HOWA and Kodiak versus Springbar tents

[user 22017]

Bob did a video about Springbar tents and why they (HOWA) chose to purchase them rather than Kodiak. In the video Sueann(sp?) said they compared the two and in every area, Springbar was better. But not one example was given. Nothing about the zippers, the poles, the canvas, etc.

Maybe they wrote an article about it? Anyone know?

The YT video

 

[nature lover]

Bob or SuAnne (darn spellchecker won’t let me spell her name properly) said there’s another video coming up to show the details of the tent. It is to be out tomorrow, Friday. I am interested in seeing how easy or hard it is to set up.

 

[bullfrog]

Well I have a 10’ x 14’ Kodiak as there are two of us and we like the space even though it makes it harder to find enough flat ground to pitch it we used it for several years. Chinese made but had vents and some accessories that the USA made Springbar didn’t have. I got a special deal when they first came out so it was about $200 cheaper than the Springbar. Biggest difference is the repair service and the cable stake system the Springbar has. There are no guide lines on this style of tent which allows the walls and top to move in high winds ( and they really move )with less of a chance of damage. Only breakage I have ever heard of is the cast aluminum pole joints and poles. The tents only have an external ridge pole and two uprights at either end. Basically you unfold the tent on a ground cloth and on mine there are 16 perimeter stakes that hold down the floor. I have obtained several different stake sets for different types of ground and use a battery powered impact driver to plant the stakes then use ball bungees to secure the tent to the stakes. The ridge pole and uprights have 4 spring steel bars that extent from the 90 degree joint on either end and go into pockets in the tent roof. You simply raise one end of the ridge pole and set the upright then go to the other end after unzipping the doors so you don’t have to fight the vacuum created by expanding the tent and set the other upright. My 14’ tent can be difficult to set the last upright if on uneven ground. There are some really good YouTube videos showing one in a wind storm and setting up instructions. We have had ours over 10 years and the only thing we have had to do is clean and lubricate the zippers. The only damage was a pack rat ate a 1” hole in the corner while it was stored. I believe the Springbar is the better tent but more expensive and they are too heavy to pay to ship for repairs so you will face a trip to Salt Lake City to take advantage of their repair service and last I checked it could take some time to get them done and the tent returned. I had a hard time convincing myself to pay $600 dollars for a tent then about another $100 for stakes especially if you watch the high wind video you wouldn’t want to try to stay in it during that! I have watched the floor lift close to a foot and tip over cots in 45 to 50 mph winds without damaging the tent!

 

[user 22017]

Well I have a 10’ x 14’ Kodiak as there are two of us and we like the space even though it makes it harder to find enough flat ground to pitch it we used it for several years. Chinese made but had vents and some accessories that the USA made Springbar didn’t have.

We have had ours over 10 years and the only thing we have had to do is clean and lubricate the zippers.

I believe the Springbar is the better tent but more expensive...

Aren't most of the Springbars made in China? I know you can request that yours be made here.

Why do you think Springbar is better?

 

[user 22017]

Bob or SuAnne (darn spellchecker won’t let me spell her name properly) said there’s another video coming up to show the details of the tent. It is to be out tomorrow, Friday. I am interested in seeing how easy or hard it is to set up.

Thanks. I knew about that. They will be giving a tour of a Springbar. I'm looking for their reasons why they say Springbar is far better than Kodiak.

 

[bullfrog]

Springbar has a steel cable that I believe is stainless steel that is part of the floor seam that is a continuous loop completely around the tent where it is secured by the stakes. The Kodiak only has cloth loops. The older Springbar tents were made in the USA by people that took pride in their product and today still believe they should last and provide the customer service/repair facility to do so, because of competition some are now made by low paid workers. The Kodiak tent is a copy with some changes ( some good like vents, some bad like the loops some just different like added accessories) all of which are made by low paid workers. Seams are sometimes not perfect but still good enough. I chose the Kodiak because I couldn’t afford the Springbar and was willing to be more careful with it as well as wanted the end vents that Springbar didn’t offer at the time, as I use it in hot weather. As my tent ages I will have to repair and try to replace parts where the Springbar could be sent back and repaired but at a cost of time and money again that I don’t have.

 

[abnorm]

Paulette and her friend Bonnie each received a tent from HOWA in 2019...........Both were car campers in Nevada when a wind storm at Walker Lake destroyed their cheap dome tents.........."Come to Oregon for a tent"

One 12x 12' Springbar went to Bonnie and the 10' x10' Kodiak was loaned to Paulette.............Bob filmed Paulette setting up both tents and comparing the two...........the video has never aired

Within weeks Paulette had moved into the van..............and we returned the Kodiak to HOWA

 

[user 22017]

If anyone is considering buying a canvas tent, here are some links that might be of interest. Also look at Burning Man and Bushcraft forums. And, check Amazon to compare the many canvas tents. Springbar and Kodiak aren't the only quality canvas tent makers.

Everywhere I looked the consensus is that both are exceptional tents, but Kodiak is slightly better because the floor is 2x as thick, the welded seams and more:

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/springbar-tents.278620/
https://bestofcamp.com/best-tents-for-desert-camping/
https://www.reserveamerica.com/outdoors/a-short-history-of-camping.htm
https://www.survivaltechshop.com/springbar-vs-kodiak/
https://sleepingwithair.com/springbar-tents-vs-kodiak-tents-reviews/

 

[user 22017]

This is a long read, but the New York Times took a bunch of tents to the desert southwest. All cost less than $450.

Edit: the Eureka! seems to be the only tent hikers use on Mt. Everest. (Based on photos and movies I have seen). They started making tents in the U.S. in 1890.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-tent-for-family-and-car-camping/

 

[bullfrog]

^^^Cotton canvas tents provide a wonderful environment inside that other tents just can’t as the entire surface breaths. My 10’ x 14’ Kodiak makes a great screen room as well due to 4 large screened windows/doors, 2 on either side as well as the hooded end vents. The weight and number of stakes makes us use it for longer stays and we love it even after 10 years. The worst thing is getting in and out the door as you must step up and over the opening or you will trip and fall. I would not recommend it for overnight or short stays if you are setting up and taking down by yourself. The lighter tents above work well for that in everything but high wind and they are about 1/2 the price and take up about 1/4 the room to store. Any tent is difficult for me to get a good nights sleep in during high winds so we built a small hard sided enclosed trailer to haul all the camping gear and to sleep in on windy stormy nights. They worked well but did require set up and take down which we got tired of as we aged.

 

[bullfrog]

There several used Springbar and Kodiak tents for sale in KSL classifieds out of Salt Lake City Utah if you are passing through there. Just check out ksl.com in the outdoors and recreation classifieds.

 

[user 22017]

There several used Springbar and Kodiak tents for sale in KSL classifieds out of Salt Lake City Utah if you are passing through there. Just check out ksl.com in the outdoors and recreation classifieds.

I'll tell my son. He is in Washington State. He spent most of last winter in a tent at a construction site close to the Canadian border (eastern part of state). The job site was too far to drive every day and he didn't have an RV or van. His tent got torn up, so he will need a new one... for camping. No more camping at job sites.

 

[user 22017]

^^^Cotton canvas tents provide a wonderful environment inside that other tents just can’t as the entire surface breaths.

We spent many summers ('60's and '70's) camping in a Sears canvas cabin tent. We laughed recalling the rain storm that brought it down... on all of us.

 

[bullfrog]

Some of the Sears tents were great. In early 1970 I had a 9 x 12 with a floor that used three external tensioned u shaped poles with no guide lines and like these tents you simply staked the floor down and raised the tent with the poles, then tensioned the poles by expanding them. I lived in it for about 6 months in the mountains east of Tucson AZ.

 

[user 22017]

Some of the Sears tents were great. In early 1970 I had a 9 x 12 with a floor that used three external tensioned u shaped poles with no guide lines and like these tents you simply staked the floor down and raised the tent with the poles, then tensioned the poles by expanding them. I lived in it for about 6 months in the mountains east of Tucson AZ.

We probably had the same tent It was a big one.