Which "Family" Sized Eureka/Columbia Tent?

[robinb]

I won't be camping at WDW (we own DVC at BWV and OKW), but I will be camping around home here in Wisconsin this summer. I thought I would ask my question here first, since you are all camping experts .

We have been using a small Coleman Eagle Rock (7 x 10) tent for the past two years. It has about 30 camping nights on it (all for about $45) and it has been great. Only ... (you saw that coming) it's too small. There are 3 of us who camp (Me, DH (both in our mid-40s now) and DD (5 1/2)) and my DD and I like our comfort. My DH likes his comfort too, but won't admit it. Anyway ... we sleep on a Queen sized air mattress (DD in the middle) which takes us a huge part of the tent, leaving very little room. Plus, the tent is low and only DD can stand up in it.

We need a new tent.

My DH and I had a small Eureka a long time ago when it was just me, him (in our own sleeping bags) and the dog. He loved that Eureka and was bummed when I bought the Coleman. He somehow thought that all 3 of us would actually fit in a 3 person tent . So, in deference to him ... I am looking at an Eureka tent to use on our next camping trip in July.

The options are:

The Eureka Tetragon 1210: About $139 delivered. 12 x 10 feet, easy to put up, easy to use. Two rooms.

The Eureka Tetragon 1610: About $145 delivered. 16 x 10, but only the central area is square (7 x 10). The ends are both 4.5 x 10 and make an odd sized tent. More room, but I'm not sure if the room is really useable. 3 rooms.

The Eureka Sunrise 11: About $155 delivered. 11 x 11. Easy to put up, easy to use. Better materials than the Tetragons, studier. 1 room.

Then the Dark Horse, the Columbia Cougar Flats: About $200. 15 x 10, Two rooms. One room can be opened up to be a screened in porch/sun room. Twice as heavy/bulky as other tents. Needs two people to set up.

I am leaning toward the 1210 or the Sunrise 11. The Cougar Flats looks like a nice tent, but I know my DH would prefer an Eureka and it's really, really heavy.

Does anyone have experience with any of these tents? Thanks for all your help .

 

[1Venus]

We have the Eureka Blue Mesa 1610, which I think is very similiar to the Tetragon 1610. We had a horrible Coleman cabin-style tent that we just couldn't keep standing and finally got this dome-style Eureka. It goes up easily, but it also STAYS up. It cost more than the Coleman, but last May when we camped at Ft Wilderness we found out why. There was a horrible thunderstorm one night. I slept very little as the tent was pounded by rain and strong winds. (Actually I kept praying that none of the trees around the site would fall onto us and onto the tent.) The next morning, Ft Wilderness was a mess with lots of standing water. One tent in our loop was even down. But we only had a couple of small spots of water inside the tent. Then when we went to the comfort station we found people lined up to dry things that had gotten soaked in their tents overnight. We were so happy we chose the Eureka!

As far as space is concerned, we removed the room dividers. We set up a Queen size air mattress that's on a metal frame (I didn't like being on the ground!) We have room for camp stools next to the bed, which we use as nightstands when we're in bed. We have room for a card table which holds our fan. And we keep 2 of the 30 gallon storage containers inside the tent to hold supplies/food/etc plus we set our TV and lamp on top on one. The tent is tall enough in the center for my 6' tall husband to stand. However as he nears the side of the bed and the doors he has to bend over.

When we were shopping for the tent I had read good things about Eureka, but couldn't find anyone in town who had the larger ones in stock. So, I called Eureka direct. A nice man helped me decide which model would best meet my needs. They also have an outlet store where they sell 2nds and slightly used models. Here's the number: 607-779-2265. I ended up buying from an online Army-Navy Store in Vermont (www.vtarmynavy.com) because they had the best price I could find on the tent including shipping to Florida.

If you have any other questions, just ask.

 

[clkelley]

I have always laughed at how many people they say will fit in a tent!!!!
Obviously they are talking about midgets sandwiched next to each other in mummy bags with absolutely no gear

I have used an 8x10 dome tent for years and I'm just one person!!! (Used a 2nd 8x8 dome tent for my stuff)

I recently graduated to a 13x13, three room tent, and I'm still just one person!! I got tired of crawling on my knees to get into my tent, and crawling on my knees into my 2nd tent to get changes of clothes, etc.

Here is the link to my tent.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9271L133&categoryid=11020

Carol

 

[robinb]

We have the Eureka Blue Mesa 1610, which I think is very similiar to the Tetragon 1610. {snip great story about staying dry} We were so happy we chose the Eureka!

That's what I've heard too. Eurekas will stand up to the storm.

As far as space is concerned, we removed the room dividers. We set up a Queen size air mattress that's on a metal frame (I didn't like being on the ground!) We have room for camp stools next to the bed, which we use as nightstands when we're in bed. We have room for a card table which holds our fan. And we keep 2 of the 30 gallon storage containers inside the tent to hold supplies/food/etc plus we set our TV and lamp on top on one. The tent is tall enough in the center for my 6' tall husband to stand. However as he nears the side of the bed and the doors he has to bend over.

I would love to have a Blue Mesa, but it's out of my price range. I want to keep it under $200 delivered and the cheapest Blue Mesa is about $225-$250 plus shipping on eBay. The Tetragon 1610 is a lot like the Blue Mesa, except is has fiberglass poles (instead of aluminium) and the ends are 5'6" wide (instead of 8' wide). So, there is less room for a Queen sized bed as it can't go sideways along one of the short ends up against the wall. I would have to pull out the bed about 2' and then that would probably be dead space. [Note, this is how crazy I am. I cut out "tents" from graph paper (1 cm=1ft) and a mini Queen-sized bed just to see where the bed would fit!] The head of the bed would fit along the short end or it could go sideways along the long end of the tent across from the door.

I do have a question. Where did you end up putting your bed and where did you get the metal frame for the mattress? I think I'll be warmer and more comfortable off the ground.

 

[robinb]

I recently graduated to a 13x13, three room tent, and I'm still just one person!! I got tired of crawling on my knees to get into my tent, and crawling on my knees into my 2nd tent to get changes of clothes, etc.

Here is the link to my tent.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9271L133&categoryid=11020

Carol: You can put that tent up by yourself?!? You were my camping hero before, but that sews it up!

I really didn't have a problem with our Coleman. It was fine in regular weather, although it was pretty hot in the day. We used it for 2 long camping trips, one short one and my friend borrowed it too. My DH is still a bit resistant to buying a new tent, but if I buy a brand he really likes, he'll be more inclined to go along with minimal kvetching . Too bad since the Coleman is a great price at $119!

 

[clkelley]

It's a bit challenging, but yes, I can put it up by myself.

As far as the poster's question about the queen air mattress on a frame, Wal-Mart sells a twin size and queen size air mattress on a frame.

I would definitely recommend a piece of plastic inside the tent under the frame to protect your tent floor from any possible tears.

Here is the link at Wal-Mart.com

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...174&type=21&dept=4125&path=0:4125:4128:133174

Carol

 

[leprechaun]

I won't use a metal frame anything in a tent unless you made sure there were no sticks or rocks under the tent that would grind a hole in the floor of the tent. If you accidently set up the bed on a small stone, every time you toss and turn or do something better, you run the risk of doing damage to the floor. You could place a folded towel under the frame as a pad. This would help or you could try a thicker air mattress that would get you off the ground a little more.
As for a tent, you get what you pay for. Fiberglass poles are good but if you get caught in a storm with a lot of wind I prefer the strength of the aluminum.
We do a lot of scout camping and have five tents, two of them have fiberglass poles and have replace both sets.
Good luck shopping. Kelty makes a good tent, L.L. Bean stands behind their product, outdooroutlet.com or campmor.com has decent prices

 

[1Venus]

It looks like the bed question has already been answered. The air mattress comes with the frame. (I bought mine from Target for $89, but it looks pretty much the same as the less expensive one from Wal-Mart.) It's much more comfy than being on the ground, but the mattress still gets chilly. I put a blanket under the sheets for added insulation. I also put a thin blanket on the floor of the tent to help protect it from the pressure of the frame. Finally, Eureka also sells a floor saver that I purchased to go under the tent to further protect the floor. (Plus I use Carol's advice and put another thin, disposable, plastic sheet down first to keep the floor saver clean.)

There are 3 doors in my tent. One on each end and one in the front center. I position the bed with the head in front of one of the two side doors. I have it a little from the wall, but less than the 2 feet you're planning. While I can still exit from the front/center door, we just use the door opposite the bed. I run the extension cord in the side door so it's not in our way as we exit and enter the tent. That gives us plenty of sleeping space and then I can place my other items to the side of the door we actually use. (I hope this makes sense.)

I wish you luck in your search for the perfect tent. I bought our Blue Mesa on sale plus it had a mail-in-rebate. In the end I think I ended up paying $225 for the tent and the floor saver which was a bargain.

 

[Gillian]

DH & I got a Eureka tent before we had kids. It really is a great tent. We still use it for family camping if someone needs an extra. We are kind of between tents right now, because our cheapie 3 room tent busted a zipper on our first outing.

The cheapie one had a shape similar to the 1610 eureka. We used one end for stuff, the other end for DS (he's a restless sleeper) and the middle for us.

We got our Eureka from Campmor. They also have a website, campmor.com

 

[robinb]

I just wanted to update everyone .

I bought an Eureka Sunrise 11 from here:
http://store.yahoo.com/cspoutdoors/eusu11adbate.html

It's $186.95 with free delivery and then there is the $30 Eureka rebate.

I bought the Sunrise 11:
(1) things just seemed to fit easier in it. My little cut-outs of my beds still left plenty of room for other stuff.
(2) The walls are close to vertical, so we can stand up just about anywhere in the tent,
(3) It has only 2 poles and I've read it's very easy to put up. Some people say they can put it up by themselves.
(4) All the reviews I read said the Sunrise tents are *great*.
(5) I really didn't *need* room dividers.
(6) I've read ventilation in the tent is awesome. It has 4 huge windows.
(7) Consumer Reports just rated it the #3 large tent in the July edition. The other two (1) Eureka Titan and (2) Kelty Mantra 7 were both over $400!

 

[stevenpensacola]

Check out these guys: They make a GREAT tent. We bought a Promontory a few months ago (they were having a good sale), but haven't got to use it yet. You don't tent camp in NW Florida in the summertime.

http://www.pahaque.com/

 

[LeviMason]

I totally agree with you Gillian.