Your favorite tent

[yarrow]

I am going to pick up a backpacking tent for my boy for Christmas. He will use it at canoe base and for other campouts. Is it prudent to get a 4 season tent? What is your favorite 1-2 man tent? A lot of boys like the Cobra, do you have a favorite? Does the Cobra hold up? I appreciate your input from the real world. I just don't know about extreme camper reviews in those magazines and sites.

[eagle90]

We have used the Eureka Timberline Outfitters for years in various sizes. They are extremely durable and have been used for canoe camping and rafting trips. Yes, they are more expensive but with the proper maintenance, they will outlast many of the cheaper brands. Some of our tents are approaching 20 years old and still going strong.

[eagle90]

Another thought - A friend of mine who owns a large canoe outfitting company in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota also swears by and uses exclusively Eureka products.

[Quixote]

Eureka timberline here as well - i have one i still use that's over 20 years old - still good as new.

[ScouterPaul]

yarrow

A couple of questions

1. How hold is your son?

2. How Big is your son?

3. What type of backpacking will he be doing?

4. Will he be sharing this tent?

 

The more I get into backbacking the more weight becomes an issue. If he will be using the tent more for base type camping then the Timberline would be a great tent.

 

[rlculver415]

O' co'se, Ah realize y'all really want input from othah Nawthun campahs. Howevah, down heah we like to keep cool and dry. A tarp over my head and some mosquito netting do me jus' fine, along with a ground cloth. Maybe a hammock. Light weight and real quick to dry out if you swamp,too.

[eisely]

I have never used a Eureka product so I can't comment on those. Of those tents that I have used, my favorite is the REI half dome. This is a fairly high profile tent, but it has lines to help secure it in windy conditions. I have used it in 30 knot gusts without a problem. My biggest complaint about it is that it is actually stuffy in hot weather. However this drawback really is not an issue most of the time for us.

 

This brings up a broader point. What is the climate where it will be used most of the time? I certainly would advise against a four season tent unless your son is going to do a lot of serious winter camping. The extra weight and cost are disadvantages in most situations.

[le Voyageur]

Sierra Clip Flashlight, a 3 season, non freestanding backpacking tent...that, or a sil tarp.

 

As a suggestion for canoeing, consider dry bags other backpacks, this'll protect that so ever important sleeping bag......

[yarrow]

Camping in Colorado. Usually above 9000. They do camp in the winter but he just used our 3 man dome tent. He would generally be with another scout because it is more fun, but for backpacking I wouldn't want him to carry more than a 1-2 person tent. He is 13, 5'-0", and 95 lb. I know I can get the Colman Cobra at the outlet for a good price. How do the Eureka's run.

[Bob White]

A good value in a three season tent is the Eureka Tetragon-5. It's a modified dome 5ft X 7ft footprint. Split between two people it is just under 3lbs each in packed weight, and costs under $60.

 

Bob White

[ScoutNut]

I have used both Eureka and Coleman. Of the 2 I do like the Eureka best. Has anyone tried the Unipen tents from tentonsale.com? They sound interesting and their price looks good.

[nldscout]

We purchased 4 of the 4 man tents from Tentsonsale. They have worked out just fine. They are the same size foot print at a Eureka. The thing I like about them is the rain fly goes all the way to the ground all the way around and has a small built in vestible.

[yarrow]

3 lbs sounded good but the Eureka Tetragon-5 site says 5lb-10 oz which is heavier that I'd like. $64 though is a good price.

[Bob White]

Hi yarrow,

I had written "Split between two people it is just under 3lbs each in packed weight, and costs under $60."

 

Check it out at www.campmor.com I think they have it for $59.

 

Bob

 

[LauraT7]

I usually take my own tent - I'm 5' 11 and HATE trying to put my pants on laying down or bent double! i have a cheapie dome tent from Sam's Club - but I take good care of it, so it has lasted.

Plus our troop has always had a rule about no packs in tents - I prefer to keep my stuff IN my tent!(with frame packs and small tents, I DO understand this - but I think that it contributes to the problem of getting the boys to bathe and change clothes regularly. 11 - 13 yr olds have a problem with "a Scout is Clean!" when clothes and privacy aren't handy!)

 

Our troop also uses the Eureka Timberlines - they seem to be a classic scout staple across the country - though, I have mixed feelings about the Timberlines. They seem to be durable material, however, we seem to get at least one broken pole on every trip - and often zippers are broken or off track. They are large, heavy duty zippers, too. We seem to lose "bones", & stakes, too. the aluminum poles ARE heavy, compared to the lightweight, fiberglass poles used in most of the dome and backpacking tents. If I got Timberlines, or any tent for heavier /longer use, I would get some REAL tent stakes - those little wire thingy's are useless in any kind of wind.

 

I was given the job of reasearching new tents for our troop, and found that the new tents are lighter and not as tough as the Timberlines. I was sure that if the boys were damaging the Timberlines, the new ones we looked at would be in tatters even faster! So our comittee's conclusion was that the boy's haven't been taught how to properly CARE FOR THEM & that until the boys took better care of the tents, we would not be purchasing new ones - as the new ones all seem lighter and more fragile than the Timberlines. We might get a few small, low-profile backpacking tents - for limited, backpacking-only use. Not for a week at summer camp.

 

has anyone else had a problem with broken poles and zippers on the Timberlines?

 

how do the lightweight poles on the newer dome style tents hold up in comparison?

 

I like the airy-ness of the newer tents - esp for summer camp. some of those small tents can get pretty hot and smelly from a week of being closed up and intermittant bathing of the occupants! LOL! Some of the new ones are almost all net - Just think - you could leave off the cover and watch the stars - and NO BUGS!