Need Help Choosing a Tent

[Sample]

I ordered my tent today..the Giga Mt Springer. I"ll have to find a way to set it up and make sure its the tent I wanna keep.

[Sford13]

Well if that one does not work out for you. You might check out the Cabelas Alaskan Guide Model. It is a little more but I think you will find it would satisfy all your considerations. I like you have been tent hunting this last several months and have looked and looked and looked. For me the full coverage rain fly is a must. I camp in central and NW Illinois mostly and in the summer when it rains, it is usually blowing and my walls need protection. The material and waterproofing on this tent is some of the best I have found short of going to canvas. Once you get your tent let us know what you think of it. I have not ordered mine yet, but as you can tell pretty much have my mind made up.

[Sample]

That Cabela..tent seems like a very nice one..but its too much money for me....have you checked out the Cabela Deluxe backwoods cabin? Its got a full rain fly also...and yep as soon as I get it and find a place to set it up(not outsie atm....we have several feet of snow still on the ground)...I"ll report back about my satisfaction.

[Sford13]

That Cabela..tent seems like a very nice one..but its too much money for me....have you checked out the Cabela Deluxe backwoods cabin? Its got a full rain fly also...and yep as soon as I get it and find a place to set it up(not outsie atm....we have several feet of snow still on the ground)...I"ll report back about my satisfaction.

Yeah I had checked that one out as well. But really wanted to stick with more the dome and not mess with a cabin style tent at this point. And if memory serves me right the reviews were mixed on that one on their website.

[frank6160]

Others will disagree but I've had excellant service out of my 4 Coleman tents. Ranging in size from 8x8 to 17X10. I camp at least 2 times a month from March to October.:D

[Sford13]

Others will disagree but I've had excellant service out of my 4 Coleman tents. Ranging in size from 8x8 to 17X10. I camp at least 2 times a month from March to October.:D

I would not necessarily disagree with the fact that Coleman does have some decent products. However I have two that I currently use. One is a standard dome and the rain fly is not sufficient and you will have water in it and the size is kinda small. I take this one along and use it as a storage shed at campsites. Than I have a 9 person tent that is a little better on the rain fly but the layout is horrible as well as ventilation. But now having a couple young ones, staying dry, and a good layout makes all the difference. So I came up with 3 main items I wanted in a tent and set out to find the tent. If Coleman would of had it, I probably would have bought another one. But for full rain fly, ventilation, and large usable space I found that really the Cabela's Alaskan Guide was the one that gave me all. It is pricey and trust me I looked for cheaper but would have been sacrificing one of my wants. So in the end after reading reviews and knowing that this would be a tent that would last I have decided that this spring I am going to buy one. Still think Coleman makes an ok tent. Just if you get sideways rain the ones I have had won't keep you dry.

[tplife]

For only a little more cash than the bottom-fishing tents cost, you can own a lifetime guaranteed tent from Sierra Designs, Marmot, Big Agnes, or Mountain Hardwear that will outlast five tents from big-box retailers. They are new-in-the-box, about 60% off MSRP and found at a store called "Ebay". BTW, stick with summer camping as your queen air mattress is a heat sink that invites hypothermia and uncomfortable sleeping. Hollow tubes will gain/lost temperature until they become the same as the outside air. This means your mattress gets colder and colder and if you sleep on it it will draw the heat away from you/your bag/your blankets until you are as cold as it and the outside air are. An invitation to disaster. Self-inflating sleeping pads won't cost much more than hollow mattresses, are lifetime guaranteed, and will long outlast air mattresses. Not having to carry a pump is a plus too!

[vibesgirl]

I could have written this question!

Sample,
Could you please review your Giga tent when you get a chance. After doing all the same research that you did for the last couple of months!
We have been 3 season camping in New England for about 12 years now. Our favorite spot is on the ocean in RI, no shade, possible high winds, and even if it does not rain, the "ocean dew" can soak a tent.
We had an incredible Coleman tent that they stopped making a couple of years ago (of course) don't remember the name, but it has steel shock corded poles, a vinyl tub style floor, full rainfly, 2 doors, 2 windows. I replaced the rainfly a few years back.
This tent was a rock! Withstood rain, wind, UV rays, loved it.
Now I have to replace it and I want almost the same thing. Originally liked the Eureka Copper Canyon, but between the lousy looking fly and a taffeta floor, there was no way I would buy it.
Yes, we have a big dog too, he never through the Coleman floor!
I anxiously await your review on the Giga! I want to think something is wrong with the price being so reasonable.

[Stone]

For my money, the Cabela's Guide Model tent has been the best tent I've ever owned.
Of course it's over 500 bucks for the 8-man aluminum-pole model that we have.
The way I look at it, you can buy a tent for short money, and have to replace it after a couple of years, or you can spend more and get something that will last. But that's an obvious thing.
Here's basically the tent that we have. This is the newest model and ours is a bit different, and ours is in camo, but its' essentially the same.

[tplife]

For my money, the Cabela's Guide Model tent has been the best tent I've ever owned.
Of course it's over 500 bucks for the 8-man aluminum-pole model that we have.
The way I look at it, you can buy a tent for short money, and have to replace it after a couple of years, or you can spend more and get something that will last. But that's an obvious thing.
Here's basically the tent that we have. This is the newest model and ours is a bit different, and ours is in camo, but its' essentially the same.

That's a 4-season tent. Very good quality, but low production numbers mean very little discounting and few distributors. My experience is that you can spend a lot less for a high-end tent if you do your research up front. I like getting 60% off and using the savings to buy other gear, like goose down sleeping bags or ThermaRest pads. My Sierra Designs Base Camp 4 is a 1987 model that's used often and still in service today. But I like the guide series when money is no issue and a huge 4-season tent is needed.

[familycampman]

Coleman fan, but going, Eureka most likely

I've always been a fan of Coleman but I think I'm going a bit up market with a Eureka brand tent. I went cheap last time and bought a Wenzel and I ended up sleeping in puddles. Tents are probably the one thing you should pay a little bit more money on, though going fully up-market may not be necessary if you only go a couple of times per year.

[Stone]

Since a tent is basically your home away from home, I think it's important to buy the best you can get. A leaky tent can ruin a weekend, never mind ruining your gear.
As a perfect example. A couple years back my wife and I went camping with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.
We were having a late supper and they came and said that they were going to take a shower. About 5 minutes after they left, it started pouring. Huge, wind-driven raindrops.
They came back, went to their site. A couple minutes later, my nephew comes by and says that they are leaving in the morning. Apparently, all the windows in their tent had leaked, and they had 3 inches of water in the tent and everything was soaked. My sister said she'd never go camping again, and she hasn't.
Our tent, the Cabela's one, stayed bone dry.
The tent they had was a Coleman that they had picked up for about 75 bucks at WalMart. It ended up in the dumpster at the park before they left.
To me it's like buying shoes. You go cheap, and then your feet are sore or blistered, it throws everything off making you miserable.
Same importance when considering a tent. A bum tent can make for a very long unhappy weekend.

[familycampman]

Just to be clear, I've had good luck with Coleman tents too. I spent a couple of nights dry when it was pouring hard out. The Coleman tent I have now is just too big so I went down to the smaller Wentzel which resulted in puddles.

[Stone]

Out of curiousity, do you usually hang a tarp up over your tent when you setup?
We generally do. When I first started camping, the folks I went with did and I just started doing the same. Not really sure if it helps or not, but I don't think it could hurt.

[familycampman]

It makes sense

Tarps are an unsung hero of camping. One over and one under is a good recipe for a dry camping trip.