best touring tent

[Angel]

A previous post by "dances with weiner dogs" got me thinking about tents and moto touring...

 

I have extensve experience with a timberline 2 person tent (rain fly and equip. vestibule). IMHO, this (old school) tent is virtually bomb proof. I have slept warm and dry during windy rainstorms and snow storms.

 

I'm interested in knowing what are other folks using? (besides the hotel rooms? )

[tomk99r11]

If you like what you have, as it sounds you do, why get something else, unless you need to replace? Just look around at a rally and talk to folks. IMO it is dumb to spend much money on a tent with so many inexpensive options available. Some disagree, gotta spend the most to maintain the image you know. Not me, but that's just me.

[camfarm]

generic considerations for me:

 

-- entire tent, poles, stakes, ground cloth and sleeping bag fit into one system/side case for transport.

 

-- tent is roomy for one

 

-- place to put gear out of weather (vestibule or inside out of the way)

 

 

Here is what I have found that works that way:

 

EMS MoonShadow 1 man dual single/double wall. 9' x 3' plus small vestibule. EMS 20 deg. down bag and ThermoRest 3/4 Prolite 4.

 

Eureka Apex 2XTA w/fly 7.5' x 4.5' and large vestibules and Dick's Sporting Goods 40 deg. cheapo synthetic fill bag. Full size Thermo goes on seat.

 

Black Diamond Megamid (less centerpole) 9' x9' and same bag/pad combos as above.

 

HTH

[Doppelganger]

I have had experience with 2 Eureka tents (neither were 'touring') and found them to be a quality product.

[Scotty]

Some tents are not freestanding. That can be a major inconvenience when you are forced to pitch your tent on hard or rocky ground. My tents must be able to stand on their own, without needing to be staked or tied. Of course, I always stake them when possible. During my last physical, the doctor told me I was two tents.

[Angel]

No intent whatsoever on replacing what I have... just interested in what others are using and why...

[Effervescent]

I have a Sierra Design CD Flashlight tent (made for two). But those two people have to really like each other. I mean really, really like each other.

 

With footprint and rain fly. (Bought used-once for $75 IIRC) It is insanely small when packed. I place it in a compression sack with two sleeping bags and two thermorests and it all fits in my Givi.

 

-Eff

[flat_twin]

Our current motorcycling tent is a Eureka Aurora 4. Too bad they discontinued this series, they had lots of good features. Twenty inch pack length, 7'6" x 8'6" floor, huge front screen with an awning over head and at the rear a nice vestibule supported by a pole so it doesn't sag. It's just right for me and the Mrs and our gear. It's been tested with rain from above and water from below with no leaks.

[SAAB93driver]

Coleman Exponent Inyo is a good 1 person tent (2 person in the propoganda). Light weight, setup fast, packs to smaller than a loaf of bread

[Timmer]

I have a Sierra Designs Orion AST. Its a great 3 season 2 person backpacking tent. It's self supporting, weighs 5 pounds and packs down to about 5 inches by 24 inches.

Combined with a Mountain Hardware +20 sleeping bag, it works well in a fairly wide range of temperatures and weather.

[Beheme]

I have the an older REI 3-season tent that worked good for years, but I wish it were larger. Once the bags are in there's not much space left...

I think that I will upgrade to a Mutha Hubba this year http://www.msrcorp.com/tents/muthahubba.asp because it fits the bill for me. Light, lots of space, and easy to set.

 

Regards

[CMWingfield]

There are alot of options out there that meet the need, but here are some considerations that I use for tent purchases:

 

Aluminum poles versus fiberglass. Everything being equal aluminum is tougher and lighter and they last alot longer. I've been in really heavy side wind where all the fiberglass pole tents were blown asunder, whereas the aluminum pole tents held up much better.

 

Two poles versus three poles. You can do the math. You compromise sturdiness, but you set up in two thirds the time. Less weight and less stuff to break or lose.

 

Clips versus loops. Tents that have clips go up faster and take down faster. Both those have extreme merit in a downpour. The downside to clips is they can't withstand as much side wind, and they don't support as much snow.

 

A full rainfly rather than those little top bonnet gizmos that shed absolutely no rain whatsoever. This to me is the deal breaker on touring tents. Wally world specials with those little rainflys are great when it's dry. An overnight rain has a tendency to find it's way into the cheaper little fly tents. Full fly tents that are set up correctly will shed quite a bit of water before they fail. Given enough time and enough rain and they all fail.

 

Footprints versus generic ground cloths. They just work better and due to the size, they won't stick out and catch water and run it under your sleeping gear. (Another good reason to have a full rainfly....)

 

Double doors versus a single door. Access is everything.

 

Double vestibules for the double door tent. Kind of like a Wrigley's gum commercial.

 

A tent with storage on the inside is a plus. Having a loft to put light items on makes a big difference in floor space. I use mine to hang a Coleman fan on in the summer and it makes a difference. It's still darn hot, but better than no fan at all!

 

Self healing zippers and ones that don't jam up on the rainfly all the time. This is a hard one, but North Face seems the best to me.

 

Light color versus dark colors. Light color ones get dirtier faster and therefore are more unattractive to thieves.

 

Finally, invest in some good tent stakes. Ones that actually work rather than bend. You'll be thankful after a healthy gale force wind blows everyone elses tent to smithereens and your's is standing.

 

Just a few thoughts from a person that's made many tent mistakes...

 

Mike

[Reddog900]

I agree with Mike on all his comments and insight. I researched this a few months ago when I was planning for a weeks trip in Alaska. Ended up with a North Face Tadpole 23. I worked out great for me, 1 person. I would be hard pressed to call this a 2 person tent.

 

Happy Camping.

[NoHeat]

If tent poles are too long to fit into a case, how do people carry the tent?

[hcmiller92]

A previous post by "dances with weiner dogs" got me thinking about tents and moto touring...

 

I have extensve experience with a timberline 2 person tent (rain fly and equip. vestibule). IMHO, this (old school) tent is virtually bomb proof. I have slept warm and dry during windy rainstorms and snow storms.

 

I'm interested in knowing what are other folks using? (besides the hotel rooms? )

 

Nobody here will agree with me, but I'll throw out what I've found makes me happy. I've been camping and backpacking for 43 years. Car camping - at one extreme - allowed for a 50 pound canvas wall tent, Coleman 2 burner stove, etc. Backpacking imposed weight - and comfort - limits, requiring tiny tents. I own Sierra Designs Clip 3, 3 Eurekas, including a 4-man Timberline.

 

Today, I realize that I want comfort. I am riding a motorcycle, not a bicycle and am not carrying the stuff on my back, so I can carry more weight. Last weekend, at the Finger Lakes Rally, my wife and I slept in a 69 dollar Eddie Bauer 10x12 foot tent with a 6 foot ceiling. Weight, 21 pounds. I carried chairs, sleeping bags, mattresses - all on my GS...no problem. What joy it was to be able to STAND UP in the tent. To be able to have 2 chairs in the tent for reading while it poured outside was a pleasure.

 

Most of the advice you will get will be to buy small, light, quality-built tents. Go ahead, but if you're riding one-up, realize the comfort you are sacrificing!

[gottago]

We have a 10 year old Coleman. It sleeps 4 to 5 but we like the extra room so we can fit all our gear in and still have space for us. We're able to stand up in it which is nice when getting dressed. Gary's 6'4" and he has enough room to stretch out. We figure we'll get a new one next year and will probably get the same thing.

[flat_twin]

A previous post by "dances with weiner dogs" got me thinking about tents and moto touring...

 

I have extensve experience with a timberline 2 person tent (rain fly and equip. vestibule). IMHO, this (old school) tent is virtually bomb proof. I have slept warm and dry during windy rainstorms and snow storms.

 

I'm interested in knowing what are other folks using? (besides the hotel rooms? )

 

Nobody here will agree with me, but I'll throw out what I've found makes me happy. I've been camping and backpacking for 43 years. Car camping - at one extreme - allowed for a 50 pound canvas wall tent, Coleman 2 burner stove, etc. Backpacking imposed weight - and comfort - limits, requiring tiny tents. I own Sierra Designs Clip 3, 3 Eurekas, including a 4-man Timberline.

 

Today, I realize that I want comfort. I am riding a motorcycle, not a bicycle and am not carrying the stuff on my back, so I can carry more weight. Last weekend, at the Finger Lakes Rally, my wife and I slept in a 69 dollar Eddie Bauer 10x12 foot tent with a 6 foot ceiling. Weight, 21 pounds. I carried chairs, sleeping bags, mattresses - all on my GS...no problem. What joy it was to be able to STAND UP in the tent. To be able to have 2 chairs in the tent for reading while it poured outside was a pleasure.

 

Most of the advice you will get will be to buy small, light, quality-built tents. Go ahead, but if you're riding one-up, realize the comfort you are sacrificing!

 

 

I understand completely!! When my back and knees are complaining, we take the 9x9 by 6ft tall "Taj mahal". Yes, we get some looks since this tent literaly stands out above the rest. If our camping plans involve lots of one nighters, I normally pack the smaller tent. The bigger tent is great for multiple nights at one location.

[bakerzdosen]

Well, I'm not EVER going to say my tent is the ideal touring tent - a Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 Arch - and if you know what that is, you'll know why... hello overkill. However, if a hurricane hits my campground, I'll be ready. But it does fit in one side case with my sleeping bag, so that's all I need at this point. If I were looking, I'd consider one of the Hubbas or one of the MHW superlight series.

If tent poles are too long to fit into a case, how do people carry the tent?

I carried the poles on the pillion seat last time:

It's the purple bag wrapped in the sleep pad.

However, I'm probably not going to do that any more as my new sleep pad now fits (therm-a-rest pro-lite3) in my bags. I'm pretty sure the poles will fit in one of my cases - probably the e52.

 

I figure you could run the poles as I did across the pillion seat or along the top of one of the side-cases.

 

(Or strap them to the front fork? )

[Limecreek]

I've camped for years, but I'm finding the best touring tent is the Holiday Inn Express. My body just isn't all that happy on the ground anymore.