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Posted by Bill S on April 9, 2008 at 1:44:32 pm EDT
In reply to Zoid 1 discontinued? posted by Spion on April 9, 2008 at 12:37:03 am EDT

There often is little difference, in terms of utility, between a given model of a tent that gets discontinued and a fairly similar "new model" of another tent in the same manufacturer's line. Having said that, sometimes there is - a good example being the Sierra Designs Flashlight. The original Sleeve Flashlight had, as the name implies, poles going through sleeves, a mesh door and back end mesh vent, no real vestibule (just a little extra room at the entrance end about big enough for your boots), and a packed weight of just under 4 pounds, including pegs for all corners and guy lines. The later Clip Flashlight did away with the sleeves, using clips for the poles instead, same floor area, a real vestibule (not large, but enough to leave muddy and wet gear outside the main tent), an almost completely mesh tent body, and a packed weight of (gasp) just over 5 pounds, thanks to the larger number of pegs needed to hold all the extra guys, extra weight of all the plastic clips, and the larger fly needed to add the vestibule.

But remember this - if you select a tent that matches your preferences (which is why I rarely respond to posts asking "which is the best tent for me?"), you will probably end up using it for a number of years. I still occasionally use my Sierra Designs Stretch Dome (a 3-person expedition tent, that was in production with minor modifications for something like 10-15 years), with the cost per night now down below the $1/night level, though for expedition and back-country ski use when 2 or 3 of us are spending more than, say, 3 or 4 days, is my Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1, which is in current production and has been for about 5 years (there was a Trango 3 previously). For my personal expedition and backcountry ski use, I use a Bibler Eldorado (now called Black Diamond, as are all Bibler tents), which has been around for at least 15 years (a year or 2 less than the very similar Integral Designs). I do use it sometimes for Barb and me, though it is a bit tight for 2 plus gear (we are very friendly and she's only 5 ft tall, so it's ok). I have had the Eldo long enough that its cost is down to the $2/night range.

Point is, you don't need the latest fashion, so who cares whether the tent is the latest model. Is it big enough for the purpose, high enough quality to last for years of use, light enough to backpack/ski tour/snowshoe tour, weatherproof enough (mesh tents let in blowing rain, dust, and snow), easy and rapid to set up and take down in a storm, and the other requirements? That's all that matters.

I suspect you can find a tent that is close enough to what you liked in the Zoid to serve your needs.

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