FrankBoss 16 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 When I was younger I had a A frame tent. it was the best. Fast to setup..easy to repair.. cheap and light... I got it when I was a Webelo and Carried it all threw my scouting well into Explorers. I took care of it and it lasted 20 years. It was what a young man could afford nothing Hi Tech but simple water proof. My Dad and I took it on a 50 miler and camped in mountains in the snow. I made my own rain fly that mounted to the poles and kept the gear out of the direct rain. I was Quite proud of the little tent. Now my kids in Scouts I have shopped for a two man tent to pack and camp with. that the youngest kid can set up him self so I looked for the replacement of that great tent. I found one just like it and my kids like it. http://www.scoutgear.com/sp71384b.html Has anyone seen one that would be a little bigger? I witnessed a Orange one looked taller and might have slept 2.5 or three people. But when I went to talk to the owner they had left already. FrankBoss Link to post Share on other sites
Stosh 3452 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 My Venturing Crew boys use the Civil War dog tents. 2 halves buttoned together, each boy carrying half, one split pole and 4 stakes. No ends, no floor, but with a poncho, I've held some pretty good storms at bay over the years. Stosh Link to post Share on other sites
kenk 11 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 With all honesty and the highest level of respect to your cherished memories ... I wouldn't want to stay in that cheap crudy tent. It is a poor quality, low (maybe no) tech single wall tent. Unless you have a breeze and leave all of the doors/windows open you will be suffering from extreme condensation. If your son is in Cub Scouts, my advice would be to buy a modern 3/4/5 person tent. Go to http://www.scoutdirect.com , which is a site by Alps Mountaineering that provides a 45% discount to Cub/Boy/Girl Scouts and their families, and register for their discount. You can see their products at http://www.alpsmountaineering.com . Call them to order a tent. The tents are decent quality and the folks at Alps are very nice to work with. I'd recommend the Taurus w/ aluminum poles or the Vertex. If you live in a very warm climate, then the Meramac would be good too (it gets a bit breezy in the more northern climates). Avoid fiberglass poles as they weigh more and tend to splinter & break. BTW, the REI Half Dome tents are similar tents that I'm told are made in the same factory as the Alps tents. A lot of folks really like them. They are sold at REI stores, or at http://www.rei.com . If your son is in Boy Scouts, my advice is to have him talk to his youth and adult leaders about the kind of tent to buy. For car camping the 4-person tents mentioned above are great. He may prefer something a bit smaller. The Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 might be better, or the Zephyr 3 for very warm climates. A lot of Scouts like the similar REI Taj 3 too. Do keep in mind that a 2-person tent is good for 1 person plus gear. A 3-person tent can tightly fit 2 Scouts plus gear. A 4-person tent fits 2 people plus gear, etc... I've seen a lot of adult leaders use larger dome tents - maybe the 5-person or 6-person sizes - I suspect mostly for their height - so the old backs don't have to bend over quite so much. I myself use a 6-person Meramac in summer and a 5-person Taurus in fall & sprng. The only problem with these larger tents is that they are more suseptable to wind (big sail). Still, they are very nice tents for adults (too tall for small boys to set up though - would be very hard to reach the 6' clips). Last, but not least, if you are dead-set on getting an A-frame tent, you'll do VERY well to get a Eureka Timberline tent. They are rock-solid tents that have take care of campers for decades! (This message has been edited by kenk) Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle69 46 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I have to agree with Kenk, that is a cheap tent and is basically a piece of junk. Here is a nice A-Frame from Eureka that is sold by a company called Campmor: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40324 or a Dome http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28225 As a Scout Leader I've used both tents and like them. Campmor has lot's more tents just go to www.campmor.com Link to post Share on other sites
Narraticong 15 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I highly recommend the Alps Mountaineering (purchase only through Scoutdirect). Personally, I own five of their tents and have bought several dozen Taurus 2 man and 4 man tents for our troop. I can tell you they withstand weather very well. They are quality gear at a manageable price. Eureka is also nice and I own a Timberline 4 Outfitter. I love it and it is a great four season tent. But is also more than $200 to purchase. Service by ALPS is outstanding. They are small and family run. Campmor is also very good. You may find better pricing than Campmor, but not better service. And they carry everything you could ever want. Be sure to get a catalog! Link to post Share on other sites
FrankBoss 16 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 I want a "A" shaped Tent with two poles for sure. The one I saw had aluminum poles. And Guys I have better quality equipment but the JUNK tent lasted a very long time with little to no problems. So Go ahead and judge it as you will. I worked all summer back in the day just to buy a tent and a Bicycle. Looking back at the investment it was loads of fun... And a lesson in Fun...my 7 year old loves it, I see no problem with what little was payed and the smile on his Face. Thanks Anyways FrankBoss(This message has been edited by FrankBoss) Link to post Share on other sites
SctDad 10 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I have to say that I see a lot of jumping to judge the equipment. I love the old shelter-half style tents. promoted teamwork. The splitting of the load. It just takes a little more planning when you set up. I plan on getting my son one of the shelterhalf sets soon. One of the other thins that makes it good. Yes it is designed to hold two people, but with the vestibule at each end, you can store the gear there. Link to post Share on other sites
Narraticong 15 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Couldn't tell by your original post just what your familiarity was with current gear. Tents have changed a lot since I was a kid in the 70's and I have had to do a lot of research and experimenting. This has led to me basically being a "gear junkie"! But it's fun. I also have several of the old military shelter half tents. My son and I used one of those tents on a weekend campout when he was a Cub. It's a lot of fun, but I wouldn't want to use it all the time. Too many times I have seen parents or Scouts show up with inappropriate gear. If (when) something goes wrong with it, somebody will have to double or triple up with them. Better to have decent gear to start with. Many of us here could go on for hours about all of the problems waiting to happen with a cheap single wall tent. Leaks and condensation are primary. A-frame is also does not offer much head room if an adult plans to spend a rainy day in the tent. Domes have much more space in relation to footprint. No, you don't have to spend a lot on a tent. I'm particularly anti-"brand name" when buying gear. But I'm confident that at some level, "you get what you pay for" comes into play. But have fun, and enjoy your time with your kids. That's what is really important! Link to post Share on other sites
Stosh 3452 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Memories????? Last year I used a modern tent once (canoe trip). With my Venturing Crew I never use a tent unless the weather threatens, then I use a double half-shelter with open ends. The last time I camped with my Scout Troop, I used the old military half shelters with the nice vestibules on both ends! Luxury camping! I throw in a gum blanket in to make a "floor" and sleep on a 3" high cot. In bad weather, I move the cot to the middle and pile gear on both ends so I don't touch the canvas. When summer camp does not have the standard wall tents and we need to bring out own, I have a nice large A-Frame canvas tent that I can get a regular sized cot, huge storage bin, and camp chair inside for real luxury. When the boys are complaining about the rain seeping in and soaking their gear, I'm usually sitting in my chair reading a book waiting out the storm in a nice dry tent. I have a nice modern tent for backpacking and specialty situations, but for the most part, a poncho suffices for a great tent/pack cover, etc, and weighs a lot less than most tents/poles/stakes on the market today. Poncho, a few feet of parachute cord and you're good to go. Stosh Link to post Share on other sites
GKlose 24 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Stosh -- that's cool. Are there any good online sources of these kinds of things? (I would assume military surplus) Thanks, Guy Link to post Share on other sites
Stosh 3452 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Jarnigan's Sutlery sells white Civil War half "dog" shelters. Make your own poles and stakes. Same for the A-Frame tents. I have a 6' tall by 9' long A-frame which will hold two standard military cots. Or one cot and furniture. Each cot has plenty of room for a large plastic bin at the foot/head, with plenty of walk space inbetween. My daughter and girlfriend had plenty of room to get into their Civil War hoop dresses, but had to take one of the two cots down for the needed room. This larger, floor-less A-frame allows for no trenching of the tent. With cot, bin and chair, just pull up the floor, fold it nicely, put on top of bin, put your feet up on it and let the water run through the tent. No big deal. There are no ropes on the tent so one doesn't have to worry about tripping over ropes either. E-Bay sells the WWII (olive drab) half-shelters and poles for less than $30. Walking sticks/staves of each boy can double as tent poles and one can make stakes onsite. The shelter halves make ok ground cloths and pack covers as needed. Fold up cots can be found at most sporting good stores. Not the standard cots, but the ones I have have wire legs in the shape of a "W" that make the carrying handle of the cot. Gum blankets (kinda heavy, but make excellent "floors" are at any CW sutlery, rubber on one side, cloth on the other, and can be found in both blanket and poncho form. I use it as a ground cloth when I meadow crash and if the bad weather rolls in, grab an edge and roll over and you'll stay really dry. I use them to cover the windward end of the dog tent when the weather turns bad when I'm in my open-ended dog tent. Lightweight nylon military ponchos can be found on E-bay. Peg 3 corners of the poncho and use your walking stick to hold up the 4th corner for a nice temporary shelter. A Civil War soldier could carry all his equipment and 5 days of ration on his body and still march 20-25 miles a day in terrible shoes. Well, with nice shoes and some careful planning, 3 days is a walk in the park, and one doesn't have to carry an 11# rifle and 5# of lead bullets. Most people over pack their needs. Unless one attends Philmont and learns about these things, there's going to be a lot of junk dragged out there over the years. The boys always seem to be amazed how I get buy on a weekend outing using just an old BSA Yucca Pack. And what amazes me is my Venturing Crew boys generally carry even less than I do, I still like a few amenities along the way. They use the horse-collar bed rolls when they attend an event. Stosh Link to post Share on other sites
FrankBoss 16 Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'm kinda leaning tword the MSR Missing Link...Any one have any insight with this kind of tent? Seems pricey for what it is... Frank Link to post Share on other sites
ntrog8r 19 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Frank, All things are in the eye of the beholder. If you really want a small A-frame, go for it. Your preferences and desires may change with time and multiple outings, or they may not. As far as the MSR Missing Link 2 - I'd hate to be the guy on the far side away from the door, or maybe I'd hate to be the guy next to the door he's climbing over in the middle of the night - and it does seem expensive. Two tents that MAY fill yur criteria: Eureka Apex 2 - a quality tent, on sale here for under $75. http://www.sunnysports.com/Catalog.aspx?op=dtSearch&Term=eureka%20apex%202%20tent&gclid=COe8_Yu0t50CFQog2godJD-yyw Eureka Timberline 2 - update of the classic A-frame, on sale for less than $100 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EQ813S Good luck with your quest.(This message has been edited by ntrog8r) Link to post Share on other sites
FrankBoss 16 Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Yes that was too good of a deal to pass up. I just ordered one... I have one of those in my trailer but it's been used hard and is very old. Frank Link to post Share on other sites
ntrog8r 19 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Glad the forum was helpful. Which tent did you decide to get? We'd probably all like a review after a few nights out with the new gear, to hear what you and your son's thoughts are. Link to post Share on other sites
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