This is a tough question. I've worked in the outdoor industry for the last 10 years. Here is what I would say:
1) freestanding or non-freestanding 2) tent or Tarp? 3) find a style you like-- the basic shape you want. Look at things like the shape of the floor, the angle of the walls (steeper= less headroom) 4) If at all possible, set them up and climb in them. No good shop should blink at setting up 5-10 tents for you. 5) Pay attention to fabrics. Lighter weight often means less durable. There are good places to use ultralight fabrics on a tent and there are bad places. 6) Pay attention to set-up. How many poles? How many different size poles? Ask yourself if this is something that you would want to do after a long day of riding and in the rain. 7) What are the poles made out of? I think alum is best choice. Depending on what you are looking for, you should be able to get a killer tent from a great company for under $250. I bought a Marmot Skylight for $189 that we use for touring. It replaced a similar North Face tent that lasted more than a decade of hard (read: careless) use. Use a footprint. Buying the footprint from the manufacturer will give you some pitching options, or you can use a sheet of plastic. I have heard of people even using housewrap. Once you have an idea what you want, look at the Gear Guide (Backpacker is a good place to start). Be weary of reviews, both in that mag and online. They def have an agenda. Cheers! cm On Sep 13, 1:33 pm, nathan spindel <[email protected]> wrote: > What's your favorite two-person tent for bike camping? I'm looking for > a tent that's somewhat light (< 5 lbs?), warm enough for most > California spring/summer/fall nights, and sets up easily. > > -nathan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
