Just Bought a Tent

“Cuz I am broke I bought (on-line) a tent I normally wouldn't have chosen due to lack of funds. I bought simply for the price. I am going for a 7 day trip in two weeks and needed a lightweight...cheap tent. My goal on this particluar trip is to carry a pack that weighs less than 40lbs (hahahaha) and I think I am going to accomplish that!

I have another tent...but it is almost 8lbs (MH Room with a View) and I needed a lightweight solo tent. So I chose the Eureka Spitfire at a total weight of 3.3ish pounds. Does anyone have one of those and do they like it?”

“cheap and desperate?

and Bearmagnet hasn't been here yet??!?!? oh my!”

“well...I simply looked at the cheapest tent I could find. I wasn't trying to insult anyone but of course I will. :o)”

“Hey, some of my best friends are cheap.


Not easy, just cheap.”

“LOL... and so, no, I know nuttink about the Eureka Spitfire. (the cheaper cousin of the MG Spitfire, no doubt?? lol)”

“Not a bad looking tent at all actually. Where is your trip taking you?”

“Steve...remember this is original trailer trash here; so sometimes cheap is good. the scary thing...is keeping my pack weight down. I won't be able to bring the chair along this time!”

“The tent weight is not much more than many bivy bags...with more room”

“Well. I think it is something like this in the Sierra National Forest.

Starting at Chiquito Pass area and then Fernandez Pass, Post Pile Pass, around to Red Peak Pass and a couple other passes. One of them is supposed to be the highest 'trail pass' in the Sierra's? So we will be in Yosemite Wilderness for part of the trip.”

“Cool...sounds like an adventure. You will have a great time. I know you have the grit for it.

Did I ever tell you what Amy wrote in that little metal capsule she carried to the top of Ama? It made all the difference when she was really tested.
last edited: 7/31/05 1:03:55 AM”

“Yes...you told me at one point but I have had a toddy already and I am a little foggy. I know I can do the trip but packing my food (enough for 7 days) has me a bit worried. You know the whole 'this is all I have to eat for the week' problem. So I am completing my gear checklist and now I have to do the menu. Oh, by the way, I also bout a BearVault at REI today. My birthday gift from my kids.”

“Well I come from a long line of trailer trash and I also just bought a Eureka Spitfire. I had it in rain & hail at 12,000' last weekend and it did alright. I could use a longer tent - I always woke up with my feet touching the end of the tent. But there's plenty of room to set up and move around. I got my pack & boots in the vestibule. And I had no condensation build up.

So I'm still giddy about the price. I've been wanting a $180 MSR Zoid for years, but this baby was half the price!”

“toejam - that is great news. I searched every on-line store and that was the one that stood out for price and weight. Good to hear you had enough room. I am only 5'9" so I should do okay then.”

“I'm 6' so you'll be o.k. I'm taking mine to Wyoming next month. I got it from my favorite local shop for the same price I was seeing it online.

Enjoy!”

“I wouldnt worry to much about the food, remember most folks take more than they need. If you take to much, your carrying a couple extra pounds...to little, you won't die, you'll just eat a couple extra fries when you get out. Keep food for the pass's when you will need the engery. If you realise you have to much, pig out after a couple days.

I met a gal doing the JMT a few years ago...she lost most of her food to a bear on the second day...she would ask each hiker she met if they had something to spare. She ended up with more food than I had.”

“yep..and you didn't pay shipping did you? Unfortunately, this isn't a model that was carried by either REI, Any Mountain or Sunrise. So I had no other choice. You win...you got the better deal.”

“sandyann - I own three Eureka tents and they are all great. I suspect your "cheap" tent will be fine in the Sierras for a summer trip. The full rain fly will be a nice thing in case you get caught in an afternoon thunderstorm.

Have fun! And don't forget the trip report!”

“Thanks Phil! I am really bad about trip reports though. I summited Whitney in June and haven't even written that one yet.

I had the Eureka Solitaire before but that was too claustrophobic for me.”

“You're hurting my feelings talking about "trailer trash."”

“nowslimmer - I use the term fondly. You see, when I was growing up, we lived in two trailers. The 'big' trailer was a single wide with one bedroom. My sister and I slept on the couch and floor until we bought the 2nd 'smaller' trailer.

This was a very old but thing of beauty. I got the bedroom and bathroom (non working) and my sister got the living room and kitchen (again not working. Every so often we would switch. The big trailer was where we ate, showered, and cleaned, and the small one was for sleeping. No offense meant.”

“LOL.

Good luck with your new tent.
last edited: 7/31/05 11:39:02 AM”

“Hi, Sandyann. Under 40 pounds? I pack for the JMT today and Jerry Sherpa isn't coming. My goal is no more than 30 lbs with food, water, and my 4 lbs of camera stuff. The longest time without a resupply is 6 days.
I also got a new tent, the MSR Hubba -- 3 lbs 12.4 ozs with everything. Pretty heavy, but our Tarptent is not holding up. Last trip, one pole broke, and stitching is coming out. I don't want to deal with it.”

“30lbs? What kind of stove and fuel are you using? Also, pack and sleeping bag? I have never really sat down and weighed my gear by each individual piece but I think I am going to do that today. Then I can get a real idea of what to expect.

The Hubba looks great and I like that it is free standing. I could't justify the price on this trip though. I mean, how many tents, sleeping bags, pads, etc., can someone have before their non bp'ing family starts getting peeved?”

“sandyann - It could take years before the non-bp'ing family accepts the fact that there is always the need for new gear. There is always a better tent, pack, stove, etc.

Until they accept that, they are in a fantasy world and think that some day you will finally be outfitted properly (i.e., "cured")...but it's never going to happen.

Whatever you do, however, don't go spent $850 for a tent without telling your spouse...That is just begging for them to put a GPS collar around your ankle that alerts them when you get too close to REI.

Suggestion: whenever someone asks what you want for your birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc., say, "REI Gift Card."”

“It is not that bad yet, although my husband does try to accompany me on any trips to REI.

Hmmm...I always thought it was cuz he liked looking at camping gear. Now I am thinking it is to keep an eye on me.”

“I have a 2-lb pack, Granite Gear Vapor Trail, Snow Peak stove and will carry one canister at a time. 2-lb sleeping bag, Jerry's Western Mountaineer bag. I have a Bearikade.

Phil's right about gear.”

“Hey Sandy Ann. I've used Eureka for a long time. The Spitfire is very similar to the sierra designs Clip Flashlight. Dollar for dollar It looks like best bang for the buck. I still use My Eureka Timberline occasionally that I've has since I was 12.”

“The Solitaire was a great tent...just too confined for me. The newer one now has a zipper in the top so you do not have to crawl in and out like a worm. But still not right. My friends used to tease me and tell me it looked like a banana.”

“The Spitfire is quite a bit smaller than a Clip Flashlight - more like a MSR Micro-Zoid or Zoid 1.”

“I have slept in a Eureka Spitfire and it's not a bad tent at all. I don't own one, however, but I wouldn't think you made a huge compromise here. In fact you may have just been smart and not bought into a lot of marketing nonsense.

As I said in another post, I either use my Bibler bivy or the SD Light Year CD. This tent sits somewhere between these two, if I recall, closer to the SD Light Year CD. Anyway, I think you will do fine and I wouldn't say you were being cheap. There is nothing wrong with being frugal. I have known people that spent mega-bucks on gear and were no more comfortable for their investment.

I am always a skeptic when it comes to the vestibules of these tents. The SD Light Year CD has a really small area, and I think the Spitfire may be even smaller. I recommend making sure you have a way to keep your stuff day/safe at night other than the vestibule ... or at least try it all out in your backyard before you hit the trail. That's always good advice.

Good luck getting your pack weight down! There are lots of good sites on this topic. One of my favorite is the "27 lb 7 day pack". I used this as a template and it has helped me identify what is really important what isn't.

http://www.backpacking.net/27-pound.html

Most of the gear is pretty $ stuff, but with a little creativity you can easily find reasonable stuff that doesn't weight all that much more.
last edited: 8/02/05 1:40:56 PM”

“No kidding on the Light Year. I keep my boots in there and thats all. I bring along a webbing strap and strap my pack to a tree, and cover it with my pack cover to keep it dry. No room in the vestibule, that's for sure.”

“Pitts,
Interesting comment about the vestibule. I am like bitpusher in that I only keep my boots inside. I have the MH Room with a View and it is supposed to have a big vestibule. I guess I could put my pack there but then it would be in the way in the middle of the night when I need to get out quickly. I always drop my pack some ways away from the tent or hang from a tree.

Thanks for the link to the 27lb pack. I'll check that out.”

“My Roadster has a tiny vestibule. But I often have pretty much emptied my pack, once camp is set up and the empty pack goes under my legs to supplement that I have a 3/4 length pad. So then it's not an issue that my vestibule is tiny...”

“I forgot to mention that it sounds like a great trip. I hope you have a fab time!”

“I hope you ran this purchase by your spouse first.”