Tent Advice Needed!

I am new to the backpacking world and am seeking some advice. I recently purchased a very inexpensive Alpine Design hiker tent from sports authority. It is a 2 person tent that weights about five pounds and includes a generous vestibule. It seemed to be a good deal but i have some concerns.

The tent requires many stakes, it is not free standing, this worries me because it may be hard to pitch out on the trail. Another concern of mine is the condensation issue. I am not sure if the tent is considered a single or double walled tent. The tent itself is primarily screened and a separate rain fly is attached. Finally i wonder how well it will hold in the rain. I intend to seal the seams.

I would like any advice from past experience concerning cheap tents and backpacking.
Thanks.

OF COURSE somebody has to recommend a Henry Shires Tarptent (www.tarptent.com), and I'll be the first to do it. Lots of ventilation, so not nearly as much condensation as you might think. You can't post a tent query anywhere without us Tarptent fans jumping in! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Seriously, the key to less condensation is ventilation. If your tent (like my last double-wall tent, a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight) has an outward sloping door so that you have to button the fly up tight in the slightest drizzle, you're going to have lots of condensation--far more than I do in a single wall Tarptent. If you're winter camping, though, you need something sturdier, with less mesh.

If your tent has a vertical door, so you can pitch the door away from the wind and leave the vestibule open in wet weather, you should be fine. Some people really like having a netting inner tent and leaving the fly off in good weather for stargazing. Personally, I'm usually tired enough to fall asleep before it gets fully dark in the summer. I usually have to get up several times during the night (one of the penalties of old age) and get plenty of stargazing done then. On the other hand, I love having the 360* view (when lying down) that most Tarptents provide, so I can see what is happening outside my tent.

There are lighter double-wall tents than what you have. If weight is important to you, then do lots more research and also consider those single-wall (generic) tarptents. If you really want a double-wall tent (I don't like them, but YourMileageMayVary), research the MSR Hubba series and Big Agnes.

Freestanding tents may be fine on the beach or on rocky soil, but with the first puff of wind, they will go flying off into the lake or over the cliff with your gear. They must be staked down or have lots of rocks inside.

The best place to test out your tent is in the back yard (yours or borrowed). If it doesn't rain hard enough, try a hose for 45-60 minutes. You want to make sure the tent is reliable and that you can set it up in the dark, without reference to instructions, before you ever hit the trail.

I hope the tent works out well for you. If not, some searches on this forum (resetting the time parameter to lots longer than one week) will find lots of options for you.

Does this tent have fibreglass poles? They are a lot more prone to shatter and completely fail than aluminum poles.

A few responses to your initial questions:
From your description, the tent sounds like a double walled tent, which is fine. In fact, many prefer a double wall because it tends to deal with condensation easier. Folks on this forum tend to go for the single walled tents more than most, in large part because they're lighter, but that doesn't mean there's anything at all wrong with double walled models. They comprise the majority of tents out there.
Non free standing is also not a problem. Again, most tents are not free standing, and it's pretty much the norm to need to anchor tents down with stakes in most camp sites. There can be spots where the ground doesn't lend itself to that, but they tend to be in the minority, and you can usually improvise something in those cases.
I'd double check the tent's instructions to make sure it requires seam sealing. Some tents have the seams sealed by the manufacturer. If not, then it's important to seal seal them. I'd also do whatever I can to test the tent before taking it out when there's any possibility of rain to make sure it is water tight. Nothing will spoil a trip more than a leaky tent.

All that having been said, if you're just starting out and trying to see if backpacking is for you, there's nothing wrong with a moderately priced tent from a big box store. In the long run, they don't tend to be as well designed or made as the name brand products, many of which you'll hear about on a forum like this one and others. But if you get into backpacking, you'll learn more about your needs and wants, and will be able to make a more informed decision and commit to a better, possibly higher priced model based on more information and experience.

I'd also recommend you pick up a intro book on backpacking. Ones by Colin Fletcher and Chris Townshend come to mind and there are others. They'll give you a good introduction to all of the gear you'll need with explanations of the basic design features, choices and trade off's of each. Most gear is a compromise of various features, and often the best gear for you depends in part on the type of use and conditions in which you'll be using it. So a good choice for one person isn't necessarily a good choice for another.

Hope that's helpful.

Gerry Magnes
Schenectady, NY

I checked out the Alpine Design tents on the web and they look like a decent beginning tent for a cheap price. Check the seams. If it looks like there is a piece of plastic tape covering the inside of the seam, you don't need to seal them. if not, buy some sealant and coat all the seams on the inside. Condensation occurs in high humidity situations because of poor ventilation. Make sure that you are not blocking the area between the fly and the inner tent near the ground and leave the vestibule open as much as possible to increase ventilation. An most importantly, have fun!

A tent with a separate fly is considered a double wall tent. You will likely need to seal the seams. It probably won't stand up to heavy winds or a serious downpour, but you can minimize some of that with site selection (i.e., don't set up on an open ridgeline in a serious storm.)

Not freestanding is generally not a problem. All tents should be staked down anyway. If the tent is mostly screening, just leave the fly off as long as it's not raining. You'll get great ventilation and good views.

As long as you understand its limitation, this sort of tent is a fine way to start backpacking. Use it for weekend hikes in the warmer months, in mostly fair weather, and it will work well. As you gain more experience, and you want to hike in a wider range of conditions, you will probably replace it with a lighter and more weatherproof tent. But until then, just get out and use it.

The Colin Fletcher book is called "The Complete Walker" and is the reference book for backpacking. There is even a "Camping for Dummies" book. Some of these may be at your local library. There is a lot of basic info on this site (go to the Home Page and start there) as well as many other sites. Some sites are geographically focused, so you might find one on your area with trip suggestions.

If you are totally new to backpacking, going with a group or taking a class with an organization like the Sierra Club is a good introduction. Sometimes stores like REI will have free classes with basic info. They are usually pitching products as well, but are usually worth the time.

Colleges sometimes have outdoor clubs, so look into that if you are in school. Some clubs have rental gear.

I sort of hate to reply with a non answer or a negative one, but here goes anyway. First of all I might say that someone recommended Colin Fletchers book (now the Complete Walker IV, with Chip Rawlins) or Chris Townsend's book. I think Fletcher's is a world apart and much better than the latter. Next, I read the reviews on your tent and they were mixed. That is because there are so many different factors such as; temperature, wind, humidity, rain quality, and ground conditions. What you need to do is test your tent in a situation that isn't critical. What I do with a new tent is take it out to a campsite on a trail where I could walk back to the car in an hour or two (I actually have a secret place I go to by myself). I spend the night in the tent, hopefully it rains so I can get a good test of the tent. If it leaked and I got soaked I could walk out at night with a headlamp. Then I use it in progressively more challenging conditions until I gain faith in it. The general truth here is that all tents are compromises in weight and size; Weight and security: and often price and weight. It sounds like a bargain, but as you become more experienced you will no doubt replace it with something lighter and more expensive. I think we all do that eventually. It is just a process you will go through. My heaviest two person tent nowadays is 5 lbs (Clip Flashlight) and I use a <2 lb Tarptent (R) with a friend when weight is a factor and we won't be camping on snow or glacier.

You say you are new to backpacking, and then you are asking for advice on a tent you bought. So it sounds to me like there is some anxiety over how the tent will perform as well as just in general. Well, the best way to cure those is to test the gear and do some backpacking. Heck you can even combine the two by doing something like Pliny suggested where you go somewhere familiar and hike in a little ways from your car so you can bail out if things get rough.

Your gear test can also be as simple as just setting up your tent in your yard (assuming you have a yard) and leaving it out in the rain for a while. This will tell you if it has any leaking issues or not. As for concerns over setting it up, just go out and practice setting it up. There's really no other magical way to get good at setting up a shelter. I use all non-freestanding shelters, and they're a breeze to set up.

I can't comment on your specific tent, and as others have mentioned usage of any gear varies widely depending on the experience level of the user and where it's being used. For example, it's common to read reviews of tents on the net that are negative, but a lot of time those users likely are inexperienced. Anytime I read about condensation issues I always laugh cause most tents are going to have some sort of condensation "issue" as that's just part of nature. It's just up to the user as to what's an acceptable amount of condensation.

At any rate, I'm starting to babble. Enjoy the tent and welcome to whole new world.