Originally Posted by
fuzz2050
I'm one of the few people who thinks that non-freestanding tents are a good idea. I still maintain that there are very few real freestanding tents, and that even the oft touted 'freestanding' tents like the REI (Fraction) Domes, and the Big Agnes lines are not really freestanding.
I have a Quarter Dome myself, and it's a great tent, but it takes at least four pegs to actually erect it, and is a lot more stable with six or eight. If I was in a real storm, I'd want close to ten.
A Big Agnes Fly Creek also takes at least four pegs to pitch, and would probably benefit from a few more.
In my mind, if I need four pegs to erect my tent and fly with a reasonable pitch, it isn't freestanding.
I'm not sure what you would classify as a freestanding tent. You don't
need any tent pegs at all to pitch a freestanding tent...not something that can be said about single pole tents. You can assemble it and leave it standing free from any kind of support.
Now I
always stake my tent out because stuff happens. But that doesn't mean that the tent isn't 'free standing'. It just means that I'm being realistic.