Doug64

Sierra Trading Post

Trevtassie

Here you go. $120, 3 person reasonable weight, two vestibules for your gear.
Alps Mountaineering make good quality for the price. We used a similar tent, the Chaos 3 for a few tours, maybe 3 1/2 months total time. Fly is still waterproof, floor weeps a little bit.
https://www.steepandcheap.com/alps-m...F0NzExMDAwNDE=

waddo

You want a great tent for no money. It will not happen. How much is a 350$ tent used over 10 years? Answer is nothing. Save money today, regret tomorrow.

phughes

Below $150 is tough. In that range I would recommend a Coleman. I have one I have used for around 16 years so far, and it has been reliably waterproof. I still have yet to retreat it. I have an old 3 person tent. I used it for part of a bike tour in 2019 when my wife came to visit me, instead of my hammock. I ended up taking it with me when she left since I was going to run into some very bad weather, and though spending a day or so waiting out the storms would be nice in the bigger space. It was, and despite heavy rain and high winds, no water made it into the tent.

Here is a 4 person tent with a full fly from Coleman. I would recommend the full fly version from then rather than the shorter fly version.

https://www.rei.com/product/201634/c...-4-person-tent

thook

today, i found a 20 deg slumberjack sleeping bag originally retailing at $80-$90. $5 at the thrift store, dude. my '98 honda crv... with 130k miles needing a little work ....was GIVEN to me. tell me, again, how it will not happen? i'm not looking for the grail of tents

thook

two or three examples in thread so far. but, yes...thank you for some coleman feedback. i've been seeing some in my searches and some look like they'd do the job for me. in boy scouts, we didn't use top of the line or even mid line camping gear and somehow we still managed...lol. just a bunch of military brats with gear the peeps could afford. i know there's some decent stuff out there for modest prices, but you gotta dig and ask around to who's used any of it to get real honest experience. a lot has changed in the 30 something years since i was a scout, but surely not everything

thook

doesn't look to have much head room, but i'll keep it in mind. thanks!

Trevtassie

You aren't going to get much more than 38" in a tent that ticks your boxes.

Trevtassie

Nikwax Tent and Gear Solar Proof. Waterproofs and acts as sunscreen to slow fading and Uv degradation.

thook

my old eureka has more than that. it ticks all the "must" boxes, but the floor weeps. i'm gonna give the old college try, though, and restore it after reading this blog i found. it may not work well for the long run if at all, but i won't be out much if it doesn't. in the meantime, i'm keeping an eye out on ebay, craigslist, yard sales, and the thrift stores. this thread is my data gathering phase....lol. then, i'll see what actually manifests

thook

i've read about gear aid products and it's likely what i'll go with. i've used nikwax a few times in the past on jackets and such and recall not being real happy with the result. maybe i didn't do something right, but i tried several times

Trevtassie

Generally once the floor is gone, it's gone as the PU coating has failed. Waterproofing coatings won't do anything to fix it, they just make the fibres water repellent. That works on flies because it then runs off. On a floor it gets forced through by pressure when you move around.
With any waterproofing coating things need to be clean and residue free. I use Tech Wash on anything I re -proof then rinse real well.

thook

from what i'm reading, you can restore the PU coating, though. gear aid has a PU product. you just have to clean off the old coating in order for it to work. but, that's just what i've read. have you tried restoring a tent before? is the tech wash a DWR? i know just applying a DWR won't do the trick. iirc, that's all did before thinking that would work, but...again...it didn't

Trevtassie

I guess it's worth a shot if the rest if the tent is still good.

Jonathan Hanson 

" . . .i need a good tent. waterproof...i mean reliably waterproof!!...is foremost. roomy would be next. something big enough for three people and modest amount of gear. in/out access on both sides would be great, but not a must. a vestibule of any size would also be really nice, but not a must. simple to set up, lightweight and reasonably compact a must, but nothing minimalist. below $150 is a must."

Sigh . . . This reminds me of a guy looking for a sports car. "200 mph top speed . . . I mean reliably 200mph! Leather upholstery, ceramic brakes. Must weigh under 3,000 pounds. Carbon-fiber wheels, Michelin Pilot tires. Below $20,000 is a must."

If you want high quality you have to pay for high quality.

phughes

The reason I suggested the Coleman, was your insistence on it being waterproof. The floor is a bathtub design, and is made of a tarp like material. It is very heavy duty and completely waterproof. The tent I linked is also a four person tent, which will give three people room. The fly goes all the way down the sides which will greatly help prevent water from coming in during a hard, driving rain.

It is a great value, and ticks your boxes. The cost is a slightly higher weight.

thook

edited for politeness....never asked for "high quality". just reasonable quality...hence the comments coleman, etc would be fine. so long as things are roomy enough and waterproof and not too heavy

thook

edited because i'm a jerk
anyway, i gathered your reason before. many apologies. the coleman sounds like a solid option. and, again, appreciation because coleman isn't generally considered "quality". otoh, they make great stoves, etc. so, probably they could make a good tent, too

thook

so, you haven't tried restoring a tent? okay. well, the tent has no holes, no ripped seams, or ripped netting. i'm going to take it to a laundry mat this weekend or tomorrow and see if it comes clean enough first.

phughes

What is wrong with YOU?! I was just trying to be helpful. I don't care what you buy. I thought I was adding something since I had forgotten I had already mentioned how the bottom was made. I see now I already did. My oversight.

I am truly sorry I even posted anything as a suggestion. You are obviously not a person worth helping. You have a horrible attitude.

Jonathan Hanson 

Sadly, you can't write. Good luck in your quest.

thook

no, i'm sorry. my attitude is generally good. this morning has not been easy going and apparently i misread the mood behind your post. i know you were trying to be helpful. and, there was a part i typed and addressed specifically to you, but somehow in my editing it got lost. "not you phughes". like i said, i really appreciate your feedback on the coleman. again, many apologies

thook

perhaps i'm not the best at conveying, but it seems some people here understood where i was coming from. at least, originally

nevertheless, please accept my apologies everyone. poor excuse, but just having a bad day. sorry

phughes

Apology accepted. We've all had days like that. Thanks.

Jonathan Hanson 

Those days happen to all of us. No worries on my part.