PDA

View Full Version : Eureka Timberline 2 regular vs outfitter model



anarky321
05-10-2008, 19:21
i searched and searched but even on the Eureka site they dont have a side by side comparison of what improvements there are on the outiftter model vs the regular

i read on one site that the fly is much better (more coverage) on the outfitter model, can anyone confirm this?

also couldnt find the weight of the outfitter 2 model (the only one on ebay lists as 5 1/2 lbs but i think thats wrong because thats how much the regular timberline weighs)

thanks for your help

mudhead
05-10-2008, 19:35
These are the 4 person models. Maybe that will give you some comparison. Floor and zippers jump out at me.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40328

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___26881

anarky321
05-10-2008, 19:41
i found out the Timberline Outfitter 2 tent weighs 8.1lbs....thats alot and way over my weight limit unfortunately

mudhead
05-10-2008, 19:42
The regular is no air sack either!

anarky321
05-10-2008, 19:46
5lbs i could handle, but 8 no way

i keep thinking how i might get claustrophobic if i had to spend an entire rainy day in the tent; mine is 8'x3' im thinking maybe its worth a pound or two to get something larger?

budforester
05-10-2008, 20:10
5lbs i could handle, but 8 no way

i keep thinking how i might get claustrophobic if i had to spend an entire rainy day in the tent; mine is 8'x3' im thinking maybe its worth a pound or two to get something larger?


I've pitched my poncho or a tarp, occasionally, to make a "porch".

Summit
05-10-2008, 20:18
If it's room at 5 lbs or less you're after, you'll hardly do better than this 2008 Backpacker's Choice REI tent:

http://www.rei.com/product/761895

Lots of room. Dome tents give you more upper area space than an A-frame tent. ;)

anarky321
05-10-2008, 21:49
i was thinking, wouldnt an A-Frame like the Timberline be easier to repair in case of a broken or bent pole since the poles arent bent into place but simply placed? im going on a long term hike where i definitely wont be able to get replacement poles and its something i didnt think to consider at first

if an A-Frame pole bent couldnt you just tie a stick to it to prop is straight or even make a replacement out of wood if you had to?

sofaking
05-10-2008, 21:53
most tents should come with a 3 or 4" tube when bought new. it's a pole 'splint' to temporarily fix broken poles

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:05
i found a used Timberline 2 on ebay but its a really light green compared to the Eureka photos...does anyone know is this because the earlier models were a lighter green or because it gets lighter due to sun exposure?

Tipi Walter
05-10-2008, 22:10
The Campmor links are good and have the floor/fly specs:

Outfitter: 4 oz floor oxford nylon floor and 2.2oz 75 denier ripstop poly fly
Regular: 1.9 oz taffeta floor and 1.9 oz poly fly

The Timberline is a pretty good old style tent and I spent many nights in one between 1998-2001. I do not believe a pole repair sleeve would work with the Timberline as its five poles do not bend in the usual sense. The front and back A-frame poles remain rigid while the center "spreader" pole curves a bit under pressure.

I've often thought of getting the Outfitter 6 man tent for my Chickasaw basecamp(84 sq feet), but decided on a Cabelas 12z12 dome at around 144 sq feet. The pole failure rate for a Timberline is unknown since the straight large diameter things are pretty stout and beefy.

Overall it's a great tent and the only reason I ditched mine was due to a totally leaky floor, it sucked up water like a sponge. You'll never see the UL fanatics go with a Eureka Timberline, but it's a strong good tent and worth carrying, especially if you want to use a piece of gear that's been in service for at least 30 years.

Eureka also made a Timberline with a sixth pole on the top to pull out the ceiling, sort of like an awning pole.

Summit
05-10-2008, 22:14
If it's on eBay there's a fair possibility it's a knock-off! :eek: The Eureka Timberlines are not state-of-the-art tents anymore. Once upon a time they were very popular and as good as they came back then, but those days are past. But it sounds like you have your mind already made up, so hope all goes well with it.

sofaking
05-10-2008, 22:18
most tents should come with a 3 or 4" tube when bought new. it's a pole 'splint' to temporarily fix broken poles

meant other types of tents, not the timberline...

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:20
well its a guy selling a used timberline with some wear, but its really light; one of the things i like most about it is the dark green color, the light green looks horrible on it

at this point ive decided to go with a dark green or camo tent only, so its either a timberline or i find another camo tent that i like more

ive found a camo tent thats the same dimensions as the timberline on ebay but its single wall water-repellant ripstop (not silnylon just cheap nylon); would that get me soaked in a rain if i was set up under a decent amount of vegetation? its really light too (3lbs) due to the lack of a fly and comes with aluminium poles, but its a cheap tent

sofaking
05-10-2008, 22:22
you'll get wet

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:25
just wanted to make sure :)

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:31
do the TimberLITEs only come in grey, and does anyone even sell them anymore? i couldnt google anything up only old reviews

Summit
05-10-2008, 22:37
If you're going on "a long term hike" buy a quality tent. If you go cheap, you'll be buying another one in a month or so . . .

Why are you limiting your choice to green/camo?

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:42
i dont want a tent that will stand out, and a bright orange dome in the middle of a forest tends to stand out, so natural colors only....and i dont like brown

anarky321
05-10-2008, 22:43
and yea im not going cheap, im willing to spend a decent amount; my main problem is finding the right tent not the right price

Summit
05-10-2008, 23:13
i dont want a tent that will stand out, and a bright orange dome in the middle of a forest tends to stand out, so natural colors only....and i dont like brownSo the REI Quarter Dome I mentioned earlier has a green and beige fly? Comes pretty close to your color requirements, and is far superior to any of the camo tents I've seen. Most camo tents are "hunter quality." Not up to the high standards of a backpacking tent! :eek:

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:17
it actually looked grey to me but its a bad picture; isnt the REI Quarter Dome pretty much the same thing as the Eureka Pinnacle Pass 2XTA? dimensions-wise and frame-wise at least; i was looking at the Pinnacle Pass too because it has a dark puke-green fly..close enough

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:20
http://www.eurekatent.com/p-63-pinnacle-pass-2xta.aspx

thats the pinnacle....and WHY is there no EDIT function for posts?

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:29
you know i was wrong; i didnt notice it had a completely different pole design from a regular dome; researching now...

Summit
05-10-2008, 23:30
If you become a contributor ($10) you can edit, use your own avatar, and access more areas of WB.

The REI uses DAC Featherlite poles vs. the Eureka 7000 series aluminum - REI wins
The REI has 3 more square feet of space while weighing 4 oz less - REI wins
The REI is of superior construction to the Eureka
REI has a no questions asked replacement/refund guarantee.

But as stated earlier, it sounds like you're just set on Eureka for some reason, so if that's the case, go for it. Since looks are important to you, I think the REI one looks far better than the pukey green Pinnacle.

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:31
do you know which model that is in the video on the REI site? T2 or T3? i cant tell; im tring to visualize how big the T3 is

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:34
nvm he mumbles "this tent for 2" at the end of the video; yea i must say im impressed with the pole design

Summit
05-10-2008, 23:39
Yep, the T3 is a good bit larger than the one in the video. REI came out with this tent about a month after I bought my Sierra Designs Lightning tent. If I had waited, I might very well have gone for the additional pound (the SD is under 4 lbs) and the additional space, + I like the way the fly vestibule functions with this tent.

anarky321
05-10-2008, 23:42
are you saying you'd use a T3 for solo backpacking? i guess if you had to spend the whole day in the tent it woudnt seem too big at all

Summit
05-10-2008, 23:51
That's your call. I too like to have extra space in my tent for cold or rainy days. Check out the older pics in my gallery. I still have that Eureka 4-season 3-man dome that weighs in at a hefty 11 lbs. I have solo'd with it! :eek: Probably would again if doing a winter hike. I think you'd be happy with the T2 and possibly even happier with the T3 if tent space vs. the extra pound doesn't bother you. ;)

anarky321
05-11-2008, 00:00
its not the extra weight that would bother me its that it'd be too big to stealth camp in; the T2 looks pretty small though; i would go check them out if they have them at the REI 40 miles away; ill call monday to find out

so you dont have one of these currently right?

wideload
05-11-2008, 00:02
I believe "outfitter" tents in Eureka parlance are beefier versions of the regular built for scouting groups or outfitters that need a more durable as opposed to a lighter tent. I found this particular design back in the '80s flapped a lot in the wind.

anarky321
05-11-2008, 00:08
i think summit talked me out of getting a timberline lol; Summit have you seen the Heron 2? http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y1NGJScp0bI it also has an interesting dome design

anarky321
05-11-2008, 00:19
sorry its Heron 23 actually by North Face

4eyedbuzzard
05-11-2008, 00:57
and yea im not going cheap, im willing to spend a decent amount; my main problem is finding the right tent not the right price

1) Buy a used Moss for 350 to 500.
2) Skip the tent and go with a bigger tarp and bug net/bivy when needed.

anarky321
05-11-2008, 01:05
lol i just bought a North Face Heron 23 for $175 SHIPPED brand new; couldnt resist it at that price; ive been looking at it for a while but i couldnt find it below $250; the fly is a dirty brown color...that somehow looks good

its a $300 on the North Face site

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y1NGJScp0bI its the same exact one as in this video

Summit
05-11-2008, 06:51
Price usually has a lot to do with our final decisions! :) I got my SD Lightning because of the outrageous price of $132 (Retails for $270). The NF Heron 23 is a good tent. Much better than any of the Eureka models you were considering. Some customers say that it is on the small side of the 2-person tent spectrum. I still think the pole design of the REI T2 is better, but I hope you are happy with it. Glad to help. :)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-11-2008, 07:17
Anarky321, have you seen the MSR Fling (http://www.msrgear.com/tents/fling.asp)? Here is a link to a BackpackGear Test review of this tent (http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Shelters/Tents/MSR%20Fling/Raymond%20Estrella/Initial%20Report/). It seems to have everything the Timberline 2 had except the weight.

Another tent you might want to consider is the Tarptent Rainshadow2 (http://www.tarptent.com/rainshadow2.html) (spec sheet (http://www.tarptent.com/productsheets/RAINSHADOW2.pdf)) The gray fabric blends in well in the outdoors - a big plus over the bright orange MSR tents. While you are on that site check out Henry Shire's other models.

Another tent you might like is Six Moon Design's Lunar Duo (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=47). It is huge and still lightweight. You will probably want to check out Ron Moak's other designs as well.

Peaks
05-11-2008, 07:27
I believe "outfitter" tents in Eureka parlance are beefier versions of the regular built for scouting groups or outfitters that need a more durable as opposed to a lighter tent. I found this particular design back in the '80s flapped a lot in the wind.

Correct. The outfitter tents use heavier fabric, better quality zippers, etc. And, as a result, weigh more. If you've use the regular timberlines, then you know that it's pretty easy to get the zippers snagged in the tent fabric. This doesn't happen as much with the outfitter grade tents.

Weight: probably goes from 5 + pounds to 8+ pounds.

russb
05-11-2008, 10:23
Though it hasn't been rigorously tested as I now use a hammock, I have modded my Eureka Timberline 2 to be setup without the poles by using trekking poles and rope. This significantly reduces the weight. (I cannot recall the exact weight savings). As I said, this setup has not been tested in heavy winds, rains, snow, etc... and it makes it so the tent is no longer "freestanding" (which is a misnomer for the timberline since one really does need to use the side stakes to "pull out the fly and sides of the tent wall). Anyway, if you are looking for a lightweight substitute for your timberline, you might want to to try out modding your existing one instead of getting a separate new one. Oh, my modifications are simply setup and do not change the tent at all.

Skyline
05-11-2008, 10:31
Second what FD said. Gray tents blend in well in the woods. Gray is much better than orange. :eek:

sofaking
05-11-2008, 12:35
my hot pink mountainhousewarenofacepatagucci tent is awesome. it only weighs 45 lbs and has a completely stocked wet bar...