Planning on doing some sandbar camping with the wife – need some tent recommendations . I have a wall tent for hunting and a lightweight Tipi for backpack hunting but both aren’t really suitable for the Mrs with the open floor .
Want a nice 2-3 person tent – quick fast and light to setup, nice bag , and good quality . Something that isn’t 50 lbs in the boat would be nice . Have they made strides in these yet like hub ice shelters ? What’s all out there ?
Thanks
Sounds like a good excuse to buy the matching insert for your tipi 
I’d get a 4 person backpacking tent from Big Agnes, MSR, Marmot, or other reputable brand. Don’t get the top of the line – they’re just lighter and more fragile. Perfect bombproof boat camping tent for two. FW and I bought a Kelty 4 person about 10 years ago for the same type of use and it’s my cheapest but probably most used tent since then. We even throw our family of 5 in there for short weekends.
They do make hub style tents and other instant setup types but every one of them I’ve slept in or seen has been sh!t quality. You’ll find them at Costco and Walmart.
I run 2 different msr backpack tents that are 3 and 4 person thay are both top notch, but that said they are 700 plus bucks.
I also run a Walmart pop up tent with quick poles that has taken 3 years of abuse, I use this on my river trips on the Croix. It’s much bigger then my msr tents. They all work awesome. The Walmart one has been through many storms and always impresses me. The msr tents could go through some wild weather and stay dry.
Check out a kelty, msr or marmot they all make nice shelters. So do many other brands
Eureka Timberline tent.
They may have equals, but these tents yield to no other on quality and durability.
They withstand heavy rain and higher winds pretty well.
I have owned Big Agnes tents as well as the Cabelas Alaskan Guide tent.
Neither option is very cheap. Both have great quality. The Big Agnes is definitely lighter than the Alaskan Guide. The Alaskan guide is more of a 4 season tent.
A few years back my wife talked me into getting an REI tent and I was really reluctant to drop a few hundred on a tent. (Coming from a bumpkin who made do with a $50 ozark trail dome tent for the 20 yrs of my teens through early 30s).
Anyway, I was skeptical until we used it, and saw the difference in quality right away. Very solid, lightweight, and well-reinforced. We’ve used it a lot and have had no issues. It’s a Kingdom 6 and weighs maybe 15-20lbs. They also make a 4 (and maybe 2?) person version.
Have an almost 20 year old Kelty 2 man that has held up awesome with a ton of use. Recently I’ve just been using Coleman and have been pretty impressed. For 4 or 5 night trips twice a year they work great. Have the Coleman 8 man Red Canyon and Coleman 6 man Evanston. I’ve read good things about the Coleman 4 man Sundome. For reference my 8 man Red Canyon weighs about 25 pounds.
I have a Big Agnes Doghouse 6 that I like. It’s a big tent but packs down small and relatively light. It’s nice to have two people to set it up but one guy can do it. Super roomy and tons of head room.
I also recommend Coleman’s instant tents. They’re a little bulkier, but man they are quick and easy to set up!! I used one for years and years, but the wind caught it one day while I was drying it out in the backyard (wasn’t staked down) and it broke a pole cartwheeling around lol
Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Model Geodesic 4-Person Tent is what I use, they have a full length rain fly and vestibule. They are on sale right now $299
Kelty Gunnison 3.2 is fine for two people who are just sleeping and storing their gear. It’s about 3 pounds without a ground cloth, and can be set up quick. Are you looking to be sleeping on the ground or on cots cuz that makes a big difference? How much weight are you really willing to pack, because some of the 6 sided gazebos have zip in panels and can be placed on a ground cloth and have lots of room and can be used as a place to hang out in the shade.
double tent cot
Eureka Timberline tent.
They may have equals, but these tents yield to no other on quality and durability.
They withstand heavy rain and higher winds pretty well.
X2…Outfitters for BWCA used them for years. They perform well, pack small, are light but durable.
I was in the party tent business for 30 years and had an account with Eureka tents. I bought Eureka camping tents for some friends over the years and one for myself, and I can say they are very well made.
Check out Gazelle tents. They are hub tents, set up in under 2 minutes. Very well made with a storage bag that the tent actually fits into. I have the T4, it’s 8′ x 8′ and over 6′ tall. Can easily put 2 cots in it with room to move.
I’ve used it a couple years during our trips to Voyageurs and last year in Montana. Only downfall is it’s big, probably 5′ long in the bag and 40#.
I found mine on ebay for under $200. I like it so much I picked up a Gazelle screen tent too. Same hub design I can set up in under a couple minutes by myself.
I do a lot of camping and actually prefer tent camping. That said, I think there are tons of great options out there from different tent makers, you’ll just have to decide on what you’re looking for. MSR, Marmot and Big Agnes make excellent tents and you will pay for them. Kelty and Eureka make great tents at a more modest price. I would avoid any of the cheaper tents you find like the plague as I value staying dry and being able to sleep well.
Here are some must haves that I look for:
– Definitely get a tent with aluminum poles, not fiberglass. You’ll save a ton of weight just on these plus they are way more durable.
– Full rain fly. I don’t trust the tent body to keep me dry on any tent.
– Sizable vestibules on each door. Gives you somewhere dry to put on and take off your shoes, rain gear, etc. Plus leave that muddy and wet stuff outside the tent. Some tents have add on “porches” but I prefer one with just the vestibules built into the fly.
– Plenty of guy out points for securing your tent in the wind, don’t just rely on the four staked down corners.
– Definitely get a tent with aluminum poles, not fiberglass. You’ll save a ton of weight just on these plus they are way more durable.
– Full rain fly. I don’t trust the tent body to keep me dry on any tent.
Wise words to live by. I’ve owned a lot of tents and will never own another without these two features. Ok well maybe carbon poles, but definitely not fiberglass.
See lots of tents suggested here that don’t have a full rain fly. It’s not if those will get wet, it’s when.
Do the aluminum poles flex? My buddy has one of those Cabelas Alaskan 4 season guide series tents, but I dont think those are aluminum. Its an awesome tent but really gets crowded with 3 guys and cots and its the biggest one they make.
Yeah aluminum/fiberglass flex tent poles both function basically the same. Difference is the aluminum are a lot lighter, bend instead of splinter, and sections go together/apart 100x easier – that’s the big kicker for me. With aluminum you can throw the pole sections out and they practically snap themself together. They push through sleeves a lot easier too, but those sleeves are usually replaced with clips on higher end tents.
We’ve had good luck with REI and WALRUS brands. Back in the day we got the wife’s Girl Scout troop 4 REI dome tents. They used the heck out of them with no problems. Just seam seal whatever you get if it’s no factory taped
Any favorite tent stakes or guy lines/tensioners??
Coleman Insta-tent! Fiberglass poles all connected like a hub style shelter. Has a floor, but we sleep on inflatable mattress. Sets up in MINUTES! We replaced the first one we had for 10 years after the material started to lose its water repellance. (leaks in the seams, and moisture seap through wall material.) Four and six man tents. Under $200.
Coleman Insta-tent! Fiberglass poles all connected like a hub style shelter. Has a floor, but we sleep on inflatable mattress. Sets up in MINUTES! We replaced the first one we had for 10 years after the material started to lose its water repellance. (leaks in the seams, and moisture seap through wall material.) Four and six man tents. Under $200.
That’s what I use river camping. Biggest down fall is the rain fly. But it does stay impressively dry in the few storms mines been through
Cabela’s Alaskan. with vestibule is great and has survived some pretty good wind and snow storms .
Rain fly to the ground is a MUST!
Most tents can only fit half the number of people listed…
Any favorite tent stakes or guy lines/tensioners??
MSR Groundhogs or DAC J-stakes are both money if you want something lightweight. There’s a lot of knockoffs of both, some good some not so much.
If you don’t care about weight/bulk and need to hammer them into compacted gravel pads then the standard generic 10″ steel tent stakes will get the job done.
Lawson Ironwire is top notch guyline cord. For tension using a bowline and truckers hitch is the way. Otherwise lineloc 3 tensioners are pretty slick.
I also use a mallet with a J hook screwed into the butt end of the handle for pulling stakes out.
Cabela’s Alaskan. with vestibule is great and has survived some pretty good wind and snow storms .
Pretty sure this is the one my buddy has. Holy Hannah have we gone through some bad thunderstorms in that thing and never a drop of water. Literally the thing was coming off the ground with us inside from all the wind. THat was when I decided I am no longer a camper.
hope you plan your camping spot on the river better than me. 2 years ago took the kid and her cousin and I found out that the barges run 24/7. bout 1am we had one park right across from our sandbar and idle for 2 hours. apparently 2 ships passing in the night don’t have enough room in certain parts of the river.
with tents you get what you pay for is my experience. if you want top of the line stop in at Tyrol in Roch. Marketplace has options as well for bigger discounts.
Kodiak Canvas.
We got 10 inches of snow no this trip turkey hunting. Wish I could find all of the pictures we used cardboard as shovels to get paths from the tent. LOL
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