Tent Brands
Tent Brands
There are many reputable Name Brands in the tent world. Beware of no-name brands found on Amazon. Some of these can be great finds and are very affordable. Others won't survive a storm when you most need it.
Big Agnes Fishhook UL2 Tent
Big Agnes
Location: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Popular models:
Copper Spur - 3-Season UL
Tiger Wall - 3-Season, semi-freestanding UL
Fly Creek - 3-Season, semi-freestanding UL
Top rated backpacking tents. Some use very thin fabrics and may not be durable enough for Scouts. This is a costly but premium brand that offer light weight gear that doesn't utilize trekking poles for structure.
High End Class Tents: you get what you pay for. Note - Scouts may not appreciate the weight savings of these tents and may destroy them easier than an economy tent.
Nemo Equipment
Location: Dover, New Hampshire
Popular models:
Dagger - 3-Season backpacking
Hornet - 3-Season backpacking
Aurora - 3-Season camping
Wagontop - 3-Season camping
Premium and pricey tents. Strikes a good balance between usable space, weight and durability.
High End Class Tents: you get what you pay for. Note - Scouts may not appreciate the weight savings of these tents and may destroy them easier than an economy tent.
Marmot
Location: Rohnert Park, California
Popular models:
Tungsten - 3-Season backpacking
Limestone - 3-Season camping
Limelight - 3-Season backpacking
Durable tents that are a little heavier than REI, Nemo and Big Agnes. They do have UL options.
Quality Class Tents: nice tents
MSR
Location: Seattle, Washington
Popular models:
Hubba Hubba -3-Season backpacking
Access - 4-Season mountaineering
Remote - 4-Season mountaineering
Habitude - 3-Season camping
Durable quality gear.
Quality Class Tents: nice tents
REI Co-op
Location: Kent, Washington
Popular models:
Half Dome - 3-Season backpacking
Wonderland - 3-Season camping
Skyward - 3-Season camping
Passage - entry level 3-Season backpacking
Base Camp - entry level 4-Season camping
Heavier tents than competition, but good bang for your buck.
Quality/Economy Class Tents: great value for your dollar
Kelty
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Popular models:
Late Start - 3-Season camping
Dirt Motel - 3-Season camping
Affordable tents for those new to backpacking. These are heavy compared to others. You can get a good camping tent for less than $100 when on sale or if you know a distributor.
Economy Class Tents: A strong argument can be made that these are great for scouts - they are affordable and younger scouts won't truly appreciate weight savings or quality of higher end tents.
Alps Mountaineering
Location: New Haven, Missouri
Popular models:
Tasmanian - acceptable 4-season backpacking tent
Lynx - 3-season backpacking
Affordable tents. Better than Coleman but not as good as REI.
Economy Class Tents: A strong argument can be made that these are great for scouts - they are affordable and younger scouts won't truly appreciate weight savings or quality of higher end tents.
Alps Mountaineering offers discounted prices for Scouts at: hikerdirect.com
Black Diamond
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Popular models:
Eldorado - 4-Season mountaineering
Firstlight - 4-Season mountaineering
Expensive tents designed to survive mountaineering adventures. Single wall designs are more study but don't breath well.
Specialty Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use.
The North Face
Location: Denver, Colorado
Popular models:
Wawona - 3-season camping
Bastion - 4-Season mountaineering
Dome 5 - 4-Season mountaineering basecamp
Excels with mountaineering basecamp tents, but falls short in the camping and backpacking world.
Specialty Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use.
Cabela’s
Location: Sidney, Nebraska
Popular models:
Alaskan Guide - 4-season camping/basecamp
West Wind - 3-season camping
Burly tents designed for harsh weather and 4-season use. Overkill for backpacking.
Specialty Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use.
Hilleberg
Location: Frösön, Sweden
Popular models:
Nallo - 4-Season mountaineering, winter camping, backpacking
Allak - 4-Season mountaineering
Excellent, expedition quality tents made for 4-season and high-altitude use. Expensive.
Specialty/High End Class Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use.
Zpacks
Location: West Melbourne, Florida
Popular models:
Plexamid - 3-seaons UL tarptent
Duplex - 3-seaons UL tarptent
Free Duo - freestanding 3-seaons UL tarptent (for beach use)
Ultralight style tents designed for thru-hikers. Utilizes trekking poles for tent structure
Specialty Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use.
Hyperlite UltaMid 4
Hyperlite Mountain Gear
Location: Biddeford, Maine
Popular models:
UltaMid 4
3-season UL tepee
Tepee only - no bottom (optional insert if needed)
Can be used as snow shelter roof for advanced use
Roomy enough for 2 Scoutmasters and lots of gear
UltaMid 2 - 3-season UL tepee
3-season UL tepee
Tepee only - no bottom (optional insert if needed)
Room enough for one Scoutmaster and gear or very tight for 2 people
Premium ultralight shelters that use Dyneema and trekking poles (or optional carbon fiber pole). Premium price for a fancy tarp. Ideal if you are looking for an ultralight setup and price is not an issue.
Specialty Tents: Tents designed for specialty use and priced as such. Not recommended for general Scout use. Scouts generally don't notice the weight savings and won't treat this gear any differently than other gear.
Eureka
Location: Binghamton, New York
eurekacamping.johnsonoutdoors.com
Popular models:
Copper Canyon - 2-Season car camping and festivals
Space Camp - 3-Season camping
Midori - 3-Season camping/backpacking
Affordable and better quality than Coleman. Made for car camping and festivals.
Budget Level Camping Tents: Great price. OK if Scout destroys tent as they learn how to take care of gear. OK for car camping where weight is not an issue and extra gear is packed in case tent leaks.
Coleman
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Popular models:
Sundome - 2-season camping
Montana - 2-season camping
Skydome - 2-season camping
Instant Cabin - 2-season camping
Economy tents designed for car camping in fair weather. Price is hard to beat - check Costco for sales. Too heavy for backpacking and not built for harsh weather.
Budget Level Camping Tents: Great price. OK if Scout destroys tent as they learn how to take care of gear. OK for car camping where weight is not an issue and extra gear is packed in case tent leaks.