Help me with a tent and sleeping bags?

Those look like very good picks to me. Kelty makes a good product and the one you have picked looks like it will breathe well and has some nice features. I like the full fly on the Kelty as that will be helpful if you get inclement weather. My first pack and tent were by Kelty. The Eureka Tetragon 4 is a tent that has been around for quite awhile and is quite popular. I know quite a few people that have them or have used them and they hold up very well. I don't think you can go wrong with either tent.

ThriftyJoe makes a good point about the sleeping bags...you will probably need an extra blanket or liner for nights that get down to the bags rating of 30+.
 
I will be mostly car camping, as my girlfriend isn't as adventerous as i am... i will eventually get backpacking gear for myself. We live in CT, so temperatures can range from 25 to 65 at night here in the three seasons on average. Which of those two tents would you guys choose? I kind of like the kelty design a bit more, but you guys have more experience in this stuff than i, which is why i'm coming to you :-). And the footprint, i was aware that they go under the tent. Where i used to go camping with my dad, which i also want to go camping at, it's a state forest and many of the sites have roots and rocks on the ground. Some of the rocks are moveable, some not. The roots obviously arent, so it's more of a preventative thing. I've never had, in the time i was camping as a young child with my dad to now, a tent that i could stand up in lol. So that doesn't really bother me. I decided to go with the 4 person tent for two reasons. One being if we happen to bring a dog or another person, it will be more comfortable and when we go as just the two of us, we will be able to have shoes, clothing and whatnot in there at our feet without being cramped. I've owned my fair share of garbage tents and i want to get a reliable one.
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I will be mostly car camping, as my girlfriend isn't as adventerous as i am... i will eventually get backpacking gear for myself. We live in CT, so temperatures can range from 25 to 65 at night here in the three seasons on average. Which of those two tents would you guys choose? I kind of like the kelty design a bit more, but you guys have more experience in this stuff than i, which is why i'm coming to you :-). And the footprint, i was aware that they go under the tent. Where i used to go camping with my dad, which i also want to go camping at, it's a state forest and many of the sites have roots and rocks on the ground. Some of the rocks are moveable, some not. The roots obviously arent, so it's more of a preventative thing. I've never had, in the time i was camping as a young child with my dad to now, a tent that i could stand up in lol. So that doesn't really bother me. I decided to go with the 4 person tent for two reasons. One being if we happen to bring a dog or another person, it will be more comfortable and when we go as just the two of us, we will be able to have shoes, clothing and whatnot in there at our feet without being cramped. I've owned my fair share of garbage tents and i want to get a reliable one.
Click to expand...

honestly google both tents you picked and read over the reviews. they will decide for you. you really cannot go wrong with each. flip a coin but i would read about both first. i use amazon to look up reviews along with other sites. do some digging. 4 person tent is ideal for what you had discussed. now just go read and make your mind up. always buy a foot print or buy a tarp and cut it to the exact measurements of the bottom of the tent. you do NOT want the footprint to stick out from under the tent. it will only trap water

one more thing to think about. its always easier to stay warm than it is to stay cool. down here in NC it can be humid sticky hell here in the summer. so i went with a multiple season tent BUT it has a lot of mesh to allow air in and out easier. something to think about. you are car camping for this so tossing extra blankets and etc to keep warm is easy. keeping cool is a bitch
 
Well, I would check the reviews and see how the tents perform. Since you said you would be mostly car camping I think the Acadia 4 is a good deal...it's roomier and less expensive than the Trail Ridge 3. The Trail Ridge seems to be a nice tent but you may want to get something even better for backpacking as everything comes down to weight when you are on the trail. You can always pick up a nice backpacking tent later and you may have a whole different set of requirements when picking that tent out compared to what you want to do with a tent now. So, based on the two you have listed perhaps the Acadia 4 is the one to focus on when you are checking the reviews.
 
I have a kelty tent that has been in constant rotation since 93. It is patched and worn but still sound, I didn't see all the suggestions but I also have a cabela's alaskan guide that I like a lot. Chris

EDIT: I might catch a lot of flak for this but for summer car camping I use cheap coleman tents from wally world. They are cheap, have lots of breezy mesh, and with a little seam taping and waterproofing they will keep you dry. They are also dirt cheap, I know I said that twice, and big enough to put cots in. I go to a lot of paintball events and a 10 x 10 coleman is my goto tent, don't remember the model. It has withstood some pretty good storms, you have to take care when staking it down but I am very happy with them. I also have a smaller coleman that is the perfect size for just me, big enough for 1 cot and my gear.

I bring the big boys out, the kelty or cabelas when I am going to be staying multiple days usually in cold weather. I heat the alaskan guide with a propane heater and it is nice and toasty but only while I am awake I won't run the heater when we go to bed. Chris
 
Last edited:
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Hey guys. I've never owned a quality tent. I've had a Coleman mummybag Which lasted me years. My girlfriend and I want to go camPing and I don't know enough brands or tech specs about camping gear to be able to help myself. It will just be the two of us. I'm 6' she's 5'3". It will be us, sleeping bags, probably food stuffs and backpacks in the tent. Fishing poles will be in the car so no need for gear in the tent. Do you think I need a vestibule (I think that's what it's called, a spare room off the tent). Also, what sleeping bags would be good? I'm lookin for cheap but quality. Waterproof also. What I mean by cheap is, I consider a gerber paraframe cheap, but I consider a griptilian cheap but quality. If you get what I mean. I will buy online also. And anything else you can think of with the tent or bags.
Click to expand...

SuzukiGS750EZ said:
So I guess now it's down to these two:

- http://www.kelty.com/p-601-trail-ridge-3.aspx

- http://www.kelty.com/p-605-acadia-4.aspx
Click to expand...

OK, since you're planning on increasing your camping/hiking activities i'd recommend the Kelty Trail Ridge 3-Person over the Acadia 4-Person for the following reasons:

1) hiking w/the Trail Ridge is lighter, higher quality/better tent than the Acadia (Trail Ridge has aluminum tent poles and weighs MUCH less)
2) since you're increasing you hiking/camping adventure activities, buy the right tent 1st and avoid having to re-buy for a backpacking tent
3) DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON A "FOOTPRINT" - buy some cheap clear plastic from a hardware store and cut it 2" larger than the actual floor size of your tent and fold the extra material under and save 30$ - 50$ - believe me on this if nothing else
4) the 3-person size is more appropriate for your needs in every situation. Since you'll be car camping alot, ALL your gear can remain in the car (except the sleeping bags) - especially the food (Racooons/Squirrels/Mice WILL CHEW HOLES IN YOUR TENT TO GET TO FOOD and/or FOOD SMELLS)
5) Backpacking with a car-camping tent will make the load heavier and thus less enjoyable as well as taking up too much space in your pack

Otherwise, Kelty has a superb warranty and are generally excellent quality - especially for the money. I have also found Eureka tents to be well made. I currently use mostly custom-spec mountaineering tents, but those are for winter/mountaineering so are sewn with higher specs. For general 3-season backpacking, i use a couple different tents including a couple Eureka's, an Eastern Mountain Sports Simoom (long ago discontinued) and a Henry Shires Tarptent Cloudburst II.

For 3-season use you can skimp on sleeping bags and supplement as needed for cooler temps, but a tent is shelter and i *never* skimp there.
 
Last edited:
what he said ^.... my only change would be to buy one tent for car camping (preferably a 4man) and one tent for hiking (1-2man). i have done both and i think the kelty 3 you have listed would be on the heavy side if you were to hike in a few miles. i would focus on car camping tent first. so get one with good room and good qualiyt. you can go walmart coleman if you want. just tape the seams.

it seems the acadia 4 has a slightly beefier floor and vestibule. thats good for crap weather. more room as well. i would lean towards that. both have great amount of mesh for those hot days. good picks man. now go flip a coin
 
You might check out the Appy Trails tents. Very well made, light weight in case you decide to pack with it. Easy to pitch and strike. No floor, though, but very weather tight. Look at: www.appytrails.com. Also get a 5x7 or 9x9 or so nylon tarp for use as dining fly, dressing room, whatever.
There are many other quality tents on the market. I would recommend a vestibule if you don't have a tarp, or don't want one. I prefer the tarp as it gives more options than the vestibule does, and more room.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top