4 Person Tent

wintermute

wintermute

Joined
Oct 18, 2007
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Looking for a good 4 person tent, mostly for car camping. Right now I have a Eureka Tetragon 1210 monstrosity and looking for something in a bit more manageable size that also could probably handle weather a bit better. I miss my old Kelty that I must've lent to someone along the way and never got back. One's that I've been looking at on the internet:

Big Agnes Jupiter's Cabin (looks like it probably doesn't have enough ventilation, but EMS has a great sale going on right now)
Big Agnes Big House 4
Big Agnes Lynx Pass 4
Kelty Eden 4
REI Half Dome 4

Anyone have experience with any of these?
 
wintermute said:
Looking for a good 4 person tent, mostly for car camping. Right now I have a Eureka Tetragon 1210 monstrosity and looking for something in a bit more manageable size that also could probably handle weather a bit better. I miss my old Kelty that I must've lent to someone along the way and never got back. One's that I've been looking at on the internet:

Big Agnes Jupiter's Cabin (looks like it probably doesn't have enough ventilation, but EMS has a great sale going on right now)
Big Agnes Big House 4
Big Agnes Lynx Pass 4
Kelty Eden 4
REI Half Dome 4

Anyone have experience with any of these?
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honestly you cannot go wrong with either of those.. how often do you camp? will you be seeing a lot of wet weather? (some states or countries have more rain than others).. you have to have ventilation. its a must in the summer time. so if you are so so on the agnes jupiter then pass on it. price range? are you only wanting a tent from those companies?? how many people do you want to sleep in it? if you are car camping with 4 folks you really need a tent larger than a 4. just my opinion. i like room car camping. i car camp on fishing trips so i keep my camping stuff in the tent not inthe truck so i need more room. usually a 6 man tent is great for 4 folks with a little extra room.. something to think about
 
Ah, I guess I should have mentioned those things. I'm looking for sub-$300. Rain is a definite possibility and we've been doing one or two trips a summer, but I expect that to increase as our two girls get older, and I'm hoping I can get them into spring and fall camping as well (fall is a pretty easy sell). We have the big Eureka if all four of us go, but if it's me and my wife, a 4-person would be perfect, or if I find my Kelty 2-person, we can have the kids stay in that, and we'll take the four person, etc. Or have the 4-person for friends and family to borrow (for example, my MIL is coming on our next trip).

So to better summarize the needs I have for the tent:
true 3-season usability that can handle rain well (the brands I mentioned just because I'm familiar with them as reliable tent companies)
good ventilation (the Jupiter's out)
want to buy something that will last a long time
ease of assembly/takedown
want a roomy tent to fit two people
 
wintermute said:
Ah, I guess I should have mentioned those things. I'm looking for sub-$300. Rain is a definite possibility and we've been doing one or two trips a summer, but I expect that to increase as our two girls get older, and I'm hoping I can get them into spring and fall camping as well (fall is a pretty easy sell). We have the big Eureka if all four of us go, but if it's me and my wife, a 4-person would be perfect, or if I find my Kelty 2-person, we can have the kids stay in that, and we'll take the four person, etc. Or have the 4-person for friends and family to borrow (for example, my MIL is coming on our next trip).

So to better summarize the needs I have for the tent:
true 3-season usability that can handle rain well (the brands I mentioned just because I'm familiar with them as reliable tent companies)
good ventilation (the Jupiter's out)
want to buy something that will last a long time
ease of assembly/takedown
want a roomy tent to fit two people
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yeah car camping usually means 2 persons = 4 man tent, 4 persons = 6-8 man tent.. since weight is not really a factor.

Eureka makes a good tent as well.. for that price range go look at the tents at REI and especially at SierraTradingpost.com... they have good prices on even some of your more top of the line tents like mountain hardware, north face, mormot, padagonia... (their tents kick a lot of butt!)

sierra designs ( i think i have this name right) is a great tent at a good price. they are made in the same factory as padagonia and made by the same materials. just cheaper ( i was told this by someone at REI or some other outdoor place that supposedly knew).. something else to consider..

dont go too cheap or you will regret it. make sure they say the seams are taped and sewn. this will help with water and wind.

link for STP.com tents

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/322_Tents.html


this tent seems to be liked check out the comments.. its ventilated well and at a good price.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Product.aspx?baseno=1461R&cdf=TopSeller


as with any tent you purchase. take it home and put it up.. hell run it under a water hose, look for leaks.. you can buy patches and seam sealers in case you get a small leak. also practice puting it up and down. also, buy a footprint or make one from tarp material to put under the tent. make sure you match it to a T. if you go over it will only collect water and trap it between the tent and the tarp = not good
 
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Thanks Hung! I wound up ordering a Sierra Designs Meteor Light 4 - it helped that it was 20% off!
 
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It finally came down to the Meteor Light or the REI Half Dome. The only reason why I didn't go with the Half Dome is that it's lower and I figured I would get complaints from the family. What's interesting is if you look at closeups of the hubs for both tents they look very similar, I wonder if Sierra makes the Half Domes for REI. I didn't want to go with a Marmot since there seems to be alot of reviews citing bent poles, and with the amount of mesh in their tents, I can see my kids accidentally ripping a Marmot to shreds.
 
wintermute said:
It finally came down to the Meteor Light or the REI Half Dome. The only reason why I didn't go with the Half Dome is that it's lower and I figured I would get complaints from the family. What's interesting is if you look at closeups of the hubs for both tents they look very similar, I wonder if Sierra makes the Half Domes for REI. I didn't want to go with a Marmot since there seems to be alot of reviews citing bent poles, and with the amount of mesh in their tents, I can see my kids accidentally ripping a Marmot to shreds.
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its very possible SD makes REI tents.. keep in mind most of the top end tents are made in the same factory with mostly the same materials.. just different designs and different levels of quality control..

Marmot usually is a top of the line tent. you have to keep in mind the people who are actually reporting these issues and their competence.. but sometimes great companies make crap.. it happens..

i think you did real well. i love very meshy tents, its hot as hell here in NC in the summer so ventilation is a must BUT with kids in the picture, you did the right think.. let me know when you get it up and get inside.. i put mine up in the house every so often to check things over. in fact i need to do that soon.

not that you dont know this but if your tent gets wet, dry it real well and let it air out before you put it up.. mold is a tent's worst enemy. i keep mine up in the house for a couple of days then tear it back down and pack it up for a long time
 
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