Tents?

[Ron Burgundy]

I'm looking at a new tent for up to $100 for my wife and I and the dog. I see the Coleman Instant tent and the Ozark Trail instant tents are on sale. Is there that much of a quality difference between the 2? We'd probably use it 2x a summer maybe. The Coleman doesn't have a rain fly because they claim its water proof. The Ozark does, but the top is black. Who wants a hot silly-me black tent? If we get the Ozark we can get a size bigger for the same price.

[SkunkedAgain]

My opinion is that you get what you pay for with tents. The Coleman or other cheapy types will work for a couple of outings or longer, but rarely stand up to the harsh weather when you really need it. When I'm in the woods, the tent is to protect me from the worst weather...not just mosquitos.

I own/owned Eureka, Kelty, and REI brands. I haven't bought any recently but up to a few years ago, the REI versions were fantastic. They were moderate in price, held up to the worst weather, and had complete no-questions-asked return policies. I'm not a big fan of REI the store these days, but I've never been able to fault their equipment.

[amateurfishing]

+1 for REI...with a lifetime return policy you cannot go wrong and when out in the elements, you REALLY want it to work for you in every possible way.

.....and if you've ever read the fine print on a tag or in an owners manual, NOTHING is every guaranteed 100% water proof.

If you do your own research online, read reviews, go ask a lot of questions at REI store, you do get what you pay for.

[magnum mike]

My nylon Hilton is a eureka. I took the same approach as you 20+ years ago and regretted it. One windy & rainy night and you will wish you went with a quality tent. My tenting days are long over but the tent is race ready for my daughter.

[B-man715]

There are a lot of things to spend more money on......... a tent that is to be used 2x a year is not one of them. Imho

I've had a normal Coleman tent going on 6 years or so with zero problems. Like you, it only gets used a couple times a year (mainly for remote camping on the St. Croix for a weekend fishing trip).

If the rain pours from the sky for several hours, yes there will be a couple small puddles inside..... whoop de doo. I don't melt. It keeps 99.9% of the rain out.

The only downside is setting it up takes a little while. I too have been looking at the instant tents they make. They look like a decent product for the price. The downside of this style would be heavy winds. A normal fiberglass pole tent will lay right down with a big gust, I fear this thing could go sailing unless it had a fair amount of gear or a person in it.

Where did you see them on sale?

[SkunkedAgain]

I get your point about the not spending money on a tent that rarely gets used. Getting water inside when it's 50 or 60 degrees out is different than getting rain on a 35 degree day with nights below freezing. It all depends on what time of season and where you camp.

The downside of this style would be heavy winds. A normal fiberglass pole tent will lay right down with a big gust, I fear this thing could go sailing unless it had a fair amount of gear or a person in it.

They do have these ingenious inventions called "stakes" that keep your tent from flying away. Mine has seen monster wind gusts and while the frame bends it never breaks or lays down. It makes like a tree and conforms with the wind for a moment.

[nofishfisherman]

What kind of camping do you plan to use the tent for? Car camping? Backpacking? BWCA trips?

How you use it is more important than how many times you'll use it. If you are planning to go to the BWCA or do any backpacking with it then you'll want to factor in weight when making the decision. Which will likely steer you away from cheaper tents. Also if taking it on a trip where you are off the beaten path you want to make sure you have a tent that you KNOW will hold up against the elements. In that case SkunkedAgain makes some good recommendations. For my BWCA trips I use a Kelty Gunnison (3 person) and it has held up very well against some nasty weather without a drop of water in it. I believe those are in the $200-250 range.

If you are only planning car camping trips in a state park then you can perhaps get by with a cheaper tent. I know I've spent many of nights in el cheapo tents in the past, I've had occasional water in the tent but nothing major. Its just a matter of weighing the risk. When car camping in the summer if things get a little wet it probably won't ruin a trip, if you get wet in the BWCA it can make for a looooong week.

The other thing to consider is that if you do go the cheaper route there are things you can do to improve your odds of staying dry. First and more most importantly is pick the proper place to put the tent. Find the high ground for your tent and avoid depressions or low spots at all costs. Make sure to seal the seams of the tent with a seam sealer (good idea on any tent). Also make sure to use a good ground pad under your tent that is the same size as your tent. You don't want the ground pad extending beyond the foot print where it will catch rain water and funnel it right under your tent. Also use a second ground cover or tarp on the inside of your tent.lay it out and fold it up the walls of the tent and then lay out your bags on top of that. That will give you 3 layers of protection from water coming up from underneath which is where most water will come from.

As for the tents you mention i don't have any personal experience with them but I probably wouldn't consider anything without a rain fly. Nothing is ever truly water proof so I won't believe it when i read it on the side of the box, especially on a cheaper tent.

If you have some time before you need the tent go in and check out the REI scratch and tent section, its hit and miss but you can find some steals in there. Alot of the gear that is returned ends up in that section and I've seen several tents there for a great price. Things get returned for a lot of stupid reasons. I saw a tent there last summer that was 50% off because it had been returned because of a very small area of discoloration on one corner. They had it marked and I could barely see it. Still kicking myself for not buying it. Also keep an eye on a site called SteepandCheap. They feature a new piece of outdoor gear every 20 minutes that is usually atleast 50% off. I've seen some great deals on tents there as well.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Great advise nofiishfisherman +1

Regarding that steepandcheap, the only thing I see listed is some women's bikini underwear

Good thing my wife's not looking over my shoulder...

Her: what you looking at honey?

Me: some great deals on outdoor stuff some guy on the forum told me about!

Her: let me see... what forum did you say that was??

[nofishfisherman]

The deal with Steepandcheap is that they only feature one product at a time. It switches every 20 minutes. So you could look at it once and see some sort of womens underwear and 20 minutes later it will be a leatherman, 20 minutes later a set of skis, then a tent, then a watch, etc.... Its hit and miss but there are some good deals if you hit it right.

If you happen to see more womens underwear and the wife walks in and starts asking questions just tell her that you're looking for a little extra support during those long days on the water and that its strictly for comfort.