Any hiking/camping fanatics? Need advice on a tent.

[HamMach1]

Looking for a tent for the wife and I to take on some hiking trips, whether it's backpacking or pulling the car up to the site and setting up shop. I was searching on REI's site for ****s and giggles and found this: http://www.rei.com/product/731378/rei-camp-dome-2-tent . Is $100 a fair price for what I am getting out of this tent? If not, can y'all point me in the right direction?

[Wildtim]

OK pay attention to the video in the link. She says 2 person a couple of times but the only tent shown is the 4 person model. The two person model is most of 2 feet shorter in height three feet narrower and a foot and a half less long. In other words very very small for two people. For its size it is not really all that light either.

When I backpack I carry a three person tent for my wife and I it weighs the same as that one, in fact I carry it on solo trips too. Granted mine was way more than a hundred bucks when I bought it 18 years ago but if you pay for quality it will last. for a hundred bucks I wouldn't expect it to be all that sturdy or sleep more than one comfortably

When car camping I use a huge thing from the sporting goods store it cost less than my backpacking tent even though it will sleep an army, on cots. for example:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ndingMethod=rr


If you want to car camp buy a tent for car camping. If you want to backpack get serious about gear and be willing to spend the bucks. You'll be out there, away from the cell tower, with nothing but what you brought with you its no time to go cheap.

[HairyScandinavian]

I bought 2 "junk" tents for the kids when I found them on clearance locally to get the kids out of my tent when we hit the beach because they're sloppy with sand and such. Anyhow got these on clearance for $20 a pop and have discovered that I love the damn things, claimed one as my own and I use it every trip where packing "light" is beneficial. Pretty similar to the one in your pic, but with fiberglass poles instead of aluminum which is fine because I don't truly backpack/hike for my camping, it's usually by boat or kayak. These will fit 2 people just fine, and when the wife comes along I even slap a twin sized air mattress in there which leaves about a 12" strip on the side for backpacks and boots and such, standalone tent with no stakes required and the whole thing sits very taught/tight and is strong (we've destroyed a lot of tents on the beach and on the island when storms roll in, not these). The tent is extremely well ventilated (which is sometimes not so great in winter), and the inside stays separated from the rainfly if the wind isn't blowing too hard (I've never used the guy lines so even in wind they might not have a problem) so the typical condensation in cold weather stays out of the tent. Rainfly is a quick buckle on/off which I had no idea how nice it was until I started using it. Anyhow, it's an option. My other tent is a Cabela's Alaskan Guide and you won't be using that one on backpacking trips.

http://www.slumberjack.com/p-581-trail-tent-2.aspx