Tent options? Can't afford Kifaru...

[wihill]

I see some of the "lodges" on here and can't imagine how they could be called a tent!

I've hiked/packed/camped with a bunch of different tents over the years.  The Eureka TimberLine series is tried and true, the A-frame style tents shed water great and can handle snow without an issue.  You do sacrifice usable room and there's definitely a weight penalty with the bigger Timberlines.  I missed my old worn out Timberline so much when a TimberLite (same style of tent, just much lighter in weight) came available in the classifieds I snatched it up as soon as I could.  

My brother (who's a long distance ultralight hiker) turned me on to Hennesy Hammocks this last summer.  They are AMAZING for mild weather - but will just freeze you solid as the temps drop, even with the added underquilts etc.

I've always been a fan of the "large tarp" campsite, and open floor tents don't really bother me in the late season (early/mid season with bugs galore is another story).  There's plenty of manufacturers that make teepee style open floor tents like Kifaru (Black Diamond's MegaMid, MH's Kiva, Kifaru, GoLite's Shangrila, MSR, etc...) and most can be made to have a stove work with them (Ti Goat sells a stove jack you can sew in to any floorless tent).   You can't beat Kifaru's stoves though - they are perfection in my book.

Vestibules are nice, but for the weight involved I'd take an 8x10 or larger nylon tarp any day of the week.

[Foxtail]

Check out  www.soulpad.com.  I bought one recently, and am very pleased with the quality, design and service. And,they have a winter liner option for one of the designs. Should give kifaru a run for the money.

[wahoo]

sierra trading post 70% off. mite not have what your looking for but a sale is a sale. good luck

[V I Archer]

I just bought my first backpacking tent this year.  Right place at the right time was thee biggest determining factor in this purchase.  Just moved to town when a local backpacking store was closing up shop.  Picked up a Mountain Hardware Trango 2 for less than half normal retail.  It is heavy for a backpacking tent at 9.5 pounds, but it has front and rear vestibules, a bombproof internal guying system a dn a great early season option of pitching the ground sheet and fly independent of the tent body.  

I was going to go either M.H or Hilleberg, just wasn't sure of the model.  Would of preferred something a little lighter but for the deal I got, I can suffer with a slightly heavier pack or one or two fewer luxury items.

[AkDan]

If you want a smaller style tent, that'll fit two grown adults fine with a vestibule, the Eurkea Apex 2xt was a great tent....I recently noticed they dont make it but someone else has copied the design...well eureka does however it's not quite the same.  LIght weight easy to set up and will take any abuse I can put out, which means it's one helluva tent and it really aint spendy!  Great intro tent that'll last a LONG time!!

if you do get the cheaper poled version, have some aluminum poles made for it, you wont regret it!  Cost me another 75 bucks for the alum poles.   The fiberglass poles are fine for back yard and even for some of our sheep hunts however one ended up breaking enough I had to replace it so it didnt break afield...afterall there is no stores on a mtside and no tent can get deadly!

Tents change with time..and there are too many to keep up with on my limited funds.

my go winter tent is still a north face expedition 25.  And my 'light' tent at 4+ a little pounds is a clip 3cd by sierra designs.. I need something lighter for earlier season hunts...in the neighborhood of 2lbs would be nice.  Tarp tents here I come  :D

[Gary Logsdon]

I've had good luck with my Cabelas tents.  When I'm backpacking 5 miles or more into a wilderness area for elk I take my Deluxe XPG 2 or 4 man model.  On the other hand, if it's a drive-in hunt, like the annual "Wensel Texas Pig-Gig", I setup my 12X12' Alaknak and wood stove.

(Hit your F5 key to refresh if the photos fail to load.)

 

 

[hunt it]

Cabelas is always a good bet for any tent. Their warranty is second to none. That said in the last year I have seen high winds rip the roof out of two of the Cabelas models listed above. Either of the models that have the one centre pole are the ones I've had issues with - in both cases Cabelas replaced tents no issue (stopped at stores on way home from hunt and ended up with new ones both times - again their warranty is fantastic. All that said I purchased a North Face Trailhead 8 from Cabelas as well and this is an awesome tent. Lots of room and built to withstand any kind of wind short of Tornado! It's no backpacker but packs into a medium duffel and has top of the line aluminum poles.

[ron w]

Some real nice set ups....

[Shane_Thomas]

Originally posted by wihill:
I see some of the "lodges" on here and can't imagine how they could be called a tent!

Yeah. Especially as I recall the countless nights I spent in the woods with just a poncho liner!

[Legolas]

Try mpgear.com

[JC]

Car/truck camping: I love my Cabela's 8man Alaskan guide model. Heavy as a sack of anvils but after 12 years of heavy use it's still as bombproof as ever. I have no clue how you would get 8 men in there unless they were REALLY good friends but enough room for our family of 4 with breathing space. Plenty of room for an extended stay for two adults.

At/below treeline backpacking: I tried a bunch and could find absolutely nothing better than a Hennesy Hammock. You'll never sleep on the ground again. If I could convince my family to each get one, this would be the only "tent" I'd ever use. It's that comfortable. Weighs nothing too.

Above treeline: I've only hunted above tree line one time, for 4 days and it was in some one else's Kifaru. If I were walking that far again, it would be worth every penny to me. No experience with the others but with what I had in the Kifaru, I'd save up for one if that fit the bill.

[Noelkman]

Try watching SteepandCheap.com They post some great deals and good tents.

[wvtradbow]

One thing you might also want to consider is,do you want a free standing tent which doesn't have to be staked down or one like the Kiva or Golite that has to be staked to get it set up.I have both kind and each has its own place in the camping world.There's no perfect world if your only buying one,that's why so many of us has more than one. Best of Luck

[Bobby Urban]

Noelkman is right -  www.steepandcheap.com  has some great deals on high quality gear but you have to keep an eye on the site and an eye on your credit card because it is borderline adictive.

Bob Urban

[Bird Dog]

Paha Que' makes great tents at a great price. Mine has weathered major storms with no problems.

[crestedceadar]

my son and I went to compton this year again. spent two miserable nights in a wet coleman tent that had never leaked before. needless to say we spent 2hrs. at the laundry mat drying everything.I told myself this is never going to happen again.I gathered as much information as my brain could take.the best deal i could find for my money was the cabelas 8 man alaskan guide series tent with fiberglass poles.we since been to denton hill and two fishing trips. with two major  storms,the tent did not budge and not a drop of water.center ht.6'8" and tons of room.i would highly recomend it.

[boznarras]

I almost bought one of the Mtn Hardware Kiva tents like Lost Arra shows last year. It looked very nice.
What I did buy is very similar to that tent, a Black Diamond megamid light, also floorless. It is 4 sided pyramid, with a 86"x86" footprint and a telescoping center pole. You can leave the poles out of these tents if you happen to be camping under a convenient tree limb. Just hang the peak from the limb. Or you can substitute a kayak paddle,or find a stick, etc if you want to go even lighter weight, and are in the right situation to do that.
They are so steep sided that the rain wants to run off, not so quick to leak if the waterproofing starts to give out during a trip...
I got my second one of these after wearing the first one out since buying it in 1983 when they were Chouinard Megamids. It gave really good service.
Very light weight at 2 lb 5 oz, you can cook on the ground in the doorway, and you can fit a lot of stuff (muddy boots, packs, bows, etc)in there and still have room for yourself. It sets up in about a minute: stick in the stakes around the edge, unzip it and put up and extend the pole, and you've arrived.
You can get a floor and a bug screen that go in them, but to me that defeats the best features of this tent: it's simplicity and light weight.
I got started using these floorless tents while mountaineering; you can wear your crampons inside! (These days it is cork boots, same idea.)
I have other tents with lots more features, but I seem to always grab this little handful of nylon when I start to load the pack. They really shine when you are carrying camp on your back, or are limited in space, like in a kayak or on a bicycle. I have also been along with a group and we carried other tents for sleeping and used this as the kitchen, and it works well in that role too.

[wahoo]

that black diamond looks nice. great price also compared to Kifaru.