Tents

[bullfrog]

The Kodiak tent was designed off a Spring Bar tent made in Utah which is still in business. It is slightly better as warranty is concerned but generally cost a little more as well. If you Google search KSL Classifieds and search the want adds you may find a used one, if taken care of they will last more than a lifetime so they do come up for sale locally sometimes after being past down.

 

[Gypsy108]

Yeah .. I checked it out… one looked pretty damaged for over $300… I think I’d rather buy something new…. I don’t know enough about tents to know if a used one would be good or not… like a used tire… patched up holes…etc… I wanna get good quality gear if possible…while I can …… I’ll be down & out soon enough…

 

[bullfrog]

Spring Bar company actually does repairs although I imagine they have a wait time like most during Covid 19. You might call the company directly.

 

[maki2]

The bottom line here is you are not going to be comfortable living in a tent. The desert is hell on tents, it tears them to pieces. You will also freeze your hiney off at night in one. The  night time low in Quartzsite in winter is often in the 30s.

Figure out how to sleep comfortably in your vehicle, it is an essential for you to do so.

 

[Gypsy108]

It’s a shame we haven’t figured out how to make a tent strong enough to survive in the desert…. The Bedouin’s in the Sahara Desert had no problem surviving…. I wish they made these tents here :

https://www.moorisharchitecturaldesign.com/berber-tent-manufacturer-morocco.html


https://spatialexperiments.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/bedouin-tents-black-wool-and-a-cactus/

I’m the meantime ….I guess I’ll save money then by NOT getting a tent ….and figure out how to make my car livable…with just a screened porch type tent for day use like you do  :thumbsup:


Btw… I did contact that Moroccan tent company …. I wonder what they charge to make a 10x10 ….I just got a reply from them ……$25,000  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[highdesertranger]

There are plenty of tents that can handle the desert. They are made out of canvas, they are bulky, heavy and expensive. Frankly at that point I would just get a cargo trailer. Highdesertranger

 

[Gypsy108]

Yeah but …. I can’t afford a cargo trailer…or an expensive tent …..

 

[user 30781]

Btw… I did contact that Moroccan tent company …. I wonder what they charge to make a 10x10 ….I just got a reply from them ……$25,000  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, yeah, look what they're made out of!  Goat and camel hair, wow!!  I bet they're heavy as all get out too.

 

[Gypsy108]

I guess they were practical for the nomads that made them....maybe i should just get a camel.......

Seems like all the good tents are sold out everywhere i look.......here's another military supply place.....way to expensive for me....

https://www.usmilitarytents.com/Military-Tents.aspx?sortorder=1&page=1

 

[bullfrog]

Really good tents are very expensive, but they can last a long time if taken care off. Like many of the options for nomadic living a lot depends on the individuals available funds and needs. Many homeless use cheap ones they get donated to them or buy used and do the best they can with what they can afford. Putting a cheap tarp or Monkey hut provides protection from UV light and extends their useful life. A cheap shower tent and a tent cot inside a screen tent with temporary side enclosures, a proper ground cloth and floor covering makes for a nice camp but will not survive high winds like a good canvas spring bar style tent. Neither will let you get a good nights sleep in windy weather so you need a Plan B. Many car campers simply use a cheap mountaineering style tent to sleep in only.

 

[RoamerRV428]

Either you go the 'big boy' which is very pricey and probably harder set up/tear down or if you are anticipating high winds the lower your tent is to the ground the better you actually are for it being maintained in that wind, taller ya go....more wind being caught and chance of it coming down on ya.

What 'kind of desert' are you anticipating? What/where are you trying to gear up for?

remember also.....heck a tent isn't that impossible in that people stay all the times on Mount Everest in monster winds in tents and they make it People do camp in windy spots in tents all the time and they make it

again don't be 'too afraid of a tent' or too worried 'in a way' cause if you still want a tent, experiment and find what will work easy for you and have at it!

 

[maki2]

I reinforced my screen room to stand high winds. It was a lot of work to do that reinforcing. But when the wind is high I can't have the wind panels attached. The wind would rip them apart, they are not all that firmly attached along the edges. I just put them up to help keep out rain and add some warmth on cold days and evenings. Also  for some privacy. Screen rooms can be quite hot on hot days. I sit under shade cloth attatched to the side of my trailer and help up at the other end with poles when it gets hot. The shade cloth is good up to abougt 35 mph hour winds max. The quartzsite area had quite a few days this winter with winds of 40 and 45mph gust. Locals said that it was an unusually windy winter and early spring. It did rain pretty hard now and again but not regularly. Sometimes the washes ran with water but it did not flood near my camping area.  The dust devils are a real destroyer of tents, tarps, popup shelters. As I said my screen room took 3 direct hits by big ones and it did damage. Fortunately no broken poles. But I did get several broken poles on my dome tent from the wind storms in Quartzsite.

 

[RoamerRV428]

Is the OP at Q or elsewhere and can the OP ever 'set that location' of tent and vehicle etc. in their 'site' or out in BLM land to make it work for them or against them?

I think the 'we are using too many personal for us situations' that might not ever effect the OP in a way.

Go tents! Go for it and live! What is the worst, you learn what works so well and you learn what works against one in their area.

but yea, around 35mph can wreck stuff and higher can easily wreck stuff...but those are more far between then normal so if we face and change and adapt other issues to our camp site we can live thru it all easily...........so let life happen and tent up people

 

[bullfrog]

Since this discussion is considering different tent materials Paul Elkins videos of Burning Man structures and homeless shelters might work as well and are lightweight and could be carried on a ladder rack or topper rack. How durable they are is questionable in my opinion although many Burning Man and disaster shelters are used year after year.

 

[RoamerRV428]

A guestion is what works on Mt Everest.
A low dome nylon test mostly and that is in high winds and sub freezing weather......but we digress

if one is SO gonna do Everest and more then yea research to the max

if one is 'gonna be somewhere in the desert' know your location, the possible floods, heat, wind and more but darn we ain't going all in with the max of what a tent can do here everyone LOL

Gypsy just get a great tent, buy a few 'extra tie downs' and make it work for you..........most times the 'scare factor' most put out here is uncalled for truly............we all tented, well alot of us here and had issues but had more of a better life under our tents! and we had a darn great adventure doing just that! Don't fall for the it must 'be perfect' on this thread so many throw out

 

[jacqueg]

What I've seen is that many folks just use ordinary tents. Probably get away with it for a year or two, then the wind hits them, and they are trashed. I guess then you just buy another one!

I guess what I'm saying is either go WalMart or go expensive. The ones in the middle will still fold in a good wind. If you buy it knowing it is temporary, you won't feel cheated.

Guy I camped near last year had a home-built dome tent that he could stand up in that was very sturdy and held up perfectly to the wind. He had a big SUV and a small trailer to haul it with, and I believe it took him several hours to erect it. Also there was a woman who travelled with her mother and occasionally other friends/relatives. She had TWO big canvas tents, connected by tarps into a regular tent compound, and she traveled with a big cargo trailer.

 

[RoamerRV428]

we are not others in the money department as WE ALL know.

what works well for one will never work for another.

I say buy what YOU NEED in your price range and have at it.........you can get nailed on a brand new paid for tent on the fist time out or that sucker can last you 15 years as in our tent Yes we had big storms, monster winds, flooding and more on our tent times but that never means we 'lose the tent' ever in all that.

Gypsy get what you NEED and don't go off too much 'scare' as it is focused on this forum.

Google desert wind best tents and watch the 'adverts' that show up to just buy.....and there are desert tenters doing it in everything and they do well.............wishing you the best of the best and if you go low dome type for wind etc remember you can buy a cheapo EZ UP type stand in shower type contraption for 'that big privacy factor' you want to stand to bath, dress and more and those suckers can be put up and taken down in a flash by 1 person so with a small cheapo side kick to your tent, you can succeed without question. Depending on location and season there is usually more great weather and life hitting ya then the worse of it all.

 

[Gypsy108]

Thanks everyone for all your input  :heart: :heart:

I think it will just boil down to what I can afford & my intuition…. I think I’ll take Maki’s advice on sleeping in my car & use a clam shell or some kind of patio shelter for day time lounging and stuff… 
I plan to head out to Quartzsite by October…I need to learn from you guys how to camp , etc .   So it will be my boot camp…lol

I haven’t been camping since 1972.   I wanna see the beautiful night sky .   Then I’d like to experience & smell the forest someday…. I’ve been deprived of nature for a long time….I’ve been craving for these things… my body& soul is trying to tell me something….

It’s overwhelming for me to get ready… for years I have watched all the survivor shows on tv…. Now I will be stepping into and out of my comfort zone …..

 

[shadowmoss]

Just a note for those back East giving advice:. The desert around Quartzsite is VERY different than camping east of the Mississippi.  Wind is very much an issue out here.

That said, I'd set up the car to sleep in and get a cheap tent to test the waters.

 

[maki2]

Dont worry too much about getting all geared up before you head out. The town of Quartzsite starting in the fall has lots of vendors with the gear that works best under the local condiitions. You wont find  camping tents such as Coleman for sale but you will find tarps, shade cloth and sturdy poles for making custom, free standing structures that screw together and can stand up to the wind. Plus ropes, bunngees etc. You can also mail order in stuff delivered to  several places in town. There is also a Wallmart about a half hour drive north. Yuma and Phoenix are about an hour+ away.

Taking a look around at what actually works on site and what the people who come every year do for their camping setups is going to be your best education.

A cheap tent will work fine to get you there and serve OK for a while and then you can figure out what works for you for spending the winter in more comfort.