desert. I also have a truck tent that is fantastic, sure beats sleeping on the ground. I have a colman 6 man cheap tent it is a pain to set up, and is not my favorite tent. If i could do it, i would have a canvas guide type tent that uses 1 inch poles. it would be ideal for all seasons.

[herefish101]

go on overtons HSOforum, they sell stuff from gander. do a search for the Aurora dome tent. I'v owned one of these for 6 or 7 years now this is the driest tent i'v ever found, and around 150 bucs it's half the price of all those fancy name brand tents. the only problem, the poles are a little iffy, after the teny has been set up for a while they start to tweak a little, but all in all the best tent out there for the money.