need tent advice!! (older, camping, Walmart, cheaper) - Camping and RVing - - City-Data Forum

redhead.lala · 08-10-2010, 03:30 PM

i need a small, cheap, 1 or 2 person tent that can be used in the rain if needed. i found a couple on amazon but they don't seem to be equipped for rain (i'm moving to washington state, so it's kinda a necessity).
i also need something that is quick & easy to put up, as i'm not the most experienced tent-setter-upper & i'll be traveling & camping alone for a few days.
i'm sure there's someone out there who knows his/her stuff about tents

so please share some info w/me if you know a good, inexpensive brand, or a specific tent that would be super easy for me to set up & take down by myself. i've camped a lot before but it's always been w/at least one other person who knew how to do everything w/a little help from me.
any info or advice on tents is MUCH appreciated!

thanks a lot yall

Roaddog · 08-10-2010, 05:09 PM

If it was me i would wait until i got to washington and buy one there, it's kinda like buying your warm clothes in california and then moving to Alaska if ya know what I mean, i know, I'm no help LOL

Cornerguy1 · 08-10-2010, 09:37 PM

Do they still make "waterproof" tents anymore? The ones I've run across in this age of nylon all seem to be "water resistant".

Here's a thought: Go to Walmart or your favourite discount store and pick up a cheap 2-3 person dome tent. At the same time, pick up a cheap poly tarp to drape over the tent in case of rain. Although not fancy, this combination is generally about as waterproof as you're likely to get.

Hanna B. · 08-11-2010, 03:27 PM

I use a R.E.I. Half Dome 2-person tent (in reality it sleeps 1 person+gear) when I solo camp. I've had it a few places in storms and it's been dry. It's super easy to set up by myself, but most 1-2 person tents are easy to set up solo. My previous tent (Eureka Apex) was always dry, too. If you get one with a rainfly and put that rainfly on correctly, you should stay dry. I don't know what you mean by "cheap" though - my R.E.I. tent was $109 on sale (reg. price $169) and I thought that was cheap.

DannyL · 08-12-2010, 02:10 AM

Eureka Timberline 2 or a Timberline 4 (more room), and get a good ground sheet.

Campmor.com has them at a decent price.

And since you're car camping stop by someplace (Walmart) and get at least two 10-by-12 blue tarps.(don't laugh).
Worth their weight in gold in a bad weather situation.

cmhgirl · 08-12-2010, 08:16 AM

def. have a good ground tarp and any tent that is that small is easy for 1 person to set up. our last tent was a 10 man tent, talk about a house! but even it only needs 2 people. you could also get some of that water proofing stuff. I do that on all the seams on my new tents and re-do every year or so. i would agree with waiting til you got where you're going.

Badbird2000 · 08-13-2010, 10:42 AM

Another vote for Eureka.. i have had the same tent for 18 years, used it in Boy Scouts in Florida.. spent a lot of nights in thunderstorms, never a drop inside... those things are built well.

jdavid93225 · 08-13-2010, 10:32 PM

I've purchased a couple of inexpensive tents at Walmart and had good success with them, even in moderate rain. In the wind, well, that was another story, since one of them collapsed in strong wind in Wyoming. I had to purchase a pole repair kit to replace two segments that broke, and did end up with a couple of small tears in the fabric. I used tent repair tape on the rainfly where one of the poles tore it, but the other tears were only in the sections where the poles go in, so they weren't critical. They were family tents, around 10' x 16', costing around $80.

As stated above, the tents I purchased there were larger family tents, but they do offer a smaller dome tent for a reasonable price (around $40, I think), which appears to be similarly constructed. I believe it's about 8' x 8', or so, which is a fairly large tent for just one person, but it will also protect your gear, if needed. Most dome tents are easy to set up, and many smaller ones can be pitched by just one person fairly easily. I've even set up my 10' x 16' by myself, without too much difficulty, but it's much easier with a second person. Most new tents come with the instructions sewn into the carry bag, so you don't have to worry about losing them. Again, I would recommend a dome tent because of the simplicity of setting them up.

Besides Walmart, most sporting goods stores (Big 5), larger department stores (Sears, Target, K-Mart), as well as several on-line vendors (Campmor, Amazon), also offer inexpensive dome tents. If you go with a name brand (Eureka, Kelty, Coleman, etc.), you can expect to pay a bit more than a generic or "house" brand, such as Walmart's "Ozark Trail." As for quality, the Walmart tents I've seen are generally pretty good, and are on par with entry level brand name tents. Mid level and high end tents are usually of better quality, and will do a better job protecting you from the elements, but they are also priced accordingly. Many of them are also rated as being 3 or 4 season tents, where the cheaper models are intended primarily for the summer season. They also often need to be purchased from specialty stores such as Sport Chalet, REI, or Cabelas.

VelcroQueen · 09-07-2010, 05:26 AM

Always buy one that is bigger than what you think you need.

And remember: there is a good reason why "tent," in Hebrew, is "ohel."

thebreadlady · 09-18-2010, 03:06 PM

they sell all-season tents, but they are not cheap. if you are going to spend alot of time outside, i would say more is better. get a better tent. buy a sleeping bag rated for colder temps. a nice pad for under the sleeping bag. life in the woods can be ugly without sleep.