First post here


So I'm having a hard time deciding on our next tent, wondering if anyone with first hand knowledge of any of the 4 might chime in..

Sierra Designs Zeta 3 - like the nice sized vestibule 26sf combined, heaviest of the 4 though. ($137)

Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 - can get an awesome price ($107), lightest of the 4, but haven't seen many reviews.

Kelty Gunnison 3.1 - largest floor space of 4, 3rd in weight. ($138) Not much in comparison to the zeta, but I noticed some nice venting on the fly that the others here lack.

Alps Mountaineering Chaos 3 - Can't find any reviews anywhere, weight is on par with the drifter, the thing just looks cool..that counts for something right?! ($140) I know they aren't known for being upscale with tents, but this one seems like a more advanced tent compared to their others.

Anyhow, specs are, need something with 2 doors, decent vestibule size, and known for reliability. Traveling with myself (5ft11) wife (5ft4) and a 65 pound golden retriever. 3.5 season trips in the TN/KY area for 2-3 days each.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Those are my main options, trying to stay in the median price range to allow a little more of a budget for down sleeping bags and quality packs. The old army alice pack just isn't going to cut it anymore!

Sorry, I haven't seen any of these in person to comment. However, I will say that traveling with your wife and a large-ish dog, I would want a fairly large floor area. I would also look for something that has vertical doors -- that is, they don't slope inward, which lets in rain when they are opened to get in and out.

One trick I used when hiking with the family and a small tent was to carry a 5x8 foot silnylon tarp, which I rigged over the door of the tent. It makes a great porch for cooking, hanging out, etc., and it let us keep the door open for ventilation even in the rain.

I would like to second the importance of a screen door that is upright rather than slanting so you don't have to close the tent up tight in a mere drizzle. In fact, you want to be able to keep the tent at least part-way open for ventilation unless, of course, you're contending with one of those thunderstorms that drives horizontal rain from every direction!

Most of us use lighter tents (this is, after all, a lightweight backpacking site), but they may not be within your budget. For double-wall tents, several folks on this forum use tents from Big Agnes or MSR. There are also a number of single-wall tents, particularly those by Tarptent.com, which are a bit roomier. Their Double Rainbow would definitely be big enough.

With two of you and the dog, you might need to consider a three-person tent. That's especially true of the lighter-weight double-wall tents, where the space has often been trimmed down to save weight! Look at the dimensions and (especially if you have to order the tent) lay them out with masking tape and string on your living room floor to be sure there's room for the three of you.

Thanks for the input here, I'm going to stick with a 3 person, leaning towards the Mountain Hardwear one right now.

And that tarp idea sounds pretty good, would be nice not to have to be zipped up in the event of some rain..