Tent Camping bad weather

[DanB]

I have been going to EAA for the past 40 years driving back and forth on Fridays and Saturdays. Five years ago I started to camp with tents for the entire week at Camp Scholler I am from Wisconsin and I am very familiar with our good ol Wisconsin weather and the storms that roll through EAA each year, I have used a couple what I thought were good tents to with stand the heavy rain, wind and thunder storms at EAA. Only to get wet or have the tent get blown over with broken tent poles one of them being a Coleman dome tent with screened roof and sides covered by a rain fly which the wind blows the rain up under the rain fly and into the tent, this tent was recommended by a sales guy at dick sporting goods I won't go back there. My next tent which I have been doing hours and hours of research on and I have a couple in mind and still looking but not sure how they will hold up in strong winds and rain one being the Coleman 8 Person Instant Tent, and the other a Browning Big Horn Tent they are both cabin style tents, they say dome tents handle wind better, mine didn't. Any one have good experiences with good tents I am looking for a 6 - 8 person tent preferably cabin style but will consider a GOOD dome tent. My next tent I will purchase directly from the company.

[Mayhemxpc]

I have been going to EAA for the past 40 years driving back and forth on Fridays and Saturdays. Five years ago I started to camp with tents for the entire week at Camp Scholler I am from Wisconsin and I am very familiar with our good ol Wisconsin weather and the storms that roll through EAA each year, I have used a couple what I thought were good tents to with stand the heavy rain, wind and thunder storms at EAA. Only to get wet or have the tent get blown over with broken tent poles one of them being a Coleman dome tent with screened roof and sides covered by a rain fly which the wind blows the rain up under the rain fly and into the tent, this tent was recommended by a sales guy at dick sporting goods I won't go back there. My next tent which I have been doing hours and hours of research on and I have a couple in mind and still looking but not sure how they will hold up in strong winds and rain one being the Coleman 8 Person Instant Tent, and the other a Browning Big Horn Tent they are both cabin style tents, they say dome tents handle wind better, mine didn't. Any one have good experiences with good tents I am looking for a 6 - 8 person tent preferably cabin style but will consider a GOOD dome tent. My next tent I will purchase directly from the company.

We have a Cabela's 10 man ten (10x20' 3 room tent) that has done us good service through the squalls at AirVenture. It even kept us dry during Sloshkosh. It has an excellent tarp/fly that covers the full tent and helps keep the tent down in high winds. The was one year recently, when the line winds pulled up a couple of airplanes and flipped them over, that the wind also picked up the dining fly/screen tent we had out front. Threw it right into the cabala's tent. No damage to the tent nor did it even pull it up. The same cold not be said for the dining fly. We have also found that putting the ground tarp INSIDE the tend rather than beneath the tent 9as recommended by the BSA Field Book) works well.

[Kyle Boatright]

Dome tents are the best shape for strength to weight. Low profile helps a lot in wind. A rainfly that goes all the way to the ground is critical if there is blowing rain.

But the most important thing in the whole equation (IMO) is buying a tent made of quality materials. The first indicator of that is the material used to make the poles. Aluminum poles are far superior to fiberglass poles and are indicative of the quality of the remainder of the tent.

FYI, I was at Sloshkosh and have been to a dozen other Oshkoshes and SnF's where there have been huge thunderstorms. My aluminum poled, low profile dome tents have never collapsed or leaked, unlike those of some of the poor folks I've seen the morning after a storm where they were using their airplane as a drying rack for everything they brought to the show after their tent failed.

I remember one year (2004?) I took my wife and we camped in Homebuilt camping. At about 6:00 that evening, we barely made it back inside the tent as a huge storm rolled in. The heavens opened, winds blew, lightning flashed for hours. We stayed completely dry, but when we got up in the morning it was obvious (unfortunately) that many of the people around us had experienced leaks or tent collapses overnight. No thank you...

[Rod Schneider]

After having some leaking issues and a full blown tent collapse a few years ago I bought an Alaskan Guide dome tent from Cabella's. It was around $450, but in the two years I've had it, it hasn't leaked a drop and has been through a couple of good storms at Oshkosh with zero issues. Best tent I've ever had......

[tmcquinn]

Dome tents are the best shape for strength to weight. Low profile helps a lot in wind. A rainfly that goes all the way to the ground is critical if there is blowing rain.

But the most important thing in the whole equation (IMO) is buying a tent made of quality materials. The first indicator of that is the material used to make the poles. Aluminum poles are far superior to fiberglass poles and are indicative of the quality of the remainder of the tent.

FYI, I was at Sloshkosh and have been to a dozen other Oshkoshes and SnF's where there have been huge thunderstorms. My aluminum poled, low profile dome tents have never collapsed or leaked, unlike those of some of the poor folks I've seen the morning after a storm where they were using their airplane as a drying rack for everything they brought to the show after their tent failed.

I remember one year (2004?) I took my wife and we camped in Homebuilt camping. At about 6:00 that evening, we barely made it back inside the tent as a huge storm rolled in. The heavens opened, winds blew, lightning flashed for hours. We stayed completely dry, but when we got up in the morning it was obvious (unfortunately) that many of the people around us had experienced leaks or tent collapses overnight. No thank you...

All of this. Then throw the stakes that come with the tent away and buy the long ones that really hold it to the ground. Use 2 splayed at different angles through each hold down loop.

This is only anecdotal, but it seems like the smaller REI tent that I've been using would stand up to much more than the larger (very expensive) one I bought when the kids used to come along.

As for the recommendation by the guy in the sporting goods store, somewhere out there you probably know someone who hikes and camps. These guys don't have the option of crashing in the car when the old Coleman get trashed and I've found that they have some really good ideas on what to buy and where. YMMV.

[malexander]

MOTORHOME:rollseyes:

[Joda]

We have a Coleman dome-type tent that is HUGE. I forget what model it is, but we've had it for many years and it has held up well, both from the standpoint of wear and tear as well as withstanding several strong storms. It's (I think) an 8 person tent, which means that it's very comfortable for my wife and I. :) It has fiberglass poles, but the only one that's ever broken was the little one that holds the rain fly out above the door. This thing has withstood winds that basically had it flattened against the ground without pulling up, blowing away, or leaking. It's been a real winner.

Having said all that, I still like the motorhome idea a lot!!

[tmcquinn]

Just for the record, there have been nights I'd kill for a motor home!

[martymayes]

If you put a tent (canopy) over your tent it will never leak because it can't get wet!

[malexander]

Just for the record, there have been nights I'd kill for a motor home!


Ain't tell'in ya where I stay then.:):)

[malexander]

If you put a tent (canopy) over your tent it will never leak because it can't get wet!


Back YEARS ago, I put a tarp over my tent (we were in Branson, 1984 IIRC), seems like we had EVERY kind of flying bug you could imagine under that tarp.

[Cary]

I have a Big Agnes Big House 4, which is great. My previous Big House 4 was damaged at OSH, because I had pitched it too close to the airplane's wing. The wind blew the tend enough that it rubbed on the trailing edge of the wing, slicing into the rain fly. Big Agnes wasn't able to resurrect the fly because of age, so they sold me a new tent at a huge discount. Consequently, they are very high on my list of great companies to deal with.

Last year at OSH with the new tent, I had not fully pegged the edges of it down when the first storm hit, so water got under the tent between the tent floor and the footprint. A little seeped through the floor. I spent a little time squeeging the water out from under the tent with a towel, and in spite of more storms through the week, I had no further problems. Seems as if every time I get lazy, it comes back to bite me.

Big Agnes makes several tents similar to the Big House 4, including a Big House 6. None of their tents are cheap, all use quality materials, and as I indicated, their service is excellent. My only gripe is that it seems as if every other year or so, they change the features of the tents while retaining the name. Many of the sporting goods handle Big Agnes products, but you can also deal with them directly. https://www.bigagnes.com/

Cary

[FlyingRon]

In the 25+ years at Oshkosh, I've had about seven or eight different tents. The one I currently use is a Cabelas Alaskan Guide large dome tent. It stands up to the worst of the Oshkosh thunderstorms. One of my prior tents (a nice Eureka acquired an odd set to the metal poles after a last night of the show thunderstorm). My Gander Mountain tent is still holding up well but it rocks and rolls a lot in the weather where the Cabela stays solid. We use the Gander Mountain to hold the massage table where and for evening socializing when it is too chilly to sit out side.

[Kyle Boatright]

I have a Big Agnes Big House 4, which is great. My previous Big House 4 was damaged at OSH, because I had pitched it too close to the airplane's wing. The wind blew the tend enough that it rubbed on the trailing edge of the wing, slicing into the rain fly. Big Agnes wasn't able to resurrect the fly because of age, so they sold me a new tent at a huge discount. Consequently, they are very high on my list of great companies to deal with.

Last year at OSH with the new tent, I had not fully pegged the edges of it down when the first storm hit, so water got under the tent between the tent floor and the footprint. A little seeped through the floor. I spent a little time squeeging the water out from under the tent with a towel, and in spite of more storms through the week, I had no further problems. Seems as if every time I get lazy, it comes back to bite me.

Big Agnes makes several tents similar to the Big House 4, including a Big House 6. None of their tents are cheap, all use quality materials, and as I indicated, their service is excellent. My only gripe is that it seems as if every other year or so, they change the features of the tents while retaining the name. Many of the sporting goods handle Big Agnes products, but you can also deal with them directly. https://www.bigagnes.com/

Cary

I'll be getting a Big House 6 or a Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6 sometime in the next year or so. Right now, the Flying Diamond is on sale for ~$450 at several online retailers, compared to the normal price of ~$600.

[mr_wes]

Just chiming in regarding Big Agnes. I have been using one of their 3 person tents for several years for both plane and motorcycle camping. It has held up in several serious storms and always kept me and my gear dry. Their gear is well made and if there is a problem their customer service is top notch. I have one of their insulated air mattresses. It developed a leak at a seam and they replaced it at no cost.

For dome tents, the shape of the dome makes a huge difference in how it will stand up to wind. Some are geometrically stable even if the poles flex, others just collapse.

-Wes

[TedK]

MOTORHOME:rollseyes:

I can't get it to fit in the back seat of my airplane.

[Tom Charpentier]

Not to be the weird non-conformist around here, but two years ago I spent a few nights in Camp Scholler with a camping hammock from Hennessy (https://hennessyhammock.com/). I can't say enough good things about them, other than they're single-occupancy and you need a site with two correctly-spaced trees. It is fully enclosed with a rainfly, just like a tent, and you enter through a velcro closure on the bottom. They handle wind well, and obviously there's not too much to be concerned about in the rain since you're off the ground. They're great for people who have trouble sleeping in tents because of back issues, since you don't need to crouch to enter and the hammock supports your back. They also pack down to almost nothing and have negligible weight.

[rwanttaja]

I absolutely abhor camping. I had to do it as a CAP cadet, but since then, the closest I've come to camping is six hours in a beer tent.

Ron Wanttaja

[Kyle Boatright]

I absolutely abhor camping. I had to do it as a CAP cadet, but since then, the closest I've come to camping is six hours in a beer tent.

Ron Wanttaja

Sleeping in a tent at Oshkosh ain't exactly hard core camping. ;-)

[Auburntsts]

Sleeping in a tent at Oshkosh ain't exactly hard core camping. ;-)

you just won the internet with that observation! :D

[FlyingRon]

In fact, other than a single night back when was on a Webelos weekend trip back when I was like 12 or so, the only time I've ever slept in a tent is at Oshkosh. When we were arriving in the club 172 and parking in the North 40, the first year my wife brought "her tent" (her family camped all the time growing up, mostly because they were disinclined to pay for hotels when on vacations). Alas, her tent was a 6x6x3" dome tent. I'm 6' 1" so I didn't find it particularly comfortable. Margy thought she was being extravagant at the time by buying those roll-up self inflating pads for under the sleeping bags.

When we got the Navion we started bringing progressively larger tents and air mattresses/air beds. Finally we evolved to just storing everything in a rental locker off the field at Oshkosh and now we have a Cabella's Alaskan Guide tent, two Cabella's folding camp beds, and a ton of cooking and other stuff (to include the massage table) that we share with a dozen or so others in our Volunteer group.

[Bill Berson]

Not to be the weird non-conformist around here, but two years ago I spent a few nights in Camp Scholler with a camping hammock from Hennessy (https://hennessyhammock.com/). I can't say enough good things about them, other than they're single-occupancy and you need a site with two correctly-spaced trees. It is fully enclosed with a rainfly, just like a tent, and you enter through a velcro closure on the bottom. They handle wind well, and obviously there's not too much to be concerned about in the rain since you're off the ground. They're great for people who have trouble sleeping in tents because of back issues, since you don't need to crouch to enter and the hammock supports your back. They also pack down to almost nothing and have negligible weight.
Sounds good to me. I only need 6 hours sleep at Oshkosh.
Is there a designated (or allowed) wooded area for hammocks only?

[Cary]

For sure, tenting at OSH isn't hard core camping. With showers and toilets and all the amenities one needs to live comfortably right there within a short walk, the only time it gets hard corish is when a big storm hits. That's why having a good tent is essential; otherwise, any old el cheapo would do.

Incidentally, the reason I have a 4+ person size tent for just me (or occasionally I've had buddies who fly to OSH with me, or who overnight when I'm at OSH, plus my dog when I'm camping elsewhere) is that it gives me lots of room. I'm what some folks call a glamper, whether I'm airplane camping or truck camping. I have an old motorhome, but it hasn't been used much in years. Frankly, I really enjoy tent camping, as long as I can be comfortable doing it. I sleep on a cot. In cold weather, I heat the tent (not an OSH issue, obviously!). I have water, a shower, toilet, kitchen--all the amenities. Plus at OSH, I have the best alarm clock--the sound of a Merlin or P&W at full power at 6 a.m. can't be beat!

Cary