I'm looking to buy an inexpensive, 1 or 2 person tent that isn't a piece of junk. Suggestions?

Question

I don't have very much money to spend on a tent, but need one for the summer for work. I would like to spend as little as possible, but don't want to buy a tent that is going to fall apart by the end of the summer. What suggestions do you have as far as brands (good or bad), places to buy, etc.? I need it to be waterproof, as I will be spending a lot of time in rainy areas, and easy to set up and take down. I am not as concerned with how much it weighs, as I won't really be doing any backpacking. Thanks

Answer 1

Coleman sundome, has a stay dry guarantee, sets supper easy and costs less then $75. Available at most sporting goods retailers.



Beware of folks who say Coleman is a bottom brand as Eureka, Kelty, most Cabela or Bass pro tents and REI products are all made in China. The best information you get are from the people who bought and use the product and the product guarantee's and only Coleman offers a stay dry guarantee. Simple designs are often copied but only the original continues to be successful and still in use today.



Now I am not saying a higher priced tent is any worse, just that in terms of quality a higher price is not always a good deal. Sure some higher priced tents have more features and Coleman offers other tent designs besides the one I suggested to you at a higher price of course that have these same features and again Coleman stands alone with their guarantee. You do pay for what you get so expect what you pay for.



http://www.sportchalet.com/product/301531_2000000134.do?keyword=coleman+sundome+tent&sortby=priceDescend

Answer 2

A guarantee doesn't actually keep you dry, for that you need a good tent. Every manufacturer I've ever heard of has had a bad tent, some more than others. IMO, you get what you pay for when it comes to tents, though it pays to do research. Coleman may guarantee their tent is dry, but that just means they're going to replace it if it leaks. That doesn't keep you dry in the mean time.



If you have an REI store that you can get to without too much trouble, I highly recommend their tents. The REI camp dome tent isn't really that much more expensive and their return policy can be very generous. They will even do exchange/returns after you've used an item once if you just don't like it.



http://www.rei.com/product/731378

Answer 3

Backpacking tents are $200 if you are planning hiking with a tent on your back for any significant mileage. A friend of mine found a $400 tent at a thrift shop by chance that was marked at $25 because the store did not know what it was looking at. Recycled sport shops are a good source. I once had a tent from an Army Surplus store that was good for most camping. It flattened in a strong thunderstorm and drenched all of my gear, but was good for fair weather and light rains. Therefore, it was acceptable for car-camping, where I could get to a laundromat to use a dryer, but it was too heavy to carry much and slow-assembly compared to modern hub designs. Coleman Hooligan, $60, has a full rainfly. ALPS-Mountaineering, $117, on sale at Sierra Trading Post, has full rainfly with 4.5 pounds weight.

Answer 4

You can't go wrong with the Eureka Timberline model of tents. My friends and I have used these tents for backpacking many years and have never gotten wet (even all day with torrential rain), never had any problems and they are so easy to set up.



They just happen to have them on sale from Campmor which is the best place to buy camping equipment IMO.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40324

This is a GREAT tent for the money!



There is also this model

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___27918



I love Eureka tents. I have a 6-person Eureka Wind River I bought over 30 years ago that I still use and it is still in great condition!

I would never buy a Coleman brand tent. I know many people who have bought Coleman tents and they ALL had problems and they can't withstand a long rain without leaking.

Just my personal experience!

Answer 5

Check the better national outdoor stores such as Cabelas, REI, and Bass Pro Shops, get a good feel for the range in price of new tents. It is best if you can visit a store with a large selection, but those I have listed have good web-sites. Also, Check the Wal-Mart, Costco, or other discount stores in your area.



Then locate a local business that specialized in quality outdoor gear. See what the top-of-the-line looks like.



You may want to consider a good tent as a nearly lifetime investment, especially if you are working at a camp, trail crew, or other field work where you rely on a secure, dry tent for long periods.



Look for:

Floor, weight of material, type of waterproofing, seams sealed and taped, and does the material extend up the sides in a "bathtub floor".



Poles, Aluminum is generally more durable than fiberglass. Repair sections are a plus. I prefer full length pole sleeves over clips, but most tents seem to be going to the clips.



Vents, windows, mesh ventilation



a Vestibule is nice for keeping gear under cover, but out of your way.



Good center height, I don't mind having to bend, but I want to be able to stand inside.



About 10 years ago I found a $400 REI 4 season dome tent second hand for $100. It has close to 400 days of camping now and other than washing and re-waterproofing every couple years it has been worry free.



I also have a $40.00 light dome tent I got in about 1984. I used it a fair amount in the 80's and early 90's but it never could take much rain before it was soaked.



If you go cheap, go really cheap and avoid tents that are too big, or have un needed features such as room dividers. Either spend less than $75, such as this one:



http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20075-cat602107_TGP&id=0031756514266a&navCount=2&podId=0031756&parentId=cat602107&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat602107&hasJS=true



Or Closer to $200 for something like this: http://www.rei.com/product/794294



This is a little large for what you asked, but it can be considered a roomy two person +gear tent for extended camping. This is the closest to what I have: http://www.rei.com/product/777753





Hope this helps!

Answer 6

For good value and excellent waterproofing Coleman are hard to beat. I've got three of them and none of them has ever let me down even once, in many years of trips on five continents. The guys putting Coleman down are being very unkind.

The Coleman Viper is getting a few years old now but if you can find one it's the best value small tent on the market. The waterproofing and general build quality are excellent. I live on a cold wet island and I camp summer and winter. My Coleman tents have been well used both where I live and on the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Andes, the Drakensburg in South Africa, and on the windswept hills of the Cuillin of Skye and the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, and Snowdonia. I take a tiny Coleman Raid on many trips now, sometimes in addition to the Viper, because it makes a great hide for wildlife photography and weighs less than 2 lbs. I've used it for field biology trips as well as for backpacking holidays.

Here is the Viper . . http://www.the-big-outdoors.com/picts/ColViper.gif . . . . . . .

You can get Coleman gear all over the world and it has a good reputation world-wide too.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=11070 . . . .

https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20100426095902AADJ1Vz&show=7#profile-info-oSv1oGtWaa . . . . .

Have a good time.

Answer 7

the better inexpensive brands are Eureka and Kelty..coleman is a little of a step down...Eureka makes a great cheap tent called the Apex --its is less than $100 on campmor.com



wow--i cant believe i got 3 TD's--goes to show you the brains on this website-- I owened a $99 Eureka tent for 11 years and still going strong--my $230 north face tent had a tent pole break while i was in the backcountry after 2 years--draw your own conclusions

Answer 8

cant go wrong with Mountain Hardwear's light path 2 or any of their line of tents. and for a even more affordable and no worries experience go wit any from REI.