From: Mike Bingley (mbingley@telusplanet.net)
Date: Mon Dec 02 2002 - 23:25:22 CST
Okay here is my $8.00 Canadian ($0.02 US) on tents and I own more than a
few of them. The best Iıve ever owned is my Eureka Apex II XT I literally
lived in this tent for two seasons at Northern Tier Bissett (btw I was the
assistant director there in 2000, so hi to anyone who I may have checked in
I did most of the checkins up there).
The benefits of that tent:
-inexpensive I think I paid about $75 US
-lightweight no idea how much it actually weights, but it sure feels nice
in my pack
-two vestibules this is the main reason I bought it, and a serious benefit
you leave your pack under the vestibule and suddenly you have an amazingly
huge tent
-tough as nails I figure in the two seasons I used this tent as an
interpreter that I put it up and took it down about 150 times, slept in it
about 175 nights, had scouts put it up about 30 times and slept in it on the
hard rough rock of the Canadian Shield way too often. The only thing that
has failed on this tent is that my non seam sealed floor has finally started
to leak just this past summer I now bring a groundsheet to go under my
thermorest.
-wind loops this is the big bonus of this tent over the Timberline (sorry
John I own two of those too :) ) - in a strong wind you can run a couple
of lengths of parachute cord to these suckers and ³dead man² it to a couple
of rocks (or maybe even tent pegs I donıt carry those suckers anymore I
spend way too much time camped on hard rock).
-easy to set up my current record for putting it up solo in the dark is 55
seconds but that under timed conditions if the black flies are out it
may be quicker
-poles that flex common thing I know, but the timberline doesnıt have em
and they do break in high winds
Down sides:
-bright yellow not exactly leave no trace friendly but very hard to get
lost with
-fiberglass poles that will break in the cold
-when using the vestibules you canıt see out of it
I own a lot of tents right now and I can honestly say that the best ones
Iıve ever used with scouts are the ones made by Eureka for my own use I do
tend to go with sierra designs, but thatıs just the trendiness in me leaking
out grin
Cheers
Mike
-- Mike Bingley Council Field Executive Scouts Canada - Chinook Region 403-327-4647 888-321-4647 (Alberta and BC) Experience High Adventure in the Canadian Rockies with Scouts Canada http://www.chinook.scouts.ca/impeesa-x/ On 12/3/02 12:31 AM, "E Fred Mussler" <emuss3@ipass.net> wrote: > While everyone is putting in their two cents worth about tents, I would like > to say that I used an REI Half Dome Plus2 on this last summer's trek. It was > wonderful! Two adults slept in it with no problems, and we encountered the > same foul weather as John. Hmmm, come to think of it, I encountered a rather > foul John also, once or twice-;)) With two doors, a gear loft and a wide, > taught, wind dumping half dome, this tent works for me. At a little over 5 > pounds it is not too bad. At 6'4" I was comfortable and did not get wet from > blowing rain. This tent was Backpacker Magazine's tent of the year for 2002 , > and checks in at a nifty $149. I like It ! > > Speaking of outside the box, like Mr LeBlanc says, do it! Most of what > Philmont Official will tell you is what you may or may not do, or what > parameters you must work within. The rest is left to you. Much is mundane, and > people do as they are told. Others, being a little more adventurous or > prepared, do it a bit different. Lots of 2 person tents or some 3-4 person > tents? Crew photo or Contingent or both? Its your trip, you decide! > > Bears yes, and the threat may be being over played. Know what you are doing. > When we arrived at Fish Camp, we received the obligatory Bear in area speech, > put up the food, yada, yada, yada. Please don't misunderstand, I am not making > light of the threat of bears, nor the neccessity of treating all nature with > proper respect, rather I am commenting on the staff crying " The sky is > falling" or rather the "bear is around". We were escorted to our campsite, > number nine up the aquia fria creek, if memory serves, and left. Now we were > away from all the other crews, a great thing for enjoying the quiet and > nature, but strange given the reported, heightened, bear activity. As I laid > my sweat soaked socks across the berry loaded bushes, while I set up my REI > half dome, hey wait! Berries?? Bushes?? Bears?? Use common sense. If there > were truly bears in the area, in the midst of a drought, with sparce food > supplies, would they forego juicy berries? Use the senses you were given, and > add a bit of the cognizant awarness imparted by your ranger,and have a great > time! Just don't foreget to put all the smellables in the bear bag-;)) > > YIS > Hiking Czar > Fred Mussler, Sm > Troop 357 Raleigh, NC > Eagle Class of 1974 > Philmont 90, 98, 00,02 ?? > " I didn't used to be anything..." > ------------------------------------------------------- Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/ Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp ------------------------------------------------------- Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com ------------------------------------------------------- As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. -------------------------------------------------------
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