I do not think I have researched something as much as I researched finding the perfect tent for my annual trip to the Chili Cook-off in Terlingua, Texas.
It was important to me to be able to find a tent that was sturdy, held up to gale force winds, have room for me to stand up in but most importantly that I would be able to set it up by myself as I pride myself in being a self-sufficient person.
My research took me to the Burningman website http://burningman.org/. If you are not familiar Burningman, it is an event that takes place annually in the Nevada desert during the Labor Day weekend. They have to deal with hurricane force winds, white-outs and extreme heat and/or cold conditions.
It is here that I found how highly regarded Kodiak Canvas tents were. I have back issues and can not carry heavy loads or the initial weight of the tent would have probably kept me from ordering one. However, if you separate the tent from the tent poles and heavy stakes, it was a doable weight for me and fit very nicely in my car since I no longer had Terlita (my camping van).
My tent is 8 ft x 9 ft the smallest they carried at the time. I would have loved to have ordered the 10 ft x 10 ft tent but did not know how a few more feet would have affected its set-up.
This tent has steel poles both on the top as well as on the two sides poles. It does not require guy lines but there are like 15 tent stakes to pound into the ground. While that would not be a problem in the beach or your backyard, you need to take that into account if you plan to camp in a rocky location like in Terlingua, Texas. The first time it took me almost five hours to set-up camp by myself.
This tent is rain proof and you need to set it up in your back yard and spray it with a lot of water to season it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP7FFOIKgYU
I bought mine from Competitive Edge Products whom at the time had the best price and at last check continue to have it http://www.competitiveedgeproducts.com/Kodiak-Canvas-Tents-6098-9-x-8-ft-Flex-bow_p_17.html
If you have any other questions please leave a comment or you can e-mail me at terlinguadreams@outlook.com
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Thanks so much for the info on your tent. I have a Big Agnes cabin tent - can't remember the dimensions but like yours, I can stand up in it. It was great when I went camping with the dog as we each had our own side of the room. I used to be able to set it up myself, but haven't done so in a few years so I don't know how well I'd do. You have me psyched on tent camping now!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing pictures of your Big Agnes tent on your blog, it is a nice one. I hope you can go camping in it this spring.
DeleteIn this day & age it's good to see an old fashioned canvas tent. Being "right" for you is the best thing!
ReplyDeleteSo a 10 x 10 would have been better?
I carry a lot of stuff with me for what used to be a seven to ten day stay in the desert. Somewhere in my blog I have pictures of all the stuff I made fit in there.
DeleteIf I were to purchase another Kodiak Canvas tent I would probably buy the 10 x 14 Deluxe VX and be able to go "glamping".
Thank you for all the info. I did look them up. I sure would love to have one. Since my camper is so small and I can't stand up in it, when it rains I would be stuck in there so a really good tent that would hold up against rain and wind is needed.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome JO. I highly recommend this tent.
DeleteGotta say, that is a beautiful tent. Even from just the photo, you can tell it's well-made.(But pricey! YIKES!)
ReplyDeleteIs there anywhere on your blog where you talk about Terlita or show a photo of it back in the day? You talk about it (her?) often & it'd just be helpful to see in my mind's eye what you're talking about. Is it a pop-up camper or what? It sounds more bug & snake proof for the desert than a tent, even one as nice as yours is. ;-)
Terlita (yes, she is female) made her last trip to the cook-off in 2008. Back in the early days of my annual trip I had disposable cameras (many of which I lost).
DeleteI did not start my blog until 2011 at which time I also invested in a digital camera. I have old pictures of her but unfortunately they are in my house in Houston.
Terlita is a full size van but with my CRS I can not remember if it is a Dodge or a Ford...sad :(