REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Liquid_o2 · 06-07-2011, 10:21 AM

Did a search and didn't come across anything, hopefully it's not a repeat thread.

I'm looking at buying a new tent since my shitty 10 year old Escort tent just isn't cutting it anymore. Leaked quite a bit last year, plus it's too small for 2 people.

I'm not looking to blow the bank on a new one since I only do car camping a few times a summer, but does anyone have any opinions on some decent tents that are $150 - $200? Anything that I should be looking for when shopping for a tent?

I was looking at the Roots Oxtongue because the fly goes all the way to the ground and it has a bathtub style floor. Seems pretty good. Anyone ever used Roots tents before?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

GabAlmighty · 06-07-2011, 01:02 PM

You get what you pay for with tents. My parents dropped some good money on a 3-4 person tent from MEC a few years back and it shows.

If you can check a display model you wanna check how heavy duty the zippers are and the quality of the stitching, those are the two places that will fail/leak first.

Like anything else, if you take care of it it'll last you a long time. From the sounds of it, if you take care of that tent and you don't have raucous sex in it it should last a whie.

Just my $0.02

gars · 06-07-2011, 01:15 PM

what sort of camping do you do? Car camping, walk in camping (ie, walk 20 minutes), or proper hiking camping?

do you plan on having more than 2 people? Do you want to do winter camping?

if you're only doing car camping in the middle of the summer, having a bigger, heavier tent isn't a big deal, and would probably be more comfortable.

If you go backpacking camping - you'll have to find a balance between finding something that's lightweight and something that's heavy duty.

Liquid_o2 · 06-07-2011, 03:20 PM

2 people... car camping for spring/summer only. Last few times I went though we had some pretty heavy showers and my old tent leaked.

Dragon-88 · 06-07-2011, 03:29 PM

Then your good with any decent $100+ tent.. If your really worried of rain bring some tarp and rope.. Summer camping here is nothing crazy and a lil rain doesnt hurt..

gars · 06-07-2011, 03:35 PM

I was looking at Atmosphere's flyer - and they had their Marmot Earlylight 2 person tent on sale for $199.99. Something similar to that should be good. Good 2 person, double vestibule tent - so you and your partner can exit out different doors. It's got a little more bells and whistles compared to other tents, such as a footprint, which is basically an extra sheet you can put under your tent to minimize wear on it. Or you can set it up without the inside part, and only use the poles, footprint and fly - great if you're camping somewhere like a beach, when it's super dry and there aren't any mosquitoes.

You can check out Valhalla Pure on Broadway as well - they have a good selection of tents, but if you're looking for under $200, the selection is a little slimmer.

Otherwise, the Mec Tent

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885936

should work just fine - and MEC has an awesome warranty. and it is cheaper at $149.99.

Dragon-88 · 06-07-2011, 03:43 PM

That mec tent looks pretty decent..

Liquid_o2 · 06-07-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gars

I was looking at Atmosphere's flyer - and they had their Marmot Earlylight 2 person tent on sale for $199.99. Something similar to that should be good. Good 2 person, double vestibule tent - so you and your partner can exit out different doors. It's got a little more bells and whistles compared to other tents, such as a footprint, which is basically an extra sheet you can put under your tent to minimize wear on it. Or you can set it up without the inside part, and only use the poles, footprint and fly - great if you're camping somewhere like a beach, when it's super dry and there aren't any mosquitoes.

You can check out Valhalla Pure on Broadway as well - they have a good selection of tents, but if you're looking for under $200, the selection is a little slimmer.

Otherwise, the Mec Tent

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885936

should work just fine - and MEC has an awesome warranty. and it is cheaper at $149.99.

The MEC tents are nice for sure. But absolutely tiny... the Mec 4 has only 49 square feet of space (7x7 feet) which isn't much space when you have two people plus their stuff. That's how big my current one is and I find it really cramped. Once you get into the bigger MEC tents they are $300+

I might give the Roots one a shot and see how it is. It's big in size, but has a full fly that goes down to the ground, plus a custom ground sheet.

k2_alpha · 06-07-2011, 04:01 PM

I use this tent
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885943

It "suppose to fit 3" but really its more of a 2 person plus gear. Super easy set up (five mins absolutely tops) and 100% waterproof

murd0c · 06-07-2011, 04:03 PM

I have this Mec tent and its awesome. So easy to setup especially if you are drunk at night. I would honestly spend a bit more cash and get something that will last even if you only go a couple times a year. I have gone through lots of tents in the past. You can't go wrong with Coleman but sometimes they are a real bitch to setup. I always say spend a couple more bucks now and you will save money in the long run.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885936

The g/f has this one and its great as well with some more floor space.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885943

honestly go to Costco you can get a decent Coleman tent from there and if you have any issues return the bitch. If it's only summer camping and you want lots of space Costco is the only way to go. I bought a tent there 5yrs ago and used it a couple times then the next year took it out and broke the zippers and I received a full refund for it. You cant go wrong with a costco warranty.

Dragon-88 · 06-07-2011, 04:11 PM

Costco warranty FTW.

Ive returned broken glass and cooked meat b4..

Presto · 06-07-2011, 04:25 PM

Simplify. Since you're car camping, you won't need any space in the tent for storage. Buy a tent that will accommodate the campers. From my experience, the only thing you'll need the tent for is sleeping, fucking, and hotboxing. So, get something basic that you can easily setup and, more importantly, pack up. You can get a palatial-size tent, but it's laborious to set it up, and taking down is a bigger bitch, especially if it's raining.

After more than 2 decades of camping, I've simplified to the point that I just sleep in the car. My seats fold flat, and I can look out the hatch and count shooting stars as I fall asleep.

gars · 06-07-2011, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

The MEC tents are nice for sure. But absolutely tiny... the Mec 4 has only 49 square feet of space (7x7 feet) which isn't much space when you have two people plus their stuff. That's how big my current one is and I find it really cramped. Once you get into the bigger MEC tents they are $300+

a fly going to the ground doesn't make that much difference, unless it's really cold and the breeze is flowing right through. I'd prefer having the fly going to about an inch off the ground, in which case, there's more ventilation. All the non-canadian-tire tents will have a bathtub style bottom which is higher than the fly anyways, so you don't have to worry about splashing rain getting inside.

I forgot to ask how tall you are, because I'm shorter, so those MEC tents are perfect, but for someone who's 6'6", you might want a 3 person tent.

but like someone already said, you shouldn't need to have tons of stuff in your tent if you're car camping.

Great68 · 06-07-2011, 09:44 PM

After decades of tenting I got sick of it and got a truck with a canopy and just sleep inside. You can take more stuff camping and access more remote campsites. If you camp a lot, trust me you will never go back.

PinoyDrifta · 06-07-2011, 10:40 PM

me and my buddies got these tents from liquadation world 6 years ago and we still have em...we go camping quite a bit. and we paid 10 bucks for all 3 tents... these are 6 man tents and very easy to set up. Like someone said earlier you dont need to spend alot just get some tarps lay it out under ur tent and and tarp the top of ur tent and u shouldt get wet...bring lots of rope as well...

PinoyDrifta · 06-07-2011, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gars

a fly going to the ground doesn't make that much difference, unless it's really cold and the breeze is flowing right through. I'd prefer having the fly going to about an inch off the ground, in which case, there's more ventilation. All the non-canadian-tire tents will have a bathtub style bottom which is higher than the fly anyways, so you don't have to worry about splashing rain getting inside.

I forgot to ask how tall you are, because I'm shorter, so those MEC tents are perfect, but for someone who's 6'6", you might want a 3 person tent.

but like someone already said, you shouldn't need to have tons of stuff in your tent if you're car camping.

buddy all u need is some ground sheets and make a nice hoochie hotel am I right Gars!

Alatar · 06-07-2011, 11:41 PM

Worth checking out is REI in Bellingham. They've got a good waterproof tent (REI Camper 2) for $79USD I believe.

I've got a Marmot Limelight 2P myself. Brother has a Tarn2, Hubba Hubba 2 (older model that was 100% mesh) and a few other tents including a proper 4 season 4 person tent. Granted, we do multi-day hikes/mountain treks, and I'm looking to get into backcountry skiing next season (my skiing at the moment sucks). I don't feel like slowshoeing a snowboard up the trails in the winter either.

If you're only car-camping, you don't need to get too extravagant. Most $100 Coleman/Roots tents will be more than adequate, and a few cheap tarps and some rope will more than handle the job.

RabidRat · 06-08-2011, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GabAlmighty

You get what you pay for with tents. My parents dropped some good money on a 3-4 person tent from MEC a few years back and it shows.

If you can check a display model you wanna check how heavy duty the zippers are and the quality of the stitching, those are the two places that will fail/leak first.

Like anything else, if you take care of it it'll last you a long time. From the sounds of it, if you take care of that tent and you don't have raucous sex in it it should last a whie.

Just my $0.02

mm raucous tent sex..

distanc3 · 06-09-2011, 06:52 AM

air mattress since you're car camping. raucous tent sex made easy. srs.

Phil@rise · 06-09-2011, 09:35 AM

I have one from CT, Woods I believe, Its got the tent poles stitched into it so its a quick easy setup (about ten minutes). Sleeps six so its got room for both me and my gf our queen size air mattress two dogs and changing space as well. Its never leaked, surprising how much I use it and it's four years old. I use it year round, in the winter as cold as -10 just laying a blanket between the tent and fly as insulation.
The next one I get tho will not have the poles stitched in. Tear down can sometimes be a pain, to get it collapsed enough to get it in the bag but generally when I'm tearing it down my brain is non op from too much boozin or quading and I'm comming home for a rest.

OTG-ZR2 · 06-09-2011, 10:05 PM

The things I looked for when purchasing my tent were in this order:

-Ease of setup/ teardown
-Least amount of poles
-Quality
-Price

I went with a Sierra Designs tent. They have a clip style poles to hold the canopy, rather than sliding the pole thru a flap. Only 2 poles for the whole tent. I can rip it out of the bag and set it up in about 5 minutes including fly. I have had since 06 with medium duty use and the zippers good, fly still keeps water out, no tears in base.