In search of: The Best Ground Tents

[ovrlndr]

That teepee setup is cool. If I was going to do any serious cold weather / winter ground tent camping, I'd look into that with a stove. Otherwise, I would go with the Gazelle T4 Hub Tent... quick setup, quick takedown, and OB members get a price break on it as well... I think it's under $250 for OB members. And it's got like 80" of headroom.

 

[Jeff B]

We use a couple of set ups when camping. If we are just doing a one or two day trip, we use an older Cabelas XPG 3 tent for the wife and kids and I use my hammock if feasible, or a cheap 1 person tent. If we are spending multiple days, we use a Cabelas Westwind 6 tent. The Cabelas tents have seemed to be awesome tents from cooler weather to torrential downpours, especially the Westwind. It survived heavy Florida rains that gave people in trailers leaks.

 

[trailhunter]

How do people feel about the amazon basics tente

 

[Jeff B]

How do people feel about the amazon basics tente

I hadn't heard of them until you posted about it. I looked it up, and looked at the 4 person variety which looks to be a cheaply made tent. It may be of poor quality. The one thing that really stood out from the pictures, is that you have to tie the top of the tents to the poles. Most tents of at least decent quality will clip on to the poles. It may just be a backyard tent.

 

[trailhunter]

I hadn't heard of them until you posted about it. I looked it up, and looked at the 4 person variety which looks to be a cheaply made tent. It may be of poor quality. The one thing that really stood out from the pictures, is that you have to tie the top of the tents to the poles. Most tents of at least decent quality will clip on to the poles. It may just be a backyard tent.

Thanks Jeff, what do you recommend that's inexpensive yet very durable. Practical and easy to set up?

 

[Jeff B]

Thanks Jeff, what do you recommend that's inexpensive yet very durable. Practical and easy to set up?

How many people do you plan to have in the tent? and what will you be using for bedding(cots, air mattress, sleeping pads)?

 

[trailhunter]

How many people do you plan to have in the tent? and what will you be using for bedding(cots, air mattress, sleeping pads)?

2 adults, 2 children under 8yr old. I'm thinking air mattress but not opposed to sleeping pads. We got a queen and it didnt fit all of us and one of us had to sleep on the ground

 

[Jeff B]

2 adults, 2 children under 8yr old. I'm thinking air mattress but not opposed to sleeping pads. We got a queen and it didnt fit all of us and one of us had to sleep on the ground

So a 6-8 person tent would be your size range. I am in the same boat as you. We use sleeping pads in a Cabelas West wind 6. The tent is basically bomb proof, ut takes 20-25 min to set up fully. Mine is the older non vented version(green). The newer one has a roof vent that will help with condensation. My dad has a Eureka tent that is pretty good too. The brands I would recommend that I have heard decent stuff about are Cabelas, Eureka, Kelty and REI. i would not go too cheap on a tent because you get what you pay for most of the time. As far as sleeping, if you are going to do any cold weather camping, air mattresses are not insulated and you will get cold. If you want to use the air mattresses, I would lean towards the 8 person size to be able to fit them in the tent.

 

[Rexplorer]

just upgraded (downgraded??) from an msr elixer 4. we could survive a massive storm, but couldn't stand up. went to a mountain hardware 6 person. the things a beast, but so much room inside. stand. change, jump, nobody ever touches a wall. tons of space to pass a rainy day. i'm keeping the elixer for sure, but this is my family camping tent now %100.

 

[Defender 90 Keith]

What do you call inexpensive?

 

[trailhunter]

What do you call inexpensive?

Me? <400

 

[Defender 90 Keith]

Me? <400

Ah! Then the brand of tipi that I have would not be for you. They are pricey but worth every penny in my opinion. They are also slightly bulky to transport.

On a plus side they are super quick to erect by one person

 

[martin_j001]

We like our Kodiak Canvas 10x14 VX quite a bit. Plenty of room for the three of us, even if the weather is bad and we need to stay inside. It’s heavy, and not super cheap, but it works well. The size was especially ideal when our daughter was still in her pack and play. I also like this one in case I have to use a heater at all, I’m much less worried about it with the excess room and being canvas (versus a smaller, nylon option).

 

[brianb2]

So I bought this ozark trail tent from Walmart for $80 and fully expected to Be disappointed and return it. Set it up in the yard and thought, good shape and function, takes a while to set up (30 min) but first impressions were good. I’ve had it for a couple of years now and use it with the family. I like it a lot more than I expected. It’s also done really well in at least 5 heavy storms. Rained so hard in this pic the tent pad flooded. We were dry and the bathtub floor never leaked.


This one has two tents, and they’re basically the shape of a small oztent, just not the same materials or quality. Great usable space, and the family loves it. You can also set it up with just one of the tents. Probably just dumb luck, but it’s been a great tent for for summertime camping.







http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-8-Person-Dome-ConnecTent-with-Versatile-Canopy/38763666

 

[Jeff B]

That does surprise me, I have not heard great things about them. I do have a OT one person tent, but only used it once.

 

[bmwguru]

That teepee setup is cool. If I was going to do any serious cold weather / winter ground tent camping, I'd look into that with a stove. Otherwise, I would go with the Gazelle T4 Hub Tent... quick setup, quick takedown, and OB members get a price break on it as well... I think it's under $250 for OB members. And it's got like 80" of headroom.

I have this tent and purchased it based on Michaels recommendations. I could not be happier. 8 x 8 with over 6ft of headroom and appears to be built hell for stout.

 

[Lucky2Balive]

We bought our really nice Kelty Discovery tent from our local REI pretty inexpensive but a nice tent none the less plenty of room and great rainfly for those rainy days. $84 and it has served us well

 

[Andrew A.]

We have a Coleman 12 person? 10 person? Cabin tent that we got at Costco around 5 years ago for just under 200 bucks. We've done about 15 trips with it so far, and it's still working perfectly with no holes or leaks.
Sometimes I wish that this tent would break or have problems so that I can get a fancier/cooler tent under the guise that it would be more reliable or something, but so far no luck.

I have noticed that the instant pop-up doodad tents that Coleman puts out these days are very flimsy, especially in the wind, compared to the traditional types that take longer to assemble and erect. I would avoid them if possible.

 

[Free-Roemer]

I’ve been looking for a good awning tent. I know dicks and Walmart have them. But I have the 2000 arb awning. And those seem to be too wide. I’ve read post about other brands. But they seem to be discontinued. Any help?

 

[Drifterman]

View attachment 41513
Picked up an army surplus vehicle crew tent. A little heavy at 90lbs with everything but sub freezing is no issue. Extremely well insulated and has a loft that will hold at least 2 or 3 FULL packs. Plenty room for 3 full grown men and a German shepherd with extra space in the middle. 2 doors 2 window vents and a built in stove jack. Right at $400. I couldn't be happier. Last trip we got snowed on and were still sitting around in shorts playing cards when we were in it. Tested to 15 degrees so far. No wind or light bleed through with the rain fly on.

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Is there a stove pipe outlet and maybe some inside picks