Moderately priced 3/4 Season Tent

[RockyMtnFamily]

Okay, so with another child on the way and the camping trailer getting a bit more crowded I am looking to get a good 3/4 season tent. I hope to use this when I go backcountry camping on 4x4 trips, so would like to have a 6+ man tent. I like having the space to stretch out and want something that will be able to take torrential rains, gusting winds or even heavy snow on hunting trips.

I bought this tent last summer and used it on three trips:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?p=WX2&i=115295

I like the design but the stiching left something to be desired. It has a full size rain fly with a vestibule that you can set up two large folding chairs in to allow for changing out of wet clothes or cooking out of inclement weather. The downside is the large mesh panels in the roof that do not allow for good heat retention on cold nights. It got down to 34 degrees on the first night of my latest trip, the Coleman heater stayed on all night and took the edge off the cold. Unfortunately, on the second night, I did not have it fully set up (floor was staked down but guy lines weren't) when a gust of wind came and blew it 100 yards from camp and nearly off the edge of a canyon on White Rim Trail in Canyonlands. I am open to the idea of getting another (manufacturer has a lifetime warranty) and going over the stitching again prior to using it.

My biggest concern lately, has been: With the rising fuel prices, I have been spending a lot of money on my outdoor adventures, so I don't want to risk them being ruined by cheap equipment. I also don't want to break the bank, so something in the middle (less than $500 ish) would be great.

I have looked at these tents from Cabelas:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&parentId=cat20103&id=0043361

This one has smaller mesh panels which might allow for good heat retention on those cold winter nights. This is the only difference I was able to see from the tent I previously destroyed. The downside is the higher price for the Cabelas brand.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&parentId=cat20103&id=0024840

I am open to considering the REI and other models as well.

Please let me know what tents/brands you would recommend.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[DblD]

I have been doing some tent shopping lately. I had been using a three person North Face tent for the past eight years. It was a tight fit for my wife and I but only camping three or four times a year we managed. After a camping trip last fall I decided I wanted a tent I could stand up in. Makes getting dressed so much easier and I’m not as agile as I once was. I decided on the Marmot Halo 6p
http://marmot.com/spring_2008/equipment/tents/family/halo_6p

I also looked very closely at:

The North Face Trailhead 6
http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=AT1M&language=en

Sierra Designs Moken 6
http://sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=721

Big Agnes Big House 6
http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?bid=12&PHPSESSID=e9ce3c788c25e3b389220938c24c5bd6

I have not tried out the Marmot yet and I expect that it is a bit of overkill for just the two of us. Out first trip is on the upper Buffalo River April 18-20. I’ll post up my opinions of how the tent worked after we get back.

I got the tent from Moosejaw.com. They have pretty good deals if you “join” there e-mail list. I got a promo code for 20% off so I pulled the trigger on the new tent.

Good luck with your search.

dd