Cheap Tent

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I bought this small cheap tent as a lightweight shelter for the bag. I own a couple of decent tents but they are bulky/heavy/to mny people rated for a pack. I didn't have a lot of money to spend on it at the time so this was the compromise for something more than, or in addition to in my case, the tarp because the weather here is ruthless and constantly changing. Case in point tomorrow we are supposed to have tornadoes and and the next day we are expecting ice and a freeze so the possibility of using the gear in an emergency is impossible to predict weatherwise.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P9GZGE/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PROS:
Cost
Camo
Weight
Ease and time of setup/breakdown

CONS:
The window controls are on the outside so when the rain starts you have to get out to zip it shut
The door opening is small with the center pole in the middle and my 215lb body has to squeeze and if I am wearing gear there is no way. This "pup" tent is made for "pups"
The outer material fly only ties shut which is no big deal till the 50mph shifting wind hits at 3am and the tent parachutes out and lifts your 215lb carcass off the ground! LOL

A little more money wouldn't hurt if a feller has it but if not you can make do. get the best you can, test it and know the limits

[WiseOwl]

I have one similar to that. I can tell you if it says a 2P, it means 2 Frodo Baggins cuz my big ole 6'2 230lb self could barely fit in it with my pack......
Once tried to sleep in it with my wife and I was kicked out at 4am....lol


Dude, try a hammock.....Byers of Maine....Jungle hammock.....weighs 14oz....Ric Flair says woo

[rockriver]

i had been "car" camping out of a 4-5? person tent that was heavy, bulky, etc.. and took too long to set up.
i bought a bass pro "biking tent" and took it to the next lowdown campout.
the seams separated and it collapsed on the first night.
i used it as an outer "cover" over the sleeping bag the second night. about half the
tent managed to stay up on night 2.

i don't usually take unacceptable stuff back to the store. i couldn't wait to return this pos back to bass pro.

[Grand58742]

Another good place to keep an eye out for good stuff at decent prices is Steep and Cheap. I ended up buying mine off there for 70% off and it stood up pretty well at least when a river wasnt flowing through it. Provided the storm we had was pretty intense, I think Matt actually made out better in the stay dry department as the fly didn't go as low as I'd like. Or rather the floor tub didn't go high enough. For normal rain conditions though, I probably would have been okay.

Just keep an eye out for quality

[protus]

note on those tents.

they are single wall, expect leaks . you pointed out the rest. i used one for the longest time in my late teens as a "back packing" tent.
Today you can find good smaller tents for decent cost 40-100$++++. honestly that tent combined with a good light weight tarp would do well, but your still running into weight issues and bulk down the road.

tarp bivy bag would be better that one of those imho...least then you wont parachute away LOL.

[Not_Yet_Prepped]

+1 on WiseOwl's Comment "Try a hammock"


I got a E.N.O. Double Nest and Kelty Noah's 9 (you can get small and lighter packages but at a cost) and that is small/light enough package... And the hammock has provided the best nights sleep in the woods ever. Cost is slightly more I think I have about 90 in Hammock/Tarp/Mat/Cordage but it is quality stuff that I use for camping. And once I return home from a camp it gets placed back in my BOB.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Yep you all have the same thoughts as me on this. I was just bouncing it out there as well this is what ya get. The hammock is going to happen but some of the places i go dont have trees or terrain to hang one

[Not_Yet_Prepped]

No Trees? Damn that sucks... That means no fire... Yuck!

Terrain (if vertical object is available) should never be an issue. I have seen hammocks setup on anything vertical like trees/cliffs/trucks/picnic shelters... I have even seen guys take 4 poles and make bi-pods at each end of the hammock doing some pretty cool stuff with leverage... I saw one guy "hang" under a bridge and another even under a rock ledge...

[Matt In Oklahoma]

No Trees? Damn that sucks... That means no fire... Yuck!

Terrain should never be an issue as long as you have something that is vertical like trees/cliffs/trucks/picnic shelters... I have even seen guys take 4 poles and make bi-pods at each end of the hammock doing some pretty cool stuff with leverage...

Some of it is desert flatland. The other places with terrain is sandstone and not strong enough to tie onto.
The fire is no issue, there is usually dried cow poo and other stuff. It's no bueno for marshmellows :) but it burns real nice and makes a good coal bed

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Here is an example of where I was once. No hammocks coming from a pack camp here LOL

[EX121]

I vote for a good bivy bag and a tarp.
One problem I had when using a hammock is it's cold, 'cause you're hanging in the air. Even with an ensolite pad in the hammock I was cold.
One problem with low end bivy bags is condensation in the cold. Many folks think the bag leaks but it is usually condensation because the don't vent/breath well. So you probably need a synthetic sleeping bag in the bivy bag and make time to air them both on multi day trips.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

The bag is where i didn't skimp. that 3 tier military sleeping bag is da bomb and I will carry the bulk all day for a good night sleep

[Matt In Oklahoma]

So here we are mid April and it dropped from the upper 70s over 30 degrees in 4 minutes yesterday evening. We had an ice storm last night/today with branches snapping off which would be no good for a hammock.
Had something happened with littleman in NK and I had to use the bag I woulda needed a actual tent IMO and probably the tarp too to survive.

[Rmplstlskn]

My lightweight outdoors bed (besides the RV queen bed) is an ENO hammock with a tarp cover... Hammocks do my back well over hard ground... Here in western VA, there is never a shortage of trees to use...

Rmpl

[RobertJ]

There is a bit of science to "comforatble" hammock camping. First is the angle of the tree straps to hammock. The sweet spot is 30 degrees in angle. In cold nothing beats an underquilt Ive been down to 26 degrees farenheit and very comfortable. A top quilt or good bag draped over you. Hamock camping has extended my recreation camping for many more years due to its comfort. I wake up very sore and cramped plus I dont sleep well on the ground. Get me hanging and I sleep like a snoring baby. A nice cottage industry to check out for some great hammock gear is http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/ this is where I got my underquilts from as well as some other odds n ends. They also have some good info on hanging.
Hope this helps someone.