Opinions on this "tent" please
I was kicking around the China Mart page when I saw this. http://www.walmart.com/ip/GigaTent-S...#ProductDetail
it seems like a quick tent that would be easy to pack around. Its closed size is 2"X2"X20" my walking stick takes up more than that. Seems like a decent place between a tarp shelter and a real tent. The floor space fully open is 4'X7'.
You can setup a tarp in the same basic configuration. I have to believe a tarp by itself would weigh less then this and give you more versatility in setup choices. Just my 2¢
That looks like a cool design. But it's probably heavy and cheap tents like that are usually not waterproof. I would learn to use a tarp, they are really versatile. Tents are best reserved for real nasty weather. If you go to the Cache Creek meetup, chert and crimscene450 are both really good with tarps and could show you some cool setups.
Sounds great. I need to get a tarp before then. Money had been a big issue lately. I thought I had a few knives sold and one person tried to get cute and stiffed me and another fell into rough times. Tarps aren't cheap. Scrounging up the gas to get there will be hard enough. Bah sorry boo-friggity-who poor me. Lol. I'll figure something out.
There is nothing wrong with starting out with a super cheap blue hardware store tarp. Those work well enough. And if a spark from a fire puts a hole in a cheap tarp, it's not that big of a deal.
I may have a roll of heavy duty plastic in my wood shop. Will be tearing it up looking for it.
I think the 4x7 size is counting the door when it is on the ground. Look at the pics in the reviews. even if it is waterproof, only your top half would be inside it.
Loogaroo,
That's not a camping tent, but a beach tent, intended to provide shade and protection against sun, sand, light winds, and bugs while at the beach, but it won't be waterproof and won't anchor properly against winds in a storm or strong wind, and it's not likely made of lightweight materials since it's intended to be carried from the beach parking lot to the shore. So, I would think it inadequate if your intention is to use it in the bush for overnight camping.
When people are looking for inexpensive tents, especially when starting out, I always recommend they try to get them secondhand from such sources as E-Bay, CraigsList, and Kijiji. People buy good tents and cheap tents of every sort and never use them, or use them once and then never again. Even high quality tents in great condition are available at a fraction of the cost as people are often upgrading to bigger tents, smaller tents, lighter tents, etc.
Hope this helps,
- Martin
re the cheap poly tarps, walmart sells the blue ones, but you can get brown/green ones at Tractor Supply Company, if you don't like blue.
Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you. John Muir
"I may just be a hillbilly, but I know the difference between a show dog and a working dog. Working dogs know when to be quiet and they have mud on them." 87Burban
Loogaroo,
I am a big fan of using tarps ( the cheap ones ). The configurations you can make are unlimited. In a pinch, two tarps can be tied together and strung out to entirely close you up is so desired. You can get 8 X 10 for anywhere from 5 - 8 bucks. Make sure they have grommets to tie off with.
Like was mentioned above, if a spark or hole gets on a cheap tarp...who cares? Duct tape the hole on both sides and keep camping.
My last two cents is this. I really dont think there is much difference in weight between a cheap blue tarp and an expensive specialty tarp. That said, I am sure the cheap tarps are probably a little more nosiy, if not strung tight. The expensive tarps also have a much better cool factor. However, i get a kick out of figuring ways to do things for less, while still getting quality service.
Be safe.
Bob Duff
AKA Draketake
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