Monday, August 1, 2011

Tent Choice For Cycle Oregon - Home Away From Home

Decided to put a word here for anyone looking at finalizing a tent choice for the week ride. I feel we have now landed on what could be the most amazing tent we have ever seen.

One thing I have learned on all my CO trips to date: the choice of home away from home is VERY important to your overall enjoyment.

Over the weekend ride, we used a new Coleman 6 man tent - the Naugatuck 6 - and we were somewhat disappointed for many reasons, even though it is a nice tent. But it just did not suit the needs for our family.  So it went on Craigslist as soon as it had dried out and the search for the ultimate week long Cycle Oregon tent resumed.

Today in the living room after making plenty of space I did a test setup of our new Marmot Limestone 6. We decided to buy this one after seeing the video at the link. If you are looking for a tent - this is the one in my opinion. It could be the last tent you ever buy. This thing is HUGE due to the design of the dome with vertical walls provided via "brow poles" that sit up top. There are near 3 foot vestibules on each end. This is indeed a first class tent that packs to a reasonable size. It is a Cycle Oregon castle!



There are several words that can easily describe this tent: Simple setup. Massive. Tall. Full fly. Ventilation. Storage. It seems the Marmot folks have thought of everything. Another bonus is that it is a freestanding design that goes up fast - even in the confines of the living room it went up in less than 10 minutes. Given another 5 for fly attachment and staking this tent could be up in 10-15 minutes tops without even rushing. Hot.

We are very excited to give this a shot here in September. Yes it seems odd to post a tent review before its actual use outdoors - but having camped for several years and sampled many tents this one takes first prize and I am sure it will fare well.

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