Yet another tent thread -- Black Pine, Kodiak, Springbar, OZ Tent?

[JLee]

The tents I'm looking at are on two different sides of the spectrum; I am likely going with something incredibly durable (canvas) or incredibly light and fast (Malamoo 3 Second). I have a Eureka Sunrise now that's served me well, but after putting bendy fiberglass poles together for a week (if the aluminum connectors didn't like catching on the tent material so much, it wouldn't be quite so bad) I decided I was done playing that game. I recently moved from AZ to NJ and sold my truck to my dad in TX, but I have an open invitation to go borrow it at any time so ideally I'll find a tent that's at/under 50lbs packed (so I can bring it on a flight without a ridiculous baggage surcharge). This isn't a dealbreaker, but is a consideration for the next year or two until I move back west and have another expo vehicle. In the meantime, something that can fit inside my Mazdaspeed6 would be helpful (or I could just keep my Eureka Sunrise and buy a tent after I move back, in which case weight is no longer a factor).

After a lot of reading, I realized that a rooftop tent is not an ideal solution for me and I had just about convinced myself to buy an OZTent RV5. However, the reports of inadequate headroom are concerning; I get the impression it isn't as large inside as I initially assumed. I would like a tent large enough so a few people can relax inside if the weather is bad (an enclosed awning of adequate size would also suffice). The ability to stand inside would be wonderful. I've mostly decided on canvas for durability and noise concerns; I was at Overland Expo West and I was seeing inexpensive tents getting flattened by the ~50mph winds. I had to camp about 10 miles away out in the woods, otherwise my tent was going to depart to who-knows-where.

I will edit this as I find more pros/cons and discover more choices; here are my criteria in rough order of priority:
Durability in wind and rain
Headroom and interior space (minimum 2-3 people and an 80lb dog plus gear)
Ease and speed of setup (no bendy poles)
Attached awning with possibility of enclosure
Cost

OZ Tent RV5
Pros:
Exceptionally quick setup
Canvas
Awning
Modular/expandable
YKK zippers
Cons:
Huge when packed (effectively necessitates roof storage)
Too heavy to fly
Expensive

Kodiak 10x10 Flex Bow VX
10x10 Basic is available for $170 less
Pros:
Canvas
Awning
YKK zippers (except on the basic model)
Half the cost of an RV5
Cons:
Too heavy to fly

Pine Deluxe 6 Canvas Turbo
Pros:
Canvas
Awning
47.2lbs in bag - checked baggage territory
60-70mph wind rating
Cons:
5'6" wall height with 7' center (I'm 6' -- might be ok?)

Springbar Highline 6
Pros:
Canvas
Awning (I think...or is that just the front flap with poles?)
YKK zippers
Cons:
Requires stakes to stay up
Too heavy to fly with

Malamoo Mega
Pros:
Incredibly fast setup
Incredibly lightweight
Incredibly cheap (well, relatively)
Cons:
Not as durable
Can't stand up inside
Too big to fly with (62" max L+W+H)

I'm not quite sure how big is too big - I love space, but I don't want to end up with something ridiculous and regret it. My price range is flexible but I'd prefer to stay under $1k.

Used tents (example) are also a consideration. Any thoughts?

 

[Honu]

the kodiaks are nice had one but to heavy for packing etc.. and you need good ground to setup
in some ways the pine deluxe 6 canvas seem nice and a few reviews here easier quicker setup and they used to have expanding rooms kinda thing ? not sure if they still do ? but might be worth looking into but again heavy and big to pack


big agnes flying diamond 8 person IMHO would be a great non canvas tent will truly withstand more wind than most with reasonable weight and pack size not cheap though ?

IMHO most tents are not good hang out spots but under a good tarp is
so for extra hang out room and rain coverage a tarp is nice to have the kelty are decent and a 16 foot is about $70 or so on amazon aluminum poles forgot ? $25-30 a piece need two so figure under $150 you have a nice large area to hang out


just to get your brain going
for winds make yourself a wind break some shade cloth and 3-4 poles and also is a nice privacy screen kinda thing dont see em in the US to much
google windscreen lapa just a thought
this and a tarp you can get a ton of useable nice outdoor living space and cheaper lighter tents wont blow away in the wind using the poles from the tarp you can break down almost all side winds and moderate rain you might get some damp coming in but they work amazing
we used those a lot when I had my trailer and was really nice
also can block the sun from one side giving you more shade etc..
downside is pack size and setup time ?

 

[JLee]

Thank you!

I am really leaning towards the Malamoo now - the speed and simplicity are really quite enticing (looking at the dimensions, the Xtra is probably fine, but I'm really tempted by the Mega). The Kelty tarp is a great idea.

The current thought is a Malamoo X-tra with either a MegaMat Duo or a MegaMat 10/SynMat 12 (and buy a second one of those when my gf is tagging along- she's about 2400mi away at the moment). Two smaller mats seems more convenient than one larger one; the MegaMat 10 is currently winning because it's almost 5" wider for an extra $20.

 

[Biggunns]

I bought two black pine tents (pineview 8 and freestander 4) off a guy on KSL for $375 and they were one of the best investments I've made for camping.
My buddy recently picked up an Oztent and the thing is pretty nice but I don't think it is worth the $800 he spent...

Most of these tents are huge though so flying with them would be a pain. If a majority of you camping will involve flying I would move more toward a quality dome tent.


Ryan
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Honu]

the megamat is nice but packs big ? the synmat would pack smaller

I am going smaller and lighter where I can these days that much more room left over etc..

maybe that fast tent and a nice tarp would work well and good thing is you can use them still later even when you have a nicer bigger tent for those quick stop over nights when you dont want to spend time setting up breaking down

 

[JLee]

I shouldn't be flying all that often, maybe once to twice a year for 1-2 years until I move back west. I'm hoping to have another GX470 on the east coast before the end of the year, so the only times I'd be looking to fly with stuff is if I went out to TX to take my previous rig somewhere. I already have a Eureka Sunrise out there, so worst case I have a dome backup.

I'll check KSL too and see if anybody is willing to ship.

the megamat is nice but packs big ? the synmat would pack smaller

I am going smaller and lighter where I can these days that much more room left over etc..

maybe that fast tent and a nice tarp would work well and good thing is you can use them still later even when you have a nicer bigger tent for those quick stop over nights when you dont want to spend time setting up breaking down

Fair point. I just ordered a SynMat 12 - I am trying to keep weight down on my vehicle so every little bit helps.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Definitely check ksl often, given our outdoor activities and constantly growing families in UT we end up with tons of tents being posted on there.

 

[JLee]

Definitely check ksl often, given our outdoor activities and constantly growing families in UT we end up with tons of tents being posted on there.

Are most people willing to ship? Unfortunately I'm on the wrong coast.

Edit: Yep. $80.