Tent suggestions?

[Seanz0rz]

so im looking to replace the family tent that has been handed down to me. we have a 6 person dome tent, but have had it for over 15 years, and its starting to show its age.

ive been told to avoid coleman, but what other brands are good? looking for something under 200, in a 4-7 person size, this would be for me, when i go camping, etc. also looking for a good 3 room cabin tent for the family.

but we will stick to what i need for right now. looking 4-7 person, sub 200, and something i can buy in a store (love the internet but not for stuff like this, and i need it sooner rather than later). not looking for anything fancy, something that will withstand wind and rain, but generally be used for spring, summer, and fall camping.

so what have you guys had good luck with? thanks for your help!

[Bob98SR5]

sean,

a 4 to 7 person tent is ginormous. do u really need something that big? are you planning to bring some gypsies with ya too? :hillbill: j/k. there seems to be a cut off on tent sizes and pricing like this:

1 - 2 man
2-4 man
5- 8 man

whats also important too is where you buy it. rei is expensive,but ive returned a tent that didnt suit my needs two years later without so much as a peep from their return people. they are the nordstroms of the outdoor supply world

theres a new REI in rancho. i believe theres one in san dimas which is close to CPP.

brand recommendations from cheapest/good quality to more expensive: kelty, REI's private label brand, and sierra. other brands are considerably more

also, figure too that the larger tents typically have much more complicated set ups. a good simple dome tent (even the cheap ones made by coleman) are two to 3 pole setups and are still tall enough to stand slightly hunched---for a short stack like me, i feel like i am in saddam's palace. set up and break down are important when off roading and trekking...as the CA group seems to be headed in that direction. you dont want to spend alot of time breaking down a complicated ass tent. so consider that as well

bob

[Robinhood4x4]

The first place I would look is cabelas, they have some nice tents and can ship it pretty quick. I ordered one from them and it's what I expected, very high quality.

The next place I'd look is Costco.

I would say that Coleman is ok for general camping and light rain. At your price point they'll all be about the same.

[garrett]

whatever you get, get a tent that you can just stuff/compact into the bag.

none of that folding/rolling BS.

although you may not be able to find one that big...

[Seanz0rz]

the rule ive always followed when buying a tent is to get one larger than you think you will need, that way you can pile gear and whatnot into it if necessary. for my first outting, it will be just me. but in the future, up to 3 of my friends would be camping with me. general rule ive been taught by alot of people is the number alloted for the tent is about twice what fits COMFORTABLY in there, with the accompanying gear.

one of these days i may buy a backpacking tent, but that will be a different purchase altogether.

ill track down that rei and go there, and also hit up cabelas and see if they have anything that tickels my fancy. ive found some kelty for decent prices, and i may buy one of them if i cant get to an rei. dome tent is an obvious for this one. cabins are nice for stays that will last several days/weeks, but temp shelter should be easy to setup and take down, in other words, a dome tent...

heres one i was looking at:
http://www.rei.com/REI-Outlet/product/750077

[slosurfer]

I used the REI and Cabelas websites to side by side compare tents till I found the one I liked and then I googled it to find a better price on it.

I just noticed that the floor size on that tent is 10'x11.5'! That is huge! I have a huge tent that is 9x9 and it is huge!. We fit a queen size mattress, our gear, another blowup mattress for my son, and sometimes a chair. When just me and my son go we take a two man tent and it has plenty of room. At this time in your life, I think you would be happier in the long haul getting a better 3 man tent than a cheaper made bigger tent. Our tent is nice for base camping but not very good for quick setup and takedown. I am now going to have to get a smaller 3-4 person dome for those trips where we will be moving quite alot. I guess my point is, there is such a thing as too much tent. Just for fun measure out 10x11.5 and see what fits in there, that is if your room is that big. Also sometimes two small tents are easier than one big one. It sounds like you are on the right track, just wanted to let you know about the size of the tent.

[Seanz0rz]

well if no one comes up with a convincing arguement that i shouldnt get the tent i mentioned above before tomorrow morning, im going to buy it. i think its a great one and everything i can find on the net says its good.

[Robinhood4x4]

Yeah, REI's prices are way expensive and Cabelas are just ok. You can find them cheaper elsewhere. The nice thing about both are that they'll take back anything for any reason.

[Bob98SR5]

sean,

looks like it fits the bill. buy it. if you dont like it, return it.

bob

[Robinhood4x4]

The aluminum poles are nice.

It doesn't say how many doors it has. I'd also like to see what the rain fly looks like. The ones with vestibules are nice because you can keep your boots out there and they won't get wet. Minor things though.

[Seanz0rz]

it has one door,

i honestly dont think i will use this much in the rain. i usually try to plan my trips for nice weather. this is mostly going to be a weekend tent, nothing major.

[slosurfer]

Bob and steve have seen how big my tent is with the vestibule on it.

[Seanz0rz]

chris, what tent do you have?

or is this something i dont want to know about.....

[slosurfer]

haha, hold on a sec and I will find a pic. not sure if I have a pic with the fly/vestibule off though.

[slosurfer]

http://www.rei.com/product/719297
here's the link, I will post some actual photos in a few minutes so you have a size reference.

[Robinhood4x4]

There's always dew that can soak things.

[Seanz0rz]

ok well i think im going to buy that tent. looks like i have a job this weekend, which is probably good, give it more time for the snow to melt up there from the weekend rain.

[Paul H.]

Go for it Sean and as said before, if after using it and you don't like it, just return it.