Light and low cost tent

[don1911]

I am thinking about getting a lightweight 2 person tent to go in my get home bag. Home is 50+ miles from work. Money is tight. I'm hoping for something less than $100. It only needs to last no more than a week. But it needs to keep snakes and mosquitos out. 3 season tent?
Any suggestions? Also what kind of weight would a budget and lightweight tent be?
Thanks.

[Buggyout]

Your wish is my command!

Walmart.....

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bushnell-R...-Tent/42120627

Nice little tent. :)

-Buggy

[PrairieRat]

Sleeps one, buy two?
I prefer something with headroom myself. Those low profile useless bivy style things are impossible to perform many tasks in, like cleaning a long arm.
What if the "disposable" time frame becomes extended? A simple tarp would be far more useful.
Unless you have severe allergies to bugs... (snakes & bugs are food/bait), a decent repellent works on reptiles too. They follow their olfactory & taste organs everywhere they go.

[Capt Nat]

Everyone is different with their preferences so no opinion is the answer for someone else. I have found in hiking and some camping what Mr. PrairieRat has discovered. A tarp is the way to go. A 6 pound tent may not sound real heavy but trust me, if you are carrying it very far its too heavy and takes up too much room. You can get silnylon tarps that weigh almost nothing, pack very small, and with a little paracord you can make a good shelter that will get you through a rainy, buggy night.

[don1911]

Snake repellent???? They make something that keeps coperheads and rattlers away?

[don1911]

I don't want to carry a tent. But I am concerned about vipers trying to find warmth next to me when I'm sleeping. I've heard of it. Never experienced it. Not willing to tempt it. So I want light small tent. But just in case, (1 is none and 2 is 1) I plan to have a military issue type poncho that would work as tent if needed. On average I kill 7 coperheads per year around my house. Also I am allergic to stinging insects. Mosquito head net is part of my bag.

[jimLE]

here's the one i've had since 2013.and it has proven to be worth having.i have it picthed in my back yard right now.in which i'll take a pic of it once im done eating..

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-10-x-8-Tent-Sleeps-5/22659693

[jimLE]

ok.i hope it uploaded the pic..it has 1 location where you can run a extension cord through.has a pouch in one corner for keeping items in.it also has a corgo net thaat can be put in at the top for other stuff.or leave the net out and habg a small camp lantern from the center of it..

[RICHFL]

Things to look for:

1. A bathtub type waterproof floor which means the floor comes up the sides of the tent at least 4 inches. It should be between 1200-2000 mm water proof material. Taped at all seems.

2. A D shape door so that only one zipper is used. The zipper needs to be a Number 8 or 10. They are heavy duty and you will not break them.

3. The poles are either metal or fiberglass. Either will last more then 1 year due to the stresses you will put them on.

4. Your ventilation comes in at the top mostly the same materiel the bug screen is made of on your door.

5. Now comes the hard part. How big is necessary for your use.

A. Never get a two man tent they are too small even for just you and your gear. You would not be able to sit up and do anything inside. Get a three man tent with a minimum weight of 50 inches. That way you can change clothing inside the tent even in rain. 4 man tent for two etc.

B. You want the room for your packs to keep them inside, able to get at them. and will stay dry.

6. RAIN COVER: It covers the top and most of the side. The more it covers the less chance of rain getting into the tent. Again all seems need to be tapped and waterproofed.

All the above is from many times camping with family and military exercises in all weather conditions.

[Mangler]

On average I kill 7 coperheads per year around my house.

I just remembered why I love Wisconsin winters with their 36" frostline every year.

[myakka]

Agree with most of rich's list. Only caveat is that 3 man will weigh 10lbs or so. I have a 2 man Coleman that weighs a little over 5.

That 5lbs doesn't sound like a lot by itself. On the mountain it adds up.
Difference between hiking miles and driving in.

[CountryGuy]

Don1911 -

Another option to consider is a hammock.

I just got back from a 7 day motorcycle trip thru the Adirondacks over thru the Green and White mountains in VT & NH and on over to the coast of Maine. I used a Snugpak Jungle Hammock with built in mosquito net instead of a tent. I only ended up in it 2 nights as others we either had a cabin, motel or lean-to but it worked awesome. Honestly I wish I'd slept in it the nights we did the lean-to's as my back was killing me the next mornings, not so with the hammock. Heck my back felt better than it does most mornings when I roll out of bed. This had to be the best sleeping I can recall camping. I'm highly satisfied I went with it and it will be getting added to my GHB. I used it combined with my military 3 bag sleep system (I only used the Gortex shell and heavier black bag). The sleep system went inside the the compression stuff sack (along with a small thermarest mat I also took along) and I placed the hammock and tarp inside the gortex shell and folded it over to help keep everything dry while it was strapped to the back of the bike in downpours. compression sack would get wet but the Gortex bivy kept the sleeping bag, hammock and tarp dry.

The hammock was only $55 and I also picked up Snugpak's excellent tarp for another $70. I didn't get to try out the water tightness of it but looks very well built and think would keep you plenty dry. The hammock weighs just under 2 lbs with ropes and carabiners and it has a self contained stuff sack it goes into. The design has the stuff sack on the outside edge to serve as a great spot to keep a light, glasses and phone at night. The tarp is a bit heavier at a little less than 2.5 lbs with included ropes and stakes. I did add some small aluminum stakes I had as they were a little more robust. I'd suggest a few hanks of paracord for a ridge line on the tarp, it somes with 2 tie outs for the corners. 1 or 2 hanks for the hammock to keep up the bug net is a good add.

Only downside I see would be if you didn't have 2 large trees or posts to sling it between. Otherwise your off the ground from the creepie crawlies and inside a net from the flying blood suckers. Some said the paracord tree wraps that come with it have a tendency to stretch so far as to leave you almost on the ground. So I didn't use those. Some suggest buying heavy duty hammock straps for another $25-$35 but I redneck engineered it and used a set of 1" ratchet strap tie downs. These allowed me not to damage the trees and to also adjust for length. when I got it close I'd just ratchet it a few times to lock it in place. I didn't use the friction style straps as I wasn't sure if they'd slip thru the night. I'm 6'2 and 310lbs and this set up held me fine and the hammock had plenty of room. The tarp could be configured into all other kind of shelter shapes and configurations too.

I got mine from this place in TX, Elite Camping and Survival. I have no affiliation with them other than as a recent highly satisfied customer. They were cheaper than Amazon, had free shipping and Chris had excellent customer service. Heck he called me and texted me from his vacation in the Virgin Islands to answer some questions I had.

So take it for what it's worth.

p.s. - it only comes in olive drab that I've seen.

[lalakai]

good topic to bring back up. Tarps are incredibly useful and multi-purpose. In a pinch I would take a tarp over a tent. That said, I do have a very nice....LARGE.......HEAVY....tent that can sleep 6-8 and does a great job of keeping the elements out. But carrying that tent in an emergency situation??? Spend some time researching the different configuration and how to set up the tarp; this is fun project with the kids.

[don1911]

After your suggestions and looking into it, I've decided on hammock with mosquito net attached and a rip stop tarp. They cost total of $60 on Amazon. My tents will be part of kits for my vehicles.

Thanks for for the help y'all.

[CountryGuy]

Bump!

Heading out tomorrow morning for another motorcycle trip. This time down to Winchester, VA to meet a bud, then we're heading to northern WV (Dalewick if u ever check in give me a shout) camping out somewhere and spending part of Sat and all day Sunday riding around Cheats Lake/ Coopers Rock area. From there off to Grand Rapids, MI and think on up to upper part of lower MI (that sounds weird... Upper lower??) then not sure, back thru OH and then maybe part of northwestern, north central PA before I head home and my friend heads for Hampton Roads region of VA. Gonna put the hamock and rainfly to use again and my buddy is opting to try the hammock route this trip also. Let you all know in about 10 days.