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tent recommendations for RV camping

dwranda

Well Known Member
I'm still maybe a year away from geting my 9A flying but with Oshkosh still fresh on everyones minds I would like some tent info. What are some recommendations for tents that will not use up too much space(or weight) in the RV yet give us a lot of space in the tent. I think I would like at least a 4 person tent. We currently camp in Scholler every year with a 10 person really heavy tent so that won't be going with us in the RV.
 
Low profile! :D Stay away from the stand up tents or at least the ones shaped like a big box :eek:
 
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I use the Kelty - Acadia 4.

It's a 4 person free standing Tent with fiberglass poles - the poles are heavy-ish so not really appropriate for backpacking but great for airplane camping since it packs up small, is roomy, has two doors, large vestibules and with the rainfly removed makes a great star viewing bug shelter.

I got from Amazon for $135, though it's currently listed as unavailable.
 
Kelty Salida 4

I have a Kelty Salida 4, which has aluminum foldable linked poles, been through 2 OSH trips that had storms that took out lots of tents. Plenty of room, good full coverage rainfly and small vestibule. I believe I paid around $150.00 for it. Super easy set-up and I also have a fitted securable "footprint" accessory that keeps the moisture out of the bottom AKA the ground tarp.
 
You might also consider the REI Kingdom 4 tent. Spacious and boxy, well designed and made, aluminum poles, easy setup/takedown, packs well, and has good reviews. I have no idea how it would behave in a 40 mph thunderstorm but would hope it has a chance if properly tied down at multiple points and heights.
 
You might also consider the REI Kingdom 4 tent. Spacious and boxy, well designed and made, aluminum poles, easy setup/takedown, packs well, and has good reviews. I have no idea how it would behave in a 40 mph thunderstorm but would hope it has a chance if properly tied down at multiple points and heights.

Ours is in the dumpster at Oshkosh :eek: went down immediately Friday night from that storm :( broke the poles but did manage to stay staked down :p

Replaced with the REI Basecamp tent, much more sturdy lower-profile option.
 
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You want a low profile tent with aluminum poles and a fly that goes all the way to the ground. I have a 3 person MSR tent that fits that description and has held up to numerous storms. Plenty of other manufacturers make similar tents.
 
Tents

I seen quite a few REI tents with aluminum poles destroyed at osh. I would stick to low profile and fiberglass poles, so it can give. My cheap Coleman tent made it though the osh deluge just fine.
 
My cheap Coleman tent made it though the osh deluge just fine.

Show off :p Where's your sense of adventure? It was fun having to haul our gear to an insanely over priced hotel at 12:30 in the morning soaking wet :eek:
 
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I have the Kelty Gunnison for 2 and it's been great. Easy to setup and breakdown, stuffs into a small sack and doesn't weigh much. Aluminum tent poles. Good quality tent. Very happy
 
Ours is in the dumpster at Oshkosh :eek: went down immediately Friday night from that storm :( broke the poles but did manage to stay staked down :p

Replaced with the REI Basecamp tent, much more sturdy lower-profile option.
It depends on the type of camping. Oshkosh camping, I bring a lot of stuff. REI Basecamp 4 tent. Pretty tough. Very functional. (Gotta stake it down completely and tighten the straps.)

Backpacking or bikepacking out of the plane, I bring backpacking equipment. REI Quarter Dome 1.
 
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REI Quarter Dome 3 is awesome though a little expensive. If you want good size and very low weight though, you get what you pay for.
 
Ours is in the dumpster at Oshkosh :eek: went down immediately Friday night from that storm :( broke the poles but did manage to stay staked down :p

Replaced with the REI Basecamp tent, much more sturdy lower-profile option.

You trashed something that you bought from Return Everything Indefinitely? Bet they would've taken it in for exchange! :D

How did you get your Basecamp while already at OSH? Have someone pick one up for you? Drive/fly down to MWC/02C?

REI would probably make a killing at OSH with a vendor booth.
 
Tent

Repeat what a few have said, rainfly goes
To ground!!! With ventilation for heat.
Same tent 13 years oshkosh.
 
My cheap Coleman with fiberglass poles bent flat with the wind and leaked water because I was in a low spot - but the poles did not break and it stood right back up again when the wind blew itself out.
 
You trashed something that you bought from Return Everything Indefinitely? Bet they would've taken it in for exchange! :D

How did you get your Basecamp while already at OSH? Have someone pick one up for you? Drive/fly down to MWC/02C?

REI would probably make a killing at OSH with a vendor booth.

We had it delivered to the Hotel on Tuesday, REI covered the new tent and the next day shipping (no complaints).
 
Although the RV-10 is under construction, and my wife and I just did the first trip to Oshkosh driving there, we decided to go ahead and get the tent we would fly with down the road, so we did quite a bit of digging and like what we came up with, although as another poster mentioned... you tend to get what you pay for.

We got the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL (UltraLightweight) 3 season, 4 person tent.

It's crazy light for the size it sets up to.... 5.5 pounds, and 5 inches by 21 inches packed size, including poles and stakes. Things we liked were, it's got doors on both sides so people can exit without tromping on one another, and the rain fly stakes out with a small vestibule on both sides, big enough to put a medium cooler out of the sun and place for shoes etc, out of the rain.

It rained a bit on us and it worked just fine. Edges come up 6-8 inches all around, so unless it's deeper than that water wise, should keep dry, and it's got a bunch of interior pockets for phone's, keys, etc. It's early to say, but after 4 nights in it, and a bit of rain, pleased with it.

Lance

tent.jpg
 
My cheap Coleman with fiberglass poles bent flat with the wind and leaked water because I was in a low spot - but the poles did not break and it stood right back up again when the wind blew itself out.

Same here except ours did not leak much from the bottom. It looked and felt like a water bed inside.

During the hard driving rain, water was pushing thru the rain fly occasionally.

All the water we got inside was able to be wiped up with just a towel and did not require a bilge pump or bailing bucket :)
 
We've had our Cinch popup tent (fiberglass poles) for 3 Osh's now. We were there Friday and Saturday for the big storms and the tent held up perfectly. I only wish it was about a foot taller.

We spent a lot of time walking around and looking at taller tents but couldn't find anyone who had one we liked that was there Friday (Friday being my new bench mark as to how a tent must be able to perform). So I'm watching this thread with great interest.
 
You guys are getting the best flying machine and yet settling down for Colman type tent?
Best flying machine demands the best tent, Northface VE25 or Bibler.
 
I cant take credit for this one. I got mine surplus from the Marines after they came back from a deployment to Iraq. Still in the box, along with a GREAT sleeping bag. Tent is from Diamond----probably on a Govt contract. 2 person (we had a bunch of them when I was a Scoutmaster, put 2 scouts in them), dome tent, looks like a Eureka. WE know they will take 50Kt winds---did some during a camping trip. No runs, no drips, no broken poles. In fact, during the Saturday OSH event, I slept.

Small enough in the bag to travel in a RV.

Tom
 
What you are looking for is a BackPacking tent... for 4 people. They are made to be lightweight yet strong/strudy with good vestibules for storing things out of the elements.

I use a 2 person one from ALPS Mountaineering in my RV9A. not real big inside - but vestibules are good.

Here are the few 4 person backpacking tents.. Alternate plan is to have 2x 2 person tent... only 2 seats right?

https://www.campmor.com/SearchDispl...22&minPrice=&categoryId=200368487&storeId=226
 
MSR-Hubba Hubba NX - only a 2 man backpacker, but did not blow away, and did not leak a drop. I slept through at least 2 of the storms. Packs very small, sets up quickly, and light. My world traveling, mountain climber son had one for 7 years and same result. He got after his REI blew away and they offered anything in the store - this was his choice.

A slightly larger version would be useful. ;)

Maybe a Mutha Hubba
 
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My REI Camp Dome 2 held up very well although, I did have a couple wet spots from rain blowing up the rain fly.

Next year, I'm bringing my backpacking tent, the ZPacks Duplex. It survived my 900 mile PCT hike this year where I had 70+ mph winds on a few ridges.
It weighs in at 19.4 ounces. The bathtub floor keeps all the water out.
https://zpacks.com/products/duplex-tent
 
not for Osh

but experience says that a full rainfly on a dome tent [little crossflow] will generate condensation and frost inside the tent in the cold. 6" of snow, -10F, and nowhere dry for 10 miles is not a good time to learn about condensation wetting down your down bags...
Was glad we got the elk that morning, only one additional miserable night trying not to hypotherm.
 
Tent

Mine is a Coleman 6 person and I can stand up in it. It is so much easier to get dressed when you can stand up. I was not at Oshkosh on Friday night. I arrive Saturday morning about 7:30 a.m. and mine survived the two storms on Saturday. I don't know what would have happened on Friday night.

But my approach is going to be keep the current tent, and order an extra set of poles and a pole repair kit. Both are reasonably priced and light so I can take them with me in my RV-12.

I did not use the stakes that came with my tent. I bought some orangescrew stakes, plastic stakes that screw into the ground. I used those to hold the tent in place on the ground. The make two sized and I bought the smaller size to hold the tent down.
 
Dry gear and a dry you during a rain is priceless

Dry is priceless! Don't skimp here. I did and was miserabley wet one year at Petit Jean, AK. I spent the night with my gear in a utility closet between the bathrooms! There were hundreds of granddaddy long legs sharing the same space. The next day I looked around at many of the other tents and got advice from many very experienced camping folks.

I now have the Big Agnus... 3 person I think. It's not been rain tested yet but quality is far superior over what I had so I'm sure it will serve me well. I was told the rain cover needs to go all the way to the bottom and it does. Also the side come up 6 inches or so.

I was at Oshkosh one year with another chepo tent and it flooded after one rainstorm. I took it straight to the dumpster!
 
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