Re: [Paddlewise] Tent Stories

> From: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
> 
> Tents for kayaking are one of the dicier decisions one has to make. 
> Ordinarily, any tent will do.  But there are situations that are more
> likely to hit you as a sea kayak camper than a backwoods one in which
> you wished you had a bombproof tent.


Five years ago in early spring on a multi-day trip to the barrier islands 
off the Texas coast, we made camp on one of the high shell beaches that 
can be found scattered throughout the islands.  The all-day paddle in
windy conditions was challenging and we looked forward to a long night of 
rest.  The moon was bright and the sky filled with stars.  A breeze was 
traveling up from the Gulf and over the islands northward.  Mosquitos 
were aplenty.  We pitched the tents and built a fire, cooked linguini in 
clam sauce, drank our wine and finished off with hot chocolate by the 
fire.  Soon we all retreated to our tents to escape the mosquitos.  I had 
a Sierra Designs Bikelight.  Great tent for those humid and hot Texas 
summer nights.  Not so great for early April.  I had used it on a prior 
kayak trip to the islands a month before and swore then I was getting a 
tent intended for cold island nights, but I hadn't got around to it yet.  
My regular all-weather tent was too big for kayak camping. 

Sometime in the night, the wind suddenly shifted from the north and 
it began to blow hard.  Real hard.  I grabbed the side poles of my tent 
and hung onto it as the wind tried to lift it off the ground.  Then it
began to rain and the lightning came.  I was hanging onto my tent while 
we were hit with one of those awe-inspiring and change-of-underwear- 
booming lightning storms and blinding rain.  The rain was blowing 
sideways and lightning was striking the ground all around us across the 
flat islands in seconds intervals.   Suddenly the wind ripped the fly 
from my tent and it was gone.  Water was pouring into the top my tent 
and over me as I was still hanging onto the poles.  In the lightning, 
I could not see any of the other tents on the beach.  Not one of them.  
In between the crashing thunder I yelled out and received no reply.  
The beach appeared empty in the bright flashes of light.  I thought 
everyone was blown into the swamp and I was the only one left on the
beach.  Finally, my tent was flattened but our experienced leader 
appeared like a vision out of the blinding rain and said to follow 
him.  His tent was still standing (barely... a Sierra Designs 
Meteorlight). 

One tent, a Eureka dome, was being held up from inside by two other 
kayakers who had unzipped the doorway so that one of them could push 
the threshold down with her foot and allow the water collecting inside 
the tent to pour out.  The fifth kayaker was in his tent which had blown 
blackwards and landed upside down against his almost fully loaded kayak
preventing him from tumbling completely into the now-flooded swamp behind.  
He did not come out of his tent until morning.  I figured out that the 
bright flashes of light from the lightning had illuminated the white 
shells on the beach blocking out the tents to give the appearance of 
an empty beach.  With the exception of the tent which tumbled backwards 
towards the swamp, the other tents were still there.

The lightning continued for between one to two hours (letting up in
frequency) and the force of the rain stung our skin.  For anyone who 
plans to spend much time on the islands on the Gulf of Mexico Coast, 
they can expect one of these storms at some point.  This is also why 
making camp on a high shell beach is important as all the sandy beaches 
tend to swamp during one of these storms.  I now have a weather radio 
with an emergency beeper that will go off if weather conditions suddenly 
change to a warning during the night.

The next morning, I found my tent fly stretched out across the beach
between my flattened tent and the swamp anchored by one lone stake.  
Tent poles were bent, everything was soaked.  Not only did I learn from 
the experience that I would need another tent, but I also learned to 
repack everything I was not using back into dry bags for the night.

I've used seven different tents in different touring conditions.  One 
tent I returned after a wet weekend.  I still have the Bikelight.  
It's perfect for those hot, humid conditions.  But I bought an REI 
(3 person) Geodome for nights like that April night.  It is the 
version with awnings which they do not make any longer and I think 
that is unfortunate.  It has a front and rear door covered by an 
awning that keeps the rain out yet allows you to open the doors at 
the top to create a cross draft (important in hard rains in warmer 
climates).  I can also attach vestibules which provide another 
25 sq ft of space for storage and provides more protection from the 
elements in severe weather.  Three of us have sat in it comfortably 
and played cards during a winter rain on Ventana Island in Bahia 
de los Angeles in Baja.   It is an all-season tent and has withstood 
some strong winds without flapping.  It weighs 9 lbs but that's not 
a problem when sharing the tent with someone which means more space 
in another kayak not carrying a tent.  We use the 12" aluminum stakes 
on the Gulf of Mexico barrier island's shell beaches. Lots of them.
And I *really* like the space to hang out in during a storm.

I took my Northface, freestanding, Starlight to New Zealand.  The 
tent fly can be set up independent of the tent if you are only 
interested in shade or cover from morning dew.  It weighs about 5 lbs 
and held tight in a strong wind and wet storm in Abel Tasman.  It 
was quite dry and is a 4 season tent.  However, this tent would not 
be my first choice for warm nights.  It certainly kept me dry and 
warm in the wet and cold fall on New Zealand's South Island and 
comfortable in the mildly tropical North Island.  It's an exceptional
tent for extreme weather, but overkill in calm and warm conditions.

The REI Geodome was priced around $295 but is no longer offered (it 
was significantly altered and the name changed).  Great tent.  The 
Northface Starlight Extreme is priced over $300 (but I don't remember 
exactly how much). 

At just over 3 lbs, my Sierra Designs Bikelight (now made under 
another name) is great for backpacking and cool camping in warm and 
less than breezy conditions.  It will not see you through a strong 
wind nor keep you remotely dry in a mild rain (or heavy dew because
of the short fly).  I've used it since that April night on the 
barrier islands, but in the summertime when weather is slightly 
more predictable and you don't get your tush frozen if it does 
happen to rain. :-)

Cheers,

Jackie
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