Our crew has been using army tents for nearly a decade. while they are very robust, they are also heavy and vinyl. Heavy is becoming a bigger issue the older we get. Vinyl has always been a condensation problem. Our key players have committed that the next time we camp...... it'll be in a traditional canvas wall tent.
Our group size runs 4-8 annually. Losing some, gaining others. Still, we're a big camp, so thats a factor in how many tents we use, and how big they are.
but my real question to you experts.......
1. is what Brand is right for us. we camp about 2 weeks a year, always in Sept- October. we get some snow, but not SEVERAL FEET worth. we dont leave it setup for months, so it doesnt need to be bulletproof.
Brands I know of and have heard good feedback on are: Davis, and Walltentshop.
Brands I've heard of, but havent heard much feedback on include Montana Canvas and Elk Mountain.
Sportsmansguide sells one that's chinese. It looks a little cheaper on a $/sf basis. no clue how good it is.
Brands I found via google search, but have never heard of include: Whiteduckoutdoors, Bravotents, elkhorntentandcanvas, and KodiakCanvas
I slept in a wall tent once, 10 years ago on a guided hunt and loved it, but didnt set it up, take it down, handle or repair it, either.
all of them claim to be the best thing since sliced bread, and probably most of them would do the job (2 weeks per year in adverse weather for the next ~20 years).
If you have tons of experience with any/all/some of these, I'd love to get some feedback.
2nd question - if your camp was routinely ~8 people, would you want one large tent to house all of them (I think a 16x24 would do that) or a pair of smaller tents (ie two 10x20's), and why?
thanks in advance.
