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Post by dirthurts on Mar 30, 2016 15:39:45 GMT -8
I just thought this was an interesting question, given the costs=quality nature of backpacking (generally). So, my question is, disreguarding sales, used stuff and clearances (MSRP speak here) what is the cheapest tent that you know of that you would feel safe camping in? I've used the Eureka Solitaire, at 89 bucks. It was...o.k. Small, cramped, poorly designed and not terribly wind stable, but it seemed to the do the trick once guyed out vigorously. Any thoughts?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Mar 30, 2016 16:28:47 GMT -8
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Mar 30, 2016 16:35:06 GMT -8
I've slept in snow shelters, lean-to's, under cheap plastic tarps, and cowboy under the stars. If it keeps the weather off it's good enough.
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Post by hikerjer on Mar 30, 2016 16:53:38 GMT -8
Depends entriely on the circumstances. Sometimes you don't need a tent.
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crawford
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Post by crawford on Mar 30, 2016 17:34:30 GMT -8
I've used a cheap Yukon Outfitter Walkabout fly as a tent. worked pretty well.
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Post by Lonewolf on Mar 30, 2016 18:14:50 GMT -8
That's really not a valid question because there are so many other free options that can be better than the most expensive tent. Bivied out in the open. Under a fallen tree. Inside a hollow log. Under a leaning rock. Inside a cave. Snowcave. Igloo. Snow-trench. Etc....
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Post by dirthurts on Mar 30, 2016 18:43:18 GMT -8
That's really not a valid question because there are so many other free options that can be better than the most expensive tent. Bivied out in the open. Under a fallen tree. Inside a hollow log. Under a leaning rock. Inside a cave. Snowcave. Igloo. Snow-trench. Etc.... That's really not a valid question because there are so many other free options that can be better than the most expensive tent. Bivied out in the open. Under a fallen tree. Inside a hollow log. Under a leaning rock. Inside a cave. Snowcave. Igloo. Snow-trench. Etc.... I can't honestly say any of those options are a better option than a decent, or even bad, tent. At least not in my area. But I certainly wish you luck with that.
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Mar 30, 2016 18:49:53 GMT -8
It really depends on the weather. I'd camp in the cheapest tent out there in mid-summer or use a cheap tarp with some paracord and a couple sticks.
I paid $125 for my Hennessy Hammock and it's the most comfortable "tent" I own in the right conditions. However, you stick me out in the Cascades mid-winter or the Arctic and I won't camp in anything but the most steadfast shelters available and they come at a price.
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Post by paula53 on Mar 30, 2016 19:29:38 GMT -8
In the seventies I used a tube tent for about 3 years before buying a backpacking tent.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 30, 2016 19:38:47 GMT -8
I've used that tube tarp HSF links to. And when I first started, I had an old Sears tent (which was surprisingly light, given it was a 3-man tent). But now...I'm pretty sold on paying for the right balance of weight and features.
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idahobob
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Post by idahobob on Mar 30, 2016 20:25:27 GMT -8
I used a tube tent for several 9 day hikes in the Sierra, and a 29 day hike of the JMT.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Mar 30, 2016 21:04:35 GMT -8
For several years I used a Sierra Designs Light Year that cost less than $100. It was very well constructed and performed admirably in bad weather. I didn't like the weight, though. My current tent is a little bigger and weighs half as much.
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Post by Lonewolf on Mar 31, 2016 3:12:24 GMT -8
I can't honestly say any of those options are a better option Oh you poor unfortunate soul.... Sleeping under many of those options is much better than a tent. :(
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BlueBear
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Post by BlueBear on Mar 31, 2016 4:10:45 GMT -8
Gotta agree with Lonewolf on that one. With enough skills and knowledge (and at times, effort), you can be every bit as comfortable and often more so with the options he listed. It just takes sound experience, an ability to use it, and a willingness to look beyond the notion that a nylon sarcophagus is the only option. I've spent many a night sleeping on a pad rolled out under the stars, from Louisiana to Alaska and many places in between. I've also tarp-camped with cheap blue poly-tarps (6.99 at your local hardware store) and stayed plenty dry in torrential rains, with triple the usable floor space of that Eureka in the OP. Smart placement and setup go a long way. It's not my long-term favorite option, but it fully answers the "what's the cheapest tent you'd consider" question, and it's a serious answer, borne out by experience. In harsh winter storms and deep snow, a snow cave is one of the warmest and safest shelters on the planet; it just takes a lot of digging to construct, and experience to do it right. But it costs $0 (or rather, the cost of your avy shovel, which isn't much). My favorite "cheap" shelter is a small (14 oz) shaped silnylon tarp. Cost about $150, and it's been my goto shelter for alpine trips in Colorado, and numerous extended trips bushwhacking across rainforests in Alaska and British Columbia. Trips like this one: www.juneauempire.com/neighbors/2011-08-13/good-memories-keep-solo-hiker-going-strongHonestly, pithy responses of "oh well, that'd NEVER work where I camp" generally denote a noticeable lack of experience by the speaker, or (sometimes) a learned closed-mindedness. I wouldn't automatically brush aside the decades of experience behind Lonewolf's answer. He's been at this a long time, and wasn't speaking hypothetically. There are far more options than you might realize, dirthurts . - Mike
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Mar 31, 2016 4:32:23 GMT -8
Dammit Mike, every time you post a pic of that tarp I want one. And they still don't make it anymore...
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