I guess I am going to Cabelas, there is one in Billings, MT which is an hour and a half away. I truly appreciate all the advice. Last question is..... Are there features in a tent that are more important than others? Construction material, vents etc... Again I don't know much about them so that opinions would also be very helpful
rick
Hi there- I also have done this quite a few times, and have distilled a couple ideas. First, when I was younger / more flexiblein the AM, a 4 man accomodated the spouse and I just fine as we didn't mind the gymnastics involved in getting dressed while horizontal. Nowadays, being able to stand up in the tent is greatly appreciated. Also, if you don't have or have access to a screen tent, a larger camping tent gives you a better place to hide out should the weather be unpleasant for a protracted period. I also have to agree about aluminum poles- while they are bulkier to transport and much harder to set up by one's self, I have been beaten about the head and shoulders by a pretty good quality dome tent while trying to sleep through a night time trw. THAT is not fun. Along those lines, forget the metalic joke-stakes most tents come with and use the big yellow plastic variety. Although the very first year I was there ('77) we actually had frost one night, it generally tends to be toasty at the convention, so a summertime / well ventilated tent is nice. Be careful, though- some summertime tents don't have much overlap between the fly and the bottom of the tent. I've had two friends wake up floating on their air mattresses... As someone else mentioned, a 4 D cell fan / light combo suspended from the apex is a handy accessory. Lastly, I would strongly recommend some aerosol water proofer and some seam sealer to help keep the inside dry. An old bath mat just inside the door will radically reduce the mess on wet days.
My most recent tent was from gander mountain, on sale. Good deal, good tent.
FWIW, YMMV, etc etc, yada yada...!
Let's see Oshkosh tents:
1. Little 6' dome tent that was my wife: Never again, too small and when the storms came the poles bent down and the tent touched me in it's claminess.
2. Slightly larger dome tent. Used for one year.
3. Got the Navion so we brought the large cabin tent we owned. This is an old style tent needing periodic resealing.
Then one year I couldn't find the tent. Found it in the garden shed rotted as the kids put it away in the bag wet. Run to 24 hour walmart to buy replacement.
4. Cheap walmart dome tent. Lasted two shows and it shreded itself in a storm. Went into the dumpster.
5. Got a big Eureka which was really spacious. This lasted a few years until a strong Oshkosh storm bent the poles. You can still set it up but it has an odd list to it as I was never able to bend the poles back quite the right way.
6. Got a gander mountain Y shaped thing with two rooms, Worked OK but my wife didn't like it. It's still up at Oshkosh and it gets set up from time to time for the volunteer massage tent and for evening drinking if it's too cold or rainy to be outside.
7. The Cabelas Artic Guide 8-man we've been using for the past four years or so.
We've been camping and backpacking for close to 4 decades and all the advice I've seen here is spot-on. Can vouch for Eureka and REI tents, both are high quality. For car camping, like at Oshkosh, we used a large 6 person dome tent. It holds up in the wind and as other have said, the taller and bigger the tent the more comfortable you'll be. I'll also strongly suggest using the 12 inch plastic stakes and to utilize every tie down that the tent has. Storms can come on suddenly and bring a lot of wind. You might also consider some kind of additional shelter, either open or screened. We have an open-sided shelter that we erect over the entrance of the tent. It provides a dry spot for entry and exit and gives us a protected place to put our chairs and folding table for cooking and eating or just relaxing.
p.s. Love Dirty Sally's in Ten Sleep. We always stop there when visiting Yellowstone.
lol My wife and I are meeting someone at Dirty Sallys tomorrow to deliver a horse then on to Sheridan to drop another one off....... The drive from our place to there is gorgeous.Originally Posted by WaltS
I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your advice and opinions. I am sure they will save me from making major mistakes in all of this.
Rick
I have a Big Agnes Big House 4 (a nominally 4 person tent which works super well for 2 people), which I bought specifically because I wanted a good quality, roomy tent for OSH. I was tired of using my quality but small 2 person back-packing tent--when you're there for a week, it's nice to have the room. Big Agnes builds excellent tents, and they stand behind them. In a big blow of 3 years ago at OSH, I had poles bend but the tent survived--while campers nearby had their tents totally collapse. Big Agnes fixed the bent poles, no charge.
Because of OSH's weather, you'll be more comfortable in a tent that has good ventilation.
Whatever brand you choose, go for quality, with aluminum poles (agreed, they're better than fiberglass), and stake it out thoroughly. DO NOT fall for any garbage about "this tent is self supporting and requires no guy lines", thinking you won't need to stake it. My tent is "self supporting", meaning that it will just sit there fine in a no-wind situation. But I stake it to the ground, and I stake all the factory supplied guy lines, plus I added more guy lines and stake them, too. Oh, and I replaced all of the supplied tent pegs with MSR Ground Hogs--they are absolutely the best and worth using. I've been in pretty big blows with a variety of tents, and I've never had a Ground Hog pull loose.
Since quality costs money, spend a little extra for a "footprint". You can use a tarp, but I favor a footprint that matches the tent. It will preserve the floor of the tent, which helps keep things dry.
I do use a fan at OSH, which makes sleeping more comfortable when there's no breeze. I originally had a Coleman tent fan, but it lasted only 2 seasons of infrequent use--it still works, but the bearings are shot, it vibrates, and it'll give up any time. So I bought a Mr. Heater tent fan, which seems to be better quality for about the same money. I've used it now for 2 seasons, and it shows no signs yet of wearing out. A plus is that it includes a light. Its 4 D-cells will last the entire week.
I have friends who have successfully camped with el cheapo tents, but I've never regretted spending more money for good quality.
Cary
"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth...,
put out my hand and touched the face of God." J.G. Magee
Mine is a Coleman and the floor is made of a tarp material, to about 6 inches off of the ground, and it has never let water in through the floor. It's going on year four this summer.
Yes on Cabela's! My family of five uses a ten person tent and a screened in fly as a porch. The lesson, consistent with the previous posts, is to go with a tent rated for double the number of people. If you are older, be sure to get one tall enough to use a full size cot. It makes a world of difference and you can always shove things under the cot.
Shower mat inside. Great idea. We will try that. We always have a regular mat outside the door, but a shower may inside sounds like a must try thing.
Tent stakes. I have found that the one like a 10 penny nail withe a plastic hook and eye whorl very well. Easy to hammer in and easy to pull out. Well, not so hard. I use a 10 penny nail contraption for airplane tie down, too. I have had times where the Wisconsin storms twisted the plastic stakes out of the ground and rendered them unfit for service. Absolutely make sure that every tie down is used and pegged securely into the ground. The tent designer did not include them for cosmetic value. In a midwest straight line storm, very one is needed.
The wife and I still disagree about ground cloths/liners. I based my position on information in the Boy Scout Field Book. She on…well something else.
By the way, not everything fits in one mode of transportation. I fly up with one child and some of the equipment, like the tent and minimal sleeping equipment for me and the one with me. She drives up with the rest in the mini-van.
Does anyone know anything about Kelty or Wenger brand tents? There are a few on Craigslist here and I was curious about the quality.
Kelty has always been known for high quality. I haven't always liked their designs nor their retail prices. Used is another matter. No experience with Wenger.
A big tent and cots are a good idea. We use a blow-up bed with an air pump that runs from the power outlet in the car.
Walt S.
p.s. We both are city born and bred but my wife is a terrific horsewoman. She's retired now but managed a barn for many years and has 'gentled' several BLM mustangs and made them into saddle horses. I tag along. Lots of fun and really teaches listening and patience.
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