Brushogger
Adventurist
The Shiftpod is almost a direct copy of the Pelsue Ground tent used by many utility companies. It is a great design and very durable. The pelsues don't have a floor, but occasionally there is a great deal for one on eBay.
Ground tents... An open ended discussion
- Thread starter Mr. Leary
- Start date
Christopher Wright
Adventurist
I also have a small Coleman 2 person that works great for solo or when it's just my girl and i. Thats my go to for backpacking as well. fairly light weight. I made stuff sacks for it so i can split it up through my pack.
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Kevin LaCroix
Adventurist
I like my 10x10 Springbar. Worked great at expo west.
Scott
Adventurist
After much deliberation and then realizing mrv was fast approaching I needed to do something. I am saving my money for a shiftpod but it's not in the cards before mrv so I picked up a coleman steel creek fast pitch 6 person tent off of amazon. Had good reviews and was priced decently. . It should serve just fine until I can save my money for the shiftpod.
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I have a pretty big group, we all stick in one tent normally so last year I bought a Eureka Silver Canyon 6, this past trip to the 'Daks we were treated with nice weather until the last day and then the first day we went to Sagurities NY and were treated with our campground being evacuated and the promise of close to 50 mph winds, tons of lightning and pouring rain. Not a drop in the tent! Well worth the money. So far I'm a very happy man. My first Eureka purchase.
Scott
Adventurist
So, I got my tent finally.. I wanted to put it up to see how it was, but sadly I don't have enough space on my property to get it erected, so it will have to wait until tomorrow morning when I can get to my inlaws house to try out getting the tent up. I unrolled it and I am very impressed with the quality thus far.After much deliberation and then realizing mrv was fast approaching I needed to do something. I am saving my money for a shiftpod but it's not in the cards before mrv so I picked up a coleman steel creek fast pitch 6 person tent off of amazon. Had good reviews and was priced decently. . It should serve just fine until I can save my money for the shiftpod.
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Scott
Adventurist
Ok so I got a chance to head to my inlaws and set up the new coleman steel creek 6 tent. Directions left a lot to be desired, but as we all know, any man worth his salt doesn't need no stinking directions. Got the tent setup in about 8 minutes by myself, and the rainfly took another 2 or 3 minutes. Initial impression is this will be a decent ground tent with plenty of room for the family. Durability is yet to be seen....
Scott
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Scott
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GeoYota
Adventurist
Me: "My name is John, and I am a recovering 'tent-aholic'."
AAV Forum: "Hi John, thanks for sharing..."
My love affair (addiction) with tents began when I was an 8 y/o Cub Scout, and my dad and I slept in the backyard in my first tent (plastic tube with one paracord run through the top and four corner rocks) that served a sum total of one nights restless sleep.
I was hooked.
Many years later, resting peacefully in my garage (adventure closet) are three tents that have served us well in the casual pursuit of that restless nights sleep from back in 1973...
First, I'll cover our most recent acquisition, the Mountain Hardware Trango 3.
This was purchased in exchange for our Big Agnes Flying Diamond 4, which I will cover later in this post. The MHT3 was researched and acquired after having camped in the BAFD4 for just about 18 months. More on that later.
The main purpose for the MHT3 was to find a true four season tent that could withstand the winds of the desert we so often camp in. During our trip to Death Valley in November of 2015, I witnessed the BAFD4 fold over during one such desert howl. The higher profile, even with full guy lines taut and staked did not provide us with the ultimate wind protection needed to slumber successfully out of doors.
Things I like about the Mountain Hardware Trango 3:
-plenty of space for two adults, with some gear
-lots of stow pockets above, and on the sides of the tent.
-8 ground stake locations...very secure
-carbiner style tent clips, which secure poles to the body of the tent, but also allow for proper "slippage/adjustment"
-solid construction...scud missles would bounce off the rain fly IMHO
-front and rear vestibule (with rain fly)
-stout and sharp tent stakes
-lower profile for inclement weather
-rain tested in Sedona, AZ, spring 2016...3 hour sustained down pour (not SoCal rain...) and completely dry inside
-adjustable fly tabs...allows for rain fly tweaking after set up, to get rid of all the wrinkles Mr. OCD camper...yeah, that's me.
-aircraft quality tent poles...these things are down right sexy...anodized orange and super light to compensate for the thick rubber rain fly
-the MH logo...nothing screams "Yeah, I dropped 8 Benjamins on a GROUND TENT" like that little digitized nut.
Things I don't like about the Mountain Hardware Trango 3:
-this sucker is heavy...just over 9 lbs.! You pay a penalty for all of the 4 season protection...
-I feel like I'm camping in a traffic cone...
-stout and sharp tent stakes...did I mention sharp? I actually use vice grip plyers to remove from the ground during my strike session...pass the Band Aids please.
-dropping 8 Benjamins on a GROUND TENT
-During our fourth camp session, the front door zip began to drag/stick, which was addressed with application of Chap Stik...good so far, but this was the warranty issue we had with the Big Agnes. Stay tuned...
This is a progressive post that I will update with the other ground tents in the current quiver.
Coming soon...the REI Taj 3, and Coleman 3 person that cost me less than three Andy Jacksons at B5...
EDIT 7/14/17: new photos direct upload/deleting PB links
AAV Forum: "Hi John, thanks for sharing..."
My love affair (addiction) with tents began when I was an 8 y/o Cub Scout, and my dad and I slept in the backyard in my first tent (plastic tube with one paracord run through the top and four corner rocks) that served a sum total of one nights restless sleep.
I was hooked.
Many years later, resting peacefully in my garage (adventure closet) are three tents that have served us well in the casual pursuit of that restless nights sleep from back in 1973...
First, I'll cover our most recent acquisition, the Mountain Hardware Trango 3.
This was purchased in exchange for our Big Agnes Flying Diamond 4, which I will cover later in this post. The MHT3 was researched and acquired after having camped in the BAFD4 for just about 18 months. More on that later.
The main purpose for the MHT3 was to find a true four season tent that could withstand the winds of the desert we so often camp in. During our trip to Death Valley in November of 2015, I witnessed the BAFD4 fold over during one such desert howl. The higher profile, even with full guy lines taut and staked did not provide us with the ultimate wind protection needed to slumber successfully out of doors.
Things I like about the Mountain Hardware Trango 3:
-plenty of space for two adults, with some gear
-lots of stow pockets above, and on the sides of the tent.
-8 ground stake locations...very secure
-carbiner style tent clips, which secure poles to the body of the tent, but also allow for proper "slippage/adjustment"
-solid construction...scud missles would bounce off the rain fly IMHO
-front and rear vestibule (with rain fly)
-stout and sharp tent stakes
-lower profile for inclement weather
-rain tested in Sedona, AZ, spring 2016...3 hour sustained down pour (not SoCal rain...) and completely dry inside
-adjustable fly tabs...allows for rain fly tweaking after set up, to get rid of all the wrinkles Mr. OCD camper...yeah, that's me.
-aircraft quality tent poles...these things are down right sexy...anodized orange and super light to compensate for the thick rubber rain fly
-the MH logo...nothing screams "Yeah, I dropped 8 Benjamins on a GROUND TENT" like that little digitized nut.
Things I don't like about the Mountain Hardware Trango 3:
-this sucker is heavy...just over 9 lbs.! You pay a penalty for all of the 4 season protection...
-I feel like I'm camping in a traffic cone...
-stout and sharp tent stakes...did I mention sharp? I actually use vice grip plyers to remove from the ground during my strike session...pass the Band Aids please.
-dropping 8 Benjamins on a GROUND TENT
-During our fourth camp session, the front door zip began to drag/stick, which was addressed with application of Chap Stik...good so far, but this was the warranty issue we had with the Big Agnes. Stay tuned...
This is a progressive post that I will update with the other ground tents in the current quiver.
Coming soon...the REI Taj 3, and Coleman 3 person that cost me less than three Andy Jacksons at B5...
EDIT 7/14/17: new photos direct upload/deleting PB links
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GeoYota
Adventurist
Scott
Adventurist
Posted a review of my Outback Swag http://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/outback-swags-review.4375/
Scott
Adventurist
I love the outback swags tent. I want one, but now that I have a quick 30 second rtt, I don't think I can justify it lol
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Christopher Wright
Adventurist
Christopher Wright
Adventurist
Hahahahaha
Kevin LaCroix
Adventurist
I don't know 13 people I would want to be in the same tent as me.
StomperNJ
Adventurist
My wife and I used a Marmot Limestone 4 for a couple of years, and last year after switching from sleeping pads to cots (big cots) we moved up to a Limestone 6 for a little more interior room. Through many nights of camping in high winds, heavy rain and even some snow they have both been great for us, and I highly recommend Marmot to anyone who's looking for a new ground tent. The 6 has two vestibules, so even in the rain we have a place to cook. The 4 has one vestibule, but its more than enough for me when I solo camp.
StomperNJ
Adventurist
Ok so I got a chance to head to my inlaws and set up the new coleman steel creek 6 tent. Directions left a lot to be desired, but as we all know, any man worth his salt doesn't need no stinking directions. Got the tent setup in about 8 minutes by myself, and the rainfly took another 2 or 3 minutes. Initial impression is this will be a decent ground tent with plenty of room for the family. Durability is yet to be seen....
Scott
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A family was in the campsite next to us last summer at Shenandoah NP with a Steel Creek and it seemed to hold up fine in a pretty rough thunderstorm that rolled through.