Touring - Will this tent suffice?

I'm planning on doing some shorter self supported tours this summer (3-4 days) in New England, and next summer (July, August of 2009) I plan on following the Northern Tier route across the USA. The tent I currently have is the Eureka Apex 2. Do any of you have experience w/ this tent? I'm new to touring, how does this compare in terms of weight, size, durability for sleeping one person almost every night for a couple of months?

Also, any suggestions on a sleeping bag?

here's the tent...

http://www.eurekatent.com/p-56-apex-2.aspx#

draw out the perimeter in your living room and put all your stuff in it. keep in mind that the tent slopes inward, so the corners and outermost edges can be difficult to use as storage/living space.

The weight looks OK. The size looks OK, I personally would find that more than adequate. Eureka tents are generally fairly sturdy and well made and I have had good luck with them.

The fly does not look like it gives much protection over the door. I would feel better if it had a fly like the Apex 2 XT. I would wonder about whether you could stay dry and ventilated at the same time on a rainy night. Be sure to try it out for at least one rainy night before counting on it for a long tour.

Your tent will do the job. I'd say it was heavy for one person, but the majority of tourers will be ok with
the weight.. As far as bags go I'd recommend Western Mountaineering or if you want something different

www.jacksrbetter.com

I use this tent and it's OK - after a few months of daily camping some of the seams come loose and I've got a few holes in the floor (from sprinkler attacks: panicked dragging the tent over concrete --- BAD idea). The fly is inadequate. I carry a tarp to throw over the portion of the tent not covered by it (the back wall). Plenty of room for one person. I like being able to take everything inside especially on rainy days. For super hot mid western summers its ok too. I sometimes I wish I spent $60 more for a fancy tent but I think I only paid like 75... good deal!

Edit: oh yeah, the two door thing is nice --- can pee out one side and use the other as an entrance. :) Ventilation is not an issue, the fly can be pulled away from the mesh panel with a stake & rope - it has a loop sewn on for this.

The weight looks OK. The size looks OK, I personally would find that more than adequate. Eureka tents are generally fairly sturdy and well made and I have had good luck with them.

The fly does not look like it gives much protection over the door. I would feel better if it had a fly like the Apex 2 XT. I would wonder about whether you could stay dry and ventilated at the same time on a rainy night. Be sure to try it out for at least one rainy night before counting on it for a long tour.

I'd agree with you on the XT being a bit better. Not only does the fly keep the rain off the door but you have some place to store your stuff without having to sleep with it.

I'm also not a big fan of threading poles into sleeves...even if they are short ones. Too much bother.

Not to take anything away from Eureka...I've owned 4 of their tents, two Timberlines, one Alpine Meadows 4, and an EXO...but you might want to look at these (http://www.rei.com/Search.do?storeId=8001&origin=Outlet_Camp&cat=22000022&hist=origin%2COutlet_Camp%5Ecat%2C22000001%5Estart%5Ecat%2C22000022%3ATents) too, grantman18.

I would never buy a tent whose fly didn't completely cover the tent.

I agree with others. The weight is okay. It's too short for me - I'm 6'4" and prefer a tent that's at least 90" long - but if you're not so tall this might be fine. The width - 4'11" - seems nice. My first backpacking/bike touring tent was 5' wide. I could put all four of my panniers next to me inside, which was a plus.

The thing that scares me about this tent is the limited coverage of the rainfly. It looks like the rain would come streaming down the side of the tent, and would eventually leak. I prefer a rainfly that goes all the way to the ground. The water drips off onto the ground, not onto the walls of the tent.

I've owned two Eureka tents - a Timberline and a Tetragon. They were both excellent tents that didn't leak. However, they both have rainflys that extend all the way to the ground.

See if you can sleep in the backyard during a rainstorm to test its waterproofness, or leave the sprinkler on for a couple of hours.