Re: [Paddlewise] Tents and camping equipment

Will Jennings wrote:
> 
> Jeff Rowland wrote:
> 
> > Am presently looking to purchase a good quality tent and sleeping bag....

> Mountain Hardware, some Eureka models, Marmot, Kelty...they all have their pros
> (and cons).  The North Face has many promoters, but I've found their designs
> to be hit and miss, and some of their workmanship has been shoddy on lighter
> weight models.

I'm one of those promoters, but I have to admit, I have only used their better
tents.  No experience with their lighter weight models, because for Northwest
sea kayaking, a sturdy, substantial tent with a good rain fly is de rigeur. 
Owned many different brands of tent, and NF tents have stood out.  One I am
currently using is called a Nebula/Nimbus.  Bombproof, roomy enough for two in
a three-day rain, great vestibules, two independent side doors.  

Just beginning a relationship with a Mtn. Hardware smaller two-person tent
(Light Wedge 2), and I like the design, but suspect it is not as weatherproof
as the ancient NF Tadpole it is replacing (wore out the coatings).  Time will
tell.

Heavy wind is the test of a good tent.  Almost any middle-of-the-road tent can
handle rain well, until the wind blows.  Then you find out if the tent is worth
keeping.  The tents I like in wind are free-standing, and have external guy
points **on the outside of the rain fly** for extra anchors.  Naturally, crummy
anchoring negates the virtues of a sturdy tent.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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