2/3 Person Quality Tent

C

Cypher2001

Joined
Feb 11, 2004
Messages
116
I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but we will give it a shot.

I'm looking for some recommendations for a 2/3 (3 preferably, but 2 with gear room would be fine) backpacking tent.

Of course, price is a concern. I was looking to spend <100.00 for it.

I've seen very cheap offerings from the lower end companies, but I'm concerned about quality. IE: Is it going to hold up for a few years.

Here are some of the stats I was looking to get:


2-3 Person
<$100.00 Pricetag (Or around 100.00)
<6lb packweight
Quality design/seams sealed, etc
Rainfly

There are so many manufacturers to choose from, I'm sorta overloaded with information. Anyone care to share their experiences?

The best I can come up with is this:
Eureka Zeus 3 Exo Tent


But that is almost double my prefered pricetag... If its better and worth it, so be it.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.
 
This is a good forum for it, but you might also post in the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum (in the Training section). Try a search first; it's likely your question has already been answered. :cool:
 
Have you thought about using a tarp instead of a tent?

If you plan on hiking to your camping spot you can easily fold it up really small and throw it in your back pack. When the time comes to use it just string it up on some trees, or if you are in a feild, get some sticks to make it into a tent. Don't forget this will only cost you a few bucks and some paracord.
-Kevin
 
Cypher,

If you just need shade and cover overhead, Morgoth is right: a tarp will be fine in a wooded area (and/or if you have walking poles). A web search will yield dozens of sites with simple instructions for setting a tarp. Polyurethane tarps are very affordable, get an 8' x10' at Home Depot or similar for $10-$12. A siltarp (silicone-impregnated tarp) is much lighter, ~1/3 the weight of poly and stronger, but they usually run $100+.

RE tents: If you're looking to sleep 3, then get a 3-person. If 2 with gear, go with 2-person. 2 can fit very comfortably in a 3, but not vice versa. The Eureka Zeus EXO is a very good tent, very roomy; Sierra Designs Sirius is a little more snug but also good. That's about as low as I would go, pricewise, for a reliable tent for backpacking. For car camping, however, an inexpensive tent from Big 5, Sportmart or the like should be fine.

For a groundcloth, dispense with the ones designed for specific tents (often sold separately anyway) and get a Tyvek sheet (available on eBay or some websites) -- tougher and cheaper, and often lighter than model-specific footprints and the like.

If you are really just looking for a 2, I would suggest looking at a handmade silicon Tarptent. Lighter and stronger than any mass-market tent at reasonable prices (they're made by two guys), and the fastest shelter to set-up I have ever used, 2-3 min. tops. I now primarily backpack with my girlfriend, and she loves the ease of use, ease of carry, complete bug protection of our Cloudburst with a sewn-in floor (total 39 oz). Well over your $100 budget, but not much over the Eureka Zeus EXO.

Any good local outdoor store should be helpful, too. REI is very good if you have one nearby. Good luck --

Glen
 
Thanks for all the information.

I'm not sure a tarp is going to be enough. While I will use it in the summer, the main idea is to get one that will be able to shelter 2 (with gear) for multiday fishing trips in the mountains (October/november). I think I would need somthing with a little more "tent" to it in order to keep out the possibility of snow/sleet/etc.

While I'm not looking for a 4 season tent, I'd like somthing that will cover as many bases as possible.
 
Jason Burns said:
REI branded tents offer a good deal of bang for the buck.
www.rei.com
or
www.reioutlet.com
Click to expand...

Look at the REI Half Dome 2 Tent. $159 and this tent has a lot of great features:
2 doors each w/ vestibule. Easily fits 2 people. Gear fits in vestibules.
Included gear loft.
Free standing.
It is a little heavy for backpacking (5 lbs. 9 oz.), but if there are 2 of you, 1 of you carry the tent and the other can carry the poles and rain fly. To save weight, you can also discard the stakes (it is freestanding) or even discard the tent ("Save weight by creating a minimalist shelter using rainfly, poles and footprint only")
 
Bushtukah.com; a canadian outdoor retailer offers amazing deals on tents plus you get the american dollar discount....I picked up a MSR 4 season tent that retails down here for 700 for 400.
 
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