[Philmont]: Phil Tents

We have used Philmont tents on our expeditions in 2003, 2000, 1997, 1994 and used our own tents in 2003. I don't think that there is a best way to go.

There are some things to consider:

Are you certain that none of your tents have ever had food or flavored drinks in them? I'm pretty confident about the Phil tents. I made certain that the tents we took were fairly new, were owned by responsible scouts and that they had been washed out before the trip.

Will you have the opportunity to dry out your tents before you get home? They will be damp on your last morning and may stay that way long enough for mildew to develop. The tents can get some pretty hard use, especially if you scouts aren't careful about setting them up and how they are packed. The backpacks get dropped on a lot of rocks during your 12 days. Exposed tents can take a beating. Super light weight tents are delicate.

While we enjoyed using our own tents, they really weren't a great improvement over the Phil tents. All you ever do is sleep in them and all you need is enough room for your sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Nothing else goes into the tent. Boots and everything else stays outside. Roomy tents with large vestibules are of no benefit for Philmont camping.

This last year it always took us longer to take down our own tents and pack up than when we used the Phil tents in earlier years. Despite all the stakes, Phil tents do go up easily and come down even faster.

When we needed to get up tents in a hurry, the Phil tents were quick to pitch and everyone knew how to do it and help each other. No wet pole sleeves to catch the poles and no rain flies that only go on one way. No long poles to get in the way or in the eye.

If you are in a backpacking tent with only one door, you have to crawl over your tent mate to answer the call of nature in the night. If you drink enough water to stay hydrated, you will get up in the night. Phil tents make for an easy exit, so long as you don't trip over the guy lines and stakes.

Phil tents do take a lot of stakes to get a tight pitch. Fortunately we never had a problem getting stakes into the ground. Aluminum stakes are cheap and light.

A Phil Tent will sleep three smaller scouts. Most two man backpacking tent won't.

If all of your own backpacking tents are from top flight brands, your campsite looks impressive. Ours was in 2005 and our scouts were proud of the equipment.

If you have inexpensive, heavy tents better suited to car camping or the Jamboree, you don't want to take them. I've seen campsites with those tents and was glad that I wasn't carrying them. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to take a Phil tent on most of my Scout outings. I like the headroom and vestibule of my Quest Preying Mantis for most camping.

Weight and bulk are important considerations. Packs seem to get heavier every day, especially when you get your food.

So, think it over and make the decision that works for you.

Jim Kramer

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Received on Sat Oct 8 09:14:40 2005