Tents
First, consider borrowing a tent instead of buying
Basic criteria for choosing a tent:
- Total pack weight <6 pounds for a 2-person tent.
- Double-wall construction.
- Full-coverage water-repellent (coated) rain-fly with taped or sealed seams.
- Nylon (not polypropylene) floor with taped or sealed seams.
- Two (cross) ventilation ports.
- Heat-treated aluminum poles/hoops a plus. Fiberglass poles work OK but:
- tend to split after repeated use,
- are somewhat heavier,
- setup may be a little more difficult, but
- are easier to repair/replace.
- Free-standing is a plus.
- Adequate head room (minimum: 36" most tents: 42").
- Short pole sleeves and clip fasteners are preferable to full-length pole sleeves.
- Consider investing in a ground cloth (nylon, polypropylene, mylar [AKA space blanket])
- Cost: $75-$150
NOTES:
- Tents must be air dryed before storing to avoid musty smell and fungus
from weakening the fabric and eating away the water repellent coating.
- When packing in your pack, keep it in a separate bag to avoid contamination from food or other smellables.
- NEVER use your tent bag as a bear bag.
- inside pockets?
- D-rings for clothes-line?
- vestibules?
- packed size (stuff sack size)
Other Alternatives to tents:
- an overturned canoe.
- sleep under the stars
- bivy bag
- hammock
- hanging tent
Examples of tents:
- Eureka Timberlight (2 person, A-frame, 4lbs. 15oz.) $130
- Eureka Backcountry (2 person, rectangular dome, 5lbs. 4oz.) $150
- Eureka Apex (2 person, rectangular dome, 6lbs.) $89 [on sale]
- Kelty Zen (2 person, tube, 4lbs. 12oz.) $120-150
- Kelty Windfoil Ultralight (2 person, tube, 5lbs. 9oz.) $140
- Peak 1 (Coleman) Aries (2 person, rectangular dome, 5lbs. 2oz.) $100
- Peak 1 (Coleman) Model??? (2 person, frog, weight????) $???
- Eureka Bivy (1 person, bivy with little headroom, 2lbs. 14oz.) $80-100
- Eureka Zephyr (1 person, rectangular dome, 36" headroom, 3lbs. 14oz.) $120
- Kelty Clark (1.5 persons -- one large or two small, tube, 3lbs. 8oz.) $130
Bibliography (taken from):
- http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/p/rpc1/bbb/tent.htm