iceman: Coleman Sundowner lasts ….not too well.I had one at RAGBRAI a couple of years ago.By the fifth day I had used duct tape to hold the frame together, later threw the damned thing away in Mt. Pleasant rather that drag its carcass home.

Then I bought a Kelty with an alloy telescoping frame (all one piece on a swivel).Strong as can be and much easier to pitch.Never again will I buy a cheap tent.My Kelty was not cheap but it is worth every penny I paid for it (although I will use the PBV tent service – hey, they carry your bags for you so for heavens sake, why would I opt to carry my own tent).

Hey Iceman, I think the PBV Magic Gnomes did all the tent & bag work!!!!!! I sure hope your gonna have a Bohemia for me!!!!!

Hi,

Our Big Agnes 4 has been fine for a number of years now. Big enough to stand in, durable, and packs up easy because the bag is big and loose. we got it at REI. Our tandem fits in it if we want it to but mostly we just bring in our seat cushions at night to keep ’em dry.

I kinda look at tents in a different perspective. Charters and large teams have to figure out how many tents they can get in a given space. Sometimes it can get a bit crowded. Finding level terrain can also be a problem. When selecting a tent. there are some considerations for RAGBRAI. Weather and crowding are the biggest ones. Iowa weather can change quickly. You want a tent that has a a polyethylene floor. This material is heavier to prevent punctures and is water proof. Some tent manufactures bring the floor up the side walls about 4″ to form a tub. The tent should have good ventilation. There are many styles of tents. Some styles handle foul weather better than others. Sport dome tents handle wind the best. Lower profile tents handle wind better too. Penta and hex domes particularly have stronger wind loads. Large square tents will get torn up if a strong storm hits. Another plus to the low profile dome tents. The have few to no guylines. Because of the shear number of tents on RAGBRAI. Campgrounds are crowded. No guyline tent are best for these conditions. Guylines make a bigger foot print for tents. They also make trip hazards. Trying to navigate through a campsite after dark can be challenging. People will trip over your guylines. Just because a tent is expensive doesn’t make it better.Some of the more expensive tents are made by the same manufacture as less expensive ones. a good example of this is Kelty, Wenzel, and Swiss Gear are made by the same company, American Rec. I have used Wenzel Alpine Dome tents the last six years. It handles the weather extremely well. The Alpine can be bought online for $50-60. With its low cost. If I find an issue with waterproofing, poles, or zippers. I just replace the tent. I have found I get about 2-3 seasons out of a Wenzel tent before needing to replace it.

Nobody like Eureka tents? I always thought they were great for the $ I’m telling ya, the Sunrise 8, or 9, or even bigger are great Summer tents. Lots of ventilation and good rain protection. Mine has been on 5 RAGBRAI’s and will be back this year. Take a look at it.

We got a Coleman “Instant” tent last year. It pops up and takes down in just minutes. I’d highly recommend it for convenience and speed in setting up and breaking camp. Its not for those of you having to pack it along and carry with your gear if you are using a RAGBRAI baggage truck however. Our team has its own support vehicles so the size of the tent isn’t an issue and we can generally camp close to where we are parked.

If size and weight is an issue, I’d still with one of the Eureka tents. We’ve had good luck with them in past.

cheapie ozark trail tent. any tent will do. some are better than others. when it’s hot, no tent really makes a difference. i will invest heavily in a tent fan this year. that’s where it’s at.

RaleighRider: Nobody like Eureka tents? I always thought they were great for the $ I’m telling ya, the Sunrise 8, or 9, or even bigger are great Summer tents. Lots of ventilation and good rain protection. Mine has been on 5 RAGBRAI’s and will be back this year. Take a look at it.

I’ve checked them out on Amazon, good reviews and not too expensive. Can you fit your bike in the Eureka 8? Do the guylines cause a trip hazard? Thanks for your imput RR.

iceman: Coleman Sundowner lasts ….not too well. I had one at RAGBRAI a couple of years ago. By the fifth day I had used duct tape to hold the frame together, later threw the damned thing away in Mt. Pleasant rather that drag its carcass home.Then I bought a Kelty with an alloy telescoping frame (all one piece on a swivel). Strong as can be and much easier to pitch. Never again will I buy a cheap tent. My Kelty was not cheap but it is worth every penny I paid for it (although I will use the PBV tent service – hey, they carry your bags for you so for heavens sake, why would I opt to carry my own tent).

Does PBV use the Cabela’s tent?

Tony: I kinda look at tents in a different perspective. Charters and large teams have to figure out how many tents they can get in a given space. Sometimes it can get a bit crowded. Finding level terrain can also be a problem. When selecting a tent. there are some considerations for RAGBRAI. Weather and crowding are the biggest ones. Iowa weather can change quickly. You want a tent that has a a polyethylene floor. This material is heavier to prevent punctures and is water proof. Some tent manufactures bring the floor up the side walls about 4″ to form a tub. The tent should have good ventilation. There are many styles of tents. Some styles handle foul weather better than others. Sport dome tents handle wind the best. Lower profile tents handle wind better too. Penta and hex domes particularly have stronger wind loads. Large square tents will get torn up if a strong storm hits. Another plus to the low profile dome tents. The have few to no guylines. Because of the shear number of tents on RAGBRAI. Campgrounds are crowded. No guyline tent are best for these conditions. Guylines make a bigger foot print for tents. They also make trip hazards. Trying to navigate through a campsite after dark can be challenging. People will trip over your guylines. Just because a tent is expensive doesn’t make it better.Some of the more expensive tents are made by the same manufacture as less expensive ones. a good example of this is Kelty, Wenzel, and Swiss Gear are made by the same company, American Rec. I have used Wenzel Alpine Dome tents the last six years. It handles the weather extremely well. The Alpine can be bought online for $50-60. With its low cost. If I find an issue with waterproofing, poles, or zippers. I just replace the tent. I have found I get about 2-3 seasons out of a Wenzel tent before needing to replace it.

Lots of good information. I’ll check out Wenzel, I have a local store that stockes them. Thanks.

Airflow for those warm nights is an important consideration. I use a Eureka Sunrise 9 since it has large windows on all 4 sides without being covered by the fly. Great air flow and lots of room. It has room for my bike also so its not covered in dew in the morning.

This is my RAGBRAI home. A Wenzel Alpine 3 person tent. It has kept me dry through heavy thunder storms for 2 years. High winds do not bother it. I’ll be using it again this year. It has no guylines. I have room for a Coleman Twin Quickbed, my gear and my bike. The table is a GSI micro table. The 3 legged stool is from Cabela’s. The cook gear is a GSI Halulite Ketalist Kettle and bowl set. The stove is a Coleman Max micro stove. Great for tea and oatmeal on a cold morning. I also take a couple of O2 Cool fans. There is no better tent fan than O2.

JScout: Does PBV use the Cabela’s tent?

Yes, PBV uses Cabela tents. They have decent ventilation and are pretty rugged. The Cabelas are really hard to compare to my Kelty for one main reason. PBV never “breaks down” their tents during the week. They simply pull up the stakes and fold the tent (while the poles are still inserted/attached to the tent) together. In other words, they lay the tent flat with the poles still attached and just stack each tent on top of another and pick them up (about five at a time) and put them in their truck that drives along side to retrieve them. When you and I disassemble our own tents, we take out the tent poles and pack them completely up and thats why for my own tent I prefer the Kelty -it has metal tent poles mounted on a swivel so you just open the pole and rotate one of the poles 90 degrees like a helicopter blade and the attach the tent to it. The PBV Cabelas are strong – have to be so they can be used over and over and over – but their poles don’t suffer the abuse of being disassembled each night. No way PBV could take that much time with each tent – they would never finish in time in the morning when they pack up and later that day when they set up again.

But for RAGBRAI, I just use the PBV rent-a-tent service. I don’t have to carry my tent all week, I don’t have to erect and disassemble my tent every day and afternoon, and I can leave my bag in my tent in the morning and when I find my tent that afternoon in the next town, my bags are in the tent. Worth every penny!

mootsman: Airflow for those warm nights is an important consideration. I use a Eureka Sunrise 9 since it has large windows on all 4 sides without being covered by the fly. Great air flow and lots of room. It has room for my bike also so its not covered in dew in the morning.

Dew on your bike is a minor problem but if you really care, just buy one of those $8 covers from Nashbar or Performance. Also, my tent fan overcomes any ventilation issues quite nicely.

For the most part it depends on whether you plan on using it for more than RAGBRAI. I have had Walmart tents (leak), Eureka tents (froze, but nice features and fairly well made) I have now been using Kelty tents. One thing to keep in mind, if it says 2 person tent=it’s one and maybe their stuff. 4 man=2 people or one with stuff or an air mattress.

Has anybody have any experience with Cabelas tent cot. Looks like a neat idea