In depth tent review videos

[zelph]

Sounds like Sudden is having lots of fun Nice to go shopping for the grand kids

[sudden]

Well, I had to re-think everything about the tent. I did a bit of a 180

Their first camp out is this Friday. They have so many kids already there extra tents got used up quickly, so I had to find one fast.

Most of the tents at our local sporting goods stores were more money than I wanted to spend or (and I don't understand why), the rain covers didn't cover the whole tent.

We are forecast for a chance of thunderstorms on Saturday. Even if it misses, that usually means high winds. I made up my mind to get him a tent but had to give up the idea of space in favor of function. I also couldn't shop online due to the short timing (didn't want to waste any potential savings on fedex overnight). Catch 22.

What he ended up with, and has already learned to setup and re-pack is the Target version of a Kelty Grand Mesa 2 (as in 2 person).

The poles are fiberglass not aluminum but otherwise it's the same tent.

It's the only one I found locally (under $200) that had a complete rain cover (with guy-line tie outs), bathtub bottom, factory sealed seams, and good ventilation. The rain cover has a small vestibule area. There are small storage pouches on the side walls and a mesh storage shelf at the ceiling.

It was the simplest tent I ever had to setup. Color coded and all clips. Nothing however looks like it could survive two twelve year olds for long. Paid $60.

The other thing I noticed while shopping is that some of the tents did not have stakes or guy lines with adjusters included. This one did. The stakes are simple but they work for now.

They won't be cramped sleeping but they don't have room for any guests now. My only other local option was a 4 man and the weight difference was too much. He has this tent packed already. He still needs to check the weight with a couple water bottles and some food but so far so good.

[Ridgerunner]

You might want to go ahead and spray the rainfly and the outside of the tub portion of the tent with some sealant. Sometimes new tents aren't as waterproof as you would think they should be.

[realityguy]

I think "irrational solutions"(a regular poster here that is working too hard to post recently.. ) has one of those.If it's a kelty,it can't be too bad..should be a good tent and hold up well.It's always better to seal like RR said..rather than suffer the consequences in a time when you should have done it....Seamseal the seams/threading(straight silicone sealer mixed with mineral spirits to a paint consistancy) and throw on a can of silicone spray as far as it'll go over the top and under,just to be on the safe side.If he can afford the extra weight,you might want to add a 4-6mil visqueen footprint to make the tent hold up better and last longer/cleaner.

[sudden]

Thanks for the sealer advice guys. Not sure if I have time to let it dry now. It rained soon after we took it down today and it looks like off and on rain till Sunday now. I guess I fail the scout motto "Be Prepared" .

I still need the ground cloth under the tent. I know the plastic you speak of. I hope I can find a small piece of something so I don't need a whole roll of it. I'll even settle for a piece of blue tarp for this trip. The footprint is 4.5 x 7. That might let me get away with a split heavy duty trash bag.

[zelph]

Set it up in your garage and seal the seems.

If you can't get the seams sealed by the time they have to leave, give them the bottle and tell them what to do once they get the tent set up. They need to have a "dry" experience.

Many a new tent have leaked on my stuff