Tent suggestions needed!!

Hog Feet

Hog Feet

Joined
Apr 7, 2006
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Suppose you were camping on a deserted tropical island and you you could have any tent you wanted what would you have?

The reason I ask is because I was just kayak camping in the 10,000 Islands/ Everglades area on a small key and the rain we were expecting turned into the outskirts of Tropical Storm Barry.

We had four tents, and my Eureka Timberline 4 was the only one still standing in the morning. My tent poles were a bit bent, and I was the only one who had tied my tent to my kayak on one end and a large post on the other. The sand did not hold any of the tent pegs well at all. Can anyone recommend tent pegs for sandy contidions?

The other three tents were even cheaper k-mart tents.

I don't plan on camping in a hurricaine, but if I had to what does anyone recommend?

Thanks
 
I have a three season North Face Bullfrog that I bought in 1991 which has been all over the world with me and has never let me down (it had a small defect with two of the pole-grommets when it was new, I sent it back to The North Face for repair in '91 and it's been fine ever since). I used to sleep in it for months at a time while working in the field, most of that in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. It's weathered a lot of storms (snow and rain) and never once leaked (I seam-seal it once a year). It's also lightweight enough that it's great for backpacking.

In 2000 I bought a more substantial four season tent for winter work; a North Face VE-25. It's a great tent but a lot bulkier if packing alone.

The North Face tents are a bit pricey but worth it, but I would highly recommend any of their models, although I can't comment on how/if the quality has changed over the past few years, I think TNF makes a lot of their gear overseas now.

The tent you have, the Eureka Timberline is a great tent; I have recommended it to a lot of friends in the past; it's a high quality tent at a reasonable price.

Here is the VE-25, I don't have a photo of the Bullfrog with me (it's no longer made), but it looks a lot like the Tadpole 23 (stock website photo below); the main difference is that the Bullfrog does not have the mosquito netting roof- panels, and has pole sleeves rather than clips, but is more or less the same size/shape).

http://www.thenorthface.com

TNF_Tent_VE25.jpg


TNF_Tadpole_23.jpg


(p.s. I've never carried tent pegs, I either make them out of branches in the field, or tie the tent corners/tie-down grommets to rocks with para-cord. In the winter I use my ice axe or ski poles to moor the corners).
 
I was going to recommend North Face as well. I've been very happy with their tents.

Jack
 
The big corkscrew kind of tent peg works better in sand than any other peg, but if I were expecting a tropical storm I would bury a deadman.

I guess you'll get more responses in the Wilderness & Survival Forum.
moving-van.jpg
 
I have a Sierra Designs Tengu and I like the fact that it pitches from the outside, i.e., the poles go through the loops in the rainfly rather than the rainfly going over the whole thing after pitching. Keeps the inside of the tent dry if you have to pitch it WHILE it's raining.
 
If you are going to camp on sand alot, consider getting those nylon fabric deadmen. They look like a small parachute and are buried like a regular deadman but weigh less.
 
For heavy winds you will want a four season tent. Some brands market them as expedition tents. They will have twice as many tied town leads, are more streamlined for snow loading and winds and have full pole sleaves instead of clips or loops. They also usually have nice features like two doors and vestibules for storing your stuff without losing room in the tent itself. As someone commented earlier, the four season tents are heavier and also tend to be warmer/sweatier in hot muggy weather. I have two MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) tents - a 4 season expedition - the Nunatuk and a lighter 3 season - the Tarn-3. MEC is a Canadian outfitter similar to REI. They make really quality 4-season and 3-season tents.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302702873&bmUID=1180902342641
 
Well since this is a hypo situation anyway - I cast my line in~

First I'd probably end up on an island building a perminate shelter out of natural materials...but that wasn't the question - it was 'what tent" would I take.

I've been hiking/backpacking and doing wilderness survival for over 35+ years and the Eureka Timberline is a dandy. In fact I have the very first series they ever released purchased back in 1981 and I still have it.

They obvioulsy have newer generations now of the Timberline series and they have stood the test of time.

But knowing what I know now I would opt for a good high-end tarp as it will give me much more flexiblity...with over 80 possible designs and modifcations I could use one design when it is hot and I need max shade with open sides for the breeze to blow in.

I could change it to cover my hand woven hammock and to provide shade/shelter while enjoying my hammock...or....

When the weather turns ugly I would go with a very low profile Bombproof when reinforced with a palm tree frame can handle extremely high winds and keep me dry/warm. It will provide a multitude of different shelters and can be used for other tasks. A tent is going to be more maintenance, and it doesn't allow me to see out so I can see passing ships. A tarp shelter also allows me to build a warming fire or cooking fire while I stay snug inside the shelter.

A tent doesn't give you these possiblities...it limits your creativity and adaptablity... but, what the heck do I know?
 
I agree with Quirt: a tent wouldn't be my first choice on a deserted tropical island. Neither would pitching it on the beach if there was the option of pitching further inland where there is more to anchor to and less likelihood of being washed away by a freak wave at high tide :eek:

I have a North Face Westwind which I don't think they make any longer but it is pretty bombproof. Unless the winds are going to be above 30mph I generally don't bother with the guy lines and I once saw one with 20ft of snow drifted up on top of it and it was still holding up. A lot of campanies call tents 4-season which means suitable for camping all year round, and then also expedtion tents which are suitable for places like Everest or the poles and are moch sturdier than 4 season. Any of the "expedition" class of tents should hold up to just about everything. The North Face make good ones and the MSR line looks pretty good although I've not put one through it's paces yet.

Some expedition tents use a single gortex skin rather than the traditional inner and fly - do not use one of these. They are designed for high altitude and rely on it being colder outside so there is a heat differential to drive the moisture through the gortex and out of the tent. In temperate climates and more so in the tropics this wouldn't work and they would be dripping in condensation.

As for tent pegs, if not using natural resources, you can get special snow/sand stakes which are about 12 inches long:
55011700.jpg

If pitching on a beach I'd use these but also bury a horizontal peg in front to make a "T" shape, in the same way you'd use two ice axes as a belay anchor.
 
Thanks for all of the replies!

I am definitely going to go with the nylon deadmen for sand anchors.

I like the north face tadpole but I am trying to get a few more options to compare. Does anyone know anything about Hilleberg Tents? I see a lot of info about using them in alpine conditions, but do they handle hot weather and bugs?

We would have moved further inland on the island, but we did not see any areas that were suitable. The island was about seven acres of mangrove and one acre of beaches. There was a small area that was very close to the surf and trees that we set up a screen house and a tarp that held up fairly well, but we were so close to the water the spray from the waves was hitting us.

I do have a Hennesy Hammock that I usually use when I go on solo trips. But I do need a good two or three person tent that can handle wind, bugs, and sand.

I am through camping on islands during hurricaine season unless my house is destroyed. Next Everglades trip will be in the dry season!:)
 
If you are not overly weight conscious - a Marmot swallow is hard to beat, IMO. It is considered a "convertible" and mine has withstood 50-60 mph winds as well as 20 in. of snow in a 24 hr period. In the summer you can use it with just the fly and groundsheet for weight savings. The best tent I've ever owned, although not the lightest.
 
Liek mckrob, I also have a TNF VE-25. I have had it for 12 years. It is our 'bomb shelter' tent. When weather is in doubt, pull the VE-25 out. Not to beat The North Face to death here, but the Mountain 25 is similar to the VE-25, but is smaller (2-person).

We also have a TNF Coriollis, which is a 2-person similar to the Tadpole and Bullfrog that mckrob mentioned, but it has 2 side doors instead of one end door. This tent is also no longer made, which is sad, because it packs small and decently light, and offers a door and small vestibule for each occupant. It also has a fantastic wind and water shedding profile with the fly in place.

There are many tents out there by many manufacturers that will suit your needs as far as bugs and weather. Sand is more of a tent stake issue, and that has been adressed nicely.

Usually, the more pole crossed you have one a tent structure, the stronger and more stable the tent will be. Look at different tent designs, and consider the tent profile with the rainfly attached.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.

Here are a fewe pics from my Tropical storm Barry Trip:

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P6020015.jpg
 
If I'm camping out of the 'yak then I allow myself the comparative luxury of my trusty Eureka Rising Sun. I'm 6'1 and 260, so it fits pretty well. Otherwise it's a tarp, poncho liner and a well picked spot. Mother nature provides my pegs. On the beach, an old sock full of sand/gravel make a great deadman.
 
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