Going on a road trip and need some tent advice

In October I'm driving to Alaska with my wife for a week (or 3...haven't decided yet). It's a newly started yearly tradition and last year led me to some truths about road trips. This has led me to believe I need a new tent...but me being me would like to kill as many birds as possible with this stone.

One of the peeves I have about tenting on a road trip is the possibility of having to continually set up and take down a tent in the rain day after day. I've had more than my share of mopping up the interior of the tent from the rain which came in between tent set up and fly coverage...in a good solid rain it doesn't take long. Then the same thing happens in reverse when you pack up which leaves you with a soaked tent when you set up at your next destination.

I've searched the forum but couldn't find any tent advice which fit my situation so for the millionth time, somebody asks about tents.

Here are the criteria as I see them (and if you think I'm wrong, speak up by all means!)

• 2-3 man sized
• Light enough to be packed by 2 people sharing the load.
• Single wall design for cooler weather and ease of rainy set up/tear down (ie: keep the inside dry when setting up in the rain)
• Well ventilated to reduce condensation
• Fairly well sized vestibule (which covers the door completely...I hate it when it rains in the tent because the vestibule doesn't cover it properly)
• Must be sturdy enough to handle light snow
• Must not cost a fortune (In an ideal world, I'd like to keep the cost under $200 but I'll go higher for a real deal)

Wow, driving TO Alaska in October. You are a better man than most. Sorry that I can't help you much re the tent, I have never been able to keep one dry inside when it is raining and I have to pitch/take it down. Have a great trip!!!

I carry a tarp both as backup shelter, and to cover my Eureka K2 XT while setting it up in the rain. It's a little bit of a hassle, but not as much as mopping out a wet tent or the mildew smell that comes from an insufficiently dried out tent.

Regarding the tent I link below, I realize it's a 4-person tent, a tent plus fly for 4-season camping, and it might be overkill for your needs. However, this Eureka Assault Outfitter 4 at the Eureka Tent outlet is a real deal at $199.00.

Normally it goes for $399.00, but the reason for the sale as stated is:
"FACTORY SECONDS-CAN NOT SELL AS NEW PRODUCT DUE TO LOWER WATER RATING ON FLOOR FABRIC IN RELATION TO THIS TENTS SPECIFICATIONS*. THESE TENTS HAVE A FLOOR COATING TO THE SAME SPEC AS OUR TIMBERLINE 4 (1000mm)."

You can add a floor saver for $13.99.

Hi Hacksaw,


The Vaude Mark V may be what your looking for, but is slightly more expensive than $200 than you specified,




available at

http://www.basegear.com/vaudemarkv.html

That Vaude is definately a nice tent but hardcore to be sure. Looks bombproof but unfortunately it's a bit expensive and on the heavy side.

The Eureka Asault Outfitter 4 is a nice tent and I've looked at the outfitter series from Eureka before as they seem to be some of the most affordable 4 season tents out there. The assault even has 2 big vestibules unlike some of the other outfitter tents they offer...thanks for the tip on that site Nicodemus. With the factory seconds price, it might be an option though it is on the heavy side being a 4 season tent but then it is a 4 person, 4 season tent so maybe it's not so bad...tough call.

Seems like compromise is the name of the game as usual. Traditionally my tent purchasing criteria are 1) Is it crap? If not then: 2) Is it cheap? This has led me to own many tents as my selections inevitably wear out or are in a style which makes them obsolete for my uses as time goes on (My 8 man tent is less than good for hiking for example ). I've been known to break rule 1 in favor of a very cheap tent...almost always a mistake.

You might check if you can find a Eureka Backcountry Outfitter tent. Unfortunately they don't make them anymore. It had an integrated fly, so all you had to do is assemble the two shock-corded aluminum poles, place them in opposite corners, and then clip the tent+fly to the poles starting with the center/peak. Then add hood poles above each door, and stake out the corners and side pulls and you're done.

You can easily put it up in the rain without getting anything wet, plus it has a separate fly and tent, so you get good ventilation.

I bought one of the 4-person models for each of my kids to use in Scouts. Very nice tents, but not very lightweight compared to many.

Here is a two-person:
http://www.campingsurvival.com/eubaou.html

I can't seem to find a 4-person.

I refuse to believe it's worse than some areas of Alberta. I've camped within spitting distance of the Columbia Ice fields and woken up to 6 inches of snow...I was ready to go but my crappy tent wasn't.

It's out of stock already

Hi Hacksaw,

This one might interest you, its a little bit smaller but still a 3 man tent, semi geodesic at 3.8Kg or 1.9Kg each and $239.95 with a free footprint!!



http://www.basegear.com/vaudemarkii.html

Those Vaude tents look sturdy but I wonder how hard it is to lace the poles with that elastic cord suspension system they use...seems like it could be tricky in the cold and wet.

Get the Cabelas XWT 8'x8', it weights 36lbs 2oz when purchased. replace the stakes that come with the tent with kelty Nobendium lightweight stakes (.7oz ea.) and replace the guy out lines on the fly with ParaCord and Nite Ize Figure 9 rope tighteners. You have now cut the weight of the tent in half. Easily split between 2 people, each carrying about 8lbs. But, you have the ultimate 4 season tent that will withstand any amount of Alaskan snow and/or wind. Now buy the Dry set pitch kit and you can set the tent up in a driving rain and NEVER get the inside wet! I have done it! In fact, in summer, you can set just the poles and fly on the pitch kit, leave the tent at home and you have a great shelter.

p.s. - not cheap though. or buy a Kelty gunnison on ebay. good value tent and backpackable

steve

Way too heavy even at 8 lbs per person.

If they had a proper vestibule I'd order a Cabelas XPG Ridgelight right now as they're on sale.

Doh!

Bummer. I always wonder if I should PM folks that kind of information just in case someone who stumbles onto the forum for a day doesn't decide to steal the deal...

Then again, they could have been sold out for a while and failed to update.

Great tips!

I'm going to try to find the "Dry set pitch kit." Who makes it?

Thanks.

Hi Hacksaw,

The Vaude tents are apparently quite easy to pitch and take down. The online reviews have pointed this out. The design allows the flysheet to be pitched first then the inner to be hung under the pitched flysheet. This has the advantage of keeping the inner somewhat drier in wet and windy conditions.

The Mark II has some high specification materials for the price but I would consider it to be a 3 season tent simply because it is not a full geodesic and therefore isn't as strong in very high winds i.e storm force winds from 40 to 80 mph. It is very lightweight for its size and has two vestibles/entrances (his and hers ), which also allows an escape route if a bear appears at one of the entrances!!

The retail price over here in the UK for the Vaude Mark II is £200/240 or $400/480.

Cabela's. It's a model specific add on for the Extreme Weather Tent...though for a $600 tent you'd think they'd just include such a simple add on instead of charging $50 for it seperately...greedy suckers.

I noticed that the Zeus 2 EXO/Classic is on sale at the Eureka outlet for $71. It's 3 season but it's very light, very proven design and single wall so it should stay fairly dry inside when setting up in the rain. I'll have to see how much shipping costs and maybe I'll order it. Even if it's not what I need for the road trip it will make a good spring/fall backpacking tent for around here.

What I do when I have to set up or take down a tent in the rain is to put up my pop-up dinning fly. I have a 12 X 12 foot one that has the fabric on the frame and all you do is extend the poles and it’s up in under 30-seconds. Put the tent up under this and you have no problem with rain in the tent. You can buy a pop-up dinning fly for $70.00, well worth the price. I also bought a bug screen I can attach if needed, turning it into a bug free zone in the evening.

Booo. They have them in stock again but don't ship them to 'my location'. I'll have to phone tomorrow and see what's up with that.

Quick note to any of my fellow Canucks.

The Eureka Camping Center outlet store does NOT ship to Canada period even on phone orders...and there are no factory seconds in Canada. They are very rarely distributed outside the US.

Does anybody have experience with the Golite Shangri La shelters? Aside from the high price, they seem to have everything. Light weight, 4 season, modular (don't need a floor? Leave it at home!), and you can stand up in most models.

I have one. What exactly did you want to know?

I have the 1 man model. It is ultra light, and very easy to carry. you can kinda hang it from stuff but you need to be extra cautious when pitching it in windy areas. The lack of a floor can be a pain and a blessing depending on where you are. The fact that you need a pole to pitch it seems like no big deal but the last time I used mine it was around the Suffield area(no trees)

If you want ultra light I would reccomend it but otherwise you can do just as good for less money with some of the other one man shelters.
If ultra lite is your game I have also used this and found it just as good for a lot less money. http://www.backcountrygear.com

My main concerns are if it's truly as '4 season' as GoLite claims it is and if one of the larger models would be suitable for October weather in Alaska even if I have to buy the nest and/or the floor to go with it. I like the idea that I can get a tent big enough for both my wife and I plus gear plus a bit of room to be comfy while hiding from a storm AND have it be light enough to pack in without burden.

I don't have one of these, and have never bought from them, but I have read many things stating that Stephenson's tents are outstanding. Kinda pricey, but sometimes you get what you pay for...

You know the last tent I had cost $30.00 it was a 3-man tent (2-man really) it lasted 4-years worth of camping and my son setting it up several times in the back yard each year to camp in with friends. I don’t think you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a good useable tent.

Heck, I still use a 7x7 ft square based dome tent I bought from Sears in 'bout '88 for well under $100. It has been used a LOT too...

LOL.

I need a tent that can be depended on while I drive 3000km to Fairbanks Alaska during the wettest time of year in that State and through possible winter conditions. I won't have the luxury of walking inside if it leaks or gets blown away and I might not even have the luxury of staying in a hotel if it does because I'm going to be intentionally avoiding civilization...I did civilization last year when we drove to San Francisco. I also want a tent that I can set up in the rain, pack up in the rain for 14 straight days and nights without regretting

I have a perfectly serviceable tent...two in fact but I wouldn't trust either in a down pour let alone wet snow and I sure as hell couldn't set either up wet every night for 2 weeks and still enjoy my vacation. The thought of mopping the floor up so I can just unroll my sleeping bag gives me the willies.

"...I did civilization last year when we drove to San Francisco..."

I don't know how to break this to you, but SF is far from civilization...

You can swap 'civilization' for 'population' in my last post if that helps

While it may not be a conventional expidention tent check out Churchill River Campfire tent, http://www.churchillrivercanoe.com/tent.htm. I remember reading a book about folks kayaking around Vancouver Island and they raved about this tent. Good luck on your trip, don't miss the chance to stop at Laird River Hot Springs.

OOPs I didn't look at the correct price tag. A bit steep for me.

I've been looking at so many tents lately it's making my head spin. Right now I'm leaning towards the Cabela's XPG Ridgelight XST 3. It's not a 4 season but it is a tough tent that the reviews claim are pretty storm proof and good in cold weather. A friend if mine is going to Chicago in May so I wouldn't even have to pay to ship it. It's not perfect but it's close and it's not insanely expensive for what you get.

Another update:

I think the tent I'm going to get is the NEMO Morpho AR. Looking back at what I originally decided I needed, this tent fits or exceeds just about every requirement except price.

Luckily that's a non issue since the DW likes the color LOL.

Hacksaw,

I have a Kelty Gunnison 2, and it works great for me. It has a full fly with 2 vestibules, 2 doors and it is relatively light weight. Oh yeah, aluminum poles as well.

Hear is a link with reviews

Gunnison 2

Shop around; I got mine for $104.00

Blitz

An update for anybody who cares...I ordered the Morpho AR from NEMO today. I found a place in Utah clearing their stock of tents out so it came in at $75 less than retail AFTER shipping to Canada.

I'll post a review once I have the chance to put it up against what an Alberta spring has to offer it.

Still followig [got a cold] with interest.

Thanks.

I'd be interested in how that tents works out.

Reviews by users we know are always welcome...

The variety of opinions expressed here is interesting. I believe we are overlooking an important factor, which is careful selection of a sheltered campsite. A cheap tent in a sheltered location will outperform a quality tent pitched in a bad spot.

I was working with a crew in a notoriously windy location some years ago. Everyone had North Face VE 25s, a really quality, bomb proof tent. One of us really liked the view from an exposed bluff and pitched his tent there. He did fine until we were hit with really high winds that struck in the early evening. His tent was shredded and he spent the night in our cook shack. I was really surprised to see him there the next morning. I had placed my tent about 100 yards from his, but in a bare spot surrounded by thick brush. I slept through the whole thing, completely undisturbed.

Mountaineering tents are tough and overbuilt because there are often few options on a climb as to where you can put your camp. It is very different from most normal camping.

That's a very good point. I put a lot of thought into site location because when I'm solo, I'm a tarp + bivy man. My experience with road trips however has taught me that you can't always find such a spot when you're in unfamiliar lands.

campsites which look great in a book or online can turn out to be a gravel pit or urban parking lot (with a nice view for the brochures). Areas which are supposedly prime for back country camping can require more hiking than is advertised and you end up pitching camp within view of the interstate in what equates to an open field...lots of variables and it's impossible to cover them all.

When I'm in the middle of Alaska and my time table gets screwed up (it always does despite my best planning), AND my wife wants her beauty sleep to start 10 minutes ago, I'm going to need a sturdy tent that's quick to set up and can be set up in such a way that the inside stays dry when pitching...the Morpho AR is the ideal tent for those requirements.

The fact that it's light enough to throw in a backpack for short hiking hauls is a definite bonus.