Repost from Survival Gear to get more eyes on it:


Unfortunately, due to a recently concluded nasty divorce where the rotten ex either hid or disposed of much of my property in direct violation of court orders, I find myself having to replace almost all of my camping gear. Right now, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for a tent and figured I'd ask around these parts because I'm sure someone here has tried some of the ones I'm considering. Basically I'm looking for a dome style tent, and I'd like it to be +/- 8'x8' in size- not bigger than that but I'd like to have room for an air mattress and my gear. A decent-sized vestibule, great ventilation and preferably, but not required, 4-season rating would be a plus. Although my AO is Florida, this tent will be primarily used at my hunting property in the panhandle at the GA border and we routinely see temps in the low 20's and upper teens in the winter.

One of the tents that got "robbed" from me was a Eureka Assault Outfitter 4 and I really liked that one- it was just about perfect and although I may go with that again, I've been looking at a few others-primarily offerings from Snugpak and Catoma. In Snugpak's lineup I keep looking at The Cave because The Bunker seems like it would be too small. The Scorpion 3 looks nice, but seems to be a bit small for my needs. Catoma's Commando III looks like it would also fit the bill in terms of size, but for some reason when I look at their stuff online it at least seems that the quality may not up to that of Snugpak's. My only experience with these companies' products is that I own a Snugpak Softie Merlin 3 sleeping bag that I'm very happy with, and I also own a Catoma Stealth I tent that I got from USRO a few years back but I've never even used it (it was just a great deal so I snatched it up).

As you can see from the tents I'm considering, I do gravitate toward military-styled and colored gear- I like my campsite free of loud colors, etc. I'm hoping that someone here has some experience with these tents and can shed light on quality, features, etc. Also, if anyone has a line on places with deals on these tents that would also be appreciated- rebuilding after a devastating divorce is expensive and every penny counts.

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

Nothing, guys?

I'm  a fan of Eureka's Timberline Outfitter tents, in their various sizes and  models --- mine include the "6-person" Outfitter, large enough for two cots, with a center aisle, and plentiful space at the foot of and under cots, and for solo use: a "4-person" variant with room for a cot and camp chair/nightstand and lots of duffel, gun cases,etc. Both offer ample headroom, and are 4-season capable. The A-frame configuration is limiting in interior volume,but economical of fabric, thus weight, extremely resistant to precipitation - frozen or fluid - and pretty wind resistant if appropriately guyed down (a microburst bent a frame  pole, but did not KO my Outfitter-6, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, a couple years ago, despite not  having been pitched for extreme winds..). The Outfitter, heavy duty version of these tents are designed to be Boy Scout resistant, and so far in my experience, are, if not bullet or idiot proof, very sturdy and durable. I am petulantly informed in another thread that a satisfactory tent can be had for less than $100, which in Nessmuk's day may have been the case, but isn't any longer, unless your idea of "satisfactory" sinks to a very low standard.

I would compare the snugpak and catoma offerings pretty similar in design and features with maybe a slight edge to snugpak. They both make some interesting tents but I find them to be a bit cramped and definitely on the heavy side. True 4 seasons tents generally start around $350-400 and go up from there and based on my experience would be overkill for you AO. The 4 season ratings are designed for heavy snow loading and strong winds in an exposed position. The main differences from a 3 season, being a fly that seals to the ground and increased vents at the top of the tent for when the edge of the fly is buried under snow.

A good 3 season tent should fill all of your needs and for the size you want, a 2 or 3 person tent would be about right, of course the bigger it is, the more weight and less warmth. Of the ones you mentioned, I would lean towards the Snugpak bunker, or if you could find it, an eureka combat tent. There are so many options when it comes to dome tents that you'll probably want to start a spreadsheet to compare your top choices.

During my last tent purchase I went with a REI halfdome 2+ in the subdued green which may work for you as well. Nothing could beat it for the size/weight/price. The other tent i was considering was a Hilleberg Anjan 3, a $700 tent but for me the deciding factor was I how tired  I was of having a damp sleeping bag from pressing against the wall of the tent and the halfdome 2+ has extra length to prevent that.

I appreciate your input, and concur with your thoughts that you're going to spend some money for a good tent- "Buy once, cry once", right?  As much as I'd like to get off cheap,. it just isn't how I roll, even if it means that I have to wait a little longer to be able to get something nicer.  I've been camping/hunting all my life and nothing sucks more than dealing with a crappy, leaking tent- having a good, dry, comfortable spot to get out of the elements is the make-or-break of a good outdoor experience.

Although I don't know if an A-frame tent is for me, your post is going to send me out on the 'net to take a look at them.  Thanks again.

Thanks for responding regarding the specific brands I am curious about.  Fortunately since this tent isn't going to see backpacking duty, the weight is not an issue to me.  Your observation that the Snugpak offerings slightly edge out Catoma's tents is reassuring to me, as that is the conclusion I drew solely off of a gut feeling I get when comparing the products online.  So my impressions seem to be spot on despite not having an opportunity to check these out locally.  

As I mentioned above, one of the tents I "lost" was a Eureka Assault Outfitter 4 and I was very satisfied with that one.  As you might know, it is based on the Eureka Combat Tent used by the military- just slightly larger if I'm not mistaken.  It performed well in weather that dropped into the upper teens (unbelievable for Florida, I know, but our property is only about a mile from the GA line so really not "Palm Tree Florida", but I'm taking this opportunity to explore other options since I'm starting over again.  I keep gravitating towards the Snugpak line due to my experience with their sleeping bags and the look of their offerings is also in line with my personal preferences.  If I could get away with the Bunker that would be great because it's less expensive than the Cave, but I just need to try and figure out how much space I need to be comfortable because I do want to use an air mattress in the tent and have some room left for gear, etc.  The "Fly First" setup style of the Bunker is appealing as well, as it would be helpful in those instances when I arrive to hunt camp get stuck setting up camp in the rain- the Cave doesn't offer that.  But of course, the Cave offers more space.

Thanks again for your input- sometimes just being able to bounce ideas off someone else is helpful.  The "Analysis Paralysis" factor of online research can sometimes become an obstacle to making a decision.

I thought I'd post an update as I ended up going with the Snugpak Cave tent.  

It was surprisingly difficult to track one down in stock and of all places bhphotovideo.com came up during a Google search and had it in stock at a decent price ($389).  I had a chance to try it out this weekend on a light duty, laid back weekend at a state park and I'm pleased with the tent.  Build quality seems very good- on par if not better than the Eureka Assault Outfitter IV I previously owned and unfortunately Mother Nature gave me a chance to rain test it.  The separate rain fly did it's job and the tent stayed completely dry on the interior.  The two vestibules are great, especially the one that you can open from either the left or right- it allows for a wind-blocked entrance point to the tent and I also took advantage of it to point the tent entry away from the neighboring campsite.  Plenty of guy lines and tie down points, and the tent went up quickly (at about midnight with the use of a headlamp).

As I primarily camp basecamp style, I prefer some extra room for gear and an air mattress, and at roughly 7x7 interior space I'm probably going to look into getting either a smaller air mattress or maybe look into a higher end self-inflating foam pad.  The size of this tent is my only "gripe" with The Cave but I knew that going into this purchase- just seeing the 7x7 in person shows the limitations on how much I'll be able to spread out.  The features and quality of the tent outweigh the fact that it's a little on the small side for me- I am thoroughly impressed with it so far.

Depends on price and whether you will be taking a vehicle into your site or hiking your gear in where every pound matters. www.campsaver.com has a great selection of high end tents, my four season is a Eureka and im quite happy with it. although its a little heavier than some of its competitors. Will likely replace it with a Big Agnes or Hilleburg for the weight savings.

Eureka has sales and an outlet where they auction off the last year's returns to the public in the spring.  If you live anywhere near them it's worth going to.  A LOT of the tents they sell are from people who bought them with no intention of keeping them and subsequently returned them when they were done with the trip.  I've scored excellent deals there and when I was a boy scout we outfitted our whole troop with Timberlines at the annual sale.

Check online, they used to sell from their outlet on their site too.

http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eureka/

steep and cheep is running a sale on tents right now FYI