So I'm back in the market for a ground tent...but with some very specific requirements. I'm re-building my kit for camping off my motorcycle. I did this for a number of years with nothing more than $50 worth of a tent and sleeping bag from Wal-Mart.
Being a bit more "mature" now and wanting a little more comfort I'm looking to upgrade a bit. I've already raided all the "what tent is best for moto-camping" threads on all the applicable adventure motorcycle forums, but I'm curious about the variables those guys might be missing. It's all too easy to focus on tents that slant toward the motorcycle rider and I have a feeling these guys might be missing out on some opportunities.
For example, here are some of the top picks from those forums:
Redverz Gear Atacama Expedition Tent
$600
Lone Rider Motorcycle Tent
$600
Big Agnes Big House
$150
Harley Davidson Motorcycle Tent
$199
These tents all have some common attributes:
1. They're big. It seems most riders want to stash all their gear, and the bike, inside the tent and/or vestibule.
2. Multi-pole setup. These tents don't have lengthy setup times, but they're longer than your standard two pole 1 or 2 person tent. Multiple poles, multiple guy lines, multiple stakes. This all adds up to a larger package when broken down and a slightly longer setup time.
3. They seem geared toward the guy who wants to setup the tent and use it as a home base while riding vs being on the move and camping at different locations each day.
Here's what I'm looking at for requirements:
1. Fairly quick setup. If you've ridden all day in the rain/mud and you get to camp cold and soaking wet the last thing you want to do is spend a half hour setting up a tent (possibly in the rain). A simple 2 man dome tent with two poles is nice and quick. With just a little practice I could pitch that Wal-Mart tent I had in under 5 minutes. I'm looking for that 5 to 10 minute setup time.
2. Small-ish footprint when packed. Storage space on a bike is at more of a premium than even a two door Jeep. A tent that folds down to the size of a small dining room table just isn't going to cut it. Frankly when I know I'm riding where there are good trees for anchors I'll be carrying my hammock, but the tent still needs to be small enough to be strapped to the top of my luggage or just behind me on the seat. I'd say nothing longer than a couple feet and about as big around as a football.
3. Good rain protection. A weatherproof floor built in is a must, I'm not looking to spend more cargo space on a ground cloth. A dependable rainfly and well taped seams are a must. I'll further weatherproof whatever I get with some 3M weatherproofing spray I have, but out of the box it should be able to hold up to inclement weather. The ability to set it up with the rainfly already on would be a plus. Several times I setup that Wal-Mart tent in the rain with the rainfly going on after and the tent would already be full of water.
4. Not $500. I'm looking in the $100 to $300 range.
5. Enough room for me, a backpack and a pair of size 16 motorcross style boots. The bike does not need to sleep with me.
There are several backpacking tents that are appealing. Backpackers want a lot of the same things motorcycle guys do: fast deploying, small when packed and able to withstand the elements. My concern is that these tents are usually focused around saving weight as well, and as such are made of lighter materials that aren't as durable. Being rattled around in a backpack where the tent is somewhat strapped down is very different than being submitted to the vibrations of a single cylinder 650 hitting washboard roads for hours on end. My top pick right now is from Snugpak:
Snugpak Scorpion 2
$250
3 Pole, Fly First setup. That's one more pole than I want, but the setup doesn't look too bad. The fly first setup also means I'll keep the weather out of the main tent body. It comes in around 6 or 7 pounds, and has a good footprint when packed. Just enough of a vestibule to support a pair of muddy motorcross boots and perhaps some other muddy gear and plenty of interior room for my ever expanding self. Good for year round use and appears to be made of durable material. It receives good reviews across the web.
I've perused through all the tents mentioned in this thread (or their updated replacements), but is there any other feedback you guys would offer?