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time for a new tent

dermot

Paddler
Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
81
last week our MEC 6 person tent was in the back of my car, and the car was stolen...
so we now need a new tent...
we liked the 6 person, it fit in our boats, loads of room for the two of us, and the size and dual doors / vestibules were awesome to keep stuff dryish
MEC does not seem to have an equlivent on offer currently
May to October is our camping season (that's why the tent was in the car in mid October in the first place)
sleeping bags went as well, but for those we have options sussed out as they were pretty new, just get the same again

Any tent advice is really welcome!

here's a piccie of the stolen one:
DSCN5911 copy.JPG
 
I really like the MEC Wanderers. My two person works for 2 with the double large vestibules and is really roomy for one. I imagine the four person would be great for 2.

edit: Ooops- no longer available. Typical of the "new MEC"
 
Those MEC tents of yore were outstanding value for money. Well designed, well built, decent prices. Sigh.

Okay, moving on…for a large family style tent I am liking the looks of the new MSR Habitude series.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
I have tried finding who made them for MEC without any luck.
I have a discontinued Hummingbird lightweight 2 man tent that fits nicely in my Greenland boat.
I would love to get another one m
 
I was thinking about tents recently. My first good tent was a Sierra Designs Glacier which I bought from EMS in 1972. I recall it cost about $300, or about $1800 in today's dollars.
Even a Hilleberg - a much better tent than the SD Glacier - isn't more than that!
Tents are much much cheaper these days- a bargain.
 
Here's the second link that came up when I googled the SD Glacier to see what the design was. (anybody we know?)
Good catch! Your Google-Fu skills are working well. :)

Obviously not only tents deteriorate over time. My 2014 brain recalled paying $130 for that tent, now I recall $300!!
:eek:
Anyway, it seemed like a lot at the time!

Yup, that was me selling the SD Glacier tent in that ad. I recall (for what it is worth!!) that I basically gave it to somebody for the cost of the postage to the US and $20 for the trouble of packing it and going to the Post Office.

I moved up to a Stephenson Warmlite 3R tent in the 80s. That was a great tent but eventually the floor got non-waterproof despite being babied.
Gave that one away locally here in Victoria.
 
Here's a blast from the past: 1972 Sierra Designs Catalog:
https://www.outinunder.com/sites/default/files/SD72 01.pdf

Sierra Designs Glacier Tent MSRP was $142 USD in 1972. Canadian dollar was at (or a bit above) par with the USD. No sales tax in NH where we bought the tent. For perspective: '72 Toyota Corolla (new) was $2100 (a terrible car); gasoline was $0.07/L ; Ontario minimum wage was $1.65/hr so 86 hrs of minimum wage labour for that tent. 2021 BC minimum wage ($15.20), so about $1300 equivalent tent price today.

SD Glacier Tent 1.JPGSD Glacier Tent 2.JPG

Back to our original program: Quest for family tent in COVID times of Unobtanium.... :)
 
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But you kept the catalog, right?
:)
Those Stephenson catalogs seem pretty tame by today's standards, but were considered racy at the time, for sure!.
I picked up the tent in person from the Stephenson factory/hippie commune sorta place out in the country. It was really strange/funny.
talking to a couple of women there who were wearing baggy jeans and a few knitted sweaters each (it was winter), having to restrain myself from blurting out: "Hey, I recognize you!!"
:)
Note to 'millennial' readers: You won't understand.
 
:)Those Stephenson catalogs seem pretty tame by today's standards, but were considered racy at the time, for sure!.I picked up the tent in person from the Stephenson factory/hippie commune sorta place out in the country. It was really strange/funny.talking to a couple of women there who were wearing baggy jeans and a few knitted sweaters each (it was winter), having to restrain myself from blurting out: "Hey, I recognize you!!":)Note to 'millennial' readers: You won't understand.

It's a weird, minor form of B or C grade niche celebrity. Back in the 90s, when MEC was still a co-op and still published a hardcopy catalogue, I modeled their "Tilleyish" cotton sunhat for them. For years afterward, I would paddle into some group campsite and have the people I was sharing it with look askance at me as they tried to remember where they'd seen me before. And then the penny would drop...
 
I've been pondering a new tent for myself for a while now and haven't been particularly inspired by any of the offerings. I've been using a MSR Elixir 3 for a few years. Big enough for the wife and I to sprawl, way too much room for me solo.
I've taken to just using the fly and ground sheet, as no matter what I do, the body touches the fly somewhere, and weeps moisture through and then down onto me.

All this to say I don't have any good suggestions.

Note to 'millennial' readers: You won't understand.

Turns out a copy of one of those catalogues is online. The standard for outdoor advertising has really sagged since then. But I'm sure it's not the only thing...
 
@CPS good to know about your issues with the fly touching the body and causing leakage with the MSR Elixir 3. I purchased the Elixir 2 as a comfy solo tent and it has been great. Ive had it in some good west coast storms with no leakage issues. However, it's a pretty tight fit for car camping with my boyfriend so I was thinking of adding the Elixir 3 to my quiver. I'll have to give it some further thought/explore other options
 
Worth noting that MSR has redesigned the pole arrangement since I got mine. Maybe the new version is better?
 
Hey dermot, all the catalog kidding aside, I'm sorry you lost your car. I hope it's recovered in okay shape, even if some conTENTS are missing. In the olden days, stealing a man's horse was a capital offense. I've been on outings where, if I returned to the trailhead (in winter) or launch point and my car was missing, I'd be in real bad shape. It would have been much more than an "inconvenience".
 
gotit back this morning, all contents intact!
tank was about dry when i parked it near my studio
i often walk to work, last week i took the car only to stop at a gas station and fill it up after my session was wrapped
low/no gas in tank = car does not go far
tent, sleeping bags, walking poles, and crab traps untouched in the back
 
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