It's been over a half-century since this boy spent any time in a tent. This hunting trip, I decided to revert to the basics in order to save a little money on the ridiculously sky high diesel prices across the country and use a tent versus my camper. In light of the fact I would drive over 6000 miles, a little saved at the pump could be significant. Waterproofing, ease of setup, comfort, and cost were all factors in my choice of tent. I found several I thought would be perfect, but they would take two people to erect. I ended up with this tent by Magellan. Not only was it amazingly easy to erect by myself, but it allowed me to stand up inside, it came with LED lighting, it had plenty of openings for air flow, came with a separate rain cover, and appeared durable with heavy duty zippers and substantial ground spikes and tie lines. I took the liberty of sealing all the seams with a spray waterproofing sealant, and I bought a ground tarp and cut it to fit. Set up was fast and easy. The tent, when properly staked, seemed to be able to take a substantial wind, although I did not encounter anything over a stiff breeze. I did have a rain event the third night that dropped an inch of rain in the mountains. I noticed a small drip at the base of one of the zippered windows- nearly insignificant.
It packs up into its own canvas bag (first picture), weighs 20-30#, and is approx 6' long. It fits perfectly in the back of my truck. It's not for backpackers. Two adults with cots would have an easy time of it. For just me, it was like a room in the woods. I would have liked a tarp over the entrance, especially during the rain event.
In retrospect, I'm really amazed at how comfortable I was. With the rain, sun, breeze, and temps in the 30's-40's at night, I had a blast. Made by Magellan, I bought it at Academy Sports. I think next time, I will ditch the Tent Cot, for a regular cot. I will put a tarp over the door, and bring my (super quiet) generator for a small heater and coffee maker. I probably just went from camping to glamping with those additions, but that's fine with me.
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Note: I'm not compensated in any way by Magellan or Academy Sports.
