How old is your oldest tent?

“Was musing about this the other day. I of course, just bought this REI Base Camp 6 for use in family camping, and I look forward to many happy years using it for that purpose. I started wondering, however, how long I might actually have, and started thinking about how different tents are now than they were 30 years ago. I guess a similar tent would have been made out of canvas then?

Anyway, what's your oldest tent and describe it.

Mine's a crappy nylon tent I bought at Service Merchandise 12-13 years ago. It's a piece of crap, but I have used it a few times.”

“25 year old A-frame with thick aluminum poles two person mountain tent that weights 6 1/2 pounds. I used it at TC3.”

“Yep. Coated nylon pup tent from K-mart, circa 1974. Some friends have a canvas tent that's been in their family since the late 50s... about 7x7, and weighs like 60 lbs.

It has a liner made of cotton batting like a prehistoric hunting jacket that you button into it. I saw it in operation one time, and once the liner is saturated from condensation, I din't even want to think about what that sucker weighs, LOL

I think they said it took a week to dry out.”

“Some old neighbors of ours once described how they took a canvas tent and waterproofed it by painting it with Thompson's Water Seal. Ouch.”

“We bought a nylon dome tent for backpacking probably 1979 or 1980, several trips before the first kid in '81. We still have it, but we lost the poles years ago. It was a great tent, roomy and lightweight. My husband still compares every tent to that one!”

“92 TNF Tadpole”

“I have an A-frame nylon 2 person tent that I bought from Campmor in 1977. I don’t know the make, but it sure was reliable. Can’t remember the last time I used it.”

“like wannabp, i also have a nylon dome tent that i bought in 1980....it is actually still in fairly good shape although it just has a tiny little rain fly that doesn't cover the sides of the tent, so you have to be very careful with it if it rains....the kids still use it out in the yard sometimes....”

“I have an A-frame similar to what prosecutor described. It was passed on to me, so I don't know how old it is. It is more than 25 years old though. Might have been aroung longer than me.”

“I'm trying to imagine the Thompson's Water Seal -- LOLOL

I'll bet that was one crackly tent!”

“The oldest one we have that has not beeen lost, stolen or strayed is a Walrus dome from about 1984. Our first one was a NF mountaineering tent--way too heavy at 9 pounds.”

“I still have a Sierra West tent I bought in 1979”

“TNF Westwind, a three pole tunnel-style tent I bought in 1982. Sleeps two, weighs 4 lbs. Only takes three stakes (or rocks) to set up. Took it on climbing trips to Mexico's volcanos and Ecuador's volcanos (both areas have huts on the Mtns, so didn't use it). Modified it with some mesh panels on the tent body to improve ventillation. Still use it in the winter.

Like USA, also have a TNF Tadpole. Bought a 'first year' model at the TNF outlet shop in the SF Bay area around 1990(?). Weighs less than 3.5 lbs and still use it regularly on solo hikes.”

“I have a tent my parents used on their honeymoon...*shudders*..kinda weird to have the tent you might have been concieved in...ha!!!
Bright orange a-frame tent...it's pre-1978”

“Ozark Trail 2-3 Person tent (hell yeah Walmart Brand), about 6 years old, weighs like 7 lbs, but has never failed, even though it leaks like a mofo.”

“I have a 'Mountain Products',
one man tent that has a fly like a catenary cut tarp which sits above an 'A' frame tent.It's bright orange and was made in Japan.I'd say 60's.”

“Got a 19yr old Eureka a-frame getting close to retirement now that the urethane coating on the floor is delaminating. Just retired a 16yr old clip flashlight. Have a 14yr old Sierra Designs dome in need of a new fly -- every time I take it out I need to patch it in 2-3 locations.”

“10 year old no-name dome tent. Still works great, but I don't use it anymore. Keep it around to lend out when necessary.”

“I just realised -- that SD Lookout has to be over 12 years old. I got it the first year they came out.”

“Nothing that old. Oldest tents got destroyed in nasty storms--one storm a microburst, so we're nt in the running.”

“my father in law gave us and old canvas dome tent when he found out we were into backpacking...the pole were heavier than wrought iron and the fabric was 1/8 inch thick.....i couldn't bear to tell him there's no way we were gonna haul that thing up mountains...so i gave it to my neighbors(the classy ones down the street) and they use it for a crackhouse.....”

“I have a 1981 North Face VE-24 thats in good shape except for the coating on the fly and floor. The coatings look fine, but they are no longer waterproof. I recoated the fly with K-Kote recoat and it worked although it made the fly heavier and stiffer. I haven't yet recoated the floor and don't think I will for now. It was a hassle recoating the fly and the smell of the process was terrible. I don't think the recoating will last very long either. I believe now when the coatings on a tent break down it's best to just buy a new one.”

“It doesn't have a brand name, but it has some heavy wooden poles and buffalo hides. We always had the horses drag it. Lots of fleas.”

“We had a Eureka! Timberland but I think after 8 years in the gear closet w/o use it got given to the scouts. It was only 10 or 11. Still loads of life in it.”

“Good thread Bit!
I have nothing that can compare to any of those. Fun to read though. My only "old tent" story is in 1979 (15 y.o.) I went to the Indy 500 and it rained the whole time we where there. We car camped.
I woke up after the first night in my tent in 2-3 inches of water. thanks god I brought my swimming pool blowup matress thing as a pad. I remember my brother-in-law telling me when it was raining "no matter what you do, dont touch the sides of the tent" LOL”

“My oldest tent is a toddler at 3 years old.”

“Mine is an REI dome tent from about 1985 or so. It's still perfectly functional, as I keep it around for any trips where 3 of us would sleep in one tent. It only weighs about 7 pounds, so can compete OK with current similar tents. Here it is in action in 2002. I still have the instructions, too, which consist of a photocopy of a hand-drawn and hand-lettered diagram of how to set it up. I think I started a thread shortly after that use of it because some cat from the neighborhood peed on it and I was looking for advice on how to get the smell out.”

“Montgomery Wards, 1975. We still use it in the backyard.”

“My oldest tent (Eureka dome)lasted 14 years, the second oldest (North Face A-Frame)about 12, both longer than any marriage. Both finally developed serious leaks on the floor.

I now have a Eureka Apex (6 years) and North Face Tadpole (about 5 years) and a cheap Coleman three-man that is months old and will not last very long at all (zipper screwed up). But the Coleman only cost about $37 at Wally World.”

“A 25-year-old Eureka Timberline-2 aluminum-poled A-frame with attaching vestibule. About 7 lbs., still serviceable, if not as taut as it once was. When the daughter finally wants to borrow gear, she'll get this one. If I dig out old slides, I can pin the date down since I got it for a vacation my ex and I made to the SE coast back '79 or so, and it then became my backpacking tent. Was considered fairly light in those times for two persons sharing the load. Handled Isle Royale twice with no problems, never had a serious leak. Been retired for a while now. Replaced by a Walrus Arch Rival, a Eureka Tetragon (for car camping), a Eureka Gossamer, and two Hennessy Hammocks. How did I ever get along for all those years with just one tent?”

“"Montgomery Wards, 1975. We still use it in the backyard."
aero
09:53:24 AM
06/14/04

Probably that is as far as it can be carried by two grown adults.”

“How many tents do you have?

Lessee, I have:

Base Camp 6
Wenzel 4 (forgotten the name)
SD Ridgeback (same as Clip Flashlight 2)
SD Light Year
Cheap two-person dome of unknown name
Golite Nest 1 (just a bug tent)
Omega Screen Room tent.

That makes 7. Geez. And I'm thinking about another, lol...”

“3 but I'm a relatively newbie at 3 years, eh?”

“Bowlderman, I think we may have the same old REI dome. Ours is shedding the stuff used to waterproof the floor inside and needed to be re-waterproofed a bunch of times and we also had to replace the zipper.

Reading this thread made me wonder about which brands of tents hold up best. It also seems like weights were lighter in the late 70s and early 80s, then went up and have now come down lower.”

“I've never had any trouble with waterproofing coatings, wannabp. I did replace the zipper once, though. I'll dig out the old instructions tonight - it says what the model name is....

Here it is in action in Montana on the Montanapalooza route. And it served me well in the winter, too.”

“1 coleman car tent, plus 1 MSR zoid 1.5 tent, plus 1 Hennesy Hammock = 3 total”

“My oldest is only 4 years old or so. I bought a Hillary tent from Sears that has actually done fine. Its a bit heavy for a dome tent but has withstood torrential rains and freezing cold. I've gotten my 60 bucks from it, that's for sure.

I have what any non-backpacker would say is too many tents: a Eureka, a Marmot, 2 MSR, 2 Hillary/Sears (gotta love the initial gear purchases), a Hennessy and many tarps, inluding a silnylon.”

“My oldest tent is a canvas tent that my uncle used in the Marines. He's over 60 now, so I guess it's "old." We used it as a family, and my son and I used it when he was a kid.

I don't know how many tents I have...lots... :)”

“When my folks finally made the post-retirement move, they asked me and reino, since we camp, if we wanted the old family cabin tent (external frame) that was still rolled up in garage. It was what we used in the early 60s at state parks for a family of four -- Sears, canvas, ungodly heavy and so bulky I don't think we could have gotten the thing in our compact car. We politely said no and left it for the garage sale.”

“Lesseee,

Kelty Vortex 3 person (for when we take the kidlet)

MH Bat Ray, for solo trips

Walrus Trekker tarp and insert

One monstrous screened pavilion for when we take the VW out

One VW Westphalia, (it has a tent attached)”

“30 yr old canvas & aluminum pole hillary tent. I had another old nylon tent that my daughter left the fly at a (saugerties)woodstock concert. I used to live VERY close to the original (Bethal)woodstock site but now I'm just in the same county.”

“My oldest tent is pitched sometimes when I awake in the middle of the night.”

“I've got a pretty old tent. It's a hand-me-down from Moses. Other than a couple manna stains and a faint smell of camel dung, it's in pretty good condition.”