Buying tents.

[Kevin M]

Two part question:

What sources do you have for decent tents at reasonable (low as possible) price?

I'm camping chairman, so how do I convince the committee to buy 2-3 man tents capable of backpacking instead of BIG domes that hold 4-5 or more boys and weigh a ton?

Thanks for your help!

[eisely]

In the units that I have been involved with, we always made tents a responsibility of the individual members. Tents are easily damaged, and people tend to take better care of their own stuff. Tents are a maintenance problem, and this needs to be considered in any decision about buying tents for the unit. Where will the tents be stored, and who will take care of them to see they are properly dried out and maintained after an outing?

 

Be that as it may, there are at least three arguments for smaller tents rather than bigger tents. With bigger tents you are hampered in backpacking, as you point out. Another consideration is that, with a large group, finding campsites that can accommodate large tents can sometimes be a problem. With smaller two man tents, it is much easier to spot tents among trees and rocks where space may be limited. Further, larger tents tend to have higher profiles and consequently are also more difficult to manage under windy conditions.

 

In my mind it is a bit of a luxury to have uniform tents within a unit. It is always interesting at camporees to see the variety of tents used within a single unit.

 

The one tent related expenditure that units should consider is dining flies. These have a multitude of uses, and can even be used as backup tents for sleeping purposes in some situations. I am trying to persuade our committee to spring for these.

[Mike Long]

Our Troop buys our tents at Campmor. If you call them and speak to a customer rep you can buy gear for your troop at a discount with a troop check.(I think %10) but you have to ask for it!

You can contact them at Campmor.com. We bought 2 man Eureka tents for about $65-75 each. Campmor has a great selection of quality tents that won't bust the budget. Other suppliers might do the same you just need to ask. REI (REI.com)however does not have a discout system last I checked (June '00)

 

If you are the camping chairman simply tell them that big tents will not work at all with your outdoor program. You need to explain the use of the buddy system and how two Scouts should divide the weight between themselves and that a 4.5 to 6 pound tent is much easier to carry than a 9 to 12 pound monstrosity. You can't divide the weight of a huge tent fairly between boys, some poor kid is going to get the shaft.

 

You might want to do a graphic demonstration. Get a tent simliar in weight to what you want to get and get a one of those whopper family camping style tents. Load two similar packs with the gear that a Scout would normally carry on your typical trip. The only difference is that one pack has a real backpacking tent in it and one has the Scout-crusher tent. Let the committee members compare the weight of the two packs.

 

In my mind, if the committee trusts you to be responsable for your troop's camping program that trust should also extend to the selection of the gear needed to successfully carry out said program.

 

I would also suggest that you get your older Scouts involved in the selection process, and teach them how to shop. Have them set up a set of criteria to judge the gear against and do some research. The ability to compare differing products and come to an intellegent decision regarding cost versus features versus intended use is valuble skill that everyone needs to learn.

 

Good Luck.

 

[jmcquillan]

As has been stated above, what kind of tent you buy, and convincing the committee to make the purchase has everything to do with what your program will be (or is) and what you intend to do with the tents. In our troop, we started off years ago with the two man canvas Voyager tents. They weighed a ton. Only two poles were required, but they were hardly backpacking tents. In fact, we still have about a dozen of them stored away in the Scouthouse. Subsequent to that, we started making purchases of the two-man Eureka Timberline series self-supporting tents for our backpacking program. We were able to get them at reasonable cost through Hilton's Tent City in Boston. They gave us a discount when we made bulk purchases (6-10 tents at a time). During the years since then, we've realized that the two man tents weren't suited for every application, so we made the decision to investigate additional tents for camporees and jamboree-type events. We settled on the LLBean 6 man dome tents. They're a little pricey, but the quality is great. Our experience with LLBean has been that, although they don't advertise it, they will give discounts to Scout Troops if buying in bulk. We've purchased 15 of the 6 man tents over the past two years.

 

One thing we've found that is valuable to remember is, don't sacrifice quality for price. When you get a group of Scouts out in the woods, it's too late then to realize that your 'great deal' on tent prices supplied you with tents that don't hold up to the conditions you're using them in. That includes cheap fabric that rips, seams that leak, and design that allows wind and water to penetrate or drip inside at windows and doors.

 

[eisely]

It is heartening to hear that some people are able to get good deals on tents. In the markets where I have shopped, I have never seen a good two person tent for under $100.00. Our local REI still extends a 10% discount to scout units. Of course that is 10% off of a fairly high price. I also concur that there is a quality difference associated with price.

[DFlah]

One of the things you should keep in mind when buying tents is the GUARANTEE. Scouts by their very nature will be HARD on equipment. As a Scoutmaster I have always looked at whether or not a tent is open stock (read: always available) and what the guarantee is.

 

I agree with some of the responses recommending Eureka, but that is not the only brand. Also did you know that the Scout catalogue has a Eureka tent for under $100. And there is no tax to pay. Campmor as has been suggested is GREAT for discounting to Scout units, but Sierra, EMS, REI and others will do the same.

 

Now, on the contraversy of size. You need to look at the Scouting safety policy on the square feet to be given a Scout at camp. I believe that long term camps have a different policy than overnights.

[jmcquillan]

I don't believe that you'll find a 'good' two man tent anywhere for under $100. You may find an 'acceptable' tent, but not a 'good' one. I have seven tents myself, two 4 man, three 2 man, and 2 solo tents. Two of these tents were the cheaper models (I won't name brands...but). There is a definite variation in quality based on price. The cheaper models tend to have seams that leak, and the design often lends itself to rain coming in the doors and windows whenever opened. You really get what you pay for. On the other hand, one of my tents is one of the Northface VE series, quite expensive, but for what I do, it's a benefit to have spent the money on the quality. BUT, I would never, ever recommend going that distance for a tent for Scouts. Too much money. When getting into that arena, I would agree that personally owned tents are the way to go. A troop should be able to get very good two man tents for between $100-$175. If the troop can manage it, they should target certain tents to certain uses. (i.e., having one tent type to serve for both camporee / jamboree type events AND backpacking might not be a good idea given the use and abuse that kids will give them). We've been able to set aside a number of tents that are used ONLY for backpacking. It helps to extend the life of the tent.

 

I don't know about REI, EMS, etc., but both LLBean and Eureka will provide repair service for their tents if required. Of course, you have to mail the damaged piece to them and pay a fee. But, if you don't have a local tent repair guy for broken zippers and torn fabric, it's something to remember.

 

Lastly, a really good place to find out about camping gear and how the different brands stand up to use and comfort is Backpacker Magazine. They have a website. Every year, they one issue of the magazine devoted to nothing but gear comparisons and costs. It's quite extensive. It's a good publication for a troop to get.

 

 

[Kevin M]

I really appreciate all the good advice! Thanks! I ALWAYS buy the Backpacker magazine annual GEAR GUIDE. It's my equipment bible. I do have Campmore's catalog, and have ordered new catalogs from LLBean, REI, and a couple others. Committee meeting is next Monday, and I printed y'all's responses. I also downloaded info from Backpacker.com and some manufacturers' sites. Wish me luck.

PS. Anyone know any Bobwhites in Houston? (SR-73)

 

[Mike Long]

That "under $100" two man Eureka tent in the Scout catalog looks very much like the Eureka dome 2XT that we bought at Campmor for about $70ish. That tent I would describe as adequate to good. My personal tents I like MUCH better.

 

As far as the leaky tent issue. Get some seam sealer, a sunny day, a bar-b-que and a bunch of scouts and have a seam sealing cook out on a Saturday. Be sure wipe the seam with alcohol and put on two thin coats of sealer.

 

As to the potential damage issue. We stensil our tents with the troop # and a "stock" #. Scouts check out tents from the quartermaster much like a public library. Scouts who damage a tent are required to fix it. (except in the case of an act of God. Had a few of those!) A scout who will not take care of a tent he broke loses the privilidge of using troop tents.

 

Our boys worked very hard to earn the money to buy those tents and when they see another scout mistreating the equipment they worked so hard to buy they strighten them out super quick.

 

Glad we were of help Kevin.

[jmcquillan]

Mike,

 

You brought up a subject that just might make a great subject for a section in the Basic Scoutmastership Fundamentals cirriculum..."Acts of God, and How Many Scouts Can Come Up With..."

 

I have heard some real great ones in my years in Scouting. Like the Scout who was running through camp, (as he was told not to), and tripped on t root and fell smack on a two man tent...ripping the fabric and ruining half of the poles. He claimed, of course, that the root was an Act of God. Believe it or not, his parents backed him up on this one and refused to pay for the tent repairs...or should I say replacement.

 

I'm sure that there are stories out there that would fill a book.

 

[Mike Long]

Maybe we should start a forum on the best excuses we've ever heard come out of a scout's mouth.

 

That one's pretty good.

[Uncle Bob]

The Scouts in my sons Patrol have been together since Tigers and have just finished their first year as Boy Scouts. Two years ago as Webelos they purchased 4 3man dome tents green in color from the local Sports Authority. Sale price $29.99, regular price $39.99. This past summer they were able to purchase the same tent for $39.99. These boys have done quite a bit of camping, over 20 days and nights in the past year. Most of them in these tents. These tents provide plenty of room for two boys and their gear and weigh about 8lbs. I am over six foot and found it ok for me and my gear. After more than two years of use the tents still look good. It also makes a sight for the Patrol to have 5 tents of the same color and style. I have owned and priced tents that were of greater cost and supposed quality and I feel these 5 tents have been a great value.

Our Troop also has a very nice dinig fly. It takes some work to set it up but the one the boys in my sons Patrol uses is smaller and cheaper, takes 10 min. to set up. Guess where the majority of the Troop hangs out on camp outs? The cheap dining fly. (1)8x12 green plastic tarp, (4)adjustable poles, rope and pegs, total cost 2 years ago $69.00. A special note: we have found that if we reinforce the tie down areas with plastic from coffe cans or soap buckets and use them with bungee cords, the tarps will withstand almost any type of weather or wind.

[OldGreyEagle]

Thank-you Uncle Bob,

 

I was watching this thread with mixed horror and intimadation. I have bought a few tents over the past few years, and have bought them at Wal-Mart. Most were under $40.00 and some much less on sale. They have held up well with an average of 2 nights a month camping. I am not sure everyone can afford a two man tent for over $100.00 and its nice to know other scouts are as "thrifty" minded as I am

[Mike Long]

I would like to point out that the boys set the budget for our tents not the adults. As long as the tent works well for your boys the price is right.

 

The boys wanted 12 new tents and asked how much they could spend on them. The committe was about to debate price, I cut the the committe off at the pass and told the Scouts we can spend as much as they can earn. If they choose expensive tents, then they need to work harder and earn more. They then backed off of getting the North Face Roadrunners they wanted at $250 a pop.

 

I do have one other suggestion for getting the money for tents. We had a garage sale at our church. We canvassed the congregation to donate anything they wanted to get rid of, nothing will be refused. The boys asked thier nieghbors and family to donate also. We also called Goodwill to pick up anything not sold on that Satuday at 1pm. We earned $1500 for tents and helped out the needy with everthing we didn't sell.

[eisely]

Another reason that tents have never come up as an item of troop equipment fo us is that so many families in our area have camped and even backpacked before the boys were old enough to join scouts. Thus most of our new scouts come into the troop with a leagacy of gear including backpackable tents. I agree that a patrol or troop with uniform tentage is am impressive site, but one we do without.