danieljustin06 said:

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Coleman tents are for families that go camping once a year. They will not last very long. For scouts you ought to go with a backpacking tent like I've listed and a few others. Being frugal has it's cases, but if you go real cheap on certain gear, it will fail while camping, ruining the trip, and then you'd have to buy another tent where you could have bought the better quality tent that will last.

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For the most part ALL camping gear (Including tents) are priced by how much they weigh. High end gear gets exponentially more expensive the lighter it gets (Not necessarily more durable). If you are doing through hiking or extended back country trips it's worth it to cut the ounces. This type of camping is not very common and in my opinion the only time you should consider high end gear.

We are really happy with our Columbia tent for 4x/yr family camping. Sleeps 2 adults/2 kids.

Marauder Blue 6 said:

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Look at Decathlon USA, Walmart, and Amazon for discount gear. Decathlon USA probably has the best selection at the price you're looking for.

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Thank you

I went to their site

This has good reviews and a good price. Is right around 8 pounds a lot to carry when hiking to the site with everything else?
B-man asked me to ask Aggies about this because he doesn't want his new troop to know how clueless his parents are in this.


This is the tent



It sleeps three people instead of two, so I thought that would be more comfortable for sleeping.

Emotional Support Statue said:

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We are really happy with our Columbia tent for 4x/yr family camping. Sleeps 2 adults/2 kids.

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Here is our tent. Columbia Pinewood series, 4 person. They make a 3 person too, but I don't think they go smaller. We have had it about three seasons and been on several scout and family trips each year. Held up well.

Lights not included.

If you are looking to drop $300, Black Diamond First Light should be gettable on sale.

Best bang for your buck for a 4 season will be a bivy sack

8# is way too heavy for a tent.

Tanya - I have several tents. I dont use them all. If you want one of them I'll sell it to you for 1/3 the price.

Seriously- I'll mail you them at my cost. Pick one and send the other back. Either I listed earlier are solid.

Big Agnes is good too.

Frugal?

Use remnants of carpet (pile shag) pieces cut to the interior size of your tent to line the floor. Find some surplus military wool blankets (usually they are in found in twin size, obviously) and safety pin them inside of your sleeping bag. We used this as the basics for a much more elaborate system to elk hunt in Colorado back in the 80s, but it was solid. Ought to work for scouts and moms. Doubt your tent is set for wood stoves and catalytic heaters.

Been heavily involved with scouts for the last 8 years. All our tents are from REI and have been worked hard. An alternative would be Hiker Direct which only sells to scouts. They have decent stuff at good prices. Would never buy from the scout shop. Bad advice

Get a bag liner for his sleeping bag. It adds about another 10degrees to the effectiveness.

Cost effective products -
Sleeping Pad
Brand: Sleepingo
4.6 out of 5 stars 15,569 Reviews
Sleepingo Camping Sleeping Pad - Mat, (Large), Ultralight 14.5 OZ, Best Sleeping Pads for Backpacking, Hiking Air Mattress - Lightweight, Inflatable & Compact, Camp Sleep Pad

Tent - 3 season (not 4 season)
4.6 out of 5 stars 331 Reviews
BISINNA 2 Person Camping Tent Lightweight Backpacking Tent Waterproof Windproof Two Doors Easy Setup Double Layer Outdoor Tent for Camping Beach Hunting Hiking Mountaineering Travel

Backpacking pillow
Brand: TREKOLOGY
4.6 out of 5 stars 5,706 Reviews
TREKOLOGY Ultralight Inflatable Camping Travel Pillow - ALUFT 2.0 Compressible, Compact, Comfortable, Ergonomic Inflating Pillows for Neck & Lumbar Support While Camp, Hiking, Backpacking

All from Amazon

I'll look at my tents, I might have a good tent that I don't need anymore. If so, you can have one. My boys are both Eagle Scouts so I support a parent that supports a child in scouts!

The REI half dome has worked great for my 12 year old this fall in Scouts. It's a little over 4# and under $200.

Eureka Timberline or GTFO!!!

Agree with the Eureka Timberline - 2 man. That is the classic scout stand alone tent. All 3 of my boys had one as they moved through scouts. If he really loves it and gets into backpacking you can upgrade later on. Simple to setup and take down as well.

BanderaAg956Backpacking pillow
Brand: TREKOLOGY
4.6 out of 5 stars 5,706 Reviews
TREKOLOGY Ultralight Inflatable Camping Travel Pillow - ALUFT 2.0 Compressible, Compact, Comfortable, Ergonomic Inflating Pillows for Neck & Lumbar Support While Camp, Hiking, Backpacking[/quote said:

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I've used a Columbia half button up pullover fleece for a camp pillow since ever. That's an additional piece of gear you just don't need.

+Infinity for the REI Half Dome. Often on sale for around $150. Worth every penny.

Where are you located? If I can find my pack from scouts you are welcome to it. It is a smaller external frame pack with room for a bed roll on the bottom if I remember correctly. Might have taken it on one trip then put it in the closet..

REI "used" tents...

https://www.rei.com/used/shop/tents


OMR

+1

I've bought used stuff from there and it's all be as good or better than it's listed.

danieljustin06 said:

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Coleman tents are for families that go camping once a year. They will not last very long. For scouts you ought to go with a backpacking tent like I've listed and a few others. Being frugal has it's cases, but if you go real cheap on certain gear, it will fail while camping, ruining the trip, and then you'd have to buy another tent where you could have bought the better quality tent that will last.

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Really? I've used mine for 10 years. Several all night rainstorms and never had a drop of water in my tent, while the guys with the expensive REI tents got soaked. But to each his own.

Just to add to that, I remember in scouts we always had to use the dreaded old green army tents that were heavy and hard to set up, but we were glad to have them in the Davis mountains when the wind came through at 90+ mph and for the most part ours stood standing if the stakes were long enough, but the group next to us literally snapped the fiberglass poles on their fancy new kelty tents.. more expensive doesn't always mean more better

Martin Cash said:

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danieljustin06 said:

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Coleman tents are for families that go camping once a year. They will not last very long. For scouts you ought to go with a backpacking tent like I've listed and a few others. Being frugal has it's cases, but if you go real cheap on certain gear, it will fail while camping, ruining the trip, and then you'd have to buy another tent where you could have bought the better quality tent that will last.

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Really? I've used mine for 10 years. Several all night rainstorms and never had a drop of water in my tent, while the guys with the expensive REI tents got soaked. But to each his own.

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Can confirm. I have an ancient Coleman that is indestructible. I would not say it's superior to expensive tents in general but I paid a fraction of the price and it has performed perfectly.

Quote:

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TREKOLOGY Ultralight Inflatable Camping Travel Pillow - ALUFT 2.0 Compressible, Compact, Comfortable, Ergonomic Inflating Pillows for Neck & Lumbar Support While Camp, Hiking, Backpacking[/quote said:

I've used a Columbia half button up pullover fleece for a camp pillow since ever. That's an additional piece of gear you just don't need.

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I have that Trekology pillow & it weights next to nothing & packs up small. It's a great addition.

I'd also add that I've had multiple Coleman tents & they have held up well. Great value for the money.
For backpacking they are way too heavy though. (Same with the old army style tents)

From this month's Boy's Life, posted without comment

When I was in scouts, if a dad didnt go, we would always share a tent with a friend. Maybe he could share a tent with a friend for a while, see what everyone else has and what he might like. Also, if your camping out in the cold, the extra body heat in the tent will help.

I have no experience with their tents, but my wife recently purchased a down bag and pad from Nemo that looks similar to the one in that article and has been very impressed with it so far.

I agree. If it is drive in type camping then there is not really a good reason to spend vastly more on lighter weight gear. If you've got to carry it many miles, it starts to make more sense, but frankly, my legs can justify quite a bit of work to save a few hundred dollars as well.

The tent basically keeps you dry and bug free while sleeping on the ground, and serves as a wind break. That's all it is. Oh, and it gives you a bit of privacy to change clothes. It just needs to be big enough and good enough to do those things.

exitone said:

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When I was in scouts, if a dad didnt go, we would always share a tent with a friend. Maybe he could share a tent with a friend for a while, see what everyone else has and what he might like. Also, if your camping out in the cold, the extra body heat in the tent will help.

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Unfortunately, right now with COVID we have eliminated sharing tents. All scouts have to sleep in their own tents. In Cub Scouts, parents would share tents with scouts but once they moved up to scouts that is strongly discouraged.

It is a good idea to see what the rest of the troop is using and talk to them about their preferences. Some troops even mandate that everyone buys the exact same tent down to the color. But typically those troops also provide the tents. It does mean that your annual dues are higher but it does mean that you don't have to buy a tent.

CapeAggie89 said:

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exitone said:

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When I was in scouts, if a dad didnt go, we would always share a tent with a friend. Maybe he could share a tent with a friend for a while, see what everyone else has and what he might like. Also, if your camping out in the cold, the extra body heat in the tent will help.

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Unfortunately, right now with COVID we have eliminated sharing tents. All scouts have to sleep in their own tents. In Cub Scouts, parents would share tents with scouts but once they moved up to scouts that is strongly discouraged.

It is a good idea to see what the rest of the troop is using and talk to them about their preferences. Some troops even mandate that everyone buys the exact same tent down to the color. But typically those troops also provide the tents. It does mean that your annual dues are higher but it does mean that you don't have to buy a tent.

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The covid thing makes sense.

When you mention parents are discouraged from sharing tents... are you referring to a father and their son, or fathers and other kids. I understand fathers and other kids completely. But is BSA now recommending fathers and their own sons not to share a tent?

Tanya 93 said:

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B-man needs a tent for 1-2 people now that he is in scouts.

Mommy and Dad aren't coming anymore on scout camp outs because he needs to do this on his own and our 5 person tent that is taller than me inside is not what he can carry into camping.

This troop does ice camping. So I need to figure out what tent and what little pad under his sleeping bag will work when it is 15 degrees outside.



Yes, I know what people think of me and my politics.
But I need to order this stuff next week so he can go camping mid November.

They camp in the freaking snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I have 2 recent Eagle Scouts. You need to register with Hiker Direct. They give 50-60% discounts on all camping gear for scouts. Alps Mountaineering is the main brand and apparently one of the engineers that started REI broke away to form Alps. Thats the rumor anyway. The gear is badass and the discount applies after you register and log in.

https://www.alpsbrands.com/hikerdirect/register

The gear is very similar to REI so it is quality. Lifetime warranty, no questions asked. I have returned several items that my boys simply broke and they replaced them for free.

exitone said:

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CapeAggie89 said:

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exitone said:

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When I was in scouts, if a dad didnt go, we would always share a tent with a friend. Maybe he could share a tent with a friend for a while, see what everyone else has and what he might like. Also, if your camping out in the cold, the extra body heat in the tent will help.

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Unfortunately, right now with COVID we have eliminated sharing tents. All scouts have to sleep in their own tents. In Cub Scouts, parents would share tents with scouts but once they moved up to scouts that is strongly discouraged.

It is a good idea to see what the rest of the troop is using and talk to them about their preferences. Some troops even mandate that everyone buys the exact same tent down to the color. But typically those troops also provide the tents. It does mean that your annual dues are higher but it does mean that you don't have to buy a tent.

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The covid thing makes sense.

When you mention parents are discouraged from sharing tents... are you referring to a father and their son, or fathers and other kids. I understand fathers and other kids completely. But is BSA now recommending fathers and their own sons not to share a tent?

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We, our troop, discourage fathers and sons sharing a tent. That was fine in cub scouts but in scouts you are trying to foster the patrol method and having all of the scouts from the same patrol have their tents together is part of that. The adults will camp together and basically form an adult patrol.

BSA does not say that fathers and sons cannot share a tent and in some circumstances their are legitimate reasons for doing that. As you state, a father CANNOT share a tent with a scout that is not his child.

The point of moving from cub scouts to scouts is to start that journey of learning leadership and that starts at the patrol level. You want the scout to go to his patrol leader and then the senior patrol leader not Dad. The hardest thing a scout and parent learns moving from cubs to scouts is when camping they are not Mom and Dad but that they need the scout to "Ask their Patrol Leader".

I am not saying that Dad shouldn't stop being a Dad when there is a major issue but "how do I put up my tent?" should be taught by the older scouts, not Dad.

Thanks for the tip! on the registration page it has a place for referral info. If that gets something for you, feel free to PM me your info and I'll make sure you get credit.

Ok, I like cold weather camping, involved with the scouts........and I am cheap.

Most popup designs will not do well in ice/snow. The Eureka posted before is an overall favorite of mine.

On the sleeping pad, you can effectively throw out your sleeping bag rating if you don't have decent insulation underneath. Cheap, standard closed cell foam pad. Better, the old school Thermarests do Last a long time. I've been using the same one since 1996 (including a total of 10 season staffing Philmont). Avoid standard air mattresses, will make you cold. View the "comfort rating" as a survival rating. Make sure your bag is rated 20-30 degrees colder than you actually expect. Liners can certainly help, but keep in mind you reach a point where it is counterproductive because you end up compacting your insulation.....honestly, I use a -10 bag for pretty much everything. I like Slumberjack sleepingbags.

On parent involvement, we specifically chose the troop we did because if is very strongly boy run. During the unit events, the Scoutmaster is very adamant that parents are transportation and simply adult leaders, not mom or dad. With Covid, yes we tent with our kid, but otherwise we are off to the side. If someone sucks at navigation, well the 5 mile hike turns into an 8 mile hike (fresh on my mind from this past weekend). It was an odd transition having been a very involved cub scout leader, but we checked out 7 boy scout units before settling on this one (being the District Commissioner for 3 years, I know how successful various units are). So far we have been very pleased with the experience, even coming in with Covid issues.

Quote:

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If someone sucks at navigation, well the 5 mile hike turns into an 8 mile hike

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One of my favorite philmont crews took a wrong turn on the way to old Abreu. After a bit one of the advisors dropped back to me and whispered "we're not going the right way, are we?" "nope" "you going to say anything?" "no, sir" "should I?" "I wouldn't but its up to you"

He didn't say anything...eventually we came across your old boss gearing up to hunt a lion and he was not happy to see us. After letting him know that, yes, I knew where we were but, no, the crew leader/navigator did not, he helped the crew leader un-**** himself. I then taught a quick off-trail navigation lesson and we took the short way to camp.

several hours later, the runt of the crew lost his dinner all over himself and me shortly after I gave the old camp bear spiel. Poor kid was certain he was going to die that night.