Hi Patches123!

First of all get a tent that will sleep 2 MORE than you plan to have. This will give you lots of room for gear as well as yourselves. So, for 4 people get a tent that sleeps at least 6 and you'll have lots of room for ground pads, cots, or wet clothes, bootsetc. Second, get a ground cloth to put under your tent on. This is essential during rainy camping. Make sure you fold the corners of the ground cloth under the tent so rain won't puddle around the floor.

I looked at the tent selections you made and they all seem to have a good sized tub flooring that goes up the wall of the tent sufficiently. I also looked at the size of the rainfly. The Kelty one looks too small, if that is a true picture. The Eureka had a large rainfly, which I would choose. Remember, when it starts to rain, move your gear away from the tent walls.

Happy Camping!

Tim

Here is a link that might be useful: TheCampingGuy.com

Tim,

Thank you. In your opinion is one of the Eurekas that I mentioned better than an other or are they pretty much the same just different cosmetically?

Good day,

I've been using a Sunrise 11 for a family of four (2 kida and 2 adults) for a number of years. It's brought me good and bad luck. It has always kept me dry because everytime I've used it, it has rained. Good temt, perhaps they are selling earlier models discounted, or go with the tetragon 1210. The room fills up fast with gear. You'd be surprised.

Happy camping,
elliot

I like the Tetragon series. Their use of clips rather than (ugggh!) sleeves means ease of setup and less rips and repairs on the tent body. I find that a four-person tent is great for three people, etc., as you said your use was for sleeping rather than living space. If I were you, and I'm not, I'd blow my budget on a good Sierra Designs tent and skimp on the other stuff for now. I enjoy a Tetragon 8 that I use as a 2nd tent for two, and I'm happy with it for nearly two years of occasional use and a dry interior during rain and light snow, sleet and hail.

Looking at those sites, I'd be most tempted by the Eureka Kahuna tent from REI. This is all a bit out of my area, I use a Eureka Timberline 4 and a Sierra Designs Sirius 3, in both cases for two people, and I camp mostly off a motorcycle.

I do concur with the opinions above that, to be comfortable, you need to multiply the number of people by at least 1 1/2, and even by 2 is ideal, to determine the size tent you need. And I'd add, get aluminum rather than fiberglass poles if possible. The Kahuna is way over $150, but you might be better off getting a really good tent and "making do" for some of the rest of the stuff, then getting some more really good stuff later.

patches123,

As I age, I prefer to have more space for my stuff. My tent should be weatherproof (wind, rain, etc) and setup easily by one or two persons (in the dark if necessary). For your application, I would look at a Coleman Lakeside. It has all you'll need, is within your budget and will allow persons 6' tall to stand inside it. There are Coleman outlet stores in many places and, if you can get to one, you'll find most of their gear discounted below the cheapest stores you'll find.

Here's a link to the Coleman Outlet Stores:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/campcoleman/default.asp

Here's a link to the Coleman Lakeside Tent:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9163B150&categoryid=11020

Since the Lakeside would be below your budgeted price, you'd have extra money to buy a very essential item...a tarp that is at least double the size of your tent and some ropes, poles & stakes to put it up. Don't even think you're going to setup and takedown a large tent when it's pouring rain without having a place to do it. The tarp will keep the rain off you the whole time you're camping. Plus, if large enough, it can be a dining tarp too.

Here's a link to Tarps At Wholesale. Their standard white tarps are reasonably priced, heavy duty and have plenty of reinforced grommets. You should at least get one to use as a ground cloth, (but keep it inside the tent not outside).

http://www.tarpsatwholesale.com/

The tents you picked out have great floor space. But, being rounded, there isn't much room near the edges to do anything...like stand up. You'd be crawling in & out of bed and crawling around to get your stuff. The center areas have space (horizontal and vertical) but not enough for 4 people. Believe me, when you're inside you'll want it to be the size of a hotel.

Patches123

Ya...the Eureka Dome tents you show are pretty much the same design except for larger floor space, height and some have vestibules for gear. I've camped in Colemans, Ozarks and Eureka's. In fact our Boy Scouts sleep in Eurekas when we go camping. See if you can go to a local REI or Sporting Goods store that has tents on display and crawl around inside one to see how it fits height and space-wise. When I'm looking for a tent I take my kids with me and we all lie down in the tent to see if there's enough room. Jot down the dimensions of the tent you like and go online shopping for the price you want. And keep in mind, large rainfly and tub floor. Good Luck!

Thanks everyone! I have been to all the local places and can not find any of the recomended tents on display. I even went to our Cabella's store and no luck. So I will have to take a leap of faith and order one. Another person had suggested the Kelty Trail Dome 6. Any thoughts on it? Its a bit more then $150 but if its better than the Eureka Sunrise perhaps its worth it. I did see a COleman at Dick's Sporting Goods and it was already ripped, but I don't remember if it was the Lakeside - I'll have to take another look. They had a Eureka Apollo on display too. But it seemed like a lower end tent?

topcat -- sorry I am a newbie --- I will need to put a tarp over my tent?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kelty Trail Dome 6

Nevermind on that Kelty - I called Kelty and it does NOT have a bathtub floor. I think I will go with the Eureka Sunrise 9 and see if that works for us. I was hoping ot find it locally but it looks like I will have to order it online.

I'd take a closer look at your choice if you expect to encounter any rain and wind. The Sunrise has a fly that should be lower on the tent to shed rain and wind, has long sleeve pockets at the top that catch the poles and rip as they age, and make set up more difficult. For only 10 more square feet, the Sunrise is 5 lbs. heavier but the material and poles are the same. There are twice as many windows and zippers to catch, leak and wear that you really don't need. This is why I bought the Tetragon instead of the Sunrise after examination. For use maybe in State Parks in the summer, I like the Sunrise. I do a lot of mountain camping, including light snow and chose the long fly cover of the Tetragon. I do think however that your choice would be just fine in any case! Happy tenting from the teepee. : )

Oh, so the Tetragon might be better that the sunrise? I had considered that, but thought the Sunrise was actually suppossed to be better. The Tetragon is actually closer to my price point anyway. I had e-mailed Eureka and they said the Eureka is more an entry level good for basic camping and that the SUnrise is a step up. I just, perhaps, wrongly assumed that meant it was better for my purposes. Thanks so much for the clarification!

I am looking online at the eureka tetragon 9 and it does look like the fly comes down closer to the ground. When I look at the 1210 or 1610 it doesn't look like that. Does anyone have one of the larger ones who can tell me for sure?

Campor has a 2005 1610 on hot deal for $159 or with rebate the 06 9 for $120 or the 06 1210 for $180 or the 06 1610 for $170.00

DH is worried the larger ones will be too big...too hard to find a camping spot that large.

Here is a link that might be useful: eureka tents

Patches,
A creature of habit, I always do things the same way until proved wrong. When we arrive at a campground, I scout the sites & find one where the wash of the land won't come through the middle of the tent. Then, I put up a tarp which will cover all our things....tent included. Once it's up, I can move the vehicle underneath it for unpacking & setting up. If it's pouring rain, we'll be dry the entire time after the tarp is erected. I also carry enough ropes to insure that the tarp will be erected even if there aren't any poles.

I believe you have your heart set on a large tent to house four large folks, but you might be better off getting two tents. If only you & your husband were to go camping, you wouldn't need the giant tent. Plus, there's more flexibility in setting up multiple tents than there would be doing one large one. Covering the smaller tent is cheaper and you could pickup a 10'x10' dining tarp, with poles & ropes, for around $20. The dining tarp could be placed in the middle of the two tents to provide a common area for everyone to meet & dine. There are a multitude of both good and inexpensive two person tents available. Just a thought.

As for a tarp being a necessity, it isn't. But, here's a true tarp story. I heard on the radio that rain was expected on the evening we would be arriving at our favorite campground.

When my wife & I arrived at the campsite, I proceeded to set up a tarp to cover everything. There was a family, the Cooke's (they had a sign with their name on it hanging from a tree branch), in the site next to us with three very large tents that looked like Eureka Headquarter models. Their gear was piled high on two picnic tables and spread out in various places on the ground. They were sitting on their chairs & seemed to be enjoying watching me string up the tarp without any poles. My wife was embarrassed for me but stayed in the van & didn't say anything. Once it was up, we quickly setup the tent and unpacked all our gear. The Cooke laughter eventually subsided, we ate dinner, hiked around a while and finally retired for the night. About two in the morning, I awoke to a crack of lightning and I could hear it was raining very hard. The Cooke family members were all screaming at each other. We opened the tent door, stepped out under our tarp, sat down in our chairs and laughed ourselves sick watching the Cooke's sliding in the mud trying to gather their gear and fighting with each other over what they should do. Flashlights were blazing everywhere & it looked like a Chinese fire drill. After an hour or so we went back to bed still laughing. In the morning, I stepped out of the tent & found that the Cooke's campsite was completely empty. My wife remarked that whenever the Cooke's went camping again, the first thing they would do would be to erect a tarp to cover their stuff no matter who might be laughing at them.

OK...now the tarp makes complete sense!! I thought you were just saying to put a tarp up to cover the tent only....now it makes sense. I like the idea of a dining tarp too!

patches123, The only difference I found between the two tents, besides weight, is that the Sunrise has a 4 oz. density floor with a 1200 mm waterproof coating, and the Tetragon has a 1.9 oz. floor and an 800 mm coating. I use a tarp (yes, camoflage!) under my tent(s) and so a stronger floor is unnecessary and only a must-have in my $ 300-and-up tent. The fly on the sunrise leaves twice as many tent-body areas exposed to wind and water and thus my preference. The thicker floor is not an advantage for my mountain camping compared to the wind/water resistance. The SunRise is a great tent, IMHO, for the value.

Well I ordered a tent. I was going to go ahead and get the Tetragon 1210 for $169, but it was more than the 1610, since I found the Tetragon 1610 on Amazon for $138 after the rebate from Eureka. The Tetragon 9 was going to cost me $109, so it seemed worth the extra cost for double the room. Now hopefully DH will be OK with the extra room! I figure if he truly wants to hike in the mountains in the winter he will need a 4 season tent anyway and can get a one or two person one then. Now, I just have to wait for it to be delivered.

Here is a link that might be useful: tetragon 1610 on amazon.

It's you, not us, but I would have taken topcat7736's advice instead. Two tents are better than one! You've selected a 9-person (Yep, it's ideal for 7) for four people? Most campgrounds we visit are fortunate if they have at least two 4-man tent pads fairly level and away from drainage collection. Finding a good spot for a 140 square foot tent is going to be tricky at best. Also, it has the same 11 mm poles supporting a much larger tent. We have purchased tents of this size from Costco and they broke at first outing as the poles are suited to much smaller-framed tents. I think that 1610 would be a great choice for an all-Summer base camp at a private campground where it would not be moved until season's end. As a car-camping tent, we've only had bad experiences with tents of this size, and they're not fun to set up either. Maybe your retailer has a good return policy in this case. I do however hope your experiences aren't like this, and you get years of fun outings with the 1610.

Well, now you have me wondering if I should just cancel the order (which I still can) and get the Tetragon 9 instead. Its $30 cheaper and 81 sqft. I don't want to go with two tents, as there will be small children and/or two lab dogs(indoor dogs) with us sometimes, that I wouldn't want in a seperate tent just yet. Of course sometimes it will be just me and my DH.

I ordered through Amazon and they will exchange it for another product if we get it and don't like it and of course it has the mfgs warranty.

Oh, what to do....I guess I need to decide today. Usually I don't have a hard time making decisions. But for some reason this is a tough one.

Patches,

You've received some excellent advice. Pull the trigger, get one on order, with the right to return. Set it up in your backyard or local park and check it out prior to taking it camping. Crawl around inside. Pace off areas for sleeping, gear, dogs, etc and make sure it works. If you do decide the keep it, get a fresh bottle of seam sealer and apply a coat, let dry and then put the tent away until you're ready to camp. Enjoy!

Great news, amazon has the 1210 on sale today, so I was able to cancel my order for the 1610, which probably was larger than needed as some pointed out. I think the 1210 will be just right. With two adults, 2 dogs and 1-2 young kids sometimes. Its on sale today for $129 after rebate and has free shipping. Which I think is a great deal considering other places are listing it for $199 before rebate. I will take your advice and set it up in the backyard and then if it looks like its the right size, seal the seams. Thanks everyone for all the help!!

The 1210 was perfect! We went camping this past weekend, and for the 1st time in my camping history it did NOT rain. But, the size and overall style etc of the tent is perfect. Very easy to put up and take down. Thanks everyone!

Like some of you out there I am new to this so I thought I would share some of my experiences. I guess I was registered because I found the link for messages at this site, but if I am reposting please forgive an old man.

During this 2007 Christmas Season I began actively looking at tents to replace one for dog agility trials when my Beamer and I get back on the road. I was looking for the best deal in the house, for under $200. We wanted one that we could stand in, with plenty of room for two people and their gear, including the crates for our dogs.

Before we begin a word of caution. Using the internet really lets you know of the tent and their prices. But, look to the home site of the manufacturer for a MSRP because with a lot of the sellers they really jack up the prices and then give you little discounts. You can get a better view of the pricing by staying with reputable dealers like Cabelas, Backcountry Edge, Bob Wards and companies like that. DonÂt be fooled by big discounts.

Most tents claims of "sleeps X persons" are inflated and usable space should include allowances for about six square feet of baggage for each adult. Consumer Reports found in their tests that when it states the tent fits eight people, one should plan on stacking everyone like cordwood - or stowing all the gear in the car. More likely, a tent will fit comfortably only two-thirds as many people claimed, and probably half would be a more realistic figure.

I initially had settled on the Kelty Trails Dome 6 or Columbia Bugaboo Dome tents (because at my age we won't be going too far afield) but then I looked at the Eureka tents. I even went to Consumers Reports and found that the Eureka Sunrise 9 offered the best ventilation of all tents tested. But, for many more extra dollars EurekaÂs Titan does buy more room, easier setup, aluminum poles instead of fiberglass, and two doors instead of one. Kelty was not figured in their reports, nor was Columbia. So I compared them all.

When you consider the Kelty Green River 4 tent, you need to compare it with other KeltyÂs, particularly their Trails Dome 6. But at the same time, we should be looking at a little more inexpensive Columbia Bugaboo dome tent, as well as the Eureka tents. They all have about the same "footprint," about 10Â x 10Â, or 80 to 100 square feet. While the Green River has only 81 square feet, it does have a vestibule, or covered area. It is not included in the sleeping section but can be used for additional storage or folding chairs, to sit under out of the way from the flying bugs. The Eureka Sunrise 9 is also 81 square feet, but it has no vestibule, while their Sunrise 11 has 121 square feet.

The Green RiverÂs vestibule area doesnÂt have a "footprint," or an area that is included as part of the "sealed tub floor." ItÂs outdoors, but could be covered by another drop cloth. That can be a problem with rainy weather - a covered space but with no flooring. But letÂs face it, the extra space of the Columbia Bugaboo actually is the storage, or the "foot lockers" of the tent, and could rightly be included as part of a vestibule (albeit, unlike the Green River, part of the tub), which the Bugaboo and Trails Dome tents do not have.

If weight is a factor, the Trails Dome 6 comes in at only a little over 13 pounds, the Eureka Sunrise 9 is 16 and four ounces, while the other two tents are significantly heavier - both at better than 21 pounds  but if the tent is used for car camping that should not be problematic. But if you want to backpack the additional eight pounds can be quite a lot.

Each tent has sealed seam flooring, generally made of nylon taffeta. But newer models of the Eureka Sunrise have heavy duty 210 denier polyester oxford cloth for its tub flooring. Although the Columbia tent appears to be made of somewhat lighter material than the two Kelty tents, it has a polyethylene floor. Also, both the Kelty tents are seamless floor areas while the Columbia does have a sealed seam which may become a problem. The Kelty and Eureka tents tub design does appears a bit better, keeping the seams watertight and above the ground.

The Eureka Sunrise tents have an excellent design for a "bathtub floor" since it means that there is no seam at ground level to leak during a rainy trip. However, it means there is a horizontal seam all the way around that is not covered by the fly. When it rains, those seam leaks. It's not a flood, but it most certainly is a design flaw in that it could have been lined or double-stitched to prevent this, or the fly could be bigger to cover that seam, so water rolling off the fly wouldn't roll down the sides of the tent. The vertical corners seams above the floor line also leak a bit, but not half as bad as the horizontal seam.

With Kelty's ArcEdge construction for their tents, the floor seams are lifted up off the ground to prevent water seepage around the floor/wall seams. Kelty's water tight wall technology uses a shingled seam approach and it has also installed flaps over the exposed windows and doors to prevent leakage at the zippers even in high wind.

The major difference seems to be the use of the DAC DA 17 poles with KeltyÂs Trail dome tent. The others make use of fiberglass poles, two 9.5 mm for Columbia Bugaboo and three 11 mm poles for the Green River, and the Eureka Sunrise uses two 11 mm poles with ring and pin attachment. The Trails Dome has two 14.5 mm aluminum poles (7000), and two 9 mm aluminum brow poles over the awnings covering the doors (but you may find older stock with fiberglass brow poles). The poles found on the Trail Dome 6 are lighter, stronger and longer lasting than fiberglass poles. Aluminum poles are more durable to handle heavy wind and snow loads. Unlike fiberglass, aluminum does not become brittle in cold weather and they are heavier, but the pre-formed aluminum ones come at a significantly higher price. The fiberglass would probably be fine for the not too frequent camper.

The Kelty tents offer heavier Nylon cloth construction for the tents. It appears that between them, the 1800 mm coating on the flooring of the KeltyÂs would possibly be a better buy than the 1200 mm that goes with the Columbia, even if it is double coated. The 70-denier fabric appears to be better on the two Kelty tents. The Kelty comes with different fabrics for its walls and fly, being a 68 denier for the walls but a generous 75 denier poly rip-stop for the fly. The Eureka uses heavier fabrics: 75D poly for the walls and Fly, with a triple dose of 1200 mm for their Storm Shield coatings. The industry standard for waterproof rain flies are all constructed of polyester taffeta with 800 mm coatings, but both Kelty tents have 1800 mm waterproof ratings while it is 1200 mm for the Columbia Bugaboo and the Eureka Sunrise series.

Except for the Eureka, each of the tents uses sleeves and clips - rather than just sleeves to put the poles through. While it makes it easier to erect, there may a problem in high wind areas for them. The Sunrise 9 uses a pin and ring system to attach the 11 mm fiberglass poles, while the Sunrise 11 makes do with 12.7 mm poles. Because they are all dome tents this may be less of a concern, but the Green River will be harder for a single person to set up in that there are three poles rather than two. In reviewing as many comments on tents as possible this is one area that seems to detract from the Green River. The complicated and difficulty in setting up was a major complaint and must be considered.

The Columbia Bugaboo, unlike the Trails Dome, makes use of large scale no-see-um mesh instead of another door and calls this mesh window with a skylight its Cyclone Venting System. For warm weather camping, like here in UtahÂs desert county, it appears to make a lot of sense. However, both the KeltyÂs do have very good ventilation, and should not be problematic. And the Eureka has four hooded zippered windows which allows quite a bit of ventilation or privacy.

All the tents come with a fly cover, which would be nicer if it was bigger on the Sunrise tents (i.e., extended all the way over the entire tent). This fly must be used overnight, as the entire top of the tent is screen and without a fly, you'd get soaked in the lightest rain. Where we go there is always that chance, and one time at a trial the sprinkler system came on.

I am retired and with my companion have taken up agility as a dog-handler team and spend a few weekends at trials. I would like to camp out (something that I left behind 55 years ago, in Korea and swore I would never do it again) and tried it this summer and fall, but with a smaller one person tent. And we found out that the high Sierras is not an area to be caught in during the fall snow storms that came about last October. We really don't need a screened vestibule area, but would like a little more room to wander - with headroom to squander like in the Bugaboo and Trails Dome. And we don't need a Springbar tent - not at this age!

For me, the decision settled down to whether to purchase the Eureka Sunrise 11 and the Kelty Trail Dome 6 tent. They both had desirable features, but the aluminum poles and weight of the Trail Dome 6 would have won out  except for the cost and some changes that are in store for the Trail Dome series, but could not get the information from Kelty or their dealers. They do have on their website some pictures of the tent slated for 2008, and they are significantly different than those that came out in 2005.

I would give each of these tents a 5.0, but because they individually have features that would be nice but are lacking at this time, I rated them both at 4.5. I went with the EUREKA SUNRISE 11 for its height and extra spaciousness, better ventilation with larger hooded and zippered windows, and the 210 denier poly oxford floor design and superior construction. While the fabrics may be a lighter weight than KeltyÂs, it is superior in denier and coating than other family tents. And unlike the Kelty, the door is screened so that you can have it open for even greater ventilation and the bugs canÂt come in because the twin-track zipper system allows door windows to operate independently of doors for convenience and ease of entry and exit.

I also liked the two-tone light blue colors, but Beamer could care less.

I'm currently looking at adding a 6-man tent for a trip to Southern Florida next year. It's down to the Agnes Big House or the Sierra Designs Bedouin 6. I like the Marmot 6, but it's too pricey at $450 MSRP. By the way, my Sierra Designs Base Camp 4 tent has fiberglass poles and I've found them nearly indestructible - after 20 years of abuse. A quality fiberglass pole is as good as any aluminum pole, in my humble opinion.