Tent recommendations

Thinking about getting a tent again... it's been a while. Last tent i owned was a trucktent but never got to use it because my wife got it for me as a birthday present when she was 1 month pregnant with our first child (the rest speaks for itself and the truck is long gone :(). So i'm thinking about the SUV version of the trucktent:

https://theultimatejeep.com/images/i...festyle1-1.jpg

Wondering if that's more trouble than it's worth and what you guys recommend. The last time i bought a tent for myself it was based for 3-4 day backpacking adventures.... lol i'd like something a bit larger/more comfortable this time!

- always get a size larger than you think you need
- I dont like truck/suv tents that attach to your vehicle. makes it difficult to move the vehicle and if you wanna go wheelin while your wife hangs out at the campsite is it going to be an issue when you move the Jeep ? same goes for the awnings / tarps that you tie up to the roof rack.
- always buy plenty of seam sealer and seal all the seams immediately. dont wait to see if it leaks on your first outing ( ME ) . a large family tent will use a lot of seam sealer
- make sure it has a nice , large rainfly system. dont wait till 2am and its raining to install the rainfly because you didnt think it was going to rain ( SAL ) LOL
- the screen rooms and mud room / porch areas are really nice to be able to kick off your shoes before entering the tent

He Matt,I don't have any experience with the truck tents,but I've always had good luck with Big Agnes tents,Eureka,Mountain Hardwear, and R.E.I's store brand. The BA's and MH's can get pretty pricey. When I first started backpacking/camping I used REI's brand (mostly because I was new to the hobbie,and didn't know alot then). Once I got more into it I began going with the better quaility ones. Also if you get a chance either stop an REI or get out their site. Both should be very valuable.

Yeah i used to order a bunch of stuff from REI... and oh man, ever been to EMS in Princeton Market Fair? I swear there was a time there that I was keeping that store afloat... it was almost as bad as me walking into Home Depot; have to leave the credit cards in the car!

LOL...I hear ya. That's exactly how I was after I was hooked on hiking. The first year I decided to do the A.T. I probably spent an easy $2500.

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Originally Posted by NeilSmith

- always buy plenty of seam sealer and seal all the seams immediately. dont wait to see if it leaks on your first outing ( ME ) .
- make sure it has a nice , large rainfly system. dont wait till 2am and its raining to install the rainfly because you didnt think it was going to rain ( SAL ) LOL

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This made me crack up!

lol thanks for the advice guys. Any recommendations on makes/models that you have had good luck with?

Also a little FYI, this isn't really going to be a "family" adventure tent. I'm thinking more along the lines of going to Rausch Creek more and not staying at the hotel.

Some of the brands I've used and really liked were Big Agnes,Eureka,Mountain Hardwear,and REI's store brand. My Big Agnes is the smallest,lightest, and cost the most. It's a 1 person and I think ran me about $300ish. But I was going for really light weight & small size.
For what it sounds like you'll be doing I would check out the REI brand. They offer good quaility at a pretty reasonable price. If you really want to save money,check out the Coleman's.

I have an REI Kingdom 6, it's two rooms and each side will hold a queen size air mattress with room to spare at the feet for bags.

It's pricey, but like all items from REI it has a lifetime warranty so if anything ever happens I'll get full purchase price refunded for replacement.

Jeep actully makes a really nice 8 person, 2 room tent, with a screened in porch.

If I am backpacking, size and weight matter, but if I am driving in to set up camp then I am sleeping good. Fullsize air matress, room for the kid and dogs, porch for bugs.

My $.02 but it is a cool tent

I've got 2 tents, One for my minimalist self and my daughter (aka: When my wife doesn't go). It takes about 5 or 6 minutes to set up and it's an Ozarks(walmart brand i think) Dome tent (yeah it's not pricey or fancy). Only sleeps about 3 but sure feels nice when you put your tent up in time to watch others still trying to figure out which side of their Hotel is the front. Then you can grab a chair and realax with a drink while you either laugh at or help your friends. I've always been a hiker/camper and love to have the simplist possible. Also if you plan on moving sites each night smaller is always nice for setup/takedown time. At big bend where we stayed in 5 different campgrounds seperated by 90 miles of terrain or so it was nice to have the small tent.

My other tent........ is the one my wife picked out from Academy which I think is a magellan or something. Got it on sale for about 130 or so and It sleeps 6 on the inside room and up to a max of 4 in the bug netted and floored front porch. (it also has a "closet" at the rear lol.) If I'm wheeling at the same place and not moving anywhere this isn't a bad tent.

Good luck....

Thanks guys. Great input so far.... lol ill probably save the hotel tent for a 5-7 years down the road when the kids are joining. But do want something with breathing room and a porch area for keeping dirty/wet clothes out.

I've been find with medium priced tents. since this group most likely seems seals the tents anyway LOL If your taking it on the beach it will never be the same the sea spray and sand just beat the snot out of it and I gave up years ago trying to get all the sand out every trip I just leave it now right AJ! LOL Buy one easy for less then $100 use and abuse it and in a few years go get a new one thats what I do. IF I bought a 5-6 hundred dollar tent I would try to fix and repair that thing and keep it for ever. My way just as it starts to get worn maybe zippers are getting stuck now or a smell coming on I can go the newest thing out and start all over.

Lol I just had an idea.... buy a cheap 2-3 person tent, get to the camp site, set up the tent, take all the cargo out of the Xk and put it in the tent, then sleep in the XK! :)

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Originally Posted by Matt

Lol I just had an idea.... buy a cheap 2-3 person tent, get to the camp site, set up the tent, take all the cargo out of the Xk and put it in the tent, then sleep in the XK! :)

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Works for me my queen mattress fits with some effort and the twin mattress obviously fits no problem. If we could figure out how to raise the roof of the XK it would be perfect. Maybe a button a motor and a plasma cutter.... sorry I got distracted LOL

I have 4 tents. I still have a 2 man pup tent that I bought at a yard sale fro $10 when I was 12 years old, dont use it though ( but I still have it :) ). I have a single person Coleman backpacking tent, super light, super small. I have a small dome tent, 4 person it says but really only big enough for 2, full size air mattress fits. I use this one if Im by myself in the Jeep with the air mattress. Then I have the big 2 room family tent. Its nice to have choices depending on what youre doing.

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Originally Posted by Sal-XK

Works for me my queen mattress fits with some effort and the twin mattress obviously fits no problem. If we could figure out how to raise the roof of the XK it would be perfect. Maybe a button a motor and a plasma cutter.... sorry I got distracted LOL

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LOL...Sal,I like where your going with this! The first image that popped into my head (besides you cutting your roof off) was an old 70's VW van/bus that has the little pop-up tent on the roof that you access from inside the van!

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Originally Posted by Carn75

LOL...Sal,I like where your going with this! The first image that popped into my head (besides you cutting your roof off) was an old 70's VW van/bus that has the little pop-up tent on the roof that you access from inside the van!

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:)


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I slept in the ol XK this weekend when I went to the beach. I just inflated a twin sized mattress in the back and slept like a baby haha.

Well my kingdom broke during 50 mph gusts in Moab.. snapped a pole and it tore through the rainfly. So I'll be upgrading to a Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6...

I just got a Coleman Red Canyon 8-man tent at Christmas for me and the boys. Having been a Scout since 1976, I'm old enough to KNOW, that BIGGER is BETTER, when it comes to a tent. I don't even mind having the WHOLE thing to myself! :p