Tent buying

[pantsareamyth]

This'll be my rookie year. I'm trying to decide between the Tarn 2 and Wanderer 2, but I found a guy on Craigslist who is selling a MEC Gemini for $120. I'm open to any other suggestions.

Thoughts?

[Brandini]

As I recall you can't sit up in a tarn 2... How long do you intend to live in a tent, with all your gear, designed for 1-2 people? Tarn 3 size, minimum. A large tarp, ground sheet, rope and borrowing the fire axe kept me dry, the tent could be anything used. But I've always set up in the forest.

[Mike]

I have a tarn 3 and it's barely big enough; and I pack light, these years.

[donkeyrider]

Rope is bulky and most people cheap out for the polyethylene plastic dollar store stuff. If your going to take the road most traveled(the cheap one) buy plastic twine instead of rope. It takes up next to no space is just as strong as rope, easier to tie and you can cut it off/throw it away instead of trying to untie too many knots. As for the tent, I've had the same Canadian tire tent $50 for 7 seasons and still going strong. My advice about buying a cheap tent is buy a good tarp. 20x20 and a thick grey one with strong grommets, NOT a cheapy blue one. Nothing is worse then going to bed and waking up in a thunderstorm to sort out your tarp in the dark because your 5 dollar tarp/grommets ripped because of the wind. Good luck with your first season!

[MattW]

I also recommend a 3 person tent. Large vestibules are a huge bonus as it gives you somewhere to stash all your wet clothing and muddy boots for the night. Get any reputable brand tent with a cheapo tarp on top and bottom and youll be good to go. If you want your tent to last longer than your treeplanting season, unpeg and flip your tent upside down to let the bottom dry out. Just a couple things I learned myself.

I second using twine instead of cheap plastic rope. Once it starts fraying it becomes useless. Good luck on your first season!

[mel_eff]

Holy shit. Buy a huge tent that is easy to set up and get a good tarp and ground sheet. Planting sucks enough as it is, at least try to keep yourself comfortable if you're going full retard and becoming a rookie this year. And don't leave pizza in your tent. Bears like pizza.

[Tnalp]

I remember some of my first times going to camp on the North Coast in April!!

extra extra large tent with monster tarp with inflatable queen size bed with inflatable couch with carpet with propane heater with ghetto blaster with 12 V battery pack with guitar AND amplifier with gas Lantern and small stove for tea etc... oh yeah also my 120 lbs dog with his inflatable bed...

man those were the days!! Who the fuck wants to camp on The North Coast in early April. Oh well we were young and making steady easy 4 -5 bills back then. The owner noticed me coming up to the barge with 4 large duffel bags and 6 large totes and shook his head, I was ready to turn around but i guess he needed workers. The good old days of 40 plus cent blocks!!

Ha Ha

[retrovertigo]

If you have the means to transport it all, why not buy a decent small used tent off craigslist and a big, cheap one from canandian tire (or craigslist as well)?

Logic here being, the small tent is warmer and cozier for sleeping, and the big tent holds all your gear, gives you a place to get changed, etc. Essentially you also have a living room for chilling and reading. I've done this before and other planters scoff at the decadence, then when the bugs come out they're knocking on the vestibule for a place to escape and get high. Bonus - never have to buy your own weed.

tl;dr - 2 tents are better than 1

[Brandini]

I've seen a teepee with a small tent inside, and a small fire to keep the bugs away. But by far the best was the tree fort and elevated hammock setup. The lumber from the reefer can make great floor boards.

[salbrecher]

I used a tarn 2 one season but would probably not recommend it. I'm 6'6" and it was a little cramped. No tarp or ground sheet as they took too much space. I used to pack for a whole season (Feb-Oct) in one 95L backpack as I had no car and hitchhiked to and from every contract. I always figured the less gear I had the easier to hitch. Once I bought a van I had no idea how I used to fit it all in one bag! It certainly is nice having more tent space and some creature comforts in camp.

[Slowsis]

As for the tent, I've had the same Canadian tire tent $50 for 7 seasons and still going strong. My advice about buying a cheap tent is buy a good tarp.

^This.

I've had a giant cheapo 5 person tent for seasons now. With a good tarp setup and a tent site in a wind protected area (forest), you should be fine. I've seen a lot of other peoples tents get wrecked by wind/snow and it doesn't matter if they are 400$ MEC tents or 60$ Crappy tire tents, if you set up in the open and/or with a poor tarp setup, you are risking destruction.

A good tip for tarp setups is get between two younger (20 years-ish) trees and run a strong rope at your tents max height. Then get the tarp over it into an A-Frame and securely fasten down the edges. Very little rope required, and if you have a big enough tarp your tent can be completely protected. If you are super gung-ho, you can replace the rope at the top with a strong, straight branch, and lash it securely.

[prof]

Just perusing the tent posts recently as I've been trying to sell one.

The above post is bang on. Setup means a hell of a lot more than the brand of tent you buy. That said, I can't tell you the number of "awesome" Canadian Tire tents I've seen totally mangled by the weather, or simply just break because the components are cheaper. This is your home, your recharge station, your one solace from the fucked-up nature of planting.

Trust me, you don't know sorrow until you've seen one of your co-workers find their flooded/broken/blown to shit tent after coming back from the block in a rainstorm. It's going to cost you ten trees a day, max. Spend the money.