Eureka tent

[robkanraft]

Anyone use a Timberline Outfitter 6?

[scott yarbrough]

Rob I have the lil brother to that tent. The Timberline OT 4. I like it. It has a bucket floor that works pretty well.(don't leak) It has a pretty good way of being able to stake it down with only 8 stakes and the guy lines don't stick out but about a foot away from the sides. Best of all it can hold up to some brutal winds if staked down. It goes up as fast as any dome tent, has inside pockets and loops from the ceiling. It sure seems to hold up to hours of constant wind and rain. Can open it up and get a pretty good breeze going through it too.

I think you can get vestabules for both ends too.

[Crane]

I have a Timberline 4 as my trip-tent when my bride comes along. I second all Scott's comments. A number of outfitters use Timberlines because they pretty much wear like iron... and idiots like me can learn to put them up quickly...

[RomanLA]

I was planning to get a Eureka tent. The outfitter here said if you want to stay dry to go with a Kelty instead.

[Crane]

There's typically a big difference in price. You can sometimes buy seconds and slightly used Timberlines off the Eureka website...

[okieboater]

I have had good and bad experience with tents. Mostly good to great.

I have seen some of these timberline outfitter tents survive several years of boy scouts summer camp - not all eurekas will do that but some will.

I am a big fan of north face, but a bud of mine got a leaky fly and had to return that. No questions asked and he got fast service.

Had good luck so far with REI quarter dome Kind of lightweight material but stood up to two nights of severe wind and rain on West Water Canyon in CO and a couple on the Buffalo.

I think the best tent I have is a original moss, been thru some mighty hard storms inside it. It's heavy but man is it nice in bad weather.

Bottom line is almost any of the name brand tents sold today will give good service.

Destination Wilderness even had Coleman tents which I found out discount to around 35 bucks each, and I slept dry in a Oregon May rainstorm one night and this tent had been thru at least one year of use.

I do not have a Timberline Outfitter tent, but have buds who do and they swear by them.

good luck --- just find a tent with a big bag that it will fit into when you get it out of the store.

[robkanraft]

Scott, we need a temporary home for a week. Do you think the #4 would work for for us as a a base camp? We're off to Utah this fall, was told to bring a tent that can stand the wind and other elements, be big enough to stay in and stretch out in if we do get socked in with weather, etc. Never seen a number 6 but it looks huge on paper, could be a pain to put up that big?

[scoutdad]

I know of several troops that have the smaller version. easy up, light, pack small. Last more than a couple of years witch is amazeing with some troops :roll: Never seen any scouts craw out of them wet.

[scott yarbrough]

It'll be tight for two people socked in by the weather. It is not tall enough to stand up on your knees. Two big paco pads fill it up with not much room on the sides. My real concern would be gear leaning on the sides of the tent causing it to wick. In my opinion the 4 would do, the 6 would be better for two people spending a lot of time in it.

[thebob.com]

My 2 cents worth:

I own a 4 man Timberline Outfitter.
Great tent in my opinion; especially the Outfitter model, as opposed to the cheaper version.
However, I am of the opinion that it would better be called a 3 man.

With 2 people & gear in it; you can "get by" if you have too for a day or two. BUT after a day or two; you're probably going to start feeling a little cramped. There is not enough room to stand up in it, unless you are a short person, and 2 people sitting upright in it will only be comfortable doing so in the middle of the tent. Great tent for 2 people river, or base camping, but not for weathering long periods of inclement weather.

The 6 man Timberline is quite a bit larger than the 4 man. A good friend has one, and it can hold him, his wife, 2 cots, and a mountain of gear. They even set up a chair & a small table in theirs. A 6 footer can stand up in it and change clothes with ease. I wouldn't try to stuff 6 people in it, but it will sleep 4 with ease.
Bad news: There is such a vast expanse of material on that tent, and it is so tall; there is no way that strong winds will not affect it's stability. It is a hassle to set up in a strong wind, and a hassle to take down. The last time we paddled together & our friends used that tent, a strong wind was blowing, and we ended up burying "dead men" ( logs) to keep it on the ground. The expanse of material (it has a huge profile) acts like a sail, and even after doubling up on stakes, at all points requiring stakes, it wouldn't stay on the ground, even with cots, sleeping bags, and a pile of gear inside.

My solution to being "trapped" in inclement weather(when using my Timberline 4 man tent)...........I bought & carry a large (16 foot square) Noah's tarp & set it up very close to our tent. If rigged fairly low, it will take a very strong crosswind to get rain underneath it. Gives you a "place to go" to cook & get out of the tent for awhile. Ways to set it up are virtually endless(lean to, like a tent,just for sun shade,etc) With a little self control, you can even have a small fire nearby; the key word is "small fire". The price of the tarp & the 4 man tent is equal to, or less than the price of the 6 man Timberline. The 2 pieces of gear offer a lot more options than just having a 6 man tent.

Whateve tent I use, I alway take along an extra 4 to 6 tent stakes & some extra lengths of para cord.
When I stake out my 4 man Timberline; if I am expecting heavy wind &/or rain..............I put the usual 4 stakes on the rainfly, and I also put a stake in each of the four corners of the tent(through the O ring on each corner). On top of the tent/top center of the rainfly, is a small D ring.........run a piece of par cord from each of these & stake it down.
If your tent is still trying to lift off; you may need to start looking for the tornado that may be passing through your area shortly. Prepare to bend over & kiss your butt goodbye.............

BOB

[robkanraft]

Ok Bob, I was on the fence and you just pushed me off. Anybody want to weigh in on a Sierra Designs Bedouin 6?

[RIORESIDENT]

havn't used that particular tent, but love my comet. Its a 2000, one thing about sierra that i have learned to love, is the simplicity. I have used NF, mountain HW, and kelty in the past. I sold other tents, and now use the sierra as my tripping tent.

the comet sets up in a breeze, has two full size doors ( i wouldn't havea single door tent again. the fly has a large vestibule for the front, and a small for the back. the ony thing i would have changed about design is equal size vestibules. but other than a small burn hole in the door screen, it has been a dry tent, sturdy, and Im sold on sierra. 8 years and going strong.