Coleman Tents

[paulsibek]

I've used the 7 x 7 Sundome ($49) for many years and recommend it highly (the tent not me...)

Coleman has a new version out, different color and windows on 4 sides and it's $59.

If you are torn (pun) between a cheap tent and a $400 Marmot, this is well worth looking into.

(just can't seem to stay away from the puns today)

[warredon]

I totally agree. I also have owned one of the Coleman 7x7 tents for many years and highly recommend it. It has held up very well considering how much use it has gotten, and it still does not leak anywhere. It packs relatively small, and it is very easy to set up.

[YB in IN]

I've had the same Coleman tent now for the last two years. I've been to too many rallies in the rain, but I've yet to get wet. During the Great Charleston Tornado, the North Face tents around me bit the dust, but my el cheapo tent stayed together and dry.

[MarkF]

I used a Walmart brand this year with great success thru two of the wettest rallies I've attended. Any NEW tent with a bathtub floor made out of that woven plastic material will give good results for the first several uses. I just switched to a Kelty just because it's much easier to set up quickly (Important at 10pm in the rain) and will hopefully give me years of service. At $70 it wasn't all that expensive.

MarkF

[James O]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but along the same lines: Did anyone but me notice the link for camping info disappeared from the MOA homepage? I liked that link because I have yet to go camping while on my bike. It had a lot of useful information.

James O

[YB in IN]

Originally posted by James O
I don't mean to hijack this thread, but along the same lines: Did anyone but me notice the link for camping info disappeared from the MOA homepage? I liked that link because I have yet to go camping while on my bike. It had a lot of useful information.

James O

I hadn't noticed that. Too bad, it was a wealth of information. If you have some questions though, feel free to ask them on this forum, you'll find all the answers that you need, and then some.

[Win3855]

I just looked and camping is still avaiable at BMWMOAcamping MOA (http://www.bmwmoa.org/camping/camping.htm)

[scbmwrider]

Here is a run down of my "recent" tent experiences.

Have a ten + year old North Face Bigfrog. Love it never been wet at all. The Sleddogs at Bike Week in 93 expected Deb & I to come out of it dround one morning. Not a drop of water inside over god knows how many nights spent in it.

Have a Coleman small one person that packs VERY small. Good fair weather tent. Kind of damp.

Have Eurika Tetrigon 7 decent tent mostly dry, good headroom. It has been the kid tent for several years. good value if you don't need a 3 season tent.

New baby is a Mountain Hardware Hammerhead 3. Absolutely love it. Got it this spring and have sat out a couple southern T-storms and not a drop of water. it's a great three+ season tent with great space inside. (picture below)


We got the Hammerhead because the Bigfrog is over ten years old. Hey how long can it last?

[SheRidesABeemer]

Ok, I went through a lot of work looking up the word resuscitate, so I might as well use it again...

I'm looking for tent information. This note is a good start, but I'd like to catch other opinions. Pictures are very helpful! As my riding buddies can attest, I am a reluctant camper...ok, I'm a self proclaimed hotel-dweller. I camped about 6 nights this season, that was huge for me. And for the most part I enjoyed it, especially my first ride and camp event with my 10 year old daughter.

So now I'm thinking I may want to do more of this, due to a desire to travel to some places that are hours from a decent hotel/motel. I have gotten my money's worth out of my 15 year old Sears Sir Edmond Hillary tent, but it's getting gray in the muzzle. (no offense to those of you who are gray in the muzzle).

My priorities are: durability, fits my queen size air mattress (really), fits two adults plus gear comfortably (I like to be able to store my friends gear, they often have slim 1 person tents). Not to concerned about weight, I don't hike with it. Width should be reasonable to lay across the back seat. I think what I'm looking for will be rated more than 2 people.

Thanks!
Gail

[paulsibek]

All the tents mentioned above are excellent but my tastes still go for the Coleman.

The 7 x 7 will hold your queen size , 2 saddle bags and your daughter in relative comfort.It's easy to setup in the dark.

As I said, one of the things I like is that it is a great tent at the price that if I damage I can throw away if I have to, without feeling bad.

Buy one and try it and move up or down if you have to. At $50 it's worth it.

[Rob Nye]

Tents. Around here tent choices can be as subjective as tires. ;)

For Gail, I suggest you follow the advice here and try the coleman or another relatively inexpensive tent. There is a coleman outlet in Wrentham, MA. You can extend the life of the tent if you always use a ground cloth and also make sure the tent is dry before packing. If you leave your tent assembled but pull the stakes you can rotate it for good drying (from morning dew) while you pack up everything else. I learned this summer that if you pack your tent last chances are it will be nice and dry when you roll it up.

These kind of tents are a great value and pretty good for rally camping. I say rally camping because you are generally assured good ground and there are usually places of refuge if a big storm comes in and your tent doesn't survive. I would not take a cheapo tent on a trip to Alaska, although I am sure the next reply will be from someone who did... Twice. :D

I spend close to 30 nights a year in a tent including some nights at the extreme ends of the season. I also used to use my tent for back country skiing so I wanted something a bit more robust, lighter and faster to set up. To Garth, many of the tents that blew away at Charlestion were not staked down properly. If your tent has 8 stake points and provisions for guy lines it is a good idea to use them all if you tent is going to be up for a few days.

Around 1990 I bought a Sierra Designs four season two man tent and I was very happy with it. I still have it but last winter I found a great deal on a demo tent from MSR.

To me the important features are durability, ease of setup and perhaps most important a good vestabule. I also think doors at each end are also important.

Good luck with your search.

Best,

Rob Nye

[paulsibek]

That I missed.

The Cloeman is a good rally tent and a good tent fot the mild to medium end of the camping conditions spectrum.It has rained like crazy a couple of times and we stayed dry and once in my neighbors 10 x 10 Coleman we were camping at 8,000 ft. with winds approx. 70+ (Mt. Pinos in the fall) and to my surprise the tent held up.

I want to hear from the camper that took his Waqlmart $19 tent to Alaska though.

[sgborgstrom]

snip
My priorities are: durability, fits my queen size air mattress (really), fits two adults plus gear comfortably (I like to be able to store my friends gear, they often have slim 1 person tents). Not to concerned about weight, I don't hike with it. Width should be reasonable to lay across the back seat. I think what I'm looking for will be rated more than 2 people.

Thanks!
Gail


I think you are right on in looking for a bigger tent. A small 4 person should do it. Susan and I used a Eureka Timberline with vestibule quite happily for years. Room for two riders and our 'stitches, the boots go in the vestibule (with socks over the tops to keep out critters).
Camping happily is requires the right mind-set, after taking a few trips in our westy vanagon the idea of spending mulitiple nights in a tent lost a lot of its appeal.

Steve

[SheRidesABeemer]

Rain? Did I say rain? This is what my tent looks like in the rain. ;)

[Emoto]

I used a Coleman 7x7 sundome for, I dunno, 6 or 8 years. The fiberglas poles started to crack and lose their ends. I went to the Coleman outlet in Wrentham MA to buy new poles and the store manager GAVE me new ones! The tent is outstanding for non-expedition use.

However, being over 6' tall, it seemed like either my head or my feet were always rubbing the side of the tent - not good when it rains as it makes the water come through. I ended up buying a larger tent from Wally World that has a floor that is like 8' x 9' and it is fantastic to have so much room.

One of the big things to look for in a tent is ease of setup. These simple dome tents have only 2-3 poles and are easy to set up., even in the dark. I own a fancy expensive backpacking tent, but it stays home on the shelf. Too much of a pain to set up and take down and not enough room inside...

[boofer]

Picked up an Air Zone inflatable tent last spring. Ok, they are somewhat expensive, but the ease of setting up (especially in the dark or rain) makes up for it. IMHO. Also there is no particular length (length of poles) to pack it to, so I have found some interesting places to put it.

http://store.4siteoutdoors.com/aizogo2peint.html

[BradfordBenn]

One of the big things to look for in a tent is ease of setup. These simple dome tents have only 2-3 poles and are easy to set up., even in the dark.

When I went tent shopping, I actually asked if I could set up and take down the floor models. Only one place said I could, REI. I now own an REI. Coincidence?

[Emoto]

Yeah, REI is a good place; I have some of their gear and one of their Walrus tents, too. I don't really use it anymore because I like a taller interior height. I should probably sell it.

[knary]

When I went tent shopping, I actually asked if I could set up and take down the floor models. Only one place said I could, REI. I now own an REI. Coincidence?

Most of the gear stores that I've shopped in west of the Denver will help you test a tent - take it down, set it up, cram a sleeping bag inside, etc. I currently own a Kelty of some flavor, but my next tent will probably be an REI. They're very hard to beat for the price. They are not as stout as some of the other tents at twice the price, but that's a trade off I'm comfortable with.

[riderR1150GSAdv]

I have found that most good sporting goods stores/outdoor specialty shops will let you set up and brake down any tent of your choice. You may pay 10/20 bucks more, but nothing sucks more than owning a tent that isn't working out for you. :cry
I have three tents of for the manner in which I go camping, two are Walrus and one is a Mountain Hardware. The latter is the lightest and I now use it for the bike.
The others are for camping on the beaches in the Everglades or on the Cheekee's ( elevated platforms) waaaaay back in the Everglades. :)

[glinm]

I have had years of backpacking experience and HAD been very happy with Coleman products. I quit for about 10 years due to job and family obligations. My son was about 10 when he asked me to take him camping. I pulled out my gear and decided the tent had been stored and neglected too long. The only place near me at that time that stocked sporting goods was Walmart and they had Coleman tents. While shopping, I noticed on the corner of the box by license to Walmart. I called Coleman and inquired about the tent I was considering. The Coleman rep. told me tents and all textile goods bearing the Coleman name at Walmart were NOT designed, manufactured, or approved by Coleman, Walmart had a license to use Coleman's name and trademark.

In 2001, with a party of nine, we did a rim to rim hike in the Grand Canyon. We started with 3 Coleman backpack stoves. Two of the stoves failed in the Canyon beyond field repair level. One hiker in our group had a new Coleman pack, all others had packs from 2 to 10 years old. One pack came out of the Canyon held together with duct tape and rope. Guess which one?

I carry a backpack oven and have to have a stove with a remote fuel supply. The junction where the fuel line connects with the pump began to leak, not a good thing with white gas. I called Coleman and inquired about repair parts and was told it was a common failure and could not be repaired, the pump had to be replaced. A new pump cost $45 plus s/h. A new stove cost $55.

I no longer use Coleman products except their lanterns. I feel the quality is no longer there.

Currently I have an Optimus Nova stove and my son use a MSR Dragonfly. Both have been extremely reliable. We use a 4 person Kelty tent for vehicle camping and Sierra Designs 2 person convertible tent for backpacking when the weather is questionable and a Kelty 2 person in summer.

[BklynPete]

i use campmor, they are located in new jersey, but do a large mailorder business. they really do have good prices and lots of specials over the winter. i bought a 4 person kelty dome and it's easy to set up, doesn't take up alot of space, and keeps me dry when it rains. i do use a ground cloth, so i'm sure that helps a bit. most tents with a fly and a bathtub bottom should work well in wet weather. also, i tend to buy better quality stuff, that i can pick up at a good price, better then bad quality stuff at high or low prices. i am looking at getting a camping trailer, i guess i'm getting too old to sleep on the ground anymore.

pete

[JCBR1150R]

I have used a Coleman 7x9 tent for the last two years. The tent itself is great and the model I use is perfect for the oversized cot I have; there is plenty of room to spare for everything else. I fear it would not hold up too well under careless use (like with children) however, so I would probably get something else for family use.

The tent held up great in the rain as no moisture found its way inside during the entire 6+ hour downpour we had at the fair year before last.

[Emoto]

i guess i'm getting too old to sleep on the ground anymore.

pete


Pete, have you tired a Therma-Rest pad yet? I'm no kid either, but this thing makes sleeping on the ground much more comfortable, and it packs down to a good size for the bike.

[Emoto]

I no longer use Coleman products except their lanterns. I feel the quality is no longer there.

This is distressing to hear. Were all of the "bad" items also WalMart knock-offs, or were they real Coleman merchandise?

Currently I have an Optimus Nova stove and my son use a MSR Dragonfly. Both have been extremely reliable. We use a 4 person Kelty tent for vehicle camping and Sierra Designs 2 person convertible tent for backpacking when the weather is questionable and a Kelty 2 person in summer.

I have an Optimus 8R stove that I use when camping. I bought it around 35 years ago when I was in scouts. Still works beautifully.

:twirl

[glinm]

Both stoves that failed came from Campmor. The pack came from a Coleman factory store in Colorado.

When I called Coleman about the Wally World tent they were generous in the info they gave me. Hard goods (stoves, lanterns, etc.) are made by Coleman for mass merchandisers, including Walmart, but to a different price point than those destined for sporting goods stores. The example I was given was the traditional Coleman camp stove has metal a third thinner at the discount houses.

They told me to check the Coleman part # and if it ended 1,2,3, etc. it was designed for sporting goods stores. If it ended a,b,c, etc. it was built for discounters. Went to Wally World and all p.n.'s ended with a letter. Went to Sports Authority and #'s ended both ways. Having them side by side the difference were noticeable.

When I am a 3 or 4 day walk from help I expect more of my equipment than I do when help is a 5 minute drive away. Same with motorcycles, if I only rode in town I might buy H. D. When home is 1000 miles away, I want a BMW.

[glinm]

To follow up, went by a Wally World this evening and looked in sporting goods. Only one model of Coleman tent and one model of Coleman sleeping bag on display. Also not many other Coleman items there anymore. It has been a few years since I have looked. Of the items I saw, only one (a lantern) had a part number ending with a letter. The tent and sleeping bag were made in China, but did not have the under license to marking. Maybe Coleman is going back to the quality they once had. We can hope.