View Full Version : new tent for me, wife, and daughter
Hi all,
Just weighed our old tent and it came to 11.3 lbs, so thinking we may leave that at home for our upcoming summer section hikes (no longer than 6 nights).
As I see it, we have two options ... buy 1 tent that actually sleeps 3 (I'm 5'11, wife 5'7, daughter 4'7) or buy two tents.
I'm leaning towards to REI Quarter/Half dome, the Big Agnes Copper Spur/Rattlesnake/Seedhouse, and the Muther/Hubba Hubba. Are any of these 3Ps *actually* 3P?
Any families with similar experience? Buying two 2P tents would allow her to someday bring a friend, but I'm not sure that trumps ... togetherness :)
And yes, we're new at this, and already hurting from the backpack, etc, costs :)
Tim
Studlintsean
04-11-2015, 18:42
I have an REI Halfdome 2P tent that I usually use for car camping now a days but I have never seen the 3P. I have slept 2 in the 2P (and actually with an additional 75lb dog and a 10lb dog though not recommended) multiple times. There is room for 2 to sleep comfortably but not much room for the gear. I would imagine the 3P is similar. Having the 2 Vestibules is plenty of room to store gear even when raining. Sorry I didn't have direct experience but hopefully this will help.
If your interested in seeing pics of the 2P to gauge the amount of room, send me a PM and I can email them to you. I have quite a few that I took recently. If you might be interested in picking up a used tent to help with the costs, let me know and we might be able to work something out.
I was lucky enough to find the Tarptent Stratospire 2. Light enough to carry as a solo option but, big enough to fit 3 and keep gear dry in vestibles.
Feral Bill
04-11-2015, 20:31
You could start with a couple of tarps. Save some weight and money, gain some flexibility, room, fresh air, and maybe bug bites.
Mr. Bumpy
04-11-2015, 22:32
I have a CS3 and have used it by myself (5'11"), with my son now 12, and with my wife (5'9"). To me it an excellent 2 person plus gear tent. It is tight with three, but it works fine enough. When the three of us go we take an extra tarp.
Walkintom
04-11-2015, 22:41
For 3 people to becomfy I'd advise a 4 person tent. Look at the sleeping diagrams many manufacturers show for their tents. Who really wants to wedge their head between two other people's feet to sleep? Forget the smell; it's the shifting around.
It can be tough with one other person in the tent if one of you can't settle down. When you add a third person into the equation you just doubled the number of people who will disturb your time in the tent.
More room will be better.
Better yet, put at least one of you in a separate tent.
illabelle
04-12-2015, 06:03
We carry a 3-person tent for the 2 of us. When our daughter goes along, we carry a 4-person.
bigcranky
04-12-2015, 09:19
When we decided to get a 3-person tent for backpacking with our daughter, we got a Tarptent Rainshadow (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=17975&catid=member&imageuser=266). It weighs 2.5 pounds, easily holds three people and some gear, sets up quickly with one trekking pole. Lots of space inside. The only thing I did not like about it was the single door at the head end, and the small vestibule space, so I would often bring a 5x8 foot silnylon tarp and rig it as a larger vestibule.
I have just purchased a new tent (2p). I considered a 3 person tent briefly because we are doing a European trip....not gonna push for miles nor be as up and down as the AT. the one that caught my eye was the tarptent Cloudburst 3. The only negative to it was the single door. I ultimately decided that was a deal breaker for me (on any tent). I have a TT double rainbow so I am familiar with the tarptent quality but I have logged many miles and nights on it.Will keep it for trips where weight is my most important consideration.
after a lot of research, I am taking the Nemo Dagger 2P to Europe.(Of course will test drive it some weekend trips first). It's a new 2015 tent so there's not a lot of reviews out there but it appeared to be exactly what I wanted (dw, 2 drs, 2 large vestibules, light weight - for a dw tent). Considered the dagger 3p for only 8 more ounces but decided against it. That would be a tent worth having a look at.
"the one that caught my eye was the tarptent Cloudburst 3. The only negative to it was the single door"
Good news for you . It now had two doors !
(it always had two doors but i'll make it more obvious now)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/cb3/cb3_21_zpsdd4aedec.jpg
Photo from the product page.
I shot a quick video on the CB3 to give a bit of a rundown on the extra bits :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGwA2RzN6r4
I also have on my channel (Franco Darioli) a CB III set up clip (as well as most TT shelters )
"the one that caught my eye was the tarptent Cloudburst 3. The only negative to it was the single door"
Good news for you . It now had two doors !
Franco...I don't know how i missed that (the fact that it has 2 doors). This would make a great tent, especially for 2 who doesn't mind sacrificing weight for room (I am in this category and this would be luxurious for two) or for 3 who are younger (read = don't have to get up in the night for "nature calls"). If the middle person does get up, then it's a game of twister for him/her to get to the door without disturbing the other 2.
My tent is on order..if i don't like it I will send it back and get this thing. I have been extremely pleased with the Dbl. rainbow.
Franco...I don't know how i missed that (the fact that it has 2 doors). This would make a great tent, especially for 2 who doesn't mind sacrificing weight for room (I am in this category and this would be luxurious for two) or for 3 who are younger (read = don't have to get up in the night for "nature calls"). If the middle person does get up, then it's a game of twister for him/her to get to the door without disturbing the other 2.
My tent is on order..if i don't like it I will send it back and get this thing. I have been extremely pleased with the Dbl. rainbow.
I would think that one of the sleepers on the sides would still have to play a bit of twister, but may only disturb the middle sleeper. Seriously, it looks like a fairly easy exit to me. :)
I would think that one of the sleepers on the sides would still have to play a bit of twister, but may only disturb the middle sleeper. Seriously, it looks like a fairly easy exit to me. :)
actually, the more I think about this...this is a superior setup for 3 campers than the 2 side doors.
I just have never had 3 in a tent before. So for a 3 person rig, this would be my first choice for a lightweight and/or single wall tent.
HooKooDooKu
04-13-2015, 00:19
teefal,
One of the things you have to do is look at tent dimensions. Not all 2P/3P/4P tents are alike.
While I have not done comparisons for 3P tents, but I'm familiar with many 2P tents. As an example, a BA Copper Spur UL2 is what I would call a small 2P tent. The two of you are right up against each other if you each have 20" wide sleeping pads. But I got tired of my arms laying off the pad a bought a 25" wide pad. My 25" and one of my son's 20" will NOT fit inside this tent without overlapping. By comparison, I bought a BA Lynx Pass 2 (discontinued) and it has ample room with some to spare when I camp with one of my sons.
When all three of us go, I use my Kelty Gunnison 3.1. It is plenty roomy enough for my 25" pad and my son's who both have 20" pads. Things might start getting a little tight if two of us had 25" pads... but I've never directly checked into that.
And when you're looking at tent dimensions, keep in mind that EVERY manufacturer "cheats" at seems to tell you the dimensions of where the poles hit the ground. Your actual usable inside space requires that you loose about 5" for each measurement.
Given the small size of the Copper Spur UL2, I would think something the size of the Copper Spur UL4 would suit your needs very well. However, the larger the tent, the larger the space you need to set it up. Sometimes it can be easier to find space for two smaller tents than it would one larger tent.
But at the end of the day, you need to go to some retailers that have some 2P/3P/4P tents setup on display where you can either get inside it, or at least see how well three sleeping pads the same size you plan to use fit.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. We currently have two 21" wide pads and I've convinced my wife to get a new one that's not bigger than her pack :)
So if I'm to trim 5" from the width to be safe, then I need 21x3+5 = 68" wide to fit three side by side. I guess it's all about pad width. REI shows "Floor dimensions", so the Copper Spur UL 3 shows 90x70, so would I be good to fit three pads in this?
Just bought the REI Quarter Dome 3 with my 20% + dividend. Hubby, Daughter and I (plus a large and small dog). I'm short so I don't need much leg room so hoping to put it to use a few weekends next month. Set it up in our spare room and seemed pretty roomy so far. Would have gone with something slightly lighter but I like a freestanding tent.
I don't know how old your daughter is, but when my son was 13 he insisted on having his own tent and it worked like a charm. Not only did I not have to carry a bigger tent but I don't have to listen him complain about my snoring. Everybody wins.
HooKooDooKu
04-13-2015, 20:55
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. We currently have two 21" wide pads and I've convinced my wife to get a new one that's not bigger than her pack :)
So if I'm to trim 5" from the width to be safe, then I need 21x3+5 = 68" wide to fit three side by side. I guess it's all about pad width. REI shows "Floor dimensions", so the Copper Spur UL 3 shows 90x70, so would I be good to fit three pads in this?
My suggestion of taking off 5" is a rough approximation. Given that your measurements only allow for another 2" don't even THINK about a copper spur UL3 until you see one in person.
Thanks everyone, we picked up a BA Tumble 3 yesterday and will see how well our pads fit. There was a copper spur UL3 set up at REI and the pads fit, but it was too much $$$.
The Rattlesnake on display showed that the walls definitely tapered in, which would be claustrophobic for three. Our other choice was Seedhouse UL3, but they didn't have it.
skymom, we were looking at the Quarter Dome T3, but heard it was smaller than stated specs. Let me know how you make out.
Tried our new BA Tumble 3 last night. Was miraculously easy to pitch compared to our old palatial clunker. Our pads fit with few inches to spare on either side, which was good because the doors are somewhat slanted, making it tight for the outside people unless they have that extra inch or two. I think the Copper Spur has more vertical walls and the Rattlesnake has even less vertical walls.
All in all, my wife and I were impressed with how much things have advanced in the last few decades. All the little touches add up.
rocketsocks
04-15-2015, 07:10
Good deal
Congrats on your second home...it's the "American Dream" :)
Good deal
Congrats on your second home...it's the "American Dream" :)
after reading your post, I just realized that I must be a "real estate tycoon" then as I own several of them. Who knew?:banana