Tent

Reviews of tents.

  • Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 set up in the BWCA
    Reviews,  Tent

    First Look: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3

    Almost two years ago, we added a person to our family. As he has grown up, we’ve had to figure out how he is going to fit in with our camping and paddling trips. This year with a toddler in tow, we found that our two person tents didn’t fit anymore (last year, we used my heavy old mountaineering tent which had plenty of extra length to fit a baby). We bought a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 and will review it as we continue to use it. This is the first look after using it on one canoeing trip into the BWCA. Our goal was to find a lightweight…

  • kelty trallogic TN2 tent
    Reviews,  Tent

    Kelty TrailLogic TN2 Tent Review

    I really wanted a Sierra Designs Lightning tent and had ordered one last fall only to find out that they were out of stock, so I decided to wait until spring to buy the new version when it came out. When I saw the new SD lineup, I was pretty shocked. The Lightning was gone and something that looks like it fell off the deepend replaced it. I know that Kelty is a downline of SD, so I decided to see if the old tent somehow filtered downline into Kelty. It sort of did in the form of the Kelty TrailLogic TN2 tent. I ordered one and this is my…

  • hammock hanging in the woods
    Reviews,  Tent

    Lawson Hammock’s Blue Ridge Creek Camping Hammock Review

    When my 5 year-old son said he wanted to do something fun, I didn’t hesitate: we grabbed Lawson Hammock’s Blue Ridge Creek Camping Hammock and jumped in the truck. There’s a section of Lake Superior shoreline just North of town that’s uncampable in a tent because of the beach ball sized rocks strewn over the ground. It’s also one of my son’s favorite spots on Earth and the hammock was the key to a great family experience. We do a lot of camping in tents and in hammocks, so we’re well practiced. Even so, the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock went up easier than any other shelter we’ve used. After finding…

  • Tarptent Cloudburst 2 being reviewed in the BWCA.
    Reviews,  Shelters,  Tent

    Tarptent Cloudburst 2 Review

    In early 2009, I traded a Tarptent Double Rainbow for a Cloudburst 2. For various reasons, I didn’t like the Double Rainbow, but I wanted to try another Tarptent before I wrote off the category. Tim Smith, the owner and founder of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School, says “It takes four nights to own a shelter.” But, I think it takes slightly longer to really know how a shelter performs. I need to see how it performs in hot humid weather, rain, cold, wind and more before I really know how to rate it. I usually like to spend 30 nights in a tent or under a tarp before I write…

  • Reviews,  Tent

    GearPods Shelter Kit Review

    GearPods, a company based out of Polson, Montana, manufactures “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” Their gear systems combine interconnecting, waterproof containers with pre-built survival kits. Users combine any number of containers and gear to arrive at a customized kit, something like my emergency ditch kit. I’m currently testing out GearPods Wilderness system, which includes first-aid, survival gear, a lightweight stove, and the GearPods Shelter. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each component separately. I’ll wrap-up the reviews in a final overview and opinion of the products with a separate post. Because, I travel in lightweight style, I prefer…

  • Tent

    Tarptent Double Rainbow Review

    Tarptent’s Double Rainbow, introduced in 2006, received consistently good reviews on the Internet, so late in 2007, I decided to purchase one. During 2008, I used the tent exclusively. This tent has some good and bad points. Initial Thoughts Upon Receiving the Tarptent When I decided to purchase the Double Rainbow, I noticed a waiting list, so I exchanged emails with Henry Shires, the owner of Tarptent. He quickly answered all the email I sent to him before the purchase, so I made the assumption that the customer service would be quite good. Settled on a long wait, somehow my Double Rainbow showed up at the door a little earlier…

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