New Tent!

[UNTMatt]

Not sure if we did the right thing or not but we headed up to Cabela's with a $20 off coupon if we spent $100 or more. We looked through the tents and finally settled on a Eureka! Aspen 2 tent following some of Joe's guidelines he gave me a while back. The tent was $149 so we figured we had a done deal along with some dog toy's.

We get to the register and the tent rag up for $79! We didn't cross the bill mark even with the dog toys! Dee grabbed a t-shirt and I grabbed a diet coke to cross the bill mark.

Did we do good????

The rain fly isn't staked out properly for obvious reasons but it comes much farther out than the picture shows (on both sides). The tent also came with a 'free' foot print as well. It has dual doors and we both fit inside without any issues. I'm not seeing any comfort issues so far and it was fast/easy to setup.

Specs:


Floor size: 7'6" x 5'
37.5 Square Feet
Center height: 3'6"
Pack size: 7" x 16"
Weight: 5 lbs 1 oz
Frame: DAC Featherlite Aluminum
Eureka! Stormshield fabric
Wrap-up Floor Construction


Looks like we might be started on our camping gear! :)


http://www.st-owners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26537&stc=1&d=1200111815

[ChipSTer]

You mention 'we' a lot in your post... I know the tent has '2' in it's name, but that is ONLY if you are very, very, very good friends... And there will be NO extra room for your 'stuff'.... However, that being said, if this tent is for 2-up motorcycle camping, then you did real, real good... :D It packs small, weighs less than a 4-man tent and you won't have much 'stuff' that needs to be in the tent anyway... Eureka tents are the best tent for the money in my opinion... I've only owned one for about 2 years now, but I swear by them... I have NEVER been wet inside one... And I have been in some pretty serious downpours... Of course, I've also been fortunate enough that I've never had to set up or take down a Eureka in the rain...:D
:cool:

[UNTMatt]

The wife and I...so I hope 'we' are very close friends. :D

The 'vestibules' will be were most of the gear will be stowed which is under the rain fly, just outside the tent doors. At least that's what the current plan is.

[ChucksKLRST]

Eureka tents are the best tent for the money in my opinion... I've only owned one for about 2 years now, but I swear by them... I have NEVER been wet inside one... And I have been in some pretty serious downpours... Of course, I've also been fortunate enough that I've never had to set up or take down a Eureka in the rain...:D
:cool:


It is obvious That you have not done enough camping yet:D I have had my Eureka for about 13 years and I have put it up and taken it down in the rain many times. Make sure you use a ground cloth under the tent. I use a plastic tarp, rolled up with the tent when not in use. I have been on an extended three week moto camping trip, setting up and taking down every morning and evening and the Tent has held up fine. Don't forget a sleeping pad. They roll up small and are somewhat comfortable. I have moved to a queen size air mattress. Even though it is somewhat heaver and more bulky to back, but it is more comfortable for my old bones. Most of the time in the last few years I use my plastic camping gear. (read Credit Card) but I need to get back into moto camping for a trip I have planned this sumer to Paonia, Colorado " Top of the Rockies Rally" Hope to see you guys at Mellows February Camp event

[Mellow]

Personally, I would have gone with a 3 or 4 person tent. Reason being, you
might like your jackets/helmets inside the tent and not outside. The vestibules
are okay for boots and other stuff.

I haven't looked at that tent much but Eureka makes good stuff so I have no
doubt it will perform well in weather.

You are both slim so it's possible there's still enough room inside for gear. I used
to take my overpants/jacket and use them as pillows.

I now have a 4-person tent (Kelty Teton-4 (http://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=939)) and I'm thinking about putting in cable TV.

The best part of camping, and sometimes the worst LOL, is that there are so
many options. Take a couple trips, see how you like it and then adjust from
there if needed.

Welcome to the 2nd half of the adventure.

[ChipSTer]

It is obvious That you have not done enough camping yet:D ...

No... I've set up/taken down lots of tents in the rain... just haven't done it with the Eureka yet!!! :crackup That'll happen soon enough, I'm sure...

With 2-up motocamping on the ST, storage space is at a premium... That's why I thought the 2-man tent would be sufficient (marginally)... However, Joe may be right about the comfort of the 4-man (and it doesn't pack much bigger)... :D
:cool:

[Highrider]

That is the same tent I use, it is great for 1 person and a little tight for 2 but works good on a bike trip. You will find that tent space for gear will be an advantage when camping in poor weather conditions.

[Mark]

Good news: that is a nice tent.
Bad news: that is a nice tent for one! :D

IMO 2 man tents are good for 1 person and 1 persons stuff.

Now for the fun part... You're going to have a blast camping; so, it doesn't matter! :D

So go camping in good weather and let us know what you fine out!

Mark
P.S.
And you got a *smokin* deal too! :D

[Bones]

Pretty cushy campground you go to, Matt. Is that leather couch inflatable? ;-)

I'm liking the looks of that tent...ya done good.

[TOM BOGNAR]

I love my wife too,but that looks alittle tight for two and all the stuff off the bike. I have Eureka three man and it's close for two. Have fun snuggle up.:biker:

[Mark]

I wanted to add that I have backpacked the Sierras with Chris and used a 2 man tent many times.
2 man tents work well in that situation because you just don't have that much *stuff*. But it was still tight.

You might just want to use that tent in your living room... minus the fly one night... :D

Mark

[gec343]

I hear all of you guys talking about "loving your wives" and it almost makes me wish I had one. However, I will stick with my little Pug dog for now.:03biker:

[Trekker]

Awesome choice! Packing small is the important criteria in my mind. And even more so when riding two up! Like the others have said, where you keep your gear might be a challenge because there won't be much room inside with both of you in residence. So... you'll just need to be creative.

I've discovered that sometimes bringing my wet/dirty riding gear inside a dry tent isn't such a good idea. I'm learning to keep the wet and grungy outside and attempting to keep the sleeping gear clean and dry. During downpours that can be hard to do. Maybe you might consider adding a parawing tarp to your gear to provide even more options for protection from the elements. These pack very small and require a couple of trees to tie off to.

And +1 on going with Eureka... that's what I have used for many years now and the ratio of quality & functionality to price can't be beat.

[silverbub]

a suggestion:...instead of thinking about taking all your gear inside tent or under vestibule(think how much fun it will be to tip-toe through/over your "stuff" in middle of night "call")or to roll over on it inside tent...you are taking along your bike cover, right?...one of the nelson/rigg uv2000 half covers or a full cover one that is not too bulky, right?...then, helmet/jacket/riding overpants, etc just drape over seat/tank/windshield, etc & throw on the bike cover...i assume you will be parking bike very close to tent, of course, at your designated campsite & not far removed as some "hike-in" more primitive campsites have parking lots pretty far removed from actual campsites...(where i have found that the residual "cubes" of broken vehicle side glass on tarmak is very telling as to the security of that part of state or fed campgrounds):)

[JCorwin]

Hey - seeing your tent reminded me......I bought a Pinnacle Pass 2 about a year and a half ago, sent in my $20 rebate and never got anything :mad: Geez, wish I'd remembered way back then.....

[gec343]

Does anyone here use a pop up umbrealla type tent? I saw one once at a bike rally & it looked great.:03biker:

[Trekker]

Does anyone here use a pop up umbrealla type tent? I saw one once at a bike rally & it looked great.:03biker:

Do you mean the type with the poles kept inside the tent and all you do is open it up like an umbrella, yet they have no center pole? I've never seen one worth the effort. Those I've seen in use were cheap junk that didn't last long. The hardware that "locked" the poles upright fails and the whole thing comes tumbling down.

[gec343]

Do you mean the type with the poles kept inside the tent and all you do is open it up like an umbrella, yet they have no center pole? I've never seen one worth the effort. Those I've seen in use were cheap junk that didn't last long. The hardware that "locked" the poles upright fails and the whole thing comes tumbling down.

Yes, that is the type I'm thinking of. Thanks for the input. It seems like someone would be making a quality umbrealla type by now. :03biker:

[hawkeyeST]

Does anyone here use a pop up umbrealla type tent? I saw one once at a bike rally & it looked great.:03biker:I bought one of those at a bike rally about 30 years ago. Don't waste your money. :)

[c-lapier]

Your vestibules are going to get crammed with gear. I pack an extra 4'x6' tarp to cover gear outside the vestibules; use the vestibules to protect smaller stuff.

[UNTMatt]

We'll have to see how this goes.

We are not planning on taking much other than the tent and sleeping gear as far as camping gear goes. The rest will be in two bag liners. May only take out the clothes we need into the tent and leave the rest in the bike.

[tom_eaton]

hehe 2 man tent. the tent i have at the moment i feel sure i could park the st INSIDE the porch part :D

[ChipSTer]

We'll have to see how this goes.

We are not planning on taking much other than the tent and sleeping gear as far as camping gear goes. The rest will be in two bag liners. May only take out the clothes we need into the tent and leave the rest in the bike.
Yeah, but, your riding gear has to go somewhere.... (that was the ONE thing I forgot about when I bought my tent... :22yikes:
:cool:

[UNTMatt]

Yeah, but, your riding gear has to go somewhere.... (that was the ONE thing I forgot about when I bought my tent... :22yikes:
:cool:

Helmets and gloves can go into the panniers if we take the bag liners out. If not, they can go under the bike cover on the seat of the bike.

[Mark]

I agree Matt, all the gear will fit scattered around the bike really well.

When are you going to do the deed?
Pictures planned?
And will you share your experience with us?

Mark

[kooler2]

Thirty or more years camping with a bike tells me that:
Two people require a four man tent
Better if you can stand up in it
No more to the story:cool:

[UNTMatt]

I agree Matt, all the gear will fit scattered around the bike really well.

When are you going to do the deed?
Pictures planned?
And will you share your experience with us?

Mark

Not sure yet....we still don't have sleeping gear. The tent is airing out in the guest br right now...it had that fresh plastic smell going on when we first set it up. I've got to seam seal the lower seams but may wait until it's warm outside since I've been told the seam sealer has a pretty potent smell to it.

May make use of the tent in May.

[Ripshod]

Eureka does make some good quality gear, congrats on getting the sweet deal. I love it when things ring up cheaper than I expected.

That tent looks very similar to the REI I've been using for 5 years. One big difference, mine packs longer - 20" long, in fact. It's not a packing problem though cause I have other gear that's even longer and I always ride one up.

Mine has about as much floor space and I get to spread out, scatter my gear and generally be a slob - just like at home! But don't let the naysayers get you down - there's nothing like sleeping up close and VERY personally with just the right person. Enjoy it!

[Mark]

Remember that REI rents camping gear... you might want to try some bags out before you buy...

Mark

[Tor]

We use a 3-man Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead,,,,,,,she still says its too small......Honey,,,,,,,its just used to sleep in at night,,,,,,,

[UNTMatt]

Just after we were done seam sealing the tent this afternoon, Dee spotted a small pinhole tear in one of the walls of the tent.

Also, one of the pouches on the inside of the tent wasn't properly sewn into the tent and would have pulled loose possibly causing the seam to come apart.

Tent has been returned. I wasn't happy with the selection at Cabela's so we'll head to REI sometime down the road and see what they have. Our main criteria is weight and pack size with the ability to fit a queen size air mattress inside (60" x 80"). Price and quality will determine which tent we purchase after that.