Kelty Tent

“I like this one, what do you all think?

Kelty Tent”

“Looks like a good deal. Only down side may be the lack of ventilation. Are you going to use for solo camping?”

“you'll be hard pressed to use this tent in "colder, northern" locations...and if any of the 2 pple using this tent is bigger than 200lbs or 5'11ish you better find a way to stack your sleeping bags and sleep bunkbed style!”

“I have heard bad stories about the ventilation with that tent. My friend has the Dart and it's a rain forest.”

“MapleLeaf, maybe it would be better to get the 2001 Sierra Designs Clip 2 CD at Campmor. Lots of people rave about it and it is only slightly heavier and more dollars than the Kelty.”

“I am very happy with my older Kelty Zen. I tried the Dart, or whatever the name is-single person-very long looking-etc. The caution about the condensation is right on, very bad in that tent. I don't use it anymore, a hiking buddy carries it as an emergency measure, he usually sleeps under the stars.”

“I agree with what LyndyS said. You'll like that one much better”

“this would be just for me.
i need something lightweight and for high winds and rain.
Lyndy i;ll check that one out, thanks”

“mapleleaf..as a solo tent it'll be fine then..but you can find lighter, just as roomy, cheaper Kelty tents than this
i say get the zen, dart, or clark”

“http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=6653482&prmenbr=226">tent”

“Maple, How tall are you?

Medium to short people will fit into to the Coleman Exponet Inyo. The most bang for the buck IMHO. This tent is also sold as the Coleman Cobra or Peak 1 Cobra. I have seen this tent on sale as low as $60 at the Coleman outlet store.”

“They have some good deals at backcountry equipment and no shipping/tax.”

“Im 5'4
I like alot of these tents but are they good for high winds? Im not sure if I want the kind that you stake into the ground or free standing.”

“MapleLeaf, I think that a lot of tents with a low profile and full fly should be good with high wind and heavy rain, as long as your poles are not fiberglass. Ventilation and condensation are usually more of a daily problem than anything else. Why some tents have more of a condensation problem than others, I don't know.”

“"Im not sure if I want the kind that you stake into the ground or free standing".....

Maple, the tradeoff between freestanding tents or not is WEIGHT. Freestanding tents generaly weigh more than non because extra poles (heavy) are required.
If you are worryed about high winds, you might need to look at a four season tent.”

“I thought you were going to get the Sponge Bob tent.
You could fit into it if you curled up into a ball. :)

GearSlut will be crushed.”

“well the little tent that I got that ticked gear slut off, im happy to say did pretty darn good. with winds and rain. it did leak in the front but thats cause the fly does not go out over the whole tent. When I use it again I will bring an extra tarp for that part. but other then that it did good.

:)~
thats me sticking my tounge out at gear slut!”

“a tent and an extra tarp...doesn't that negate all the money and weight savings?”

“But I carry it in the summer then i dont carry the extra fleece. It evens out in the end (i think)”

“Hey Maple, here's another Kelty for a bargain. Sorry don't do the fancy link thing.

http://www.outdooroutlet.com/shopping.php?pg=product-detail&id=631&PHPSESSID=3b6b1c1fe9ad2dd011d1bbfad71be3c5”

“I'd go with either of the Sierra Designs tents.

I have wondered about the Kelty Clark and Kelty Dart but will listen to the experience of others here concerning condensation.”

“I think the Exponent Inyo 2 is a good alternative without the condensation problems. I got mine on-line for $64 (on sale at globalmart.com). I haven't experienced high winds or heavy rains yet, but other reviews said it was pretty good.

However, I use it as a solo shelter. Only use for 2 people in an emergency or if one is pretty small.”

“I still think the best tent for the money for three season use is an LLBean Microlite. It's breathable, roomy, lightweight, and inexpensive. It also can handle some nasty weather!

LLBean Microlite

”

“Kelty Zen...my first tent...still the one I use the most...”

“That tent loks like it's in the same vain as the Zoid, GS. It's amazing to me that the Zoid design is copied so much. Alps Mountianeering has one too. I think coyote13 just bought one.”

“I suspect that the LLBean has been around longer than the Zoid. The design in very common.”

“I had a Kelty Zen and it will hold up in a good blow, but it wasn't a free standing tent and it was a real pain to get all the stakes in the ground in rocky terrain. The Zen did have good ventilation and the weight was right. One thing I did notice was that I could never pitch mine taut enough. It seemed it wasn't cut just right. The SD Clips I saw were very taut. If I were buying a non-freestanding I'd go with the SD or the Bean Microlite someone mentioned above.
Both are highly rated and not that expensive. My $0.02 worth.”

“I have a Eureka Cirrus which is a copy of the SD Flashlight. The space and weight is good for a solo tent. I'd have to agree with the others here that the SD Flashlight or Microlight is nice for solo use. It's big enough to sit up in and also be able to stay away from the side walls should they get a little damp from condensation which will happen at times. That Coleman Inyo looks interesting especially for the price.”

“The Clip Flashlight is the tent I have and I love it. No complaints whatsoever. In cooler weather, you can leave the tent body behind to save weight.”

“Uphill Klimber and Skeetah Bait had the LLBean tent on this past trip in Maine. It looked good and taut. Seemed smaller than my Nallo2, but I don't think that they had condensation problems.”

“I think the Microlight has more mesh in the tent body than the SD Flashlight. Good if it is warmer out, but not as good if it's cold.”

“the only mesh on the Flashlight is on the door and at the foot. I slept in it during a pretty warm night and it wasn't uncomfortable. I've slept in it during colder nights and heavy rain and have been satisfied as well.”

“If it's for just you, I really like my Kelty Clark. I don't have a problem with condensation. You could never get two adults in it but I get me and my 2 1/2 year old comfortably.”

“That's just like my Eureka cirrus, mesh on the back and door. I had good luck with tent in the same conditions. I wish the tent wasn't worn out. The coating on the floor is shot. I'm a little concerned about all mesh inner tents because condensation and frost from the fly seems like it would drop right through the mesh when it gets shaken off from wind gusts. For that reason I like the Flashlight better with less mesh. A good trick to use is to spray the inner tent with Campdry, that way when condensation does fall it won't penetrate the inner tent and the inner tent still remains breathable. This is how Hilleberg tents work, with a water repellent inner tent. Condensation droplets will roll right off instead of soaking through and wetting you and your bag.”

“Concerning tents (and about anything else LL Beans sells) they are sturdily built, read that heavier then their contemporaries. I believe the microlite is essentially a clip flashlight, with a few LL Bean Features.

I can tell you about the two person tent I have from Bean's (a lite stuff tent I believe, can't remember the name). It is a bit heavier than some 2 person tents I have seen for a very reasonable cost at EMS, their store brand tent. It has some mesh so you can controll the condensation, but the EMS one has alot of mesh, too much perhaps to deep into fall or early spring. Back to Bean's tent. It is a free standing tent, very servicable, compact, with a few gear pockets and hangers. The floor does not come up the side wall like many tents do (nice for wet weather). Price was reasonable, less than $150.00.

Next tent will probably be the EMS product, but I need to do a little more research to make sure it matches our camping profile pretty well, as well as a bit of saving...”

“Let me know how it takes a beating, I'm interested in this design. Have not seen one up close.”

“Im going to Mt Antero in Co. So ill need a tent that can handle high wind since we will have bace camp at 10,000ft i'll be on the mountain for 5 days so there is a good chance that i may see rain. so being that high up im not sure having a staked or free stnding tent is best. If you have been here or someplace like it please feel free to give me advice.
thanks guys for all the help so far”