downmarket tent

Wenzel brand; currently $30 at Campmoor; Omit poles for significant weight reduction.

I used something like this for many weeks of summer camping back in the 1980s. I found it entirely satisfactory; roomy, bug-proof and storm-proof. Seams must be sealed.

SPECS:
CAPACITY 1-2
Min Wt 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Pkg Wt 4 lbs. 8 oz.
Dimensions 4 ft. X 6 ft. 10 in.
Area (Sq. Ft.) 25
Int Height Front 3 ft., Rear 2 ft.
Pack Size 6 in. X 19 in.
No. of Poles 3
Pole Size 9.5mm
Pole Material Fiberglass
No. of Doors 1
Hooded Fly Yes
No. of Windows 2
Gear Loft N/A
Floor Material 1.9 oz. Nylon Taffeta with 600mm Coating
Fly Material N/A
Wall Material UV Armor 1.9 oz. polyester 600mm Coating
Roof Material UV Armor- 1.9 oz. Polyester with 600mm Coating
Netting 40 Denier No-see-um
Color Silver Grey Roof/Walls, Black Floor
Style Single Wall, Frame Bivy
Activities Hiking, Biking, Kayaking
Use 3 season
Special Features Single wall construction-ultra light

"Downmarket" ???? That there is deluxe compared to my 10*10 nylon tarp!

I agree - for 90% of the people backpacking out there (especially here in the East during the mild months) most people "over-tent" - I run into people on the Appalachian Trail that look ready to hit the slopes of K2 .... then again ... perhaps they don't want to look like a walking rummage sale (me) ....

Yeah people should get real about their actual need for tentage and seriously consider Wenzel.

I bought my Wal-mart special after seven weeks camping in Europe and Iceland. The desolate country and lack of darkness in Iceland, plus a lack of naturally occurring tent poles, convinced me that I was tired of using a tarp & wanted easy way to find an enclosed space.

Bug net on the door was a welcome innovation, though these days I use "tarp shelters" and am rarely disturbed by insects in Northeastern U.S.

Beach camping eventually destroyed floor of Wal-Mart style tent -- providing argument against floors.

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"Beach camping eventually destroyed floor of Wal-Mart style tent -- providing argument against floors" - many people use a "footprint" under their tents to stop this kind of damage - also helps if you're on really wet boggy ground.

I own a couple of tents - just don't carry them if I'm going by myself unless I'm going where there are blackflies or horseflies - THEN my old reliable Timberline gets taken along - I've had it for 22 years (and it looks like it!) - I suppose I should replace it. I won a Kelty one man tent at a give-away (cannot recall the model name) - it's small and light BUT I feel a bit claustrophobic in it (I'm a big guy) - I took it on a long weekend trip a couple years back - tried to sleep in it one night and ended up sleeping under the stars (felt all hemmed in) -
I ran across a couple last year lugging along a North Face V-24 or V-25 (three person expedition tent) - it was nice but seemed to be serious overkill for a summer hike in Pennsylvania - they told me an outdoor shop recommended it as being "ideal" for weekend appalachian trail trips - the rest of their gear had a distinct "high mountain" appearance to it as well - perhaps the salesperson was working on comission ..... if so they made a tidy profit from this particular couple. They told me that the "very nice and knowledgable salesman" told them it'd "keep the bears away" - nice touch.

I just smiled, nodded and hiked down the trail another couple miles before setting up my tarp - they seemed happy enough with their choice - who am I to ruin their weekend?

calamity, you must pick your seasons carefully for camping in the Northeast! When we lived there, we found seasons (spring especially) when the black flies, mosquitoes, and noseeums were so fierce that long sleeves and long pants with rubber bands at the wrists and ankles, a bug net over the hat, and light cotton gloves, plus lots of bug dope were absolutely necessary in many locations. One reason why we enjoyed winter camping in that area so much - no bugs.

On beach sand wearing out tent floors - as Steve said, that's one of the reasons for a footprint - extend the life of an expensive tent. It isn't necessary to buy the footprint made by the tent manufacturer (and pay the big bucks). Tyvek is cheap (you can often get it free from contractors who have pieces left over on their construction jobs that are too small for their uses), though contrary to legend, it isn't waterproof when placed on wet ground and placed under pressure (i.e., sitting or lying on it). A piece of plastic (preferably 3 mil), bought as a drop cloth and cut to shape, works well and lasts most of a season ($3 gets a drop cloth large enough for 2 footprints for 2-3 man tents).

Steve - about the couple with the full-on expedition gear for a weekend trip. I think I would have had a little talk with the couple about choosing another shop to buy their gear. OTOH, maybe they were doing what Barb and I sometimes do - when we got our various expedition tents (the Sierra Designs 3-person Stretch Dome 20 years ago, the Bibler Eldorado 2-person 10 years ago, and the Mountain Hardwaear Trango 3.1 3 years ago just before our Alaska bear photoshoot and Denali Base Camp trip), we did one or two weekend backpacks to check out the gear and sort out the setup procedure. And I might just have told some old geezer offering unwanted advice that the tents were "bear-proof", too. Gotta admit, though, I see this sort of over-sold newby on the trail far too often. You might remember my story of being in REI one time when I overheard a sales type explaining to a person headed for the woods the first time that "there are 2 types of compasses, the kind that point to true north and the kind that point to magnetic north; the one you want is the true north kind." Sometimes the clerk is sincere and just doesn't know what s/he is talking about. So you may be doing a good deed by helping educate someone.

Then again, maybe you were right to be so kind as to not disillusion the poor folks (hmmm, bad pun, since they had just been relieved of excess cash), implying that they were dumb suckers. And anyway, the salesperson was right - it would keep them safe from bears. The bears would be so weak from laughing so hard they wouldn't be able to harm the couple.

Bill, I love the compass story.

One other aspect of gear you see on trails is that in many cases people are simply using what they happen to own or also may be borrowing or renting the gear. For many years I owned one sleeping bag; a thick, heavy, bulky polarguard monster. It was completely overkill and much too heavy for summer use, but it was the only bag I owned and therefore that's what I used. I bought the bag because I needed one, it was a killer deal at REI and I was a poor college student and the bag fit my budget. In spite of it being heavy and bulky and overkill for summer, I was never cold in the bag, even in winter, and that was worth a lot to me. The bag was a real bugger to pack, even with a compression stuff sack.

Bill, that compass story is pretty funny. Reminds me of the line from the Blues Brothers movie- "We've got both kinds of music-Country and Western."

I went into REI with two friends of mine (a couple) who both walked out with huge Gregory packs. I didn't have the heart to tell them I thought they were way too big and heavy for a few days in Yosemite, but they love them anyway.

Bill ""there are 2 types of compasses, the kind that point to true north and the kind that point to magnetic north; the one you want is the true north kind."" - I want the true north kind!!! ;=)

The folks I ran into - well - they just didn't seem to be the type who would have accepted that their tent WASN'T bear proof - hopefully they figured it out before Yogi decided to invite himself and boo-boo in for a late night snack .... (I'd assume that in a bear proof tent one would not need to hang their food ....). As I said - they seemed to be happy - so why pittle in their wheaties? Experience seems to be a far better educator than old geezers carrying ancient equipment trundling down the trail on bad knees ...wearing well worn leather boots ... (what could he know, he doesn't look like a magazine "expert"!) ....

As for those who over sell equipment and features - a pox upon them - they're probably responsible for more people giving up on the backcountry than any other group (wait, maybe that's a good thing, considering how I feel about crowds!)......

Bill:
I used various netless tarp shelters with and without zippers for about 20 nights last spring summer and autumn in New York and Vermont; never near a swamp or marsh. In those places, you're absolutely right about the bugs and when doubts arise about my destination, I usually take a netted tent or shelter. But with a zippered tarp shelter, I'm not absolutely convinced they're necessary except in mangrove swamps and similarly dire places. In the Western alpine, it's too cold after dark for insects.

I understand function of floor protection, but they do seem redundant. Wenzel: THREE POUNDS; $30, loads of space, total protection.

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calamity -

First, you should register for this site, since you are becoming a regular and posting interesting comments. Keep posting.

you said "...In the Western alpine, it's too cold after dark for insects."

Don't kid yourself. I camp in the Sierra a lot, since it is close to home, and often in the Wasatch, Uintas, and Colorado Rockies. At certain seasons, the mosquitoes stay active until late into the night and become active around dawn. I still sometimes have nightmares about one backpack and climb in the Kaiser Wilderness where my supper had about half mosquitoes (a little extra protein!), and I had to keep my bivy sack completely closed despite being too warm (I was travelling light and took a bivy that had no netting - a 15 deg bag in a bivy keeps you more than warm in 35 degree weather). I had intentionally camped well away from streams and ponds to avoid the bugs, and was near timberline.

OTOH, I do camp much of the time with no tent, no tarp, just throw out the sleeping bag on a ground sheet in the Sierra backcountry, since rain in much of the summer is rare. Usually, picking a site on a rise or ridge keeps the bugs away (not always, though).

I have a DMH Cygnet 1-man tent (http://trampola.com/?p=11) -- cheap, light, durable.

One thing you can say for Wenzel is full bug and water protection at very good price and weight of three pounds ?

Here in western Canada as in our north, it is cold AND the bugs will drive you nutso after dark, even at high elevations. They tend to swarm to breed just at dusk and you cannot function without a headnet and lots of repellent as many years living on sub-alpine fire lookouts and hiking into high alpine lakes taught me.

As it happens, the leading bear experts here and in other Grizzly dense regions strongly advocate using a tent in bear areas. They opine that the tent confuses bears and they are thus less likely to smack or bite a recumbent hiker. This is Gary Shelton's opinion, among many others and I am inclined, after decades dealing with bears at work and when recreating, to agree.

This does not mean that you can neglect proper camp hygiene, however, this plus being aware of your surroundings is the crucial aspect of being "bear aware". I sleep in a bivy in summer, often in autumn and sometimes in winter, but, that is just my preference as I feel less confined this way than in my ID MKI-XL or Bibler Solo Dome tents.

A $30 Wenzel tent at three pounds is just as effective or maybe even more effective, than a Stephensons, at fending off bears and bugs.