Favorite lightweight tents

SoCal RV Flyer

SoCal RV Flyer

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SoCal RV Flyer
So, this year for Oshkosh, I'm gonna camp right by my airplane. Could be great, could be miserable depending on the weather, but I want to get the full experience. I'm thinking a nice cushy air mattress would be good too, especially in the event of heavy rain, to keep me up off the grass a bit.

Any recommendations on a relatively lightweight 1-man tent? I've seen some cheapie 5-pound backpacking tents and I'm not sure if these are sufficient. I want to keep the total weight under 10 pounds. Cost is some object; I'd like to stay sub-$100.

Counting down the days! I'm gonna meet a friend in Austin, TX for the first leg (he's flying out from Georgia), then fly to Osh the second day.
 
I’ve had a Sierra Designs Meteor Lite for about 25 yrs and it’s still in perfect shape. Not certain their QC is still as good as back then, but Sierra Designs made solid gear. Comfy 2 person tent, about 5.2 lb with bag, tent, stakes and rain fly.
 
I think you'll have a hard time staying under $100 for something you want to sleep in during an Oshkosh T-storm. I also think you'd be happier with a 2 or 3 person tent (a two person tent is ideal for one person, and a 3 person tent is good for two people, IMO). Anyway, surf through the offerings at Cabelas and REI and you'll find something. They both offer gear you'll be comfortable with. One thing - buy a tent with aluminum, not fiberglass poles. Fiberglass shatters in high winds. Aluminum generally only bends and can be repaired more easily.
 
kyleb said:
How does that do in wind? I could see you tumbling across the field during a night t-storm. Or being flipped over by drunk returnees from SOS Brothers...
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Not good. That’s the one gripe I had with it. Since the tent isn’t staked to the ground, it moves side to side if not aligned with the wind. I turned mine into the prevailing winds and staked a couple of the cot legs and it worked out ok.
 
Thanks for the responses, guys. Going over to Sierra Design website now. I'll definitely bump up the price point to get something decent.
 
MSR Hubba Hubba has served me well both airplane camping and bicycle camping.


IMG_2843.JPG IMG_1852.JPG IMG_1852.JPG
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
So, this year for Oshkosh, I'm gonna camp right by my airplane. Could be great, could be miserable depending on the weather, but I want to get the full experience. I'm thinking a nice cushy air mattress would be good too, especially in the event of heavy rain, to keep me up off the grass a bit.

Any recommendations on a relatively lightweight 1-man tent? I've seen some cheapie 5-pound backpacking tents and I'm not sure if these are sufficient. I want to keep the total weight under 10 pounds. Cost is some object; I'd like to stay sub-$100.

Counting down the days! I'm gonna meet a friend in Austin, TX for the first leg (he's flying out from Georgia), then fly to Osh the second day.
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I checked this out at my local REI - I think it was on sale at the time. I didn't get it, but it seemed like a pretty decent combination of parts if you are looking for a whole package.

https://www.rei.com/product/119347/rei-co-op-camp-bundle

The tent by itself is $100:
https://www.rei.com/product/893927/rei-co-op-camp-dome-2-tent

Might consider adding a tarp or footprint to set underneath it.
 
Matthew said:
I checked this out at my local REI - I think it was on sale at the time. I didn't get it, but it seemed like a pretty decent combination of parts if you are looking for a whole package.

https://www.rei.com/product/119347/rei-co-op-camp-bundle

The tent by itself is $100:
https://www.rei.com/product/893927/rei-co-op-camp-dome-2-tent

Might consider adding a tarp or footprint to set underneath it.
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As much as I like REI, the quality of the tents have gone downhill the past few years. My original Camp Dome was superb, rain fly to the ground, vestibule, etc. The new Camp Domes are very disappointing. Look into Kelty or Big Agnes.

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage

Waterproof the h*ll out of it. Then waterproof it again. Also remember something to keep rain out of the airplane.

Another option if weight is an issue. Walk over to Target when you get there, buy an air mattress and Coleman tent there, donate to Goodwill when you leave - also in the same strip mall as Target. Don't forget a tarp!
 
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murphey said:
As much as I like REI, the quality of the tents have gone downhill the past few years. My original Camp Dome was superb, rain fly to the ground, vestibule, etc. The new Camp Domes are very disappointing. Look into Kelty or Big Agnes.
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Kelty makes reasonably priced tents, too.
 
Velocity173 said:
I wanted to be off the ground and have everything in one neat package. This is what I bought for SnF last year.

https://www.amazon.com/Outsunny-Compact-Portable-Mattress-Sleeping/dp/B00EVBVB70
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Oh, man.

Last summer, at one of the BBQ contests I do, one of the team neighbors had a little too much to drink -- OK, a LOT -- then climbed into his tent-cot that he didn't exactly assemble correctly. It collapsed with him inside. Took him close to an hour to get out. We got our money's worth out of that thing, I hope he brings it again.
 
I decided on a Coleman 3-person Sundome tent. I think it'll get the job done for a reasonable price. (Experimental builder here; TSO'd tents much more! :D:D) Mummy bag and air mattress on order too!

This is the Coleman 4-person version. Looks like a good basic tent, nothing fancy.

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Too much fun! Great responses. :)

I think everything's going in the plane. I travel pretty light, and my co-pilot weighs about 170 lb. and will be kept to a strict baggage limit of 50 lb. Sleeping bag, tent, chair and air mattress are under 25 lb. total, so that leaves me 25 lb. for a backpack with clothes, etc. Gonna get food strictly from vendors and Red Barn, so no cooking stuff needed. I figure three days at the show will be plenty.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I decided on a Coleman 3-person Sundome tent. I think it'll get the job done for a reasonable price. (Experimental builder here; TSO'd tents much more! :D:D) Mummy bag and air mattress on order too!

This is the Coleman 4-person version. Looks like a good basic tent, nothing fancy.

View attachment 62568
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Air mattress mandatory, the thicker the better. There are situations at OSH where the primary purpose of the tent walls is to keep you from floating away with the current. ;)

Your choice of tent has a somewhat skimpy fly. The sidewall is vulnerable to direct hit from the horizontal rains that accompany the obligatory annual Oshkosh T-storm. I would suggest a lightweight tarp that can be bungeed on the windward side to use as a supplementary blast shield. I use a super light mylar survival "blanket" that I can pin on quickly if needed, and it works well to keep the tent dry in those extreme, but temporary conditions.
 
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Ravioli said:
Send your campsite gear ahead via Fedex. You can have more comfort while you're there without any W&B issues.

The tent and sunscreen I shipped. @Ravioli's co-pilot was right seat :)

View attachment 62569
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V. cool plane! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Why does the leading edge of one blade on the prop look different from the others? Or is it just a light effect (affect? afflict? Aflac? whatever :D ) or optical illusion?
 
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GRG55 said:
Your choice of tent has a somewhat skimpy fly. The sidewall is vulnerable to direct hit from the horizontal rains that accompany the obligatory annual Oshkosh T-storm. I would suggest a lightweight tarp that can be bungeed on the windward side to use as a blast shield. I use a super light mylar survival "blanket" that I can pin on quickly if needed, and it works well to keep the tent dry.
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Good call. I'll bring a tarp, Harbor Freight's finest.
 
Across the highway, to the west, is an outlet mall, with a Coleman store, if it's still there.
 
Every time I've cheaped out on a tent I've been either wet or holding the thing down in a storm. I spend real money on tents, then again Oshkosh is my vacation every year and I don't want it ruined by everything getting wet. There was one year where a violent storm blew down just about every tent but mine. My tents look more like wind tunnels, their ran fly's go all the way to the ground. Aluminum poles, sealed seams, the works. I even spent money on tapes with grommets for the poles, so the things wouldn't move.

Oshkosh is so inexpensive compared to any other kind of holiday, I just don't mind at all.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I decided on a Coleman 3-person Sundome tent. I think it'll get the job done for a reasonable price. (Experimental builder here; TSO'd tents much more! :D:D) Mummy bag and air mattress on order too!

This is the Coleman 4-person version. Looks like a good basic tent, nothing fancy.

View attachment 62568
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Good choice...that's the tent I use:

upload_2018-5-2_9-7-34.png
 
Anything by Mountain Hardwear. Oh wait, you said under $100....
 
steingar said:
Every time I've cheaped out on a tent I've been either wet or holding the thing down in a storm. I spend real money on tents, then again Oshkosh is my vacation every year and I don't want it ruined by everything getting wet. There was one year where a violent storm blew down just about every tent but mine. My tents look more like wind tunnels, their ran fly's go all the way to the ground. Aluminum poles, sealed seams, the works. I even spent money on tapes with grommets for the poles, so the things wouldn't move.

Oshkosh is so inexpensive compared to any other kind of holiday, I just don't mind at all.
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Same here. We cheaped out the first few years at OSH, either using borrowed (cheap) tents or buying cheap tents. We got tired of getting soaked, having the tent break, etc., so 2 years ago we doubled-down and went to REI. Got a Kingdom tent ($$$$), which is fantastic. The next year we picked up one of those elevated air mattresses (frame with air mattress on top). Makes camping so much more tolerable. I do travel by Twin Bonanza, so weight isn't really an issue....
 
Check on Craigslist. There are a lot of low cost camping gear.
 
GRG55 said:
V. cool plane! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Why does the leading edge of one blade on the prop look different from the others? Or is it just a light effect (affect? afflict? Aflac? whatever :D ) or optical illusion?
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I had to look at the picture... they are all the same great Catto nickle leading edge, but the top one in the picture has the Oshkosh information card on it. (year built, HP, Hours, etc) and the left one seems to have been washed out by the lighting. The one on the right is what they actually look like.

And thanks for the compliment to Candy.
 
3 days will be enough only because of the <$100 tent :frown2:. At least you made a good airplane choice!

I would recommend upgrading the crappy stakes that likely came with the Coleman. If it is staked well, at least you won't lose the whole tent.
 
My tent is a REI Halfdome 2. Not cheap, but it went through a full frog strangler in the middle of the night with zero leaks. I'm sure it's possible to get something less expensive but this one works well enough for me and we've used it several times a year for about 5 years now. I would like a little more height, but for one person it's great. It will hold a queen size air mattress.

Whether or not a tent is waterproof through a storm can be largely dependent on pitching it right. If your rainfly is touching the tent, you're very likely to get water inside the tent. It's intended to shed most of the water directly, but some may leak through and should run down the inside of the fly. Use those extra guy wires to make sure there's no contact.
 
Hilleberg Jannu is my fav. Tougher than the weather and really easy to set up even in wind and rain. Not cheap
 
I've never had an air mattress that didn't leak, I guess I'm a bit biased. That, and I'm not certain one would fit in one of my wind-tunnel storm-proof tents (truth, I've never gotten wet in one). I did buy a Thermarest camping cot on sale at one point. It fits in the tent, is more comfy than the ground, and is light enough that I'll take it hiking.
 
Matthew said:
I checked this out at my local REI - I think it was on sale at the time. I didn't get it, but it seemed like a pretty decent combination of parts if you are looking for a whole package.

https://www.rei.com/product/119347/rei-co-op-camp-bundle

The tent by itself is $100:
https://www.rei.com/product/893927/rei-co-op-camp-dome-2-tent

Might consider adding a tarp or footprint to set underneath it.
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The REI Camp Bed is a nice piece of kit, I like it a lot better than an air mattress, and it's easier to deal with as well. If you think your tent may flood, then the air mattress may be a better deal. I'd try to find a spot that won't flood, but seeing that you're camping at an airport you may not have all that many choices. I haven't been to Oshkosh in decades but IIRC it's fairly flat, which isn't always a good thing.
 
I took a tent I could stand up in (I think it is a 6-person) and had a queen size inflatable mattress. I was able to keep all my stuff inside and organized and was able to change my clothes each morning and night in comfort. I think it was under ten pounds but I also brought a screen tent for my chairs and table and grill and cooler full of food and drink.
 
Lachlan said:
When flying to OSH, occasionally cargo weight is of concern to a lot of pilots.
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That's why I suggested not taking the tent, and buying one at Target across from the North 40. Probably not much difference in price, either. Or, catch a ride across the highway to the Coleman outlet store. Then donate it to Goodwill so there's no additional weight going home.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I decided on a Coleman 3-person Sundome tent. I think it'll get the job done for a reasonable price. (Experimental builder here; TSO'd tents much more! :D:D) Mummy bag and air mattress on order too!

This is the Coleman 4-person version. Looks like a good basic tent, nothing fancy.

View attachment 62568
Click to expand...

If you are going with an air mattress I suggest using a twin air mattress and then an inflatable sleeping pad on top of it. When you put a sleeping pad on top of the air mattress it acts like a snowshoe and keeps your weight spread out over the mattress. No more of that having your butt on the ground and feet and head in the air like a hammock if a little air pressure leaves the mattress as the air cools at night.
 
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