How do I know if I am actually choosing a good tent?

Question

How do I know if a tent is going to be 'good enough'?

We have been searching for a tent for about a year and I am left completely baffled! I feel like no matter which company/tent I look at on the internet, with research I find there are so many people complaining about them all.

As a younger couple just about to get married, we are on a tight budget and cannot afford the Eureka! or anything like that. We are in the <$150 range.

Additionally I don't know how to decide what size to get. It would be nice to have extra room. It's just the two of us, we like using an air mattress and also like to have room to move around. We once had to spend an entire rained in weekend stuck in a tent where we felt we couldn't move.

If anyone has any suggestions of how I should sort through the information or find a reliable website where all of the opinions of consumers aren't so different from one another.

When looking at tents on target.com, there will be a nice looking tent that has 5 stars and 1 stars...I'm so confused!!!!

Answer 1

well, we really need more info.  what are planning on doing?  what season?  backpacking?  car camping?  is weight an issue you&#039;re considering?  how many people are you planning on putting in this thing?  if you&#039;re just looking for a decent all around family camping tent, we purchased a good sized coleman dome tent, made for 4-6 people with a rainfly and four pole set up @ Wal-Mart for about 125.00.  it lasted over six years before it got it&#039;s first hole, and I purchased a repair kit from REI for about 4.00 and patched the hole.  It&#039;s a good 3 season tent, fits our queen sized air mattress and our gear inside.  We&#039;ve camped from lakesides in TX to oceansides in the Pacific Northwest and the deserts in the Southwest with this thing, and it&#039;s seen more than it&#039;s fair share of abuse and is still standing strong.  We are finally going to invest in a better lighterweight tent that we can backpack with, but we are definately keeping this one around for car camping and as an extra for when our friends want to go camping but don&#039;t have their own gear.

Answer 2

If you can really try to save up and get a better quality tent.  When I started out my search I thought I was going to go with a Coleman tent from Target, because that&#039;s what we always did growing up.  The more reviews I read the more disillusioned I became.  I finally went on REIs website and started reading reviews there.  Immediately I knew I wanted a tent from them.  There were hardly any negative reviews and the materials that were used for the tent were always better quality.  I am of the mind that most anything I buy should be an investment.  I want an item that is really going to last me a long time, even if that means I spend a little more upfront.  

BTW, we ended up with a Big Agnes and couldn&#039;t be happier!  It was a tough choice though, we were also considering a Marmot.  Many of the other brands (Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardwear, etc.) were all very compelling too.

Answer 3

rei makes some of the best tents for different needs. I have a Half Dome Plus 2 and it&#039;s one of the best tents that I have owned. Hasn&#039;t leaked now going on 3 years. It was the &quot;backpacker tent of the year&quot; which is a good indication whether you are getting something good. I would stay away from Wal Mart or any of those kind of stores because those tents are not worth the money you pay for them. If you are not a member of REI and decide to join, you will get a discount on your first purchase and apply it to your tent. I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. Buy something that will last.  

Answer 4

there are several camping and backpacking magazines that rate tents all the time,

outdoor life mag.

consumer reports is a very good source of independent info

Answer 5

try outdoors camping.com, or sports world.com i would get a good wind proof one, you know the round type one with a floor in it, so if it does rain the floor wont get soaked..ever thought about a small pop-up camper?

Answer 6

At that price range, you can get a suitable tent, but if you want quality, you&#039;re going to have to go for a back-packer&#039;s tent - very compact.  The weekend you spent stuck in a small tent?  Unfortunately, that&#039;s all you can afford.  UNLESS - you rent one.  Visit an outdoor/camping store and ask about where you can rent same, or call a few campgrounds and ask them where in your area you can find a tent to rent.  

Alternative? Sure - reserve a cabin at a nearby campground for a weekend.  And for pete&#039;s sake, why would you go camping and not bring raincoats and rubber boots?  To go out and then not enjoy the outdoors because it&#039;s raining is kinda dumb!  Hey - you can cook in a properly equipped cabin even if it does rain - or bring a cooler full of sandwiches and soda.  And when you&#039;ve moved up in your careers and saved a few bucks, you&#039;ll have enough camping experience that you&#039;ll be able to buy the perfect tent for you!

Answer 7

I own two Eureka! tents. Neither was over $150. They are not exactly large tents, but they are enough for two people to sleep comfortably. You can&#039;t put a giant air mattress in them, but you can still be comfortable. How big of a tent do you really need if all you plan to do is sleep in it anyway?

A smaller tent from a more reputable company is still a better bet than buying the $75 10&#039;x10&#039; cabin tent from Wal-Mart. They leak, and suck to set-up. You might not be able to stand up in a smaller tent, but most people can get dressed sitting down.

If you need a bigger tent, then I would look around at local gear shops and see if they rent. The store I used to work at had excellent quality tents for rental. These were 10&#039;x10&#039; cabin tents, but of a higher quality than the standard run-of-the-mill box store junk. These were $500 tents and all you needed was credit card for security and $30. The tent was yours for 3 days. If you don&#039;t plan to camp that much, consider renting. Those same stores sell those same tents usually at the end of the season, and they are usually in excellent shape.  

Answer 8

Go to Campmor.com.  Click on tent hot deals and look at family tents.  They have several from Coleman and Eureka that fit your price range.  

Answer 9

I have to agree with Lisa. REI is an incredible place to get gear such as tents. Though many of the tents there will be out of your price range the employees will be very helpful to tell you the best of what you can get for your budget.

Answer 10

It is important to understand that the best piece of gear you buy is a conditional requirement based upon what YOUR  needs are and how and where you&#039;re going to be using it.

Also who you physically are as people comes into account.

Case in point:

I&#039;m using Kelty Crestone 2 as a solo tent

Why?

I&#039;m a tall and big person

Freestanding doesn&#039;t matter

I  have the luxury of not getting  too obsessed w/ pack weight

But I do need the length  that the tent has to  offer.

If I was 5&#039;8 I would never use that tent as a solo shelter  b/c it would be  too heavy.

So how are you and spouse planning on using your tent?

Start at the most important 3 Q&#039;s and work yourself outward from there

1) Are you going to  be carrying it ?

And if so for how far and for how long

2) How many days a year are you going to be using it ?

3) In what seasons will you be using it.?

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One note on square footage numbers:

Not all square footages are created equal.

You really have to look at usable  square footage

rather than actual square footage.

The various free-standing polygon tents  are notorious for having nooks and crannnies that add to the sq ft But are basically unusable.

This will ID me as the oldest  of the old -school guys  But never buy a tent that you haven&#039;t personally tried on first.

I mean go to the store ,set the thing up, crawl inside and play with it for 10 minutes ...and then envision spending 2 days in the rain living in it