Hey Guys,

Chanthee and I went camping this weekend and got more than a bit of tent-envy. While I generally go for cheap and no-frills, it seems to me that there really are a wide range of high quality tents out there...then, I went to the LL Bean Factory Outlet in Maine....$336.00 for a 4 person tent. LOL, more than I want to spend.

So, the questions are - which brands and how much?

James

Is Marriott a tent?

I haven't been in a tent since I left the Army. Someday, I'll go with an RV, but never a tent.

Really funny Jim! I agree. The only tent I would use now is if I had an outdoor show and had top put one up for the shade. The RV sounds nice but that is were real envy shows up.
Good luck James, I hope you avoid storms

My idea of camping is the Holiday inn. Honestly. The RV we have was not something I would want to have EXCEPT I use it for the dog shows and lure coursing. Even with satellite TV and all the comforts of home, it is too close to camping for me. I sure do enjoy it for the dog stuff though. Makes life so much easier not having to drag crates into hotel rooms.

My husband loves to camp. I guess we can all see why I am not a real nature photographer

Actually we JUST did a LOT of research on tents and eventually found this to be the best bang for the buck.

http://www.columbia.com/Product/7/Equipment/760/Tents/5833/Cougar-Flats-II.aspx?viewAll=False

We have TRIED to go camping 3 times now this year...each time, plans have been thwarted. First time we just couldnt get out....and later found out that it was devine intervention. The campsite we wanted to go to got struck by lightening that weekend. The second time we went to Rainier and couldnt find an empty site in any campground for over 40 miles...so ended up in a motel with a truck full of gear. Last week, we just couldnt get out the door with some unexpected bills....kinda bit into our gas money.

But read HUNDREDS of reviews.....everyone said the tent withostood weather very well....including some rather hard rain. And it is quite roomy. Has pleanty of ventelation. And the price is reasonable. We got ours on special for $180.00. We have an aero-bed blow up mattress as we dont like being uncomfortable out in the wild.

Worth giving a look at.

Roman

I am so glad you heard from some people who really did tell you about some tents. The only thing I would like to add is that we just had a storm go through here that had 900,000 lightning strikes. That was 800 a minute! I sure am happy I was inside.

I stayed in a number of make-shift tents in Russia; some on the ice of Lake Baikal. In Yakutia (the coldest inhabited place on earth), I stayed a couple days in a tent like the Caribou herders use-a couple poles and some fur. At 70 below, is was not comfortable-at least for me.

David gives excellent advice-buy a tent for your intended use; but also one you can transport. The tent you hike with is different than one you move with your car or via dog sled.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all of the input. David, your questions were particularly helpful as it made me think about the purchase differently. Essentially, I am a 'weekend warrior' and not a back country camper. I need something that will generally take my wife, dog and I through a relatively cold but not bone-jarrlingly freezing evening in New England. For example, I have current outings planned for Maine in September and New Hampshire in Mid-October. I hope to be able to do camping throughout the winter as able.

I narrowed my choices to the Sierra Design 4 person dome, Eureka k-2 XT, Kelty Radiant 3 and Kelty Quartz 4. Ultimately, we went with the Quartz 4 due to its combination of large vestibules, ventilation and height. This tent is a bit too heavy for doing any sort of serious hiking with - though I suppose we can get by if we split up the load.

Cheers
James