Tents

[Sylvester]

I plan on buying a tent for camping, something like a 4 man tent for gear and 2 boys to sleep in. I was going to get an attaching tent for the Bus, but now I am leaning away from them. Any recommendations?

[hambone]

You can get some good deals here sometimes:
http://www.rei.com/Search.do?storeId=80 ... 22%3ATents

[Emily's Owner]

Try here too -
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/322_ ... tml?page=1

[spiffy]

A poncho and some 550 chord.





I used to find the real cheapos and they always worked fine for what I used them for. Just try to stay away from the ones with metal poles, the fiberglass rods work nice and are fairly compact.

[deschutestrout]

The ONLY tents I've ever owned are Eureka. Many outfitters I work with also use Eureka...the 4 or 6 person Timberline Outfitter model will stand the test. You'll spend a tad bit more for the outfitter model but it is much higher quality than the standard Timberline. Look online and you'll find some reasonably priced ones...gonna be $175-250. Buying a tent depends greatly on your budget. You can spend $50 on a total piece of department store crap which you'll get a couple of seasons out of....unless it rains or the wind blows or the sun shines on it. Or $250 on something, that if cared for properly will last 10-15 years. Good luck!

[RussellK]

I'll second that Eureka plug. We have had one that has been to hell and back and is still solid. Even held up in a tornado. If you go the REI route think about joining the coop. They pay dividends and on a larger purchase like a tent it might be worth it. REI guarantees everything they sell too. My son wore a hole in the toe of his hiking boots and they took them back no questions asked.

Don't you miss the sound of the old tents going up? Something about the sound of 32 poles clanking in the dark followed by #@&^%%$@#. Then in the morning you would look out to see what your neighbors tent wound up looking like.

[glasseye]

I'll third the Eureka recommendation. Mine's 20 years old and still in great shape. Saved me many a motel price.

Whatever the brand, make sure that the support poles don't have to be threaded through a continuous opening in the tent.
If the entire rod is hidden after erection, that's the wrong kind. (lemme rephrase that )
The kind that insert through occasional hoops are much easier to set up.

[IFBwax]

We have the VW tent that attaches to the tent... and here are two different opinions. I like it. I like the idea of it attaching and giving your bus another room.

My wife though, doesn't really like it attached to the bus. She hates having to walk through the tent to get out of the bus.. and doesn't like that there is less light in the bus with the tent attached.

The last trip we took where we used the tent, we pitched it seperate from the bus.

There ya go. Plus those tents now are really overpriced. I got one of the last deals on them I think. (And it wasn't that great of a deal.)

I'd go for a good tent you could store your stuff and not worry about hooking it up to the side of your bus.

Plus one more thing.. when you hook it to the side of your bus, you have to find just the right campspot.. where you have an asphalt pad, then grass or dirt right next to it.. with a space big enough for a tent. Sounds easy enough, but many times there's a picnic table, or fire grill in the way.. or mud or water or a tree or whatever.

This way, you could just pitch your tent in a good open spot, not necessarily next to the bus.

[covelo]

If the entire rod is hidden after erection, that's the wrong kind.
The kind that insert through occasional hoops are much easier.

The former hold up better in high winds though. Also, I get some satisfaction from the process of threading the rod, even if it is more work.

[locoqueso]

IFBwax made some points I haven't thought about, but what made you decide not to go with the tent that atteches to the bus Sylvester?

I'm almost ready to buy the Bus Depot tent...