Eureka! Tent Experiences?

[Bongo Boy]

Lot's to think about...again. One thing I've never had the chance to do is to compare similar tents from different makers side-by-side. IOW, have not ever compared two tents that look nearly identical where one might be $100-200 and the other $400-600.

I have no problem spending the extra $300, but not for lighter weight or for the brand name. I'd be happy to spend the difference to get heavier materials, more reinforcement, and more options for ventilation, egress and so on.

Great comment re: ventilation. You're right--it's definitely a key to all aspects of comfort. I've all but forgotten about the challenges of staying comfortable when camping in SE Michigan in August. Higher-elevation camping, but below tree line, isn't really much of a test.

Mountain Hardware now offers a 'Casa 4' 4-person base-camp style unit that looks sweeeet. With a rectangular, 76" x 94" floorplan, I believe it's just right for 2 people. From what I've read here so far, this would seem to be a safe bet, and it's surprisingly low-priced.

 

[fishuntr]

First post. I have the exact tent you are inquiring about; the Eureka Assault Outfitter. I got it for Christmas. I had been wanting one after a former Marine and friend of mine got one. He said it was very similar to the one Eureka makes for the Military. Evidently he spent a lot of time in one.

I live in the desert and frequently camp out of the back of my 4Runner both here and in Baja. I have been through a lot of tents and most have been cheaply made. This tent is well made. It has all the features you would want in a 3 season tent. I have only used it once, however.

Several friends and I ran the old Goverment Road in the Mojave Park. (New York Mts. etc. We made the run in February, and it just so happened that SoCalif had a very unusual cold snap. We camped in 7 degree temps at Hole-in-the-Wall campground. It was so cold I couldn't get my propane stuff to vaporize so I could light them. Thankfully I mostly use old Coleman pressure lanterns so we had light and some heat.

My wife and I slept in the new tent, and I liked it. It went up fairly easy and kept the very cold wind out. We had very good sleeping bags and stayed warm . The only problem I had was the inside of the tent was frosty with condensate the next morning. I'm not used to a tent that closes up that tight. I expect that under normal (for me) conditions camping in Baja, I probably wont even use the fly. I realize this isn't a complete evaluation, but I was sure glad I had it on this trip.

As stated by someone else, this tent isnt light for it's size. Overall I am glad I have it. It might be a bit of overkill for most of my camping, but how does that saying go?....better to have it and not need it than...

 

[Bongo Boy]

I'm new here, too, but welcome! Good info on the Assault Outfitter. I'd really like to see the ones they sell to the government--the Eureka web site didn't go into much detail as I remember.

Here's a question I'll ask the folks who sell the tents, but maybe someone here has an answer. In regard to Mountain Hardware tents, there are 3 that are roughly similar in floor plan: the Trango 3.1 with a 62x92 rectangular plan (plus 10" in added width along each side in a trapezoid shape) at $575, the EV3 with 66x90 rectangular plan at $750, and the Casa 4 'base camp' tent, with 76x94 at $320.

Now, while the Casa 4 is part of the "All Mountain" line of tents and not in the "Expedition" line as are the other 2, all appear to be heavier-duty, all-season capable tents. What should I be looking for to account for the big price range? The EV3 is significantly lighter than the others (at about 7 1/4 lbs), so maybe that's part of why it costs so much more. Ideas?

 

[spressomon]

After owning and using a NF VE25 you'll want to be sure a 4-season, expo type tent has enough ventilation for the locales, temps and humidity range you will be using it in...the VE25 was a bombproof tent as evidenced by all that were hauled to Everest base camps. But well ventilated it wasn't...

 

[Beerman]

Before you buy, ask yourself how much winter camping you will do. I have a 4 season tent, and I absolutely hate the thing unless the weather is well below freezing. I carried that tent for years cussing it. Once I replaced it, I was very happy. I still have it for the occasional winter trip, but I won't use it unless nighttime temps will be in the teens.

Eureka makes good tents for car camping adventures. Spend the extra bread on other camping supplies.

 

[BCcamp]

New to the forum, but following a lot of the threads. When this topic came up, I finally decided I could comment. When spouse and I decided we needed a new tent, we did tons of research and bought a Eureka K-2 XT. I was a bit surprised by our choice because, we, too, did not consider Eureka to be on par with other good quality tents from MSR, MH, Big Agnes, and Sierra Designs. But, after comparing all the specs on materials, features, construction, and even talking to a number of people who had used the K-2 XT in expeditions (both alpine and desert) we decided it fit our needs very well. Most of our camping is done at primitive sites in WV, and western VA and MD, so good ventilation when the days are hot and humid, and tough enough to stand up to the drenching thunderstorms that frequently roll through, were major considerations. We also like early spring and late fall, too, so an ability to deal with cold (and often wet) weather was also important. So far, the tent has done very well, especially as a base camp. Not a backpacker’s tent, and more like a very spacious 2-person tent, but competitive with other good quality 3+ season tents in this price range. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t see a real difference in tent quality until we looked at Bibler, Hilleburg, and Exped, but that was too much of a step up in price for us.