Tents with aluminum poles

[Flavel]

So I went to Walmart and Bass Pros shop looking at tents and noticed they all came with fiberglass poles instead of aluminum. Do they make tents with aluminum poles anymore or does it not make a difference? My wife and I are the primary ones that will go camping. We do not have any children, but we want a tent that is roomy, can fit a queen size air mattress, can store our gear, does well against the weather(rain) and I would like to be able to stand up in it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, I would like one that is not too difficult to assemble.

In addition, does anyone have any suggestions on an air mattress from their own personal experiences?

Thanks....

[renodesertfox]

So I went to Walmart and Bass Pros shop looking at tents and noticed they all came with fiberglass poles instead of aluminum. Do they make tents with aluminum poles anymore or does it not make a difference? My wife and I are the primary ones that will go camping. We do not have any children, but we want a tent that is roomy, can fit a queen size air mattress, can store our gear, does well against the weather(rain) and I would like to be able to stand up in it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, I would like one that is not too difficult to assemble.

In addition, does anyone have any suggestions on an air mattress from their own personal experiences?

Thanks....

Howdy Flavel,
Listen, we have(wife & I) an Eureka Copper Canyon 10x10. It it very roomy, we can stand up in it. It Takes 6 poles to set up which takes about 15 minutes to setup. It holds our gear, however we puchased a Kelty Cabana for holding our gear. Our queen air-mattress is from Areobed and is designed very well, you can't over inflate it. We have had this tent two years now and have sealed the seams that many times and we love the tent. The Windows are huge, the rainfly is also big. But we live in the desert and it doesn't rain here much so it is not a problem with this tent. We get plenty of wind and we have never had a problem with staking it down. Just don't use the stakes that come with the tent, get those long 9" steel stakes at Walamrt and you'll be fine. The Tent cost was 240 dollars.
Good luick!

[Rob22315]

Tents seem to be divided into three camps when it comes to poles:

Backpacking tents (lightweight aluminum poles, probably 4 seasons)
General camping (fiberglass poles, 3 seasons)
Heavy duty or large tents (thick steel or aluminum poles, probably 3+seasons)

You didn't say specifically what type of camping you intended to do. You'll need to choose a tent accordingly. Do you want more room or less? 3 seasons or 4? Lightweight or weight-not-important (backpacking vs car camping)?

The big issues with fiberglass poles are weight and cracking when cold.

If weight isn't an issue and you want something that will last, look at a single wall canvas tent. These will run around $400-500. Something suitable in man-made materials can be had for $200-$400. Something quick for a couple of seasons - $100-$200. Of course, you can spend more if you like.

[Flavel]

Thanks to the responses. I am looking for a 3 season tent. I live in the south and it is warm here probably 9 months out of the year. I was looking at the coleman dome tent at Bass Pro shot. It is a 10 x 10 and I read the reviews about it from fellow campers http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...001000_325-1-0.


We dont have children so it will just be the wife and I. I want to be beable to put an inflatable queen size matress in it.

[tplife]

The best quality tents will have aluminum poles, although I do own a Sierra Designs Base Camp that uses fiberglass poles that utilize helicopter-blad technology for strength. They're almost indestructible. My Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 has aluminum poles and they are also first-rate. My Eureka Tetragon 8 (visitor/loaner tent) has poles that are of some kind of fiberglass or plastic but they are of inferior quality - understandable in the Tetragon line, it's not their high-end level of tents.