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Just wondering if anyone has ever owned a Columbia tent before, and if so is it a good brand in general? I only go camping 2-3 times a year so I would like it to last me a long time...
I had to abandon my Wallyworld tent at Bonnaroo this year after it rained on me Sunday night, so I was hoping to pick up a better quality one. I found a really good deal on a Columbia one, HALF price, a discontinued really, really nice model - exactly the size/features I was looking for. Just don't want to end up wasting money on a crappy tent with an expensive label, so any input is appreciated
Last Edit: Jul 1, 2006 22:02:13 GMT -5 by Tara - Back to Top
"I can resist everything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde
You can fit a queen sized air mattress in there and still walk around the edges. It will replace a Kelty I bought 23 years ago (that still work OK, but the zippers are busted - would cost about the price of a new tent to have someone replace them). It has great ventilation, very easy setup (I did it by myself this year), and good rainfly coverage. No vestibule option like my Kelty, though. My stuff stayed dry during Phil's set - unlike me!
I have the one under "You Also May Like" in the link you gave. The Columbia Buggaboo. It was a great deal and REALLY easy to set up and very durable. By the way the picture just looks like the rainfly leaves the door open to all the elements but it doesn't, it can be closed up completely. We were able to fit 2 queen sized matresses in the bugaboo and it stayed reasonably cooler than some of my friends tents.
I bought a Columbia First up tent this year and took to Roo.....I would highly recomend buying a Columbia....they are very high quality....I loved my tent and it only takes like 15 minutes to set up and I am not kidding....It also did not take long to take down......I give it 5 stars if I was going to rate it.....Do yourself a favor and buy a Columbia
Thanks for all the advice though, I'm going to look at all the tents you recommended from REI though, and look at their sale in general... I missed that web site cause I've never seen one of their stores.
I wasn't looking for a tent THAT giant, but the Columbia tent that is slightly smaller is more expensive so I figured it made more sense to get the bigger one, you know? The Kelty's look really nice, but I HATED not being able to stand up to get changed, so I was looking for one that had a higher peak height, and they all tend to then be much bigger. When I do go camping outside Roo, it's usually in Maine and we seem to always end up with rainy days, and when you come back from hiking in the rain, and have to sleep in a little tent that you cant stand up in, it makes me very sad in the pants (that's for you Alisa ). That's also why I was leaning towards one a little big bigger, so I could actually more around in it and stuff.... then again it would also be nice to have a good quality smaller one that doesn't take as long to set up... ok, ok, my priorities area all confused now! Decisions, decisions... I'll keep looking and update you on my next choice! Thanks for the advice everyone
I like this one but it's more in the "dream tent" category. I like that it's not huuuge, it only sleeps 4 so it doesn't take up an enormous amount of ground space, but I can actually stand up in it! I love how tall it is. But it's really way more money than I intended to spend. If it lasts forever, I guess it's worth it... but again, that's just ALOT of money for my budget right now, and I'm not sure it's worth it. Love it, don't need it though...
Ok, only drawback I can see here - no picture! LOL... I e-mailed them to see if they have anything they can show me, since I googled it and still couldn't find it anywhere else. But I LOVE the features it has listed!!! Sleeps 6 (or just me and a friend or two all our crap ), and has room to stand up and move around in, but it's super light and has only TWO poles! Plus is had a vestibule, which I've never had but seems like it would be a good feature. Seriously loving the way it sounds, and it seems Kelty is a good brand? Good price too. I'm seriously considering buying it even if I can't see it, cause it has everything I want, I guess it doesn't really matter what it looks like... so I'll see if they have anything to show me or not.
OK finally settled on one that's tall enough for me but only 9x9 so it's not super gigantic... and for $89.99 it's a great price. So, I just gotta ask one more thing now... is Eureka generally a good brand?
I like this one but it's more in the "dream tent" category. I like that it's not huuuge, it only sleeps 4 so it doesn't take up an enormous amount of ground space, but I can actually stand up in it! I love how tall it is. But it's really way more money than I intended to spend. If it lasts forever, I guess it's worth it... but again, that's just ALOT of money for my budget right now, and I'm not sure it's worth it. Love it, don't need it though...
haha i LOVE that tent too, i even ducked inside it in the REI store for a bit it's really cute and spacious but too big for anything I'd need it for at the moment. what a fun tent though!
Leo said Eureka was one of the best in another thread. He recommended either Eureka or Sierra Designs.
yay! thanks Julio that's good to hear awesome, I'm definitely ordering it then! Just wanted to know that someone has owned one before and liked it - it's definitely a good size/deal.. and now i have a tent for the newport folk fest woohooO!
I like this one but it's more in the "dream tent" category. I like that it's not huuuge, it only sleeps 4 so it doesn't take up an enormous amount of ground space, but I can actually stand up in it! I love how tall it is. But it's really way more money than I intended to spend. If it lasts forever, I guess it's worth it... but again, that's just ALOT of money for my budget right now, and I'm not sure it's worth it. Love it, don't need it though...
haha i LOVE that tent too, i even ducked inside it in the REI store for a bit it's really cute and spacious but too big for anything I'd need it for at the moment. what a fun tent though!
glad you found one you're happy with tara!
haha yeah and i must admit I also thought it was so cute that it was called a HOBITat hehe ;D
I can't belive it doesn't drive you nuts that you cant stand up in your tent! oh my goodness it makes me mental!
sometimes a girl just needs alone time in her tent
but seriously, yeah when I go camping up in Maine it ALWAYS ends up raining so thats really when I need the room to move around, when I'm stuck in there for hours at a time cause its pouring...
That size tent is a good size. We got a Coleman one the same size and it was a good size for me, my boyfriend (who is a big guy) and my daughter and all our stuff. And it was tall enough to get changed in easily.
). That's also why I was leaning towards one a little big bigger, so I could actually more around in it and stuff.... then again it would also be nice to have a good quality smaller one that doesn't take as long to set up... ok, ok, my priorities area all confused now! Decisions, decisions... I'll keep looking and update you on my next choice! Thanks for the advice everyone 
it's really cute and spacious but too big for anything I'd need it for at the moment. what a fun tent though! 