A man walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says, "Doctor, I’m so confused. I don’t know if I’m a teepee or a wigwam." And the Doctor says, "I see your problem; you’re too tense".

Tents are like motorcycles (for me, anyway) – you just can’t have too many. And although there’s a lot of great tents out there, it’s gonna be hard to find one that does everything you need all the time. Now that I’ve given you the conclusion of the article, you may want to read on and see how I got there.

Background

This article highlights the comparative features and benefits of tents that are currently popular with our members who ride and camp. 

When answering the call to compile a roundup comparison on tents, I promptly became the owner of the first polling-of-the-members request and designed a fundamentally flawed questionnaire. Based on the available lead-time, the only way to receive input was through two MOA charter the IBMWR and Airheads online mailing lists. (See, the Internet does serve some useful purpose... there are Beemers there!). 

This comparison is only a partial listing of tents suitable for motorcycle camping. Plus, there are new products all the time. So for you who have a tent you like that isn’t on this list, or you find a particularly cool new thing, you can mail the information to us here at the CampSite.

Questionnaire

An e-mail questionnaire was used to collect structured response regarding the following attributes:

• Weight
• Floor space
• Size when packed
• Maximum inside height
• Number of poles & pole material
• Method of pole attachment to tent and fly
• Price
• Extra Features
• Likes & Dislikes

Even if you don’t choose a tent from this list, be sure to use these criteria to evaluate the tent you want.

Answers to the Likes & Dislikes questions ultimately provided the most interesting, if not useful, reporting on the tent in question. And we could get pretty passionate about our answers, too.

In hindsight, at least two other questions were not asked that would have been helpful: Is the tent free-standing? And, how long have you had the tent? Let us know if we missed anything else.

Responses

The table shown in the article is a brief synopsis of all the respondents replies. You’ll notice that the answers can vary widely from something as measurable as weight to even what form the answers were expected in. I blame myself, to paraphrase a comedian’s punchline.

Also, caveat emptor... no work was performed in validating any of the answers and they are published almost verbatim.

Some Notes on the Categories

Weight is listed in pounds. Although some used other scales, equally telling, in responding to that question like light or heavy. And weight may or may not be an important factor in a person’s tent selection.

Floor space was responded to by supplying a combination of dimensions, square footage or a respondent’s general recommendation on how many people could fit inside.

Packed size can be an important factor for some particularly if you’re trying to fit the tent into a certain spot like a saddlebag. In that case, the length of a pole section when folded will be the limiting factor.

Inside height can be measured in inches or whether you can sit, knell or stand inside the tent.

The number of poles can contribute to a tent’s stability in extreme conditions. It can also factor in to how difficult or time-intensive setup/break down can be.

Similarly, how the tent and fly attaches to the framework can contribute to stability and also can conversely effect ease of setup.

How much we’re willing to pay (price) for a movable shelter varied almost as much as housing costs throughout the country. Not counting tents bought on sale or used, the respondents spent anywhere from $65 to $850 for a tent. (I wish I didn’t hear about that $850 one – I’m still under the illusion that if it costs more it must be worth it. That probably explains why I ended up with a...oh, never mind).

Extras almost provides no input here because the question was not posed specifically enough. Some considered those little mesh pockets inside used to hold personal belongings as an extra while others assumed that they’re included and only reported items such as an extra door or a large vestibule as an extra.

As mentioned earlier, the likes and dislikes questions really provided some interesting and passionate answers.

I wasn’t surprised to see that Eureka! tents had the most responses. At one time the Timberline series was the standard to be measured against in it’s class. I was not expecting the second most popular company to be L.L. Bean. But with their reputation for quality and customer satisfaction I guess it really isn’t surprising.

How I Decided On My Last Two Tents

I’ve been threatening to take this cool, commemorative trip with Daughter #1. It would entail staying at different campgrounds every night for two or three weeks. So for this tent purchase, I was looking for something that would be easy to set up, provide a fair amount of space in case we had to hang out for awhile, be reasonably lightweight, and not cause me to dip into my 401K (again!).

In the picture above, the tent on the right is the one I decided on, a Eureka! Backcountry 4. I liked it because: Eureka! has a good reputation, it has two poles for the tent and one for the fly, it attaches with clips and buckles (as opposed to threading through sleeves), was reasonably priced (more on that later), and, as the Eureka! people explained, is constructed of their best materials (fabric, zippers, mesh, poles).

And there was another interesting factor: it had a good ratio of weight to floor space. That is, by purchasing the four-person model instead of the two-person one, it only added another 1½ pounds for almost 50% more floor space (from 38 to 56 ft²)! Note the good inside height – that’s a yard stick leaning against the tent to the left of the door.

The second picture above shows the mesh panels at the top providing reasonable ventilation (fly not attached) and the clips used to attach the tent to the anodized (non-hand-blackening) poles.

But, as I said in the beginning, one tent isn’t enough. I wanted one that I could use on overnights or times when space/weight is at a premium and I would be camping alone. Enter the Eureka! Zephyr. This is the tent that’s on the left in the first picture.

Make no mistake about it; this is a solo tent. It has room for me (5’6") and most of my gear. It’s exactly what I was looking for when space/weight are the most important requirements.

The third picture shows the mesh sleeves that the Zephyr’s poles (cool purple color) thread through - not one of my favorite designs. But at under $100…

Special for Rallygoers

…which segues nicely into how I buy a tent for less than it normally sells for.

1½ hours south of the rally, in Paramus, NJ, are two stores you might want to visit. One is Ramsey Outdoor Store and the other is Campmor, whose catalog is familiar to many. In the case of Campmor, their extensive display is sure to impress. And they always seem to have some item on clearance.

If you travel about three hours west of the rally to Binghamton, NY, you can visit the Eureka! factory store. They sell "A" and "B" quality tents. These are tents that have some non-structural, non-functional flaws and are sold at substantial savings. That’s where I found the two tents above. Their phone number is listed under Johnson Worldwide Associates and is (607) 779-2265.

You may never be content

Choosing a tent is like deciding on a bike; there’s bound to be some compromises. If you can have two bikes, or tents, you can mitigate some of those compromises. If you can have three…

Happy trails and may there be just enough clouds for a beautiful sunset.