JustinD
I am looking to buy either a SELIDA 4 or a Gunnison 4.1. I intend to use this tent as a family backpacker where we will split the weight amont 4 of us. The Selida is about a pound lighter, but the Gunnison has two vestibules.
Anyone have any thoughts on this decision?
Background: I am not a novice camper, but we are lightening up and moving toward family backpacking. I have owned and spent many nights in many tents. I too realize that this is a tight squeeze for two adults and two teens. Our normal car-camping tent is twice this size. However, the camping experience is a togetherness experience. There have been many rainy days in a tent playing cards. Looking back, I remember those trips as fondly as the ones with great weather.
Kelty seems to get no respect amongst the self proclaimed camping elites. Yet, nobody has anything specific to complain about. The zippers work. The price seems competitive. The flys are water proof. The weight compared to price seems pretty good.
Answer
Tape out a rectangle on your living room floor that's 8'4" x 6'10", which is the size of the Gunnison. Now try to arrange your family comfortably within this rectangle. Keep in mind that the walls slope inward so you'll lose a few inches unless you want to be right against the outer wall. I bet it will be a tight squeeze, even if two people are children.
If you're fine with that, you then need to figure out what to do with your gear. Some of it -- less than you think -- can be stored in the vestibules. Remember that you'll also need to leave room in the vestibule for you to enter and exit the tent. If you devote one vestibule for gear storage you might get by, but more likely you'll need to bring a tarp to store at least some of your gear outside. You'll want to do this anyhow to keep food and other scented items away from your tent to avoid attracting animals and insects.
I disagree that 8 pounds is too heavy for backpacking, particularly if you have two or more people to distribute the load. Besides, when you're family backpacking you're probably not planning on going long distances. Five or even ten miles with an 8-pound tent split two ways is manageable. And going with two tents such as the Hubba Hubba isn't going to save you much, as each Hubba Hubba weighs 4.3 pounds so that's still 8+ total (not to mention almost $600). I'd be a bit concerned using an ultralight tent such as the Hubba Hubba with kids, as the main tent body is primarily mesh that might tend to get damaged easily by rambunctious children.
I saw the Kelty Gunnison up-close yesterday at Campmor. I needed a new larger tent as I discovered my old 4-person dome -- which I haven't used in many years -- is no longer usable. I was looking for something comfortable for 2 adults and serviceable for 3, primarily for adventure camping (back-country 4WD camping), but could also be used for short-distance backpacking, and in the $200-300 price range. The Kelty Gunnison and Eureka Mountaineer 3XT were my main contenders. I wound up going with the Eureka because, although it was a bit smaller and heavier, it had a better fly design and heavier coating, plus I've also had good experiences with other Eureka tents.
Another tent worth considering is the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 4. At 9'2"x7'6" it was a true 4-person tent, and is also a 4-season design that weighs just under 9 pounds. Unfortunately, it has a fairly large pack size and that plus the $369 price tag didn't balance the extra floor space I might rarely need. But if you can divide the tent between two or more packs, the size and weight might be manageable for you and the price would be less than two separate tents.
Tape out a rectangle on your living room floor that's 8'4" x 6'10", which is the size of the Gunnison. Now try to arrange your family comfortably within this rectangle. Keep in mind that the walls slope inward so you'll lose a few inches unless you want to be right against the outer wall. I bet it will be a tight squeeze, even if two people are children.
If you're fine with that, you then need to figure out what to do with your gear. Some of it -- less than you think -- can be stored in the vestibules. Remember that you'll also need to leave room in the vestibule for you to enter and exit the tent. If you devote one vestibule for gear storage you might get by, but more likely you'll need to bring a tarp to store at least some of your gear outside. You'll want to do this anyhow to keep food and other scented items away from your tent to avoid attracting animals and insects.
I disagree that 8 pounds is too heavy for backpacking, particularly if you have two or more people to distribute the load. Besides, when you're family backpacking you're probably not planning on going long distances. Five or even ten miles with an 8-pound tent split two ways is manageable. And going with two tents such as the Hubba Hubba isn't going to save you much, as each Hubba Hubba weighs 4.3 pounds so that's still 8+ total (not to mention almost $600). I'd be a bit concerned using an ultralight tent such as the Hubba Hubba with kids, as the main tent body is primarily mesh that might tend to get damaged easily by rambunctious children.
I saw the Kelty Gunnison up-close yesterday at Campmor. I needed a new larger tent as I discovered my old 4-person dome -- which I haven't used in many years -- is no longer usable. I was looking for something comfortable for 2 adults and serviceable for 3, primarily for adventure camping (back-country 4WD camping), but could also be used for short-distance backpacking, and in the $200-300 price range. The Kelty Gunnison and Eureka Mountaineer 3XT were my main contenders. I wound up going with the Eureka because, although it was a bit smaller and heavier, it had a better fly design and heavier coating, plus I've also had good experiences with other Eureka tents.
Another tent worth considering is the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 4. At 9'2"x7'6" it was a true 4-person tent, and is also a 4-season design that weighs just under 9 pounds. Unfortunately, it has a fairly large pack size and that plus the $369 price tag didn't balance the extra floor space I might rarely need. But if you can divide the tent between two or more packs, the size and weight might be manageable for you and the price would be less than two separate tents.
What is the best quality tent I can buy for under $200?
Cat M
Requirements:
Must fit a king size air mattress (so it should be at least about 10 x10 so there's room around the mattress for bags and stuff)
Must have at least 3 large windows (but preferably 4 - one on each side including the front door)
Must NOT leak!
Preferably have a raised (tub) floor or whatever you call it - so that the floor seams are not right on the ground.
Please help me find a good tent for under $200. I have been searching like crazy but whenever I find something I like it either has bad reviews or is way too expensive.
Thanks
Answer
Well the expensive ones are most likely the ones that wont leak. Remember, you get what you pay for. Check out these tents, they seem pretty good. be sure to check out all the links below, some of the tents are a steal at the size.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/swiss-gear-17x13-family-dome-tent.aspx?a=544328
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/kelty-grand-mesa-3-season-tent-.aspx?a=403453
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/swiss-gear-14x14-camp-cottage-tent.aspx?a=540539
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/msr-board-room-tents.aspx?a=538579
Well the expensive ones are most likely the ones that wont leak. Remember, you get what you pay for. Check out these tents, they seem pretty good. be sure to check out all the links below, some of the tents are a steal at the size.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/swiss-gear-17x13-family-dome-tent.aspx?a=544328
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/kelty-grand-mesa-3-season-tent-.aspx?a=403453
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/swiss-gear-14x14-camp-cottage-tent.aspx?a=540539
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/msr-board-room-tents.aspx?a=538579
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