Tents

[AKDoug]

You really get what you pay for. A quality tent will have a rain fly that will not allow rain to reach the tent walls and a floor that is waterproof without a ground cloth. A ground cloth is still a good idea to save wear and tear on your tent, but isn't always necessary. My goto tent for foul weather (rain for days, winds in excess of 40mph) is a Eureka K2XT. Completely bomb proof in my uses, but a bit heavy.

[ASH556]

What is a good seam sealer/waterproof treatment to use?

[beastfrog]

What is a good seam sealer/waterproof treatment to use?

Seam Grip

[just a scout]

I've had a 3 man and a 8 man version of these for 10 years with no problems or leaks. Awesome, but heavy an bulky tents. Not something for backpacking. Used them car camping and hunting with the truck as my LOGPAC. Good value. Just make sure and tie them don good. My 8 man survived a tornado or microburst that took out the rest of the campground.

[karmapolice]

for ultralight buy sturdy great tents look at Big Agnes
https://www.bigagnes.com/

[Ironman8]

Big Agnes Lynx Pass! I've had one for a while, haven't gotten to use it much to be honest, but it is solid, nice color, and very lightweight for a larger sized 2 person tent.

Oh, and very affordable. Especially when you compare size, weight, and features to other tents in this class.

[rero360]

That's great to hear ironman8, I've been looking for a new tent as my issued black diamond Marine 2 man tent is heavier than what I would like for hiking and camping and have been eyeing the Big Agnes Lynx as my top pick for my price range and color requirements. Don't care how good a tent is, I can't do the bright or girly colors

[the_master_midget]

I use big Agnes tent or a tent/tarp I build from a local fabric store. Its like the sil tarp ITS tactical uses on his blog and is an excellent ultra light alternative to a tent. Here in AZ water is a premium so sometimes the extra lbs of water is a good reason to shed the tents extra weight. I used the sil tarp idea also in Alaska this past summer but fortified it with wood and stuff since their were wolves and grizzlies in the area I was hunting/camping also I use a modified mosquito netting to keep the bugs off. I know you can get great deals on tents from promotive dot com that is where I bought mine. if you are mil, leo, pro outdoors man, or athlete they offer great discounts. I think I built my tarp for less then $30 in materials with para cord, tarp, netting, and hardware if your a DYI and have a girl who can sew your in luck.

[hatidua]

REI is gtg.

I've used Hilleberg tents both in the service and as a civvie (Keron in the service and Akto these days). Most if not all of their tents come with a waterproof floor, but they also sell ground pads if you want to add additional insulation or want to have a floor in the outer tent.

The nice thing about the Hilleberg "footprint" (groundcloth) is that it clips in and is part of the tent at that point and need not be removed again - you leave it attached indefinitely. Additionally, some models come in a color they call "sand" which is probably the least obnoxious tent color I've seen. I just picked up another Staika and while costly, I don't think a better tent exists.....I've sadly tried just about everything made before I finally shelled out for Hilleberg.

[theblackknight]

I've used dry grass and soft green stuff to build up bedding under a 2 man tent along with some drainage channels and it worked great. Everything else was wet tho.