Tent Recommendation

[crazykz]

Hi All,

I never camp but I'm thinking I want to more to save money. Can anyone make a good recommendation on a one or two person tent that packs up onto a bike?

I know we have a tent section but since that is just for reviews I thought I would ask the question here.

Thanks,
Curt

[mageerc]

Do yourself a favor and get a 2 man model... they pack almost as small and you can actually get a few things in the tent with you as well (like a change of clothes, etc.) I recently bought a MSR Zoid2 with a footprint which I find is fairly versatile. It packs very small, it's easy to set up in the dark and has enough room that I don't feel the walls closing in on me. The only down side to it is that it's not completely freestanding, so you couldn't pitch it on solid rock; however, I'm not going to sleep on solid rock anyway... Hope this helps you some...

[Mellow]

I agree, minimum, get a 2-man tent... gives you enough room to put your jacket/helmet bag liners, boots... etc. if you don't want it in the bike.

Also, get one that has a rainfly that covers the entire tent, not just the top with a big opening. If it storms, you want full coverage.

[eddiemack]

I have a Coleman Inyo tent that sleeps two, and is only 4 lbs. It packs in a bag about the size of a box of tissues and is very easy to set up.
http://www.fallfever.com/Coleman_ColemanInyo2Tent.html

best part is the price!

[crazykz]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the recommendations. If anyone else has some please post them. I haven't found the right online sources yet to get a wide variety to look at. REI is pretty good and I've found a couple others but a lot of sites that have a lot of tents are HTML challenged making their site impossible to read let alone navigate.

Thanks,
Curt

[ssls6]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the recommendations. If anyone else has some please post them. I haven't found the right online sources yet to get a wide variety to look at. REI is pretty good and I've found a couple others but a lot of sites that have a lot of tents are HTML challenged making their site impossible to read let alone navigate.

Thanks,
Curt

I have a two man tent from REI. It is a kelty model and I love it. Look for a free standing tent that doesn't require staking. Look for a vistabule in front that can cover your muddy stuff. Aluminum poles will out last fiberglass poles. They weigh more but on a bike the difference is meaningless.

[sokay]

I have the "Flashlight" from REI. It's my third one. Though I love it, it is not perfect. IMO the perfect tent has the fly far, far away from the tent wall. Like, unusually far. That is the secret to getting through a Nor'easter without geting your bum wet. ;)

[Bones]

I've been using the same Coleman 2-man tent for 20+ years. An annual application of Camp Dry is highly recommended, as is a ground cover cut to the footprint of the tent minus a couple inches. Motorcycle camping is a great way to go, but don't do it to "save money" -- do it because there's no better way to get to know your fellow riders than sitting around a campfire. You'll also learn important skills such as strapping a burlap bag full of wood to your bike and parking on all manner of ground (don't forget a sidestand puck). With 6" of fresh snow on the ground this morning, motorcycle season is now over in Massachusetts, but we'll be camping again by spring.

[dannyk]

I have a mountain hardware light wedge 2, bought it as it would fit in my Givi box on the ST1100, has a vestibule as part of the rain fly. It is fine for one person, its a 2 man back pack tent but you will be real cozy with two people in it. The only drawback is it really isnt high enough for me, have the problem with having to urinate a couple of times a night at least into a jug. I cant just kneel in the tent to perform this task, I am hunched over and look like a monkey f---ing a jug. My recommendation would be to go to a camping supply or some other store and actually try them out, see if its big enough and how it packs down. I personally liked the Alpine meadows from Euerka but it wouldn't fit in the box on the ST but it did fit the box on my wing, so when I sold the wing and used the ST I bought a smaller one, big mistake for me any way. Gave the Eureka to my Niece, should have kept it and just bungied it on.

[AgSTreak]

Bought my Ozark tent 2-man tent at Wally World (Walmart) and I have a larger Eureka (Tetragon 4-man I believe) that I will be trying out. I bought the Eureka for car use but its not much larger than the ozark. Pricewise the ozark was about $40 the Eureka $160. If something happens to the Ozark I can shrug it off. I will try to attach a photo. Camping is a great way to travel but watch out, it can be miserable when it rains.

[mutineer]

I have a weakness for large tents and the Eureka Zeus Exo4 is HUGE, over 80 square feet counting vestibule.

My version is a 4 man tent but they make a 1,2 and three man and thay pack up absurdly small for their size.

It is a single wall so even my 4 man packs up to less volume than a sleeping back. Total pack size for my tent is 9 inches by 24