Best tents for scouts ??

[SeattlePioneer]

I remember the tent that most impressed me and the boys in the Troop.

 

 

I think I saw this at Camporee.

 

I think it was a cavas wall tent. The Scoutmaster has outfitted it with a carpet for flooring and a handmade rug at thentrace with the First Class Scout badge decorated in it as a pattern.

 

There was a cot to sleep on with sheets, blanket and pillows.

 

a small desk with paperwork occupied the other half of the tent. A small battery powered table lamp was on the table. At the far end was a small chest of drawers for clothing and uniforms were hangining above it.

 

I was impressed, and the Scouts were too. One senior Scout who liked to complain about camping said, "Wow, it's just like a hotel room!"

 

Suddenly those wall tents seemed like they has a real place and purpose!

[jsummerlin]

I want to second my support for Alps Mountaineering and Scout direct. Awesome stuff, reasonable prices, great people. Can't beat it and they really support Scouting.

 

http://scoutdirect.com/

http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/

[Basementdweller]

I am a gear nut and own probably 20 different tents

 

 

My favorite are Alps zephyr 1.0's single man tents. light portable two vestibules

I like small and portable for most of my needs. I don't spend more than 8 hours in it a day any way so why luck 300 pounds worth of crap around to show off. I would rather set the example than the extreme.

 

 

I understand having the Grand Showman tent from a SM impressing his Troop and those around him. But is that who we have become. Desk and carpet, you have got to ask yourself why????? Heck he would need a trailer to lug his gear around alone.

 

Seattle was this a weekend event???????

 

[Kudu]

WestCoastScouter writes:

 

looking at buying tents that the boys can own themselves. What tents are most durable, and good for both backpacking and also car camping.

 

A couple people have suggested waiting to see what the Troop's policy is.

 

Turn That Around: Be proactive and ask for a Troop's tent policy BEFORE you join!

 

Troops that do not allow Scouts to use their own tents tend to be adult-run even though they talk about the "Patrol Method."

 

It's all about control.

 

Watch out for perfect grids of identical tents, brightly lit under glaring gas lanterns ... like a automobile dealer's sales lot.

 

Those adult control-freak Troops look well-organized from the outside, especially to Cub Scout parents. But Scouts who think for themselves will hate those adults before they are 13 years old.

 

A Scout who owns his own tent has some control over who he tents with during Troop campouts, and the freedom to camp with friends AWAY from the Troop (which is the whole point of the Patrol Method).

 

Adults who camp in walk-in tents tend to be Webelos III as well. If you see that warning sign, then ask a LOT of questions about their backpacking program. Backpacking was why Boy Scouting was invented.

 

Other anti-backpacking Webelos III warning signs are folding cots, Star and Life Scouts toting suitcases with wheels, extension cords leading to the adult tents, and lines of Scouts with blow-up air mattresses waiting for their turn at the troop air compressor.

 

As to which tents to buy, I always had good luck with cheap tents (around $50). Most of them come with "bathtub" bottoms, which (for young Scouts) are a BIG advantage over the traditional Eureka tents that everybody raves about.

 

I bought a "three man" Ozark Trails tent for $45 in the mid-1990s which served me well. The rain fly went all the way down to the ground and always kept me dry, even in heavy rain storms.

 

I also used it for winter backpacking in below-zero weather, but you must warn Scouts that the poles could snap below freezing.

 

A winter wind storm will kick up some snow dust inside a "two season" tent, but it is NOT a big deal. The purpose of a tent in the winter is to keep the wind off you. If you want a warm shelter, build an igloo:

 

http://inquiry.net/outdoor/winter/shelter/igloo_kit.htm

 

I also have a cheap Coleman tent that has served me well. As others have mentioned, look for a rain-fly that comes down the ground, or at least close to the ground.

 

An expensive backpacking tent? I love my MSR Hubba Hubba. It says "three season," but it worked well at about 15 below zero.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

http://kudu.net

(This message has been edited by kudu)

[desertrat77]

For occasional use, in weather not extreme, just about any tent will do.

 

Camping regular? Worth the time and money to get a good one. Lots of good advice in the previous posts.

 

My tent? Canvas BSA Miner's tent, circa '60s. No floor, one pole, a few stakes. Put a cheap tarp down for a ground cloth. Now that's camping!

 

PS Holds up well in all weather--just gotta arrange that ground cloth right.