How many square feet???

[Basementdweller]

Soooo, It doesn't really matter for short term camping.

 

 

So what tents do you use??? Our troop has used Eureka timberlines 4 mans.....

 

I recently purchase some Alps Mountaineering tents for personal use and really like them.

 

Maybe scaling down to two man tents would be better???? Your thoughts?

[BrentAllen]

I can't imagine our Troop camping in anything other than 2-man tents. Like others have said, we teach no backpacks (including smellables) or shoes/boots in the tent. If the Scouts are packed correctly, all they need out of their pack is their sleeping bag & pad, maybe a pillow, and a zip-lock bag with dry underwear/clothes to sleep in. What else do they need in their tent to sleep?

 

The only time our Scouts are in their tents (other than at Summer Camp) is when they are sleeping. The "bonding" areas for the boys are around the campfire or under their patrol dining fly/tarp.

 

2-man tents are suitable for any type of camping - car camping, canoeing, backpacking. Plus, drying them out after a rainy trip is much easier than a bigger tent. Our Troop doesn't own any tents - the boys use their own. Most are either the REI Half-Dome or the Alps Taurus 2 AL. We have both here at the house. My son usually grabs the Half-Dome and I take the Alps (when I'm not using my hammock). Both tents have two doors and two vestibules for shoes.

 

For rainproofing backpacks, a trash compactor bag inside the pack is just about a perfect fit. They are a heavier mil than regular trash bags, so they hold up better and longer. A trash bag or pack cover over the outside will also help in heavy rain.

[Basementdweller]

The boys laugh at my tent, they call it the coffin. It is a one man alps tent. not sure of the model. of course I am the first one packed before breakfast too.