Craig Miller
Posts:11803
 | | 27 Feb 2007 12:37 AM |
| I'm looking for a good tent to hold our 3 person family (and dog). Some of the features I'd like: - Tall enough to stand up in (I'm 6' 2") but stable enough to handle a Quilomene style wind. - Roomy enough for three cots (most likely we'll only have one cot, but you never know). - Easy to setup including the rainfly. - Breathes well - Medium sized vestibule where we can take shoes and other muddy gear on/off at. So far the REI Hobitat 4 is on my list, although it doesn't have a vestibule. Any suggestions or reccomendations? Craig |
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Andy Berglund
Tacoma, WA
Veteran Member
Posts:3453
| | 27 Feb 2007 12:48 AM |
| the hobitat comes in a six person, too. it is so big i can't imagine why you'd need a vestibule. we can fit three people and our two dogs and still have an aisle to walk up and down in and have space for our junk. apparantly, they have a loft/attic for it, too. get cots as that will increase your storage space and allow the dogs to roam without putting their butt in your face.
you saw how quickly it went up and down at whipsaw, even in the rain and at night. we had just gotten the tent at that point. the entire roof is mesh so it breathes really, really well. it's only drawback is that it's cold for obvious reasons.
hobitat owns all.
andy |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 27 Feb 2007 12:54 AM |
| Andy,
Which Hobitat do you have? Would the hobitat 4 be big enough for the 3 of us (Me, Julie, and Soren) and 1 medium sized dog? A smaller tent might help keep things warmer.
The vestibule isn't for storing gear so much as it is nice to have a place to put shoes on/off to keep the mud out. It can also be a nice place to make a cup of coffee if you get stuck in the tent for a day due to rain.
Craig
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Andy Berglund
Tacoma, WA
Veteran Member
Posts:3453
| | 27 Feb 2007 09:17 AM |
| we have the hobitat 4. we've had myself, joohee and amy, along with the two dogs without issue. i am aware of the vestibular advantage but in a tent this big, with cots (and even space for a small foldout table) it isn't as much of a hassle. also, while i never wear shoes inside a tent if i can help it, having the cots keeps us off the floor and therefore keeping the floor clean isn't as much of an issue.
i'm certain that your local REI has one setup; usually the 6 is not due to it's immense size. it still packs down fairly small. we have a compression sack for ours and we can fit it, and our sleeping bags (also in compression sacks) inside one of those black plastic cases i use. not too bad.
andy |
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Peter Carey
Veteran Member
Posts:2829
| | 27 Feb 2007 09:55 AM |
| Even with teh vestible, it's handier to keep the shoes inside the tent from a bug perspective. We just lay down a towel as a door mat (doubles as a dog towel as well) inside the door. You step onto that and then take off the shoes. Since we have to make sure the tent is zipped at all times to keep Yukon in, that's our option.
A little whisk broom and pan is handy as well.
We have the Ketly Green River 6 and it works well with lots of extra room. I second what Andy says about cots. I don't need one for me, but I also don't like the dogs walking all over my sleeping bag. |
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Andy Berglund
Tacoma, WA
Veteran Member
Posts:3453
| | 27 Feb 2007 01:22 PM |
| yeah, the dog walking over me problem is solved with cots. they have been the coolest thing yet. i like the towel/doormat/dog wiper idea, peter. thanks!
andy |
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Curtis Olson
New Member
Posts:75
| | 28 Feb 2007 06:35 PM |
| Take a look at the 6-person Cabela's Alaskan Guide model tent. My dad has this tent for hunting camp and it has performed very well; it's a geodesic 4-season tent and it is very stable. Three of us were in it for almost a week with two cots, and our gear and it was just about right. I've found that most companies tent capacity ratings pretty cramped - so, I'd buy a bit larger than you need. Being stuck in a cramped tent for the whole day isn't any fun at all - especially with a dog.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0043361517569a&navCount=12&podId=0043361&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20075-cat601644-cat20146_TGP&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=&indexId=cat20103&hasJS=true |
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Nikolas Olguin
Basic Member
Posts:262
| | 01 Mar 2007 11:33 AM |
| I also have the Hobitat 4...It has ample space for everything that Corey and I pack plus the two dogs...I think it's a safe bet although it presents a HUGE surface for wind to smack into. |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 04 Mar 2007 04:35 PM |
| Yeah, I'm wondering if I shouldn't go for something like a slightly smaller version of Peter's Kelty.
Craig
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Peter Carey
Veteran Member
Posts:2829
| | 04 Mar 2007 05:53 PM |
| I've been happy with it in wind. There is one exposed spot on the back side, kinda, and if it's blowing rain it's best not to have that facing it. But with the footprint, you can have everything away from the edges. I had promised mine to Dan as he's also in need of an upgrade from the other tent I gave him and he quickly outgrew. |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 04 Mar 2007 07:26 PM |
| Thanks for the info Peter. All I want is a bombproof (mountaineering) tent that is spatious enough for 2 adults and 1 child sleeping on cots.... cheap. Mountain Hardware has some great stuff if I had $5000 lying around. |
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Rick Lindgren
Power User
Advanced Member
Posts:986
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 05 Mar 2007 07:41 AM |
| Rick,
Is that tent tall enough for you to stand up in? Would it fit 3 cots? I just noticed that my Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1 also comes in a Trango 4.0, but it isn't tall enough to stand in or use cots in. 
Craig
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Rick Lindgren
Power User
Advanced Member
Posts:986
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:15 AM |
| Peak height in the "4" is 5 feet and in the "6" it is 6' 1". Maybe not as tall as you'd like but anything taller than that is going to be a serious liability in any kind of wind and tough to keep warm in cold weather. I've never felt cramped in the "4" but I'm used to being in a 2 man Mountain Hardwear. We have put an inflatable bed in our "4" with room enough for another sleeping pad (possibly two) beside the inflatable bed. It is a pretty good compromise tent. Tall enough but not some monstrosity that blows flat in a heavy wind, roomy enough but it still fits in a small area and tough enough with good rain coverage without paying for a bombproof expedition tent.
Go sit inside one and imagine the smell of a campfire and the puppy running around your feet.  Or you could come by some time and we can set mine up so that you can go through the putting it up and taking it down. Heck, with the newborn, we won't be using it for a little while so you can borrow it if you want. Let me know if you are interested.
Rick |
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Andy Berglund
Tacoma, WA
Veteran Member
Posts:3453
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:15 AM |
| apart from the MH space station, i doubt you'd be able to stand up in most tents. that's the price you pay to be able to see what's on the top shelf ;) i still contend that the hobitat is the best choice; i bet that your local REI has one on display or could put it up. its greatest weakness is how it fares against winds but we've never had an issue with ours. we haven't been in a winter storm but we've been in some fairly strong and consistent winds. in those situations we've just staked it down. the size allows the walls to deform without encroaching on your space as much. and, since you'll have your truck with you (most of the time), you can use it as a barrier as well.
andy |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:14 PM |
| Rick,
That sounds real good. I'd love to either set it up in your house, or take it out for a test run with the family. Let me do a bit more research in general, and if that tent winds up on the short list I'll give you a call. We are very much still just pondering what to do so it might be a while.
Family tent? D110/109 w/ a rooftop tent for 3? D90 with a trailer for family camping? We have no idea what we want to do right now.
Craig
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:19 PM |
| Posted By Curtis Olson on 02/28/2007 6:35 PM
Take a look at the 6-person Cabela's Alaskan Guide model tent. My dad has this tent for hunting camp and it has performed very well; it's a geodesic 4-season tent and it is very stable. Three of us were in it for almost a week with two cots, and our gear and it was just about right. I've found that most companies tent capacity ratings pretty cramped - so, I'd buy a bit larger than you need. Being stuck in a cramped tent for the whole day isn't any fun at all - especially with a dog.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0043361517569a&navCount=12&podId=0043361&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20075-cat601644-cat20146_TGP&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=&indexId=cat20103&hasJS=true
www.tinyurl.com ;)
The cool thing about that tent is that it is apparently fireproof too (see the pic in the link). More seriously though, that tent looks pretty good. I'm a bit skeptical of the "Cabelas" brand though. Did it rain or blow hard while you guys were out in it? Craig |
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Rick Lindgren
Power User
Advanced Member
Posts:986
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:29 PM |
| Posted By Craig Miller on 03/05/2007 9:14 PM
Rick,
That sounds real good. I'd love to either set it up in your house, or take it out for a test run with the family. Let me do a bit more research in general, and if that tent winds up on the short list I'll give you a call. We are very much still just pondering what to do so it might be a while.
Family tent? D110/109 w/ a rooftop tent for 3? D90 with a trailer for family camping? We have no idea what we want to do right now.
Craig
A basecamp 4 is a lot cheaper than a Defender, regardless of wheelbase. |
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Peter Carey
Veteran Member
Posts:2829
| | 05 Mar 2007 09:59 PM |
| Went the large tent route. trying the D110 with T-top (family of three up top, dogs covered under) next. I'll let you know how it goes. Don't let Rick's envy guide your decsion making. |
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Craig Miller
Posts:11803
| | 05 Mar 2007 10:18 PM |
| I wouldn't think of it. Craig |
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