tent challenge

[irrationalsolutions]

i was talking to a friend of mine about the new tarp i wanted to make and he issued a challenge to me. for a little history...
this friend is a fair weather friend. we have been friends for years he claims to go camping a lot, however, we have never gone out together. he is always too busy to go. he is really good with diy stuff and "inventive engineering" though.
while we were talking about the tarp i want to make for my new hh he brought up that he was looking for a new tent. i told him that i was also looking into a new tent so we started talking about it and neither of us want to spend any more money than we have to. he was saying how the cheap tents they are making now arent worth buying and are good for nothing. well me being me i said he was wrong. so now the bet is on.
i have to find the cheapest peice of crap tent i can (i need help finding the tent so any idea is more than welcomed). the catch is that it has to be new. his thinking is that you can takw a good tent that has had a few bad outings and fix them. he has seen my old tent set up in the back yard while i was working on it. so i need a new crappy tent, and it has to be cheap. oh i almost forgot it has to be a two or three person tent, and it has to be a real tent.
i need to win this there is a case of capt morgan on the line.
the other rules are...
i can only replace the poles if they break ( and i cant break them on purpose) but i have to replace them with the same poles.
i can replace the rain fly but it has to be diy.
the zippers have to stay the same and so does the netting.
i think thats it.
any ideas on the tent to use?

[TrippinBTM]

Well, a big part of the "problem" with a cheap tent is that they weigh more. I'm sure you're allowed to waterproof it, right? That'd be the other big issue. If you can replace the fly with your own design, you could probably solve a lot of the latter issue.

sorry I don't have any gear suggestions. It just sounds to me like your friend is gonna be out a case of Cap'n

[TomWc]

got a sports authority near you? I picked up an alpine design hiker biker tent (http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3093717) for 16$ on sale. It's pretty nice for what it is, fairly light and keeps water out well. It also has condensation issues.

[mweinstone]

i will give you my msr 3000$ 1 lb 4 man proto type tent they gave me to try. want it?its for the mars expedition and only designed to be pitched. it dosnt unpitch so youll be carrying a geodesic dome thinggy like a jiffypop on your back. it wont fit the trail so you will have to crush it somehow or make it re pitchable. but its fireproof and cool looking and it was free for being a nasa consultant all these years. i wish i had the guts to pop this baby in my apartment but it would have to die going out the door. want it? if so you need to send me yopur info so i can get you clearance to be a civillian tester.

[Mercy]

A $3000 tent is a cheap tent?

[dmax]

American Camper? Maybe cut out the bath tub floor and replace with a different material?

[irrationalsolutions]

not sure if changing the floor is breaking the rules, he never said anything about that. i'll have to ask. i think $3000 is a bit to much for the bet. although i don't need clearence what i would need is need to know.

[Tinker]

Get that Alpine Design tent. I don't think you can do better. I bought one of their 2 person dome tents with aluminum poles but paid 50+ dollars for it. It was decently made but a little heavy. I bought it basically for the same reason you're buying one - to see if there's anything cheap but decent out there. There is. One tent which has been discontinued by Dick's Sporting Goods was an exact copy of the Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 (I can guess why the discontinued it :p). It cost me 60 dollars and I sold it to a friend after using it a couple of times. It was ok but the coating on the floor was a little thin. I think you'll find this with all inexpensive tents.
Good luck hunting!

[Reid]

The mountainsmith gaurdian is a well made, sturdy cheap tent. About a hundred bucks. If that's what you call cheap. I don't own one but I've heard good things.

[Wise Old Owl]

Yes get the alpine design tent recommended above, keep in mind it won't be UV treated so expect some small holes after a season or two.

[flemdawg1]

I recieved one of these for father's day, a new model Swissgear Hiker tent.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=382567
http://cgi.ebay.com/SwissGear-Hiker-Tent-N-I-B_W0QQitemZ140286111531QQcmdZViewItem

At 5+ lbs its a lil' heavy for BPing. Its very similar to the MSR HubbaHubba w/ its Al pole and hub design.

[TomWc]

Yes get the alpine design tent recommended above, keep in mind it won't be UV treated so expect some small holes after a season or two.

Yeah, I bet it will have holes after a year or two, but at 16$ I really bought it on a whim, not because I needed it. I just wanted to see what it was about. It's really pretty darn good, though it's a dated (but proven) flashlight design and the fiberglass poles are heavy. It's the only *really* cheap tent I've seen with a full fly, which is good for precipitation, but bad for condensation. I bet some attention to properly guying it out would help with the condensation issues. The vestibule is a good size and is double zipped so you can make it into an awning. It weighs somewhere around 3.5 lbs, maybe less. It makes a great spare for a buddy or to give the kids to tear up. I bought an extra to give to my buddy whose old tent leaks.

If your friend is sleeping with a kid, they will fit. 20x72" pads overlap at the foot, so two adults would be cramped but possible.

[theinfamousj]

If there is just going to be one of you staying in the tent, check out a sub-$20 children's tent from Walmart's Ozark Trail line. Pitches in under 5 minutes. You cannot kill the tent. Might need to seam seal it. Default fly held up in a tropical storm worth of rain. Sleep on the diagonal to fit. Prepare for your winnings.

[Rainman]

Here's an option: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8136423&sourceid=1500000000000003260410&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8136423