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I was looking at camping gear at Sports Authority and I couldn't
believe how lightweight and small this tent was even with
the cardboard box still in the bag. They're blowing them
out at aboot $37. It's a single pole design (not free standing). I can't
find a decent picture but the actual tent is all mesh (screen) and
then this nice full coverage rain fly over it (with vents).
My buddy, Scott, was rocking a solo tent last weekend
that he brought on the back of his Ducati Monster.
I've always wanted one but thought most were way over priced.
Just to be clear, there's only enough room in there to sleep.
I doubt that much gear could be in there with you.
It looks nice too. It was hard not to buy a few. Remind me
to tell you aboot my disposable campsite philosophy.
Purdy Cool.
Professional model posing in tent
the air mattress is a tad too big for it, I think
Got anymore pics of it in action? or with the rain fly? just curious,
ReplyDeleteThis is my take on this tent. I bought it used on a whim for dirt cheap. Considering what it goes for new let alone used its a bargain for sure despite the downsides of the pitching design of the tent. It makes a great first time lightweight compact solo tent for those starting out backpacking or kayaking or solo treks on motorcycle trips etc..
ReplyDeletePros: of the tent that I like. One is the high arched roof design for a single man tent. Its high enough to sit up in and change cloths. Also the high steep walls shed rain well and the man of war jelly fish "FIN" style shape slices the wind if you pitch it in the right angle to the wind. Which also really helps the 2 smartly designed rainfly vents that are made into the rainfly. The tent gets plenty of fresh air flow and has plenty of mesh netting for opening it up and sleeping cool on a hot night if needed. I sleep in warm damp weather too and it was not swampy or did it have condensation build up inside the tent walls. I also like the floor layout design its plenty of room for 1 man and his large backpack and gear to spare. You could even fit 1 man and a dog. I am 5'8" 185lbs and built like a bulldog and the tent has plenty of room. I would suspect it would fit a 6ft man without touching your feet or head on the walls of the tent. The tent is warm and snug as well as water tight and waterproof with that rain fly on. The door is wide and easy to open and get in and out of the tent. I also like the rainfly with its bright color and material which feels top notch and works well shedding rain. It even has some reflective material at the door points. The whole tent packs down easily to a small backpacking solo tent size just as small as any of those 300 dollar tents from Mountain Hardware or Marmot or Rei.
The CONS: First my biggest deal breaker on the tent is how many stakes it takes to stake the tent out a total of 13!! Way to many to be using if you had to set this tent up in a downpoor or at night or on hard ground. The company really screwed the pooch on this aspect of the tent design. They got lazy or didnt think it through. On the four corners of the tents are loop straps where you put the stake head through to secure it to the ground Then when you put the rain fly on you put another tent stake in the same corner spot but with its own loop! so your putting 2 stakes in near the same spot doubling the amount of stakes your using. IF they just put a long single strap to the tent floor corners with nylon strap made to fit the lenght where you stake the rainfly you could use a single stake instead of 2 on each of the four corners. The other issue is I dont like the tent floor material its that blue home dumpo tarp woven material but in beige color so its a bit crunchy and stiff. But hey what can you expect for a cheap tent. Other than the bazillion tent stakes it takes to pitch this tent its a great tent. New this tent is going for 40 bucks online if you can still find it as I dont see it in to many places anymore. Its a great loner tent or tent to give to a new backpacker etc..
Oh and PS dont use a silly velour fuzzy air mattress when camping like this guy did in the photos above thats a sure way to freeze your butt off at night or at best freeze your backside off and be still hot ontop. Air mattress are not insulated from the ground and will suck the warmth right out of you. Invest in a decent sleeping pad they can cost just a tad more than that silly air mattress and are so so so much lighter in weight and pack up 1/4 of the size of those leaky air mattresses.
I just purchased one on clearence (2014), and I'm satisfied. First thing I did was change out to an alminum pole (15$ ebay). The main seams on the rainfly were taped, so I seam sealed all of the visible thread. First time out, we had 5 inches of rain, and not a drip inside the tent. The coating on the fabric held up. I did attach small lines to the rainfly stake points to pull it away from the tent to increase airflow, drainage, and to give the stake a bit more horizontal hold. The rainly fit like a glove, by the way.
ReplyDeleteI did get teased by the 'ounce-counting' backpackers about the plastic tarp floor, but I didn't mind. When we made it back to the vehicles, someone broke out a scale. I decided to join the fun and weigh my tent. Oddly enough, with the inexpensive mods, it came in at 3lbs, 2 oz. Beat out over half of the $$$ tents, but only because it had less headroom/ no vestibule.
Yes, it has no vestibule for gear storage. And the single pole design has steep slopes that limit headroom. I had no problem getting dressed or rolling my gear. At 5' 8", it felt just right. The rainfly door is sloped and without the vestible, its hard to enter/exit the tent during a rain. When dry, the door position is so easy to just plop down into, or get your shoes off.
As for the stakes. Well, I get away with using 9. But if you expect wind, pack all 12, and use the optional guy lines.
This tent is a good practice tent, and will give you a good idea of what you want, and how much your willing to spend on an upgrade. I wouldnt pay more than 35$ for this version.
Again, my only real complaints are the floor material, and cheap fiberglass poles.