Looking for a fast setup tent with enclosed "outdoor" area

[abruzzi]

I love the Oztents because they are mostly standing height, I could fit a couple of cots and a dog inside the medium sized models, and the awning, with a couple of their options, can be converted into a pseudo outdoor area, mesh sealed from insects. I also like that it goes up and down quickly so that a it could be reasonably used at a new location every day. The only problem is it would cost on the order of $1200-$1300 to do that.

So I was looking to see if I could find a cheaper way to get all of the above (right...good luck.) I saw that Kodiak Canvas makes a tent for around $600-$650 that has a cabin area (significantly bigger than I need) plus a mesh sealed awning. It looks like a very nice tent, but it also looks like it would take one person 45 minutes to set up.

I also came across a couple of videos on a Coleman Instant 4 that is completely different from the Instant 4 that I can buy. I don't know if it is an issue of being out of date, or me being in the USA, and the guy in the video being from the UK:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vT_1V6mIJio

I'm sure this tent is nothing like the quality of the Oz or Kodiak, but it might suit me in the short term. However it doesn't seem to exist anymore. Has anyone seen this tent in the US? Maybe under a different brand name?

Alternatively, has anyone seen another tent, available in the US, that would fit my needs?

Thanks,

Geof

 

[trailscape]

Might consider a Turbotent. Been pretty happy with it myself. The extras can be pricey and really hard to find though.

On the upside, you can occasionally score a good deal on ebay.

http://r.ebay.com/Nfrwsa

 

[nnnnnate]

I bought a turbo tent deluxe 6 yesterday for $250. I was going to post up some info on it next week after I go out this weekend but I guess we can call this a teaser. I was looking in the locals for a tent I just looked at in person at REI and ran across the turbo tent. This is the ad I found. There were/are ads for a bunch of the other models as well so I figured they were a local company and confirmed that from their website. On my way home from work I stopped by and chatted with them about the tents. They said that they have a bunch of returns from their Costco road shows that they can't sell as new. These get sent back to the warehouse and they then sell them via ebay or in local classifieds as "open box returns."

They pulled one from the pile and set it up for me while I watched the whole process. This one in particular was an odd one out and had one of the window coverings sent from the factory that wasn't sewn as ripstop like the rest of the tent. I looked it over and was happy with everything else on it.

I asked about posting about these "seconds" here on ExPo and they said it was cool. They said they were willing to ship too.

I set up the tent in my backyard to show my wife when I got home and was happy with it. I was looking pretty heavily at the CVT Black Butte but was getting hung up with the stowed lenth at 6'7", it was just too long to fit in my 2 door JK. This tent is about 48" or so when packed in the bag and fits well.

 

[Ramjet]

Kelty and Big Agnes both make great tents with inside rooms like you want.

 

[nnnnnate]

One other thing, I was in Moab last weekend in a BLM groomed campsite. My wife and I slept in my parents 7 man Springbar they have had forever and I had been thinking about buying a smaller one when we got back. I bought a few parts to fix the 15 year old poles that had been abused at scout camps and picked up a few new tent stakes as well. I trashed 3/4 of the stakes I had just bought and decided that between desert camping and high mountain camping I didn't want to deal with tents that had to be staked down. This is really what prompted me to start looking at other tents.

I think what you're looking for is a tent with a vestibule like the REI Kingdom but don't know how "fast" you are wanting it to go up. This is the tent I was trying to find used in the local classifieds when I stumbled onto the Turbo Tent.

 

[mandingo]

I have the Kingdom 6 with the optional garage.
Love it.
The wife and I can set it up in about 10-15 minutes.
Lots of room but it can be noisy if you have strong winds hitting it from the side and don't use the guylines.
One thing I don't like is the doors have mesh windows and the window zippers are so close to the door zippers that in the night you accidentally open the window zipper instead of the door zipper or vise versa.
Next time I put it up I'm going to use Sugru on the door zippers to make them feel different.
Maybe mix some glow in the dark powder with it to make them stand out visually at night.
Plus REI has a great return policy.

 

[abruzzi]

So I looked at the suggestions. I didn't see anything close at Big Agnes, the only thing close at Kelty was $1100--at that price I might as well get a OzTent. I looked at the Kingdom, and the exterior room seems like where you would stash a backpack, but not somewhere you would throw your camp chair and cooking stuff and enjoy the sunset. The turbo tent site listed above didn't have anything interesting, but another site showed the "Supreme 6". Again, a bit bigger than I actually need but definitely interesting:

And around $650. I wonder why they are not on the manufacturer site?

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[YotaPilot]

For what you want it sounds like he OzTent is going to be the best quality option. I have an RV3 and love it, and more importantly, my wife loves it. I can understand your concern with the price, but it is a great quality piece of kit that will last a very long time. If you want any more info about the oztent, let me know. However, I do not have any experience with the sides that attach to the awning.

 

[Ramjet]

For stakes, go to Snow Peak and buy theirs. You can drive them through asphalt if need be and they will not bend. Pay attention to the length that you buy. They do sell them up to 20 inches long. I have the 16 in and the 12 in for my Snow Peak Tarp. Good luck.

 

[abruzzi]

For what you want it sounds like he OzTent is going to be the best quality option. I have an RV3 and love it, and more importantly, my wife loves it. I can understand your concern with the price, but it is a great quality piece of kit that will last a very long time. If you want any more info about the oztent, let me know. However, I do not have any experience with the sides that attach to the awning.

Perhaps, It's just not cheap. In the short term, I may just go with one of the used/demo Turbo Tents black2013jk mentioned in his post, then save up for the Oz.

 

[JHa6av8r]

We have a Coleman Instatent that's 10'x14' and looks a lot like the tent in post #7. It's worked for us and I paid about $100 for it.

 

[jonnyquest]

Every tent has to be staked down if there is wind. A free standing dome tent can stand without stakes, but any wind will move/collapse it.

 

[griplimited]

We have a Coleman Instatent that's 10'x14' and looks a lot like the tent in post #7. It's worked for us and I paid about $100 for it.

Did you pay new for it? That's a great price. I bought the Instant 4 Person + Rainfly. Properly staked, it's a great tent, but tight for 4 even though the kids are 5 and 3. I could imagine wanting to go 8 person within a couple years.

 

[dufferman]

I am getting ready to sell my Oztent RV4 - I sent you a PM with details. Let me know if you are interested. The tent is great, but my son just crossed over to Boy Scouts so I am downsizing to something smaller.

 

[double moo]

Try looking into Springbar Tents. They originated in Salt Lake City and have been the stantard around here forever. Several years ago their Patent design finally expired - Kodiak Tents are a copy of them.

They made a 8 or 10 foot screen room with zip on attachable bedrooms - that are actually more like large 2 man tents. You can attach 3 of these bedrooms to the main screen room - which also came with solid panels for rain days. You could also zip more than one screen room together makng it a great modular system that has the Springbar indestructability and quality.

Like the one in this post...
http://www.colemancollectorsforum.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1277049343&postcount=12