Can Northpole make a good tent? (real question)

I am one of those guys who loves to research things well before I buy. I pickup a ton of info about tents all over the web, only a small percentage I think is any good.

I understand that names like The North Face, Kelty, and Eureka are some of the better brands out there. But after shopping around quite a bit I am looking at the Gander Mountain Guide Series Grizzly Den 8 Tent. Of course it's made by Northpole which normally gets reamed on the camping sites and forums.

Details on the tent here...

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=36733&pdesc=Gander_Mountain_Guide_Series_Grizzly_Den_8_Tent&cname=Tents&aID=72A&merchID=1009&r=view

I looked at the tent assembled in the store and read the specs and it seems to compare well with the mid to upper level Eureka's.($200-$250 range) The seams are folded and taped, the fabrics all seems to be at least decent and comparable. At least they list some of the details, I haven’t seen a Coleman even list fabric specs. In other words this seems to be a step up from the typical Wal-mart/Coleman tents everyone says stay away from. I know the only real test is to try it and take hose to it (in gentle shower mode) but there is a 10% restock after I set it up.

My needs are modest but I don't want junk either. And weather doesn't care if you’re hard-core or not if its gonna rain, its gonna rain. I don’t doubt that Northpole mostly makes crap, but doesn’t mean they don’t have a few gems out there if they try. Or am I just trying to talk myself into saving some money?

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There are some Gander Mountain tents that are ok for car camping, IF you don't put them to really hard use. There are several problems immediately apparent from the description you linked, which are among the reasons that Trailspace decided long ago to not do reviews or answer questions on such tents.

1. fiberglass poles - these break easily and are not repairable in the field, with most of the breaks being of the "green stick" variety.

2. it says "full length rainfly", yet the image shows the typical top-only rainfly found on tents like this. When you have blowing rain, it comes in under the fly. Have the door open for ventilation, and the mesh is completely unshielded, and in comes the rain (or snow or dust).

3. Ah, yes, but it says the tent body is polyurethane coated nylon - waterproof, right? Yes, and non-breathable, which means condensation on the walls if it is at all humid. Such as during one of those heavy thundershowers or during a continuous misty rain when the humidity gets up to 100% and the temperature of the walls becomes the outside temperature, which means condensation.

4. Did you look at the weight? Even with the wheels it says the storage bag has, this is going to be heavy.

Ummm, and what's this about "easy accessibility for electric cords"? Sorry, this is not appropriate for Trailspace.

Car camping maybe. But don't count on long life. By the way, you have to make sure to completely dry the tent before storing it, or the flash coating will peel right off. Then again, the advantage of this is that the tent fabric will become somewhat breathable.

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This site had dozens of angry posts about tents made by North Pole before the owner banned them. Not sure how this one got by. The short answer is "maybe, but based on the huge number of complaints we've seen, not likely."

If it never rains, it won't make much difference; if it does, I wouldn't want to be too far from the car.

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I apologize if my post seemed angry, I was honestly looking for some good info about what may be their higher end tents.

I am pretty convinced i am going to return the tent and order a Big Agnes Big House 6 or a Kelty Green River 6 both I found for about $40 more online.

thanks

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One reason Trailspace's owners banned posts about "big box" branded tents (see the FAQ) is that we got far too many posts from owners who were angry at us for not falling all over ourselves to help them with their problems, even though Trailspace has a pretty comprehensive list of customer service numbers for manufacturers, including North Pole. We would get posts accusing us of "poor customer service" which shows how little effort the posters made to understand what this site is about and who posts here. It got to be a real annoyance and Dave finally called it quits.

Finding a big quality tent at a reasonable price is a challenge, no question-few quality manufacturers make really big ones and those tend to be expensive. But if you buy a good tent and keep it for years, it will be worth the initial investment.

REI has a bunch of six person tents on their website; some in your price range. If you buy a tent from them, you can take it back for almost any reason, especially quality control issues. I highly recommend them for mainstream outdoor gear for the average camper or hiker.

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I did end up with the Kelty Green River 6 and at very good price ($250). My challenge now is to get it in, setup and seam sealed before next weekend's Scout trip. I also plan to use it for the Bonnaroo festival this year. That will be a test on how well it stays cool. Not it's strength from what I read, although I do have an awning to put some shade on it and will probably get a fan to help too.

Looks like the only real thing to worry about is the fiberglass poles, but it sounds like Kelty is very good about replacements. I know that does you no good out in the field if one breaks. I may try to order one to have a spare on hand.

Anyone ever try a piece of copper (or other) tubing to do a quick repair?

I've spent days finding a tent and feel pretty good about what I got so far. Now on to care and cleaning.

Thanks for the input.

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It looks like the seams on the fly and floor are taped at the factory. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about a broken pole before you even have the tent; with a tent weighing 30 pounds, you're unlikely to be too far from your car if one does break. Although I know the Scout motto: be prepared.

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Quote:

Anyone ever try a piece of copper (or other) tubing to do a quick repair?

Ummm, copper is way too expensive these days (I'm in the process of building a house, and copper pipe for plumbing and copper wire for the electrics is horrendously pricey, plus there are unsavory types who visit construction sites during the night to steal anything copper).

Aluminum tubing is the repair splint of choice, and is included in field repair kits for tents. I have used aluminum angle, combined with duct tape to repair tent poles and bamboo and fiberglass ski poles - a bit lighter than the tubing. Still, best bet for the tent is aluminum poles, especially Easton (Easton has an excellent replacement guarantee, and is used by most of the top-quality tent makers).

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