Best Type of Tent For Long Camping Trips

Canvas tents were great, but technology has made them nearly obsolete.
The rain fly on my two tents attach to the poles and have extra loops for guy lines during gale force winds. The rain fly cover should come down nearly to ground level and so long as your tent has rugged poles and is staked into the ground you should be ok in high winds.

As for late night visitors, if you're not camped on a game trail and have stored all your food properly critters should have no reason to wonder into your site.. At worst carry bear spray or a firearm, usually just the sound of it discharging is enough to scare off critters.

Wish I could offer you more advice on tents but I'm unaware of what products are available to you.

 

I still use an older canvas tent so I can't really offer any advice. I do understand why you'd say you aren't all that trusting of the newer tents. I personally don't like them all that well - which is why I still use my older tent. That said, there are a lot of review sites out there - have you tried looking through them for some ideas of where to start with these sorts of things?

 

This is a bit late - just registered awhile ago. I have the larger Guide Gear tent and though I like it is is not as good as my Extreme T-Pee by Cabelas. The Guide Gear tent does not have an outside zipper at the bottom of the door. When I tested it last April I had a lot of rain, a bit of snow and lots of wind come through. It you bought it how did you fair? I plan to use it as a utility tent and a fun tent at the camp I volunteer at in August.

 

Opps.. This landed in the wrong place. This is one of my Alaknak tents that I use for base camp. This one is 10 x 10, three foot walls, and for people like us the centre is 9 feet. Yes, your eyes do not deceive you - I have lights in my tent so I can read and listen to pleasant music in the evening. I use solar power.

Most people could set the Gear Guide tent up by themselves but it could be tricky. I personally do not recommend this tent - cheap yes, but not a good choice. I made some suggestions that I follow when purchasing a tent under Shelter - "What brand do you trust in tents?" My advice? Stay away - far away - from the gimmick tents.

I don't know your situation but when I go into the interior [access by canoe] I have a two "man" [person] four season tent [not terribly cheap] plus a Helinox chair and an Allagash Al Bed. I'm at that stage I want a bed off the ground and I want to sit in a chair in my tent [But it has to be light weight for canoe travel.]

If you are thinking of base camp - the sky is the limit or rather whatever your pocketbook will allow.

My suggestion is that you check out the tents and read the reviews, carefully.

You might want to check out CABELA'S and L.L. BEAN (USA) on the net. When you check out Cabela's go to the main page - click camping (at the top) - go to the left side and you will see a menu - pick all tents - have fun checking them all out.

HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT A PARTICULAR TYPE OR SIZE CLICK WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU.

Hope this is helpful.

 

Hi there:

I set my base camp in Haliburton Forest in Ontario - to get into the main area you have to have a key to be able to access the territory. I thought that strange at first but have appreciated the freedom that it permits. The camp sites are far and few in between. I suppose that is why I have seen such a variety of wild life over the years. It is the most rustic of all the camping areas that I have experienced. The sites are unusually large, you have a large picnic table and campfire pit, outhouse and private beach.

I'm blessed too because in all the years that I have been camping solo I have never had anything stolen or a camp destroyed. When I leave my base camp to go canoeing in Algonquin or the Haliburton Waterway Trails I leave my site unattended for up to five and six days - and it has never been violated. I do put some things away and some items I pack up and take with me but I haven't had any difficulty to date.

I'm please that the staff at Base Camp - Headquarters for the organization, know who I am and staff will come by to check on me from time to time.

You might want to check the site out for your enjoyment - Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Ontario. It is actually a private organization. It boasts of the only enclosed Wolf Study Centre and I had the opportunity once to see the whole pack.

When I'm in Algonquin staff patrol the park regularly and when I'm in the interior it is air patrolled and there are rangers on the ground that frequent the waterways and visit the camp sites.

I'm glad that you found Cabela's - I admit that I have purchased a lot of stuff from that organization. I have never had any complaints. I've found them fast and efficient. I'm so glad to hear that they are opening a store in the area that I camp most frequently.

It is like every store - shop and compare. I AGREE WITH YOU - my practise is that I never buy anything unless it is on sale and I'm very careful to check it out.

The one blessing about having the ability at looking at so many examples is that you begin to develop a mentality that enables you to be a bit more prudent and selective.

It's great to communicate with you - it is obvious that you have a love of the outdoors too!

 

I've never been acousted by any creature in the wilds - true, there are new dangerous when you are out and one should appreciate that safety never takes a holiday. I use to instruct an outdoors program called The Beaver Award . Part of the training is identifiying night sounds and other day time sounds. I always explained that the real fear are humans. That is the creature that will harm you most and harm you first. I can't recall meeting a strange person in the wilds - a lot of funny ones. My experience has conditioned me to meet people who are usually friendly and helpful.

 

Yes...I guess there are dangers.

 

You shouldn't have any concern about privacy because modern tents are designed to provide that. The better tents have, what is referred to as a bathtub floor. It is designed to go up the wall 6 inches or so to provide extra protection against rain and/or snow. Though I still use a foot [another ground sheet that goes under the tent floor to keep it clean.] The tub floor is usually a stronger material than the rest of the tent.

Remember, it is not advisable to cook food in a tent - that will surely bring creatures. Though I admit I will cook in the tent in winter - there are a lot less bothersome animals that will visit.

At one time I had less cash so I would purchase used equipment from an outdoor store. Sometimes you can luck out at a garage sale. I've done that too. And then there is Value Village - a used goods store that is popular here. I'm sure that there are a lot of outlets in the US as well or similar places. Some of the bigger outdoor stores have equipment exchanges and the like. You can go on Kijji - but be careful about this one.

 

The great thing today is that there are so many tent brands and designs and new ones coming out each day. It seems to me that the ones I like best are the ones that cost the most money. I always compare prices and I never purchase unless the item is on sale.

 

I know the product well and one person can put it up very easily. They have other sizes too. If you are planning to purchase this tent get the foot [under neath tarp] ground cover. It is important to secure the tent using all the pegs. I believe it to be a good buy. The only complaint that I had was the the door zipper would often get stuck with the weather overlap. I simply fastened the weather strip down. It didn't interfere with keeping the rain out and I didn't have any problem. It is roomy and easily manages a cot; you certainly can stand up in it.