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GreatLand two-person bike tent review
Thanks: 27 times Was thanked: 26 time(s) in 23 post(s)
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This review is in honor of the GreatLand two-person bike tent that I've used since I was 15 years old. It's retiring this year, not due to wearing out, but we decided that two doors is far better logistically (especially in the middle of the night). Pros:
- Ridiculously fast to set up. I left the interior clipped inside the rainfly for its entire lifetime, so all that I ever had to do was shoot the poles through and put stakes in the ground. Took under two minutes every time.
- Absurdly durable. After close to 20 years of service, there is exactly one small (1/8") hole in the floor. This tent has been on rock, gravel, sticks, and roots, not always with a footprint underneath. The single repair ever made was to replace one of the pole ends a couple of years ago.
- Cheap. Not sure whether this is/was even the same GreatLand brand that Target sells, but it's certainly nowhere near the premium stuff.
Cons:
- Only one door. Not the greatest if the person in back needs to get out.
- No vestibule. Stuffing things under the rainfly eaves worked pretty well, though.
Overall, especially given its functional life and original price, I easily give this old tent four stars out of five. I'll miss it, but I look forward to the new REI half-dome 2+!
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Thanks: 10 times Was thanked: 13 time(s) in 12 post(s)
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I love tent stories and especially stories about old reliable tents. I’ve got this old made-in-Korea black dome tent that we bought in a supermarket in 1994 for less than $100. It’s an all-in-one including the fly, vestibule and poles – the dome poles are hinged so they don’t have to be threaded through. What I really appreciate is that it has flow-through ventilation with screened openings on both ends. Unfortunately, only the front end has a vestibule so we have to pull the fly down pretty hard in the back when it rains. There are photos of this old tent at Agnes campsite 1FD posted in my Quetico Campsites album.
The real downside of this old tent is it’s pretty heavy and bulky (hinged poles!).
Other than the obvious characteristics like waterproof, rugged, light weight, easy to pitch, etc., as far as I’m concerned, there are two things really necessary in a canoeing tent: 1) Flow-through ventilation and 2) a generous vestibule.
We are on our second REI dome tent for which we bought the optional vestibules for both ends, but they are more suited for winter mountaineering because they are turned 90° to the tent axis and don’t let enough air through. We took them along only once and afterwards just pulled a big tarp right over the tent and guyed it off to bushes and rocks. Now we have a covered porch at front and back where gear can go and where we can enter and exit the tent without rain driving in.
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1 user thanked Chris Hoepker for this useful post.
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Thanks: 27 times Was thanked: 26 time(s) in 23 post(s)
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That old dome tent sure looks like it was ready for anything. Glad it served you so well! Thanks for your tip about vestibules, too. Our new half-dome is almost entirely mesh on the inside, but when the rainfly is on it reduces ventilation to just the four tiny vents at the top. The fly's vestibules pretty much have to hang open to get decent flow, so maybe next time we'll try skipping the fly in favor of a suspended tarp.
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