Tent Suggestions

[ChiefThundercloud]

My Troop is in the process of replacing our tents, so I'll give you my opinions as we've just spent a fair amount of time hunting for tents.

 

The first batch of tents the troop had when I became SM was a mix and they all leaked. It rains on nearly every campout (hence the name Chief Thundercloud) so a really good rain fly is essential. We replaced all those cruddy tents with the Coleman knockoff of the Eureka Timberline tent. They were about $50 each and served us well for 5 years.

 

I have had a few ripped floors (some of my scouts do use cots) but other than some pine sap I got on my own tent zipper, I never had a zipper problem with 12 tents. As these tents have matured, the bags abused and ripped, the shock cords stretched, the parts starting to become misplaced, etc. we decided to invest in new tents this year.

 

The older Scouts were encouraged to purchase their own back pack tent. The younger Scouts are expected to use the Troop Tents. Each Patrol has specific tents assigned to them. We bought Eureka Timberline 4 tents this year. They're bg enough to fit 3 kids comfortably (on mats) and 2 not quite as comfortably (on cots).

 

I like both the Eureka Timberline and Coleman knockoff. They both have a great rain fly and are both easy to set up.

[Gold Winger]

Nice thing about Coleman is that they have a lifetime guarantee and the Coleman Camping stores give a 20% discount to Scouts.

 

There's someplace on the Coleman web site to order with a Scout discount.

 

Alps Mountaineerng also gives a hefty discount to Scouts and their stuff is also guaranteed for life.

[airesearch]

For our Troop and Crew, we have basically two standards, namely one for tailgate camping and the other for backpacking.

 

For the tailgate camping, we stick with troop or crew purchased Coleman 7x7 tents, so that we can maintain comonality at a reasonable price. I understand the zipper issue, because this is usually what fails first on these tents, although the poles come in a close second. However, since we have standardized, it has made the repair and maintainence rather easy.

 

For backpacking, we ask that our scouts buy their own or rent to buy from our troop/crew inventory of tents which are usually purchased at REI used gear sales or the equivalent. However, in California we often get by with a simple tarp due to the mild weather.

[gcnphkr]

 

We bought Eureka Timberline 4 tents this year. They're bg enough to fit 3 kids comfortably (on mats) and 2 not quite as comfortably (on cots).

Yeah. It looks like cots are just too tall to really work with the sloped sides. They would end up needing to be pushed together in the middle. Still, most are on pads anyway so they would still work.

[Gunny2862]

Cots are really not the best in any floored tent. Ensure you have some kind of floor protection in place if you use cots in the Timberlines so you don't punch through the floor. Also ensure the cots are in good condition and won't be placing sharp edges in contact with the floor.

 

On the extremely rare occasion that I use a cot in a Timberline (or any other floored tent)I also bring those square rubber exercise mat pieces that link together for floor protection under the cot legs.

I would again like to emphasize the preferability of using camp pads or mats rather than cots for short term camping.