Tent Recommendation?

[Yoshi1223]

Does anyone have a good inexpensive tent they'd recommend for Burning Man? The cheaper the better My budgets $200 and under..
My friend told me to get a tent with a vestibule to store shoes and change out of dusty clothes so we don't dirty the rest of the tent with playa dust. So far this is the cheapest one I've found http://www.target.com/p/coleman-bristol ... 4AodS0EAFA

[Elorrum]

a vestibule won't make a whole lot of difference, unless you want to dress and undress and store EVERYTHING that is ever outside in that space. then the tent space will only be used for dressing in totally clean clothes, and your sleeping gear, and you'll need to seal the mesh. So it might as well be a smaller tent if you do that. and store your gear in totes duffels, or boxes outside. Some do manage it that way. Be o.k. with the dust and you'll be happier. A big roomy tent is nice for dressing and keeping your nice things out of sight, but in that case, the dust would be in there too. Keep your sleeping gear clean by putting it in a garbage bag during the day. Having garbage bags or zip lock bags for clean clothes and things already exposed keeps it a little bit cleaner. There are degrees of how dusty things are... but everything is dusty, and anything left out can be VERY dusty. If the tent has mesh, think of the inside of a vacuum cleaner: all the air blowing through is full of dust, when it hits the nice quiet non windy volume of a tent, it slows, and settles right out. I go the garbage bags, and clean sleeping gear route, don't seal the mesh. I love a stand up height tent, and a bed height cot. (turn the cot on it's side when I get out of bed) YMMV.

[lemur]

an 8 person tent for one dood?!

[lemur]

when i think of a burning man tent the first thing i think of is: HOLY SHIT IT'S FUCKIN WINDY.

that means my #1 concern is having ample points to tie it down securely.. sustained winds of 35-40 mph (averaged wind speed over 2-5 minutes = sustained) and gusts of 70mph are not unheard of.. and wind/dust storms can last 5 hours or more.

i have seen coleman family tents like the one you linked to flattened in such storms, i.e. the poles break, its a flat pancake.


#2 concern would be dust.. but i follow the suggestions above and keep all my clothes/important shit in a plethora of ziplock bags and trash bags and grocery store bags

#3 is comfort... my tent is mainly to sleep.. partly as a place to sit and be alone at time to escape the madness of the burn and maybe to have some meals.


i camp with this:



when using all of the tie downs i use up to 13 stakes... it says its a '2 person' tent.. its really 1 person with gear.

its low profile, doesnt catch much wind and has weathered some bad stuff over the years..

in fear of HOLY SHIT moments each year i bring: floral wire, bunches of duct tape and electrical tape and 4 tent repair tubes..

..the little tubes slide over the bent portion of your pole and you can survive temporarily on it:




i use the small outside 'vestibule' area for storing some stuff, like canned goods, cases of beverages and trash...

the inside isnt roomy, isnt luxurious.. but once i get prepared for the night, its comfy, i can sleep well and i wake up feeling rested..



i push all my bedding stuff in to the back of the tent during the day and cover it with a trashbag/something to keep the dust off.. it looks kinda uncomfortable during the day as i use it for going in and out for meals and breaks.. but.. at night, its much dif.

so yeah

for me, looking for a tent #1, make sure it can survive the wind (many tie down points) #2 abating the dust can be important for some #3 comfort..

and as a subsection to #1 ..having a nice waterproof rainfly is important.. cuz it does rain at burning man.

[TomServo]

My old Coleman frame tent did pretty well in gale force winds. Although I did wind up duct taping the seams of the poles together, during the storm.

[Sic Pup]

I like this one at your price point. Like lemur said it's billed as a 2-person tent but it's comfortable for one with a cot. I use my tent only for sleeping. I store some stuff under the cot and use the vestibule to dump my dusty clothes/boots. You won't be able to stand in it but I use it under a Monkey Hut and it holds up really well in wind (I camped on the outskirts in 2011 with no windbreaks). It's more a 3 season tent but with the rain fly it's essentially a 4 season. The only dust inside was what I dragged in with me (it's virtually unavoidable). Cover your bedding and embrace the rest.

The few negative reviews on Amazon sound more like impatience and improper use to me. I'm happy with my purchase. I just set it up today and it's ready for it's third burn, I do have to replace one grommet. Actually I don't have to as there are two to insert a pole into I just like the option of having a second tension on the pole if needed.

[CornMan]

If you can score a canvas tent on craigslist, I'd go ahead and buy it and try it, but also bring a small two person tent in case the big one fails. You can use the small tent for storage in the meantime.

[Yoshi1223]

an 8 person tent for one dood?!

Lol it's not just for me- I'm a chick lol and my 6'5" boyfriend's going to be in the tent with me so gonna need alot of space

The garbage bag suggestion is a really good idea! I think I could save money and just do that instead of spending extra for a vestibule. Walmart has a 6 person one for $84 and another one that comes with an airbed for $110.

Considering that this one comes with an airbed and 2 sleeping bags, it seems like a great deal for $140. Def don't need another 2 sleeping bags though!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-6 ... e/24857566

[StevenGoodman]

Also check Sportsman's Guide (www.sportsmansguide.com) they often have some great deals.

Or you could spend the extra money and get a Springbar or Kodiak tent. They will last forever.

Martini Steve