"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
.net...
Good stuff, IF you are going to carry the tent.

I have numerous tents from $40 tents from Costco to a single-wall
mountaineering tent that I will be taking to Mt Vinson in Antartica next
January. I believe in cheap tents for events like bike tours (unless you
are carrying the tent) and airplane camping. You can casually abuse a
cheap tent and not worry about it.

snip


Do not underestimate the value of cheap.

Mike
MU-2

I have a fairly nice 2 person backpacking tent that has a low profile and
a full size rain fly. Despite 30+ mph winds and lots of rain at Oshkosh
on Monday night, the wife and I were essentially bone dry. Our poor
neighbor had a cheapo tent and ended up bailing out his tent the next
morning and having to dry ALL of his stuff - clothes, sleeping bag, etc.
He had a miserable night and said he slept in water (not in damp bedding,
but IN water). Monday was one of those days where spending a few more
dollars to get a decent tent really paid off.

For me, the only good place for a cheap tent is for kids who are "camping"
in their backyard. In that situation, if the tent leaks, you bag the
campout and head inside... No harm, no foul. Otherwise, being stuck with
an inadequate tent really, really, sucks. Trying to sleep in a tent
turned swamp isn't my idea of a vacation... ;-)


A cheap tent, *properly guyed out*, will easily weather anything at OSH that
doesn't send airplanes flying. The $40 tent I took on a bicycle tour of CO
kept me dry through seven evenings of CBs. I'm not saying that a $40 tent
is equal to a Mountain Hardware EV 2, I am only pointing out that for trips
like OSH, a cheap tent has advantages. One problem with tents that have a
"low profile" is that they have a low profile. The El Cheapo tents are
usually pretty big inside.

Mike
MU-2
ATP and Outdoor Equipment Connoiseur