Big Tents

They won't just replace poles and I'm starting to feel bad about all the tents I've returned to them in the last year or so. They will replace it, but if I do that again, I think I better look at something more substantial. They did say they can connect me with a company who will sell me a set of their poles though.

Holy crap those Hillebergs are expensive!
 
Oops, sorry. I got tunnel vision when I heard high-wind. Carry on.
 
Nick, did you have the tent guyed out? I never do but it came up in another thread recently and I figured I should start doing it.
 
Mike K said:
Nick, did you have the tent guyed out? I never do but it came up in another thread recently and I figured I should start doing it.
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Nope. And now that I think of it, I'm pretty positive that would have kept it from bending. I didn't realize there were guy out points up there until now. Doh! I guess I might stick with this one after all. It's been a great tent.
 
We have a Cabelas Alaskan Guide 6 man.

Pros: It's bulletproof and has handled many many storms with no problems. If guyed out properly I think it could easily pull 4-season duty. It's plenty room for four adults and could probably sleep another two or three kids as well.

Cons: Only one entrance and it's small. Setup is a pain and somewhat time consuming but gets easier after a few setups. It's HOT in direct sunlight, more so than a few other tents I've had.


We also have a Hilleberg Kaitum 3 that is a great 4-season tent but I wouldn't call it remotely roomy. Low ceilings and entrances and a narrow width make it ok for two people but by no means roomy.
 
Nick, I agree with guying out the tent. The REI Base Camp tent line is among the best of the big tents in windy and storm conditions, very livable too. We use the Base Camp 6 quite a bit and have had it stand tall with almost no shaking in high winds. But we guy out every point with two lines and really nail it down. It went through a howling gale with snow once up on Muley Point. Here it is near Canyonlands. You can see some of the lines but not all of them. There are 14 lines in total on mine. It is a backcountry fortress. If you do that I doubt you will have any more problems and it will stand tall as the others around you blow away...

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We have a smaller Hilleberg Kaitum 3 that has weathered 75 mph winds but it is much smaller, good for backpacking but I like a big honking tent to live in when car camping and doing long day hikes. The Base Camp 6 is a lodge, not just something to crawl into at night. Great price when on sale, pays for itself on the first trip imo...
 
@Nick and @Wyatt Carson and everyone esle:

Great info guys. I'm in the market for a bigger family style now so the info is great. I'm surprised I haven't been burned by not guying out my tents. And honestly, until recently, I didn't understand why they guy-out points were there. I thought it was to help the fly give better rain protection...yet that never made sense to me. =)
 
Yep, thanks Wyatt. I think I'll stick to the Base Camp 4 and just start guying out like you. It really is a great tent.
 
The lines the tent came with are too short and not all that great but REI has some lengths of paracord type line that is reasonably priced. Most folks just use one guyline per point and that is not bad. I just find two per point really nails it down for those times when the wind is up which seems to happen a lot on the Plateau. I leave the lines on the canopy end with a buntline hitch, just roll them up and rubber band them so I don't have a tangled mess when pitching. On the stake end I tie and leave in place an adjustable grip hitch so all we have to do it place the stake and adjust the sliding knot and done. I don't like the stakes that come with it either and find that MSR Groundhog stakes do the job most anywhere unless the sand is really loose.

Now if you are forced to pitch on slickrock like occasionally happens to us, it is fortunate if there are a lot of big rocks around...like our old REI Half Dome 4 is done here near the Comb...we used to backpack with this heavy little tent when we had dogs...not near as livable as the REI Base Camp series...

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Eric O said:
http://lawsonequipment.com <--- best guy line and cordage stuff out there. I plan on replacing my stuff with Lawson's.
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That line looks good. And very similar to the Kelty Triptease I have used on my backpacking tents for many years, same Spectra core for incredible strength with a good reflective, woven nylon sheath that holds knots well. It is super light and expensive but lasts a long time. I don't like wrapping it around rocks as the sheath is fairly easy to damage and then the sliding knot of the adjustable grip hitch does not slide over that area along the line. The reflective nature is very nice in the dark...a lot less tripping over it...
 
I ended up picking up another Base Camp 4. I really do love that tent, and now with it guyed out properly, I'm pretty sure it can handle almost anything. Do you guys have any favorite line tensioners for the added guy lines? I got 100' of that Lawson Glowire and I'm going to go a little crazy making this thing bomb proof.
 
Nick said:
Do you guys have any favorite line tensioners for the added guy lines? I got 100' of that Lawson Glowire and I'm going to go a little crazy making this thing bomb proof.
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My fav is the Adjustable Grip Hitch knot #1 on that page. I do put an extra wind or two more than is shown. When you get tied nice and cinch it down, it will still slide well along the line but jamb well under load. Normally the canopy and some lines will relax some over the hours after setup so you just walk back around sliding the knots a bit tighter if needed.

Another good one is the Tautline hitch. It will do the same thing. Some swear by it but I like the adjustable grip hitch a bit better.

Those two are free, easy to tie, don't get lost or broken like some line tensioners. I use a sliding knot for all the guylines on my big tent, my backpacking tents and all my tarp setups. I like to put them on the stake end because you are sliding the line to tension it. Over time the line will pick up grit and abrade the tabs on the canopy...maybe...but you can do it either way....anyway I just leave them tied so setup is a breeze...
 
I got my glowire and tried out that adjustable grip hitch. That is a really easy knot to tie. Also very easy to remember it when I'm not sitting in front of the computer. Thanks for the tip. Think there would be any downside to putting the grip hitch on both the stake end and the tent end?
 
Excellent that the adjustable grip hitch is working for you, one of my favorite knots. I think that putting them on both ends is a very good idea, sounds like it would work well. I can't think of any disadvantages. If for any reason you want to change it, the adjustable grip hitch is easy enough to untie and you can put some other knot right on with no problem. I bet it will work fine though.
 
I looked hard at the Big House 4 when I was shopping around for big tents. The REI Base Camp 4/6 seems to be far superior in many ways though, especially when it comes to wind resistance. I'm admittedly biased now after using the Base Camp for over a year, but I think it is a way better tent than the Big House. You'll spend a little more for the Base Camp, but unless you're always camping in ideal conditions, it's well worth it.
 
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