[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: [AT-L] Re: [AT-L] down & going tentless
My dearest gear-weenie partner Jeff;
What ? You question the quality of my Camel.
Your second hand information could be right
though. Ummmm let's see, I bought that tent
15 years ago at a factory outlet for $80. We
have used it about 50 nights per year, ohh wait
that doesn't include the 3 months we took off in
1990 to show our daughter America, during which we
camped in that tent almost every night. It has been
ran over by bison, backed over by our daughter (when
she was learning to drive ) been thru thunderstorms,
hail storms, snow storms and ice storms and has never
once leaked, or toppled (except the bison and daughter
incidents ), so maybe you are right the quality is
questionable . I'll let you know in another 15 years.
Now for the Quest, I agree I would not recommend that
tent for a thru-hike, but for different reasons than you list.
That tent , until we bought the Stephenson 3RS this year, had
been our canoe camping and snowmobile camping tent. The vestibule
on that tent is great , a duluth pack fits nicely. I have to
disagree about the hubs. The poles are bungie corded into the
hubs and two of them never get removed from the hubs. I have
set this tent up in conditions ranging from 90 degree please
don't let the bugs eat me, to -20 please let my fingers still
be there, and never had a problem with the hub. It's nice when it's
cold to only have to shake the hub and the third pole pops right in,
that leaves only one pole end to put in, so I think setup no matter
the condition is easy. My problem with this tent for a thru hike is
simply the weight. I feel at over 5 lbs the tent is just too heavy,
but I wouldn't eliminate it because of quality or durability issues.
We have used and abused ours for fours years and it has worked great.
Usually if any piece of gear survives me for that long it has got to be
durable.:)
Yours in gear weenie jest,
Sandy and Alison
"The Smiths"
Me to Ga '97