Kids know to get rest for their cooking classes It has become quite silly around here with tents with the girls teasing me about my love of tents. When Lisa catches me looking at tents on the internet she immediately says "oh no, we don't need another tent". However she does find it humorous when I get excited about setting up all the tents at once.
Yay! Let's build tent city in the back yard. With Lisa's kid's cooking camp out this year we had the opportunity to set up a few of our tents but not all of them. Usually the girls sleep in the Dome workshop and the boys sleep in their Slumberjack six person tent. This year however, while I was on night duty as usual the girls were freaked out by some spiders or roaches that crawled on them while they were sleeping on the dome shop floor. So I rendered immediate assistance by pitching the Mountainsmith Genesee Four Person, Three Season Tent and my old Coleman Cobra Peak 1 two person tent. These are the three tents shown in photo above and each has been an excellent tent for the price. We purchased the Mountainsmith tent for the girls to sleep in with a couple of friends for car camping trips and it performed just as well as our REI Passage 2 two person tent that me, Lisa and the dog slept in under thirty to forty mph gusty wind conditions. However these are not tents for bike touring unless of course you are riding with a support vehicle such as with some bike tour companies.
Yay! Let's build tent city in the back yard. With Lisa's kid's cooking camp out this year we had the opportunity to set up a few of our tents but not all of them. Usually the girls sleep in the Dome workshop and the boys sleep in their Slumberjack six person tent. This year however, while I was on night duty as usual the girls were freaked out by some spiders or roaches that crawled on them while they were sleeping on the dome shop floor. So I rendered immediate assistance by pitching the Mountainsmith Genesee Four Person, Three Season Tent and my old Coleman Cobra Peak 1 two person tent. These are the three tents shown in photo above and each has been an excellent tent for the price. We purchased the Mountainsmith tent for the girls to sleep in with a couple of friends for car camping trips and it performed just as well as our REI Passage 2 two person tent that me, Lisa and the dog slept in under thirty to forty mph gusty wind conditions. However these are not tents for bike touring unless of course you are riding with a support vehicle such as with some bike tour companies.
I have three tents to choose from for my personal bike touring needs and each one offers its' own unique qualities. Only my fifteen year old Coleman two person tent has been discontinued and the only tent like it is the Vango Banshee 200 two person tent. I have heard that the new Coleman Enyo or something like that was meant to replace the old Cobra Peak 1 but the Vango Banshee looks most similar. As sentimental as I am about my old Coleman tent as it weighs slightly more than three pounds with the MSR groundhog stakes and not using a footprint as it hasn't been necessary for fifteen years now. Anyhow, when I got the tent out for the a couple of the girls to use Lisa made it a point to say in a very serious tone "you tell them to be very respectful of that old tent". So I did in my own way have those teenage girls respecting that tent by telling them how old the tent was and that in the fifteen years of owning the tent only one other person, on one single occasion has slept with me in that tent, that being their mother. Teenage girls love stories like that and it's even better when they know it to be true.
Consisting of a single pole design the tent naturally needs to be staked out. This has rarely if ever been an issue even when I used it at a Walmart parking lot where I pitched it where folks let their dogs crap. How in the world I avoided pitching that tent on a pile of dog shit is a mystery. When I woke up the next morning I had to carefully step to avoid the dozens of piles on the grass. The all mesh body of the tent is excellent for summer camping and provides a wonderful airflow, the best of any of the other tents. Although the Vango Banshee 200 two person tent is a two pole design it requires stakes and has the same common complaint as my old Coleman. "That's a one person tent"! Lisa refuses the idea that it's actually a two person tent which is probably why we only slept in it together once. Folks are saying the exact same thing about the Vango Banshee two person model, so whatever, it's a very nice tent for bike touring and camping. Solidly built, excellent in heavy winds and rain, even in snow where the old Coleman was popular with winter enthusiasts and is how I heard about the tent being of such excellent quality for the price.
Consisting of a single pole design the tent naturally needs to be staked out. This has rarely if ever been an issue even when I used it at a Walmart parking lot where I pitched it where folks let their dogs crap. How in the world I avoided pitching that tent on a pile of dog shit is a mystery. When I woke up the next morning I had to carefully step to avoid the dozens of piles on the grass. The all mesh body of the tent is excellent for summer camping and provides a wonderful airflow, the best of any of the other tents. Although the Vango Banshee 200 two person tent is a two pole design it requires stakes and has the same common complaint as my old Coleman. "That's a one person tent"! Lisa refuses the idea that it's actually a two person tent which is probably why we only slept in it together once. Folks are saying the exact same thing about the Vango Banshee two person model, so whatever, it's a very nice tent for bike touring and camping. Solidly built, excellent in heavy winds and rain, even in snow where the old Coleman was popular with winter enthusiasts and is how I heard about the tent being of such excellent quality for the price.
Vango Banshee 200 is popular with some bike touring folks
Nice ventilation at rain fly peak Last year I picked up an Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 one person three season tent. Two reasons, free standing model, absurdly inexpensive, a bit taller than the Coleman providing more headroom when sitting up. I actually felt a bit spoiled setting up the Alps Lynx 1 as the free standing style is so simple and easy.
When using the rainfly and when in very windy conditions it is necessary to stake the tent out. Single entry with vestibule it is a very nice tent that absolutely cannot be beaten for the price. I could criticize it in comparison to the Coleman Cobra Peak 1 tent where I have two entries, two storage vestibules, built in roof pockets and more compact pack size. However, after getting an Outdoor Research 5L dry bag for stuffing the tent body and rainfly into I pack the longer poles and stakes in their own bag inside my thermarest mattress on rear rack so it is not an issue.
Another option with this tent and the next two tents is ability for a "quick pitch" or minimalist shelter. This is where you simply pitch the rainfly and foot print or ground cover. It's not an option with the Vango Banshee or Coleman Peak 1 tents due to their inherent design of needing to be staked down. Having a minimalist shelter option is nice to have when you just need or want some shade. In New Mexico while riding across vast open areas of desert with no shade at all it's a nice option to avoid heat stroke or if you get sun burned.
When using the rainfly and when in very windy conditions it is necessary to stake the tent out. Single entry with vestibule it is a very nice tent that absolutely cannot be beaten for the price. I could criticize it in comparison to the Coleman Cobra Peak 1 tent where I have two entries, two storage vestibules, built in roof pockets and more compact pack size. However, after getting an Outdoor Research 5L dry bag for stuffing the tent body and rainfly into I pack the longer poles and stakes in their own bag inside my thermarest mattress on rear rack so it is not an issue.
Another option with this tent and the next two tents is ability for a "quick pitch" or minimalist shelter. This is where you simply pitch the rainfly and foot print or ground cover. It's not an option with the Vango Banshee or Coleman Peak 1 tents due to their inherent design of needing to be staked down. Having a minimalist shelter option is nice to have when you just need or want some shade. In New Mexico while riding across vast open areas of desert with no shade at all it's a nice option to avoid heat stroke or if you get sun burned.
Nice size, shape and vestibule storage This year I picked up the REI Quarter dome 2 two person tent. I was surprised to find no bike touring specific reviews for this tent. It's by far the best tent I own though I haven't had an opportunity to use it much. I did get to set it up just in time for a torrential down pour with all the tropical thunderstorms we had earlier this year and it was rock solid.
Heavy wind and rain and it didn't even flinch and I suppose this can be attributed to the pole frame design. Although it is a bit more complicated to set up,which is Lisa's only criticism of this tent. However, it is very spacious for a two person tent, dual entry, two vestibules, very lightweight at just over three pounds and I was also able to fit the tent body and rain fly in the Outdoor Research 5L ultra dry sack for carrying on my front rack with poles and stake tucked inside my air mattress on rear rack.
Heavy wind and rain and it didn't even flinch and I suppose this can be attributed to the pole frame design. Although it is a bit more complicated to set up,which is Lisa's only criticism of this tent. However, it is very spacious for a two person tent, dual entry, two vestibules, very lightweight at just over three pounds and I was also able to fit the tent body and rain fly in the Outdoor Research 5L ultra dry sack for carrying on my front rack with poles and stake tucked inside my air mattress on rear rack.
Love the large vestibule storage area. Photo shows four panniers from both front and rear of my touring bike racks with a hydration pack tucked in the rather spacious vestibule without interfering with entering or exiting the tent.
It's impressive how much extra room and storage has been provided by the tent's innovative pole frame design. There are some rather odd functions to the design that I don't prefer and that is the plastic holders on the ends of the poles.
I will get some more photos of this tent and get another post made for this with more descriptive photos and information when I have an opportunity to use this tent camping or on a bike tour. After all, we know how much I love my tents, eh honey?
As much as I like this tent it is a bit cost prohibitive priced at three times what I paid for the Alps tent but not much more than the Vango Banshee 200 two person tent. Also, this tent is free standing, well ventilated and a couple pounds lighter than the Vango Banshee.
There are lots of reviews touting the Vango Banshee two person tent as an excellent choice for bike touring but I have to say for the price and features of the REI Quarter Dome 2 I preferred to spend the extra money not only because it's a lighter weight tent but one that is more spacious knowing that Lisa will be much happier with the dog not sleeping on top of her. Click on any of the links or photos for information or to purchase. REI Quarter dome 2 is only available at REI.
Links related to this topic
Alps Lynx 1 Person Tent
Thermarest Sleep Travel Products
Cookstoves for Bike Camping
It's impressive how much extra room and storage has been provided by the tent's innovative pole frame design. There are some rather odd functions to the design that I don't prefer and that is the plastic holders on the ends of the poles.
I will get some more photos of this tent and get another post made for this with more descriptive photos and information when I have an opportunity to use this tent camping or on a bike tour. After all, we know how much I love my tents, eh honey?
As much as I like this tent it is a bit cost prohibitive priced at three times what I paid for the Alps tent but not much more than the Vango Banshee 200 two person tent. Also, this tent is free standing, well ventilated and a couple pounds lighter than the Vango Banshee.
There are lots of reviews touting the Vango Banshee two person tent as an excellent choice for bike touring but I have to say for the price and features of the REI Quarter Dome 2 I preferred to spend the extra money not only because it's a lighter weight tent but one that is more spacious knowing that Lisa will be much happier with the dog not sleeping on top of her. Click on any of the links or photos for information or to purchase. REI Quarter dome 2 is only available at REI.
Links related to this topic
Alps Lynx 1 Person Tent
Thermarest Sleep Travel Products
Cookstoves for Bike Camping
Aaron's Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 Tent Oh yes, another tent for bike touring that one of our warmshowers guests touts as his favorite tent for bike camping is a three person tent. He enjoys having the luxurious space of a three person tent even when touring alone and despite the fact that the tent weighs a bit over five pounds. Personally, I wouldn't tote that thing hundreds of miles but he didn't seem to mind at all claiming he had given up on traveling light.
This is the type of tent for two person bike touring where each person carries a portion of tent to help with excess weight and bulk of packing. For example I heard of a couple who loved having the extra space of a larger tent so while he packed and carried the tent body and poles, she carried the rainfly and tent stakes. They love having what they referred to as "a palace of a tent" compared to whatever smaller lighter weight tent they had previously used. Aaron's Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 Tent is shown in photo and I wanted to share his enthusiastic appreciation of his tent by including it in this post.
This is the type of tent for two person bike touring where each person carries a portion of tent to help with excess weight and bulk of packing. For example I heard of a couple who loved having the extra space of a larger tent so while he packed and carried the tent body and poles, she carried the rainfly and tent stakes. They love having what they referred to as "a palace of a tent" compared to whatever smaller lighter weight tent they had previously used. Aaron's Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 Tent is shown in photo and I wanted to share his enthusiastic appreciation of his tent by including it in this post.
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