Outdoor Adventure USA

The net this week will focus on the many options that we have to shelter us from the elements when camping in the outdoors. While tents are by far the most common form of shelter, there are a huge variety of tent types as well as some other choices, and we intend to cover as much as time allows. As always, we know what works for us, and we have seen a great many types of shelter, but we have hardly seen it all. We will be posting the various types of shelter of which we are familiar, but we want to hear from you, if there are others.

Pictures, links, and information to follow.

SPRINGBAR CANVAS TENTS

Years ago, the best and only type of tent was made of canvas. As a youngster, I have vivid memories of our Sears J.C. Higgins canvas tent. We had one tent and it lasted for all of our camping trips for many years. When Mom and Dad stopped camping, I took control of the tent and used it for many more years. In all those hundreds of uses, it never broke or wore out and it saw a lot of use, bad weather, and people.

As time and technology marched on, synthetic fabrics were developed, and canvas was soon displaced as the number one fabric of tent construction. As with so many things, we discover that the "old school" way of doing things was pretty terrific and we end up coming back to "school". Such is the case with the canvas tent. In recent years, many companies have (re)discovered the value and benefits of canvas tents, and despite the lure of synthetics, it seems that canvas, once again, is being sought after as a high quality, long lasting, and great value for the dollar, type of tent. These companies are now making terrific tents out of this superior material.

There are 3 distinct premier tent companies that we will mention here on the website that feature canvas construction. This particular post will deal only with canvas tents that are made under the Springbar name ( http://www.kirkhams.com/springbar-information/). The following two posts will discuss the other two. The Kirkham company is the manufacturer of the Springbar tent and is one company that isn't a "recent" convert to canvas, as they have been making them for the last 45 years. These tents are clearly a premium product.


The only reason for using a tent, of any kind, is to protect you from the elements, whether it be wind, rain, or snow. The design of the Springbar is unique and as the following video shows, it can withstand the roughest and most extreme conditions that you will likely ever face in the outdoors. The owner of the tent in this video set it up in his back yard to dry out, not knowing that 2 tornadoes would touch down about a mile from his house, producing high winds reaching between 65 to 95 MPH (and heavy rain too.) See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0bZoGm9Is .

A Springbar tent, used by the The Everest Millennium Expedition, camped at 21,300 ft.
Here is my Springbar in action in the Mojave Desert

OZTENT CANVAS TENTS

Few products, if any, leave no room for innovation. While the design of the outdoor tent has remained pretty much the same, there is one product that demonstrates just what happens when an outdoorsman puts his mind to the task of coming up with a better approach. OZtent, as the name implies, is an Australian company, and through the inventiveness of one man, Joe Viglione, came the OZtent. Made of canvas, the OZtent sets up in under a minute and is made to withstand extreme environments. Visit the OZtent website for more information: http://www.oztent.com/. These tents are clearly a premium product.


Also, check out this video of the quick set=up(about 30 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNZJT4lc-k

Here is a picture of Bruce's OZtent at Summer Fest / Field Day:

SERENGETI CANVAS TENTS

I discovered the Serengeti line of tents recently and decided to include them in the net, if for no other reason than to highlight the popularity of canvas tents and to demonstrate how effective they are in providing a durable and long-lasting shelter. These tents are made in South Africa and feature a special blend of canvas for their construction. ( http://www.equipt1.com/item/bella-vista ... round-tent ) These tents are clearly a premium product.

This description,from the Equip1 website, gives a pretty good insight as to the capabilities of these tents:

The Serengeti Tents Safari Ground Tent line is designed from the ground up to be the very best canvas ground tent made in the world. They have proven themselves as the choice of African and Australian park systems, guides and outfitters because of their strength and durability over extreme conditions and time. The Safari line can be used as semi-permanent shelter, without fear of fading, fabric degradation, pole breakage, or wear from whatever Mother Nature can produce.

The advertising states that "this could be the last tent you ever buy."

Here it is (from the Equip1 site):

ARB Roof-Top Tents

ARB Roof-Top tents provide another alternative to traditional ground-based tents for the expedition off-road explorer. Because it is off the ground, there are generally no issues with insects, rodents, or wildlife. The roof top tents are easy to deploy, come with a built-in mattress, and require no prep, other than a level parking spot. The roof top tents are also quick to collapse, taking up no internal vehicle storage space, and in most cases, allowing you to store your bedding inside them even when in their storage configuration. Resistant to wind, rain, snow (I've been in all weather extremes with mine), they offer a comfortable respite from the elements, with ample room to stretch out when you sleep.

TRAILER MOUNTED TENTS

Adventure Trailers (http://adventuretrailers.com/) is probably one of the more well known manufacturers of off-road capable trailers, some of which can be outfitted with a tent which mounts on top of the trailer (a kind of RTT, if you will.) Some of our members have these vehicles and we have seen some excellent performance from them on the trail. One of the very nice qualities about this type of set-up is that it gives you so much extra storage space as well as a well equipped kitchen. Hector (KE6VRL) has used his on several of our trips and we have thoroughly enjoyed the cuisine he has prepared from this kitchen.

FLIPPAC TENTS

The FlipPac tent is a great way to camp with a pickup, and it does not affect your truck's storage capacity. The following are some real assets to the FlipPac:

• 1. Set up and take down is quick and easy
  2. Allows you to stand up inside
  3. has more space than most RTTs.

The FlipPac is another Adventure Trailer product and there are quite a few options to make the FlipPac a real performer on the trail. (see http://store.adventuretrailers.com/at-f ... short-bed/.)

Here is a picture of Bruce's at Field Day:

CLASSIC FAMILY TENT (COLEMAN)

If your camping trips occur during the fair weather months of the year, the Coleman line of tents are an ideal way to introduce the family to the outdoors. The product line-up and history speaks for itself:

From the Coleman site (http://www.coleman.com/coleman-tentsand ... 12&start=0)

DOME STYLE TENTS

In our last category, we will discuss a lighter weight tent that is considerably more compact and much easier to stow. These tents don's fit squarely into any one style, but can generally be described as backpacking tents, dome tents, or just plain smaller tents. They are usually characterized by their high quality synthetic materials, very compact collapsible fiberglass or aluminum poles, and very small footprint. In most cases, standing up in them is not an option. The one thing that they all seem to have in common is a terrific ability to withstand harsh weather.

There are a huge variety of such tents, and to pick out one or two is not to say that they are the only ones - there are a lot!!!

So, I will only mention one, of which I am familiar - Bibler Tents. The Bibler line was acquired by Black Diamond and are still being made. The Fitzroy is an excellent example of this type of tent and is currently part of the Black Diamond line of Bibler tents. It's a 4-season tent and will provide excellent shelter, regardless of the weather. (See: http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/ten ... ml#start=9 )

From the Black Diamond website:

KK6CTT for an online check-in please. I'm a good ole Coleman tent guy myself...and they have served me well over the years. Tent camping has been for the family more than myself.

I would like to bring up, for augment sake, that it is the ability and imagination of the individual that brings shelter to the forefront. Understanding the materials available, their strengths and weaknesses help to tie anyone's attempt to make a shelter that will provide the necessities that protect life. Comfort is a big part of "normal" shelter building and improving your conditions but good ole ingenuity and fieldcraft skills will be a slam dunk every time!
Things have evolved but the basic skills have not. Weight has been drastically reduced and although the old heavy weight USGI ponchos were the standard I was used to, learning to build a proper hooch continued to be a defining part of making shelter.