Honest[as you can get] opinions on tents | Page 2 | SouthernPaddler.com

Honest[as you can get] opinions on tents

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
Interesting didn't see anything I want. How about PM me with other sporting good sites in AU. I don't want to clutter the thread
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
If you use a normal bag like I do without the hood then just tuck the top part of the bag under the mattress in the hammock. When you get in the hammock the mattress will hold the top of the bag , slip in it and zip it up if the weather warrants it.

I'm 6-1 and 209 and use the long sleeping bags , more room in them.

If you want a tent that sets up really fast take a look at the Apache tent , I have one and really like it. www.apachetents.com/

Chuck.
 

dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Oz

Apart from one or two locally made items like my Southern cross tent most of our camping gear is the same as you buy in the USA but at much higher prices , or cheaply made Chinese gear at inflated prices , I get most of my gear from the USA , many years ago I wanted a light weight hiking tent and there was a manufacturer down Sydney way that made one of the best , I telephoned for a price and got a quote but I pointed out that I could buy the same tent from Cabalas for about $200 less and asked if they were made else where , the guy told me that they had a special deal with cabalas and sold to them at a very special price , I told him I'd buy one off him at the same price they sold to Cabalas but he wouldn't be in it , I was so disgusted that I didn't end up buying the tent from any of them , can't remember the brand of the tent but I do remember they ended moving off shore and are now made some where in Asia , so I really can't recommend any good sporting goods sites here , I really don't think any exist , we just don't have the big sporting good chains like you do in the USA and our stores just don't have the buying power to get good prices from your manufacturers , remember the whole country only has the same population as LA

Chuck
I checked out the clip of the Apache tent and it looks to be a good tent but it's slightly slower than my Ultimate 9 to put up [ 1.5 minutes ] and the Shimano Speedy tent only takes 2 seconds to put up , but the Apache does fold down to about a eight's the size of the ultimate 9 which is made of good quality heavy canvas but definitely not light weight

Better go do some mowing now while it's not raining

David
 

tx river rat

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2007
3,043
2
Waco Tx
Where I camp and paddle the trespass law says to the permanent vegetation line so you are camping on sand bars and gravel bars.
The henesy want work here a freestanding tent is the best.
Chuck how do you rate the Apache and how long have you owned it
what model
Dang I am nosey
Ron
 

oldyaker

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
1,949
31
Kayak Jack said:
I use a Eureka Timberline. Mine's a 4 man (sold hte two man) aith two doors - a front door and a behind door. (Ain't got no cuspidor.)


Of course....Jackicus Snoricus Flatulationicus needs two doors for ventilation at both ends! :roll:

Seriously....I have shared Jacks Timberline with him....nice tent. It's great in hot humid conditions with all that ventilation!

It's this one...isn't it Jack?
https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/...tDisplay?productId=28265590&memberId=12500226
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
YAHHah - dot's da vun. Ist gut tent, yah.

My experience shows a Timberline to be a standard of the industry. The design hasn't changed hardly at all in over thirty years. Still a top seller, still has features that other tents lack.

I opted for a four man without the vestibule rather than a two man with. Same weight, same cost, more floor space & more ventilation. Simple choice.
 

rpecot

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2006
406
0
Katy, TX
I have had REI and Eureka! tents. Currently have an REI Hobitat family-sized dome tent.

The first REI tent I had was a Trail Dome. It was a great tent, took in on many adventures. Great story about REI, several years ago... I had a big mountain biking trip planned in Moab, Utah. Two weeks before the trip, I did an overnighter. Don't remember where, probably Black Creek in Mississippi (a favorite river trip for another post). Anyway, the zipper for the door had been giving me trouble, and on this trip it finally gave out. Wouldn't zip for #@%&. I was a little PO'ed, especially with the weeklong Utah trip coming up. So I called REI customer service and they told me they'd fix it for free. Great, but I need it in a week. No problem. They said ship it to them and they'd have it back in time. Sure enough, they repaired the zipper like new and shipped it overnight back to me. I've always been a fan of REI, but that gesture ensured that I'd be a customer for life.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Best tent I ever had for car camping was a Coleman made of long staple Egyptian cotton. Was a family tent, about 9' X 12' as I remember. Had a very heavy steel frame, but the cotton breathed moisture out even with all the windows and doors shut.

But it took two men and a boy to carry it. So he lighter, nylon tents of today are better in the long run.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
tx river rat said:
Where I camp and paddle the trespass law says to the permanent vegetation line so you are camping on sand bars and gravel bars.
The henesy want work here a freestanding tent is the best.
Chuck how do you rate the Apache and how long have you owned it
what model
Dang I am nosey
Ron

I have had it several years and it has gone to the mountains ( Smokies) , out to Arkansas , the Everglades and a lot of the local rivers.

It sets up really fast , is free standing and has plenty of room in it.

Down in the Everglades the wind and rain blew so hard it forced the one side of the tent down on my chest as I lay in it. I did not have the storm lines tied on so it let it bend and come down on me , then it popped right back up between wind gusts. After a day and a half of that weather I was still dry inside it.

This was the same storm that filled John Depas Eureka tent with water , as he said .... Now I know why Eureka calls them bath tub floors , mine is a #@&*$!!!! bathtub.

Out at Arkansas we had a bad storm move in over the mountains and I had the extra storm lines attached , it just stood there and took everything that storm could throw at it , I had a good nights sleep and was bone dry in the morning.

It has plenty of ventilation with the two doors which are also windows. I got the three person one , 3-Man ATuffy ALX 2008 Tent. It gives me plenty of room for myself and a lot of my gear.

Chuck.
 

hairymick

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
2,107
2
Queensland, Australia
G'day Chuck,

Mick.

PLEASE... Let us know how well you like it , it is a copy of the Whelen Lean To which I have always thought would be a good hot weather camping outfit.
I even have the pattern here to make one like the originals that Col Whelen designed and used.

Also I hope you don't mind but I shrunk your link down from 282 characters to only 25.

OK,

I don't normally slag off on a product. If I don't like something I just don't buy or use it. This thing is an exception. It is the oly thing that I have bought from Cabelas that i have not liked.

This thing is bloody useless! I put it up in my back yard today and boy am I glad that I did - before I went bush. I bloody hate it!

OK, rant is over, I will try to do an objective review on something that I paid a hundred bucks for and WILL NEVER USE.

The thing (I refuse to call it a tent or even shelter)) is easy enough to erect. Takes about 5 minutes.

When erected, the sides sag in and there is just no way that they would not rest against any poor bugger trying to use it. In rain, one would definately be getting wet.

The thing is way to small. An average sized man might fit inside but it would be very snug with feet and head resting against the ends and both sides of the thing would also be in contact.

The back, screened window is useless, there is no way to hold the thing open.

The side flap / main entrance to the thing is likewise useless. Zipped cloesed, the thing would be like a sauna, Open, it might provide a degree of shelter - might.

It is made out of some sort of very light, camo material that I would be very surprised if it repelled any water at all. There is no fly with it. i don't intend to take it camping to find out.

In short, I can't believe how much I paid for this thing. It is completely useless for my needs.
 

mosportsmen

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2005
299
0
Kirksville MO
mosportsmen.com
Mic, I just now looked at your new tent as of January. I thought it looked pretty good for a light weight shelter for one. Not really in the market myself but glad to hear an honest report. I can also see how it would be less than grand.

I bought this one late summer on clearance for 100 bucks.
outside2.jpg


It is a monster at 10x14, not too bad to set up for the size. Lots of ventilation. It is definately a summer tent. I want to set it up as a base camp for hunting. The roof is all mesh under the fly. for cold weather I will have to add a tarp between the fly and the roof. I also got three cots. I have only set it up in the yard so far. The wife and I used it as a guest cottage. We put two cots side by side and a queen sized air bed on them and made it up like a bed. It is a mega tent for two. Basic big cheep tent. i don't know how long it will last but for the money I think it will serve my needs. Definately too big for canoe camping and the setup would require at least 2 nights use for me to do it. One of these days I will get it out there.

cotinside.jpg