Favorite tents

[msbuck]

Got a favourite tent type and brand that you can suggest? The Big Agnes Big House 4 is too heavy to replace but was sure palatial!

Sue asked this question in another thread, so I thought I'd respond with a new topic.

We are currently shopping (again) and we have just discovered this tent at REI...http://www.rei.com/product/693151



It goes on sale Aug. 22nd and I'm pretty sure we're going to buy it.  We had another tent made by Camptrails that finally started falling apart on us and this is the closest we've found to it.  Our original tent was a bit smaller, maybe 8x8 and only 5'tall (Ok for me, but Graham couldn't stand up in it).  What we liked most about it was the vestibules.  It had one both front and back.  The one in front had a screen, so you could make a little screened in porch, or close it up for full coverage in case of rain, etc.  The one in back was just as big, but did not have the screen.  WE LOVED THAT TENT!  I'll see if I can find a picture somewhere.  It went all over the country with us and I hated when it finally gave up on us.  We even called to see about getting a replacement fly (which is what created the vestibules) but we figured the tent itself probably wouldn't hold up much longer either.

So this REI tent has basically the same footprint, although the rear vestibule is not as large as the front and there is no "screened front porch".  It looks like it will be pretty easy to carry on the bike.  Not sure how the weight compares to your Big Agnes.  There is a Base Camp 4 as well that is a bit smaller, but seems to pack almost the same.  So we figured we'd go for the bigger one so Graham would be able to stand up in it.

[NC Steve]

That's a nice one, Aida, for sure! Will it give you the room that your other tent had, though?
Looks smaller for some reason... :-?

Some of the MSR tents such as the Hubba Bubba's are really popular with the GS and Guzzi crowds, as they pack down very small and take up so little space on the bike. But they're also smaller 2-3 man tents too. Anyone that's tent shopping might want to poke around at Campmor's sight too, as they have a very good rep, great prices, and a lot of sales and discounted/discontinued deals, on all kinds of outdoor's equipment.  http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Home_

I personally have an 8 x 8 Coleman, and a 7 x 7 Wenzel, because I'm cheap, but either one gives me plenty of room for a sleeping side and all my "stuff" too. Of course, if camping 2+ to a tent then everything changes. The Coleman has a little more headroom, at the price of being slightly bulkier.
Both have been proven waterproof, and can be had for under 50 bucks online or at Target, Sports Authority, Dick's, WallyWorld (heaven forbid), etc... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[thrang]

I like my old Robert saunders GC2 its about 25 years old (three fly sheets and two inners) but the poles are orignal... and its idea for me on my own and light enough to back pack with, when both of us go we have a huge vango tunnel tent for weeks away, or a three man porched dome from summetrecks for weekend rallys (its cheep enough not to be a great problem if it gets trashed when a drunk falls on it lol)

[Semper Gumby]

Any good four man (woman?) tent.  That way there is plenty of room to spread out and a goodly sized vestible so I can sit in my camp chair any peel off the motorcycle gear out of the rain.

[NC Steve]

Aida, did you and Graham ever buy a new tent yet? If not, have you seen this REI with nearly vertical walls?
It should be plenty spacious!

[msbuck]

No, we're still making do with what we have.  We've seen that one, but were looking for vestibule space.  Where was that picture taken?  

[MrRiden]

I've got a different take on tents. Been camping since I could walk and have slept under canvass, bark, fancy "outdoor store" tents, ponchos on a rope and even a tee-pee. For my buck [poverty rider] I'll go for the ubiquitous orange nylon pup tent found in many a discount store. $20 [Ok maybe more like $40 now] keeps the bugs at bay and when it gets fubar just toss it recycle it without remorse! Rainproof you ask? that's when I spend the big bucks on a motel 8. Your tent have cable? My dry room does!
rich
These don't look bad either
http://www.unclesvensgeneralstore.biz/servlet/the-92353/Olympus-Backpackers-Dome-Tent/Detail

[aussie]

It depends what you're looking for....

I have a Macpac Olympus 2 man tent - weighs in at 3.5kg. and is about 50cm in length when in it's stuff sack. I bought it about 20 years ago for hiking but have certainly used it when I've taken the bike away. You can pitch it with or without the inner and it doesn't blow away even in the most extreme circumstances. It has never let me down.

http://www.productreview.com.au/showitem.php?item_id=42749

Of course if you happen to be looking for something to stand up in...well I think you need to keep on looking.  

[NC Steve]

I've got a different take on tents. Been camping since I could walk and have slept under canvass, bark, fancy "outdoor store" tents, ponchos on a rope and even a tee-pee. For my buck [poverty rider] I'll go for the ubiquitous orange nylon pup tent found in many a discount store. $20 [Ok maybe more like $40 now] keeps the bugs at bay and when it gets fubar just toss it recycle it without remorse! Rainproof you ask? that's when I spend the big bucks on a motel 8. Your tent have cable? My dry room does!
rich
/Olympus-Backpackers-Dome-Tent/Detail

I agree with you Rich, and often the cheaper tents are larger and more comfy that the ultralight, big $$ jobs.
I have 2, a 7 x 7 and an 8 x 8. an either packs down to roughly 24"x 6"x6" and straps nicely to my bike. I think I paid $30 apiece for them, and both have kept me comfy and dry during some high winds and torrential downpours.



Aida, that particular pic I took at Willville last Fall, at the Memories of Dan. It was home to a husband/wife dual GS team.

[k_enn]

For solo camping with the motorcycle, I use an old sierra designs tent similar to the one shown here  http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=14    only with solid nylon instead of the netting.  They call it a "two person" tent, but it is really "one person plus some gear."  It packs to a very compact size, which will easily fit into hard case luggage on the bike and still leave plenty of room for other items in the luggage.  

For multiple person camping, where packed size is less of an issue, I use an old Eureka geodesic dome tent.  Cheap. long lasting, and hard to beat.


k_enn

[Landlubber]

My best tent ever was a simple pyramid, nylon tent. Single pole up the middle. To set up, 4 pegs into the corners, sit inside and erect the centre pole....I loved that tent as it was so quick, even in the rain, basically dry to set up.

One day......riding along the highway (at my usual over 160k on the R90S), I was slowing down, opened the throttle more, but the bike was dying, pulled over to find the tend in all its glory between the mudguard and the tyre....such is life....but have never seen one for sale since, i had it for about ten years when I destroyed it....

[Semper Gumby]

 I destroyed a brand new tail bag the same way.... [smiley=thud.gif]