Need Tent Advice

I've only camped in a tent once in my life and it sucked, I'm fairly certain the tent I was in was an el cheapo model.  Anyway, water got in during a rain, the next day it didn't rain but there was a dew all over everything inside when I woke up and it was b**** to put that mother together.  I have a few camping trips coming up and decided a truck tent to go in the bed of my pick up is the way to go.  All I've found online are the Napier sportz tents
http://napierenterprises.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=32 

and the Camp Right  http://www.camp-right.com/ 

Anybody have any experience with these? How about thoughts on having an attached tent floor, the camp right looks like its just a shell that goes over the bed while the napiers got a bottom panel?  Any other models I should know about?  How about stores in the south bay I can check out a tent like these in person?

brah, just save your bling bling and get a camper shell 

Chicks don't dig camper shells.

Hey Mooch..........Did you know that.........maybe that's why...............never mind.

I say camper shell too, although I don't have one. I just use an REI tent.

Camper is not an option....no way I can come up with that kind of scratch before I go camping and even if I was able to I'd probably blow it on a new sounder/plotter for my boat. 

Art, just get a real tent. 

When I camp, I bring way too much sh*t, and end up keeping it in the bed of the truck.  You'd need to clear out all that just to sleep at night.  Also, if you wanted to make a short trip to the beach or down the road from the campsite, you'd need to break down this trucktent.  Too much hassle for me.  Keep it simple.

-- Dave

Ditto what dave said I just bought a new Coleman at costco last weekend worked great 40 buck its too simple

I've only camped in a tent once in my life and it sucked, I'm fairly certain the tent I was in was an el cheapo model.  Anyway, water got in during a rain, the next day it didn't rain but there was a dew all over everything inside when I woke up and it was b**** to put that mother together.  I have a few camping trips coming up and decided a truck tent to go in the bed of my pick up is the way to go.  All I've found online are the Napier sportz tents
http://napierenterprises.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=32 

and the Camp Right  http://www.camp-right.com/ 

Anybody have any experience with these? How about thoughts on having an attached tent floor, the camp right looks like its just a shell that goes over the bed while the napiers got a bottom panel?  Any other models I should know about?  How about stores in the south bay I can check out a tent like these in person?

I second the Eureka or Coleman suggestions. Get a dome tent and practice putting it up BEFORE you go camping. The new types of tents will shed water and won't leak thru the floor. They will typically have a rain fly that fits over the tent. Make sure you put down a ground cover (plastic sheet the same size as the tent floor) before you set up the tent. That will protect the floor from getting holes in it. Also, get a 3-man tent or a 4-man tent for car camping. They will be much more comfortable. A 2-man tent will fit two people like sardines in a can. They only make sense if you are backpacking and need to minimize weight. Make sure you bring inflatable pads like the Thermarest or you will have a sleepless night and an unhappy girlfriend.

It's a lot more than $40, more like $170, but the REI Half Dome 2 person backpacking tent is a breeze to erect (I said erect, hehehehe) and fits two people very comfortably. Girlfriend/wife approved, no shizzle. Lifetime, no hassle guarantee. As opposed to the POS K-mart mosquito net car camping shelter that I knew would be worthless, and failed within 5 minutes of being assembled for the first time last weekend. Now I have to dick around with getting a refund/replacement.

Scott

We have used Eureka tents in the past, which worker well.  A couple of years ago I fond a Marmot Swallow-3 in the REI garage sale, and its GREAT.  perfect floor, big enough for wife, I and dog, great ventilation into full fly, so no condensation inside at night.  When its below freezing. it will stay about 40 inside at night with the fly on and one vent open and when its hot outside it really opens up.  Also a breeze to put up, C and I can do it in under 5 min, and take down is faster...
only problem is $$$, but it will last a long time, ours has seen at least 50 trips (probably 125 nights), and is still like new...

JRM

I'm with Scott - don't settle for a cheap tent...then again, it really depends on how often you will be using it. If you're a fair weather camper, a cheap tent will work fine. But if your camping in the high sierras - the weather can change for the worse even on warm sunny days. In this case, buy a tent like the REI Half Dome (like Scott suggested) - it has two doors, easy and fast to set up and more importantly, it's free standing.


oh and Mahi Mahi......sleep with one eye open on our San Diego trip  You might find a banana stuck up your........... when you wake up in the morning 

Space is gonna be an issue, its camping for the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival at the Mendo Co. Fairgrounds.  I've been told that they pack vehicles in tight, the comparison I got was that the lot looks similar to the Oakland Colloseum mid tailgating time.  My thoughts were that I could throw up the tent in the truck then throw up a 10x10 Sun tent mini-lounge headquarters in the space I don't use.  I'm entertaining the idea of getting a regular tent but right now they don't seem optimal.       

Art - before I got my truck shell, I used this tent and it fits perfectly on my truck bed (Tacoma) 

http://www.rei.com/product/705525

If you wanna borrow it - let me know.

The great thing about the little tents is that it does not take long to warm up (and stay warm)

Hey Art, you could look at the floor dimensions to see if it would fit your vehicle. The Quarter Dome is 85x52 and the Half Dome is 90x54. What Joel said about the Quarter Dome goes for my Half Dome as well - It's yours to borrow for a weekend test drive at the music festival.

Also, if you don't have a 10'x10' sun tent/mesh shelter, let me know. I've got one you can have, cheap

Regards,
Scott

art, if you are truck camping, and it probably won't rain, I don't even use a tent, I use a big
comfy cot and back it up with a pair of tarps, one for the ground and one for a roof (maybe).

J