Tent Buying Help

[Ellen]

Hi!

I'm currently shopping for a good tent for my husband and me. We are newly married and want to use some Christmas money to buy a decent tent to use for weekend camping. My family has had the Eureka Timberline 4-person tent for years and we love it. My parents also have a big tent but I don't remember what kind it is.

I'm just curious as to what tents anyone would recommend - what tents do you like?

Here's what I'm looking for:
- Sleeps 4-6 people
- Reasonably easy to set up (for the 2 of us)
- Stays Dry!
- Reasonably priced (hopefully less than about $250)
- We live in Mississippi, so most of our camping will be in mild to hot weather

I love to camp buy have never purchased a tent myself. Any help is appreciated!
Thanks!
Ellen

[campman]

Eureka tents are very nice, but they come with a price that isn't.  You are definitely paying a premium for this tent, but there is good reason.  But, if you are just looking to do some weekend camping in mild to hot weather may I recommend Northwest Territory (we bought ours from our local Kmart).  I recently purchased one and love it.  I own the Northwest Territory Olympic Cottage.  This thing is a house, but surprisingly very easy to set up, my wife and I can set it up just the two of us.  I think it says on the package that it sleeps 10 but in all reality it sleeps 6 VERY comfortably.  I think we payed $199 for it and we are very pleased.  My wife likes it because you don't have to get on all fours to get in the thing, you can literally walk right in.  We have had it in the rain a couple of times and have had no problems.  It may not be a name like Eureka or Kelty, but for what you get for the price we are very pleased.  Hope this helps.

[RJD]

I liked the big Ozark Trail tents I had ( after I finaly had it put up). You can put a porta-potty in one of the extra rooms to keep yourself or the kids from wandering around at night looking for a place to go,(especialy on them chilly nights). But, if your camping with your husband for one or two nights, then a big tent can be a big pain to set up and take down. If you only go camping once every blue moon then look for a reasonably priced tent ($40.00-$60.00) at Walmart or Kmart. That way if you don't like it you can always return it. If your a camping fanatic, then splurge and get a good quality tent from an online supplier like Campmor or go to a Cabelas or Basspro. I just bought a nice Kelty Trail Dome 4 tent. I got it at a bargain price on GearTrade.com

[wackyotter]

Like campman said, Eurekas are good tents, but you pay for the quality. I like the Eurkea 1310. It has two rooms and can easily sleep 6 people. It's also easy to set up, has tons of windows and vents to keep cool and I have never had a leak. It's also tall enough to stand in. However, they are a little more expensive. You can get a new one in the $300-350 range. If you're only going to be using it once a year or so, I agree with RJD's suggestion with getting a cheaper tent. Good luck!

The Wacky Otter
social@wackyotter.com
www.wackyotter.com

[tplife]

High quality, high end tents are made by Sierra Designs,  Marmot, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardewar.  Eureka! offers only a few high-end tents in their product line.  Most of their product line are for more casual users. The Sunrise and Tetragon tents are examples of tents made for entry-level campers.  Their best tents are pricey, and due to low production volume are difficult to purchase at affordable prices.   Anyone wanting a high-quality tent needs to discover a place called Ebay where you can buy high-end Sierra Designs tents for 60% off their MSRP.  This is because since they are for the most part the most popular high-end tent manufacturer, high production numbers allow for some distributors to retail their tents at excellent prices.  In this way, you can get a tent that will last 20+ years of frequent use, have a lifetime guarantee, and cost only a few dollars more than tents in the Big Box stores.