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Tent for Oshkosh storms
- Thread starter uk_figs
- Start date
OSH and tents....
IF you decide to go?? You live in Michigan!! That's a Day Trip! I'll be coming from Colorado...!
Good choice on the tent...you won't regret that purchase....
Photo: right after the 60 MPH Winds came through.
All tents still up. Dry as a bone..!! I'd love to send the video of the Rain Storm but can't download that.....
Thanks guys. Might have to pop for the Cabela’s if I decide to go.
IF you decide to go?? You live in Michigan!! That's a Day Trip! I'll be coming from Colorado...!
Good choice on the tent...you won't regret that purchase....
Photo: right after the 60 MPH Winds came through.
All tents still up. Dry as a bone..!! I'd love to send the video of the Rain Storm but can't download that.....Attachments
My Coleman “instant tent” is supposed to withstand a 50 mph breeze. Saturday night at OSH ‘22, it didn’t quite hold up. The corner poles basically slid down and it became a very short instant tent (we were at a steak restaurant staying dry). Good news was, it only took us about 60 seconds to set it back up. And I can stand up inside of it. The rain fly is extra ($30), and Coleman says you don’t need it. Get the rainfly.
https://www.coleman.com/tents-canopies/tents-by-style/6-person-instant-cabin/SAP_2157803.html
https://www.coleman.com/tents-canopies/tents-by-style/6-person-instant-cabin/SAP_2157803.html
Pilot135pd
Well Known Member
This might be what I need to do next year. Do you have links or can I PM you for more details?
Auburntsts
Well Known Member
Just now saw your question-- PM sent.
Pilot135pd
Well Known Member
Got it, thank you !
Yes I have, it is roomy
Now looking for the right cot to go with it. I think people have complained about your Oshkosh snoring in Appleton Just replaced my first Eureka! with another- Midori 3P.
It is taller than some domes, has a door on each side and a vestibule on each side. Few do that. Floor for 5 inch high cots is 60x80, allows 2 73x27".
If solo, it seems awesome, for two, it will just do if you use cots and vestibules.
It is taller than some domes, has a door on each side and a vestibule on each side. Few do that. Floor for 5 inch high cots is 60x80, allows 2 73x27".
If solo, it seems awesome, for two, it will just do if you use cots and vestibules.
Not a double, but it is large enough for one tall adult. Self inflates as the foam expands, and is very comfortable. Downside is, since it’s a foam/air mattress it is a little bulky for packing. I’ve made it work for me in my RV6, so it’s OK for me going to Oshkosh. If my wife was with me, I’d need a Beech 18 for all the extra stuff, including another mattress.
https://www.amazon.com/Inflating-Sleeping-Mattress-Portable-4-Season/dp/B09NDDZPNS
The last two regular inflated mattresses I’ve bought didn’t even make it one night. I’ve left them both in the dumpster in HBC. They were both guaranteed not to leak. The warranty was worth less than the paper it was plagiarized on.
https://www.amazon.com/Inflating-Sleeping-Mattress-Portable-4-Season/dp/B09NDDZPNS
The last two regular inflated mattresses I’ve bought didn’t even make it one night. I’ve left them both in the dumpster in HBC. They were both guaranteed not to leak. The warranty was worth less than the paper it was plagiarized on.
Scott
My wife, who is a pilot, would require a Beech 18 also. However we send our equipment with a friend in a travel trailer. He is a volunteer so he has access to a golf cart to bring our suff. Before that we sent it on a friends 195, before that it was FedEx. We did slim everything down to survival gear and some clothes on a trip to Alaska. She did complain a little about no cute shoes.
Thanks for the suggestion.
My wife, who is a pilot, would require a Beech 18 also. However we send our equipment with a friend in a travel trailer. He is a volunteer so he has access to a golf cart to bring our suff. Before that we sent it on a friends 195, before that it was FedEx. We did slim everything down to survival gear and some clothes on a trip to Alaska. She did complain a little about no cute shoes.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Scott
What does the mattress weight, I am planning to upgrade from an air mattress to a cot and mattress combo this year and this looks like a good option. Still reviewing the cot choices.
Figs
Cot decision next
Having resolved the Oshkosh tent decision with the purchase of the MSR Habitude 6 (until the new tent gets destroyed by another storm at Oshkosh this year) I am now moving on to the COT decision.
Background is no more rolling around on the floor to get up and get dressed etc. so a cot with enough height above ground to sit and stand. However at 6'3" and 220 lbs the cot needs to have decent length, width and weight carrying capability.
Options seem to range from Teton outfitter XXL ($144 and 26lbs) to the Helinox max convertible with leg kit ($600 and 7lbs). The Teton looks good and has good reviews but the weight and packed size is a concern whereas the Helinox is a great brand but 4X the price of the Teton.
Any recommendations will be considered.
Figs
Having resolved the Oshkosh tent decision with the purchase of the MSR Habitude 6 (until the new tent gets destroyed by another storm at Oshkosh this year) I am now moving on to the COT decision.
Background is no more rolling around on the floor to get up and get dressed etc. so a cot with enough height above ground to sit and stand. However at 6'3" and 220 lbs the cot needs to have decent length, width and weight carrying capability.
Options seem to range from Teton outfitter XXL ($144 and 26lbs) to the Helinox max convertible with leg kit ($600 and 7lbs). The Teton looks good and has good reviews but the weight and packed size is a concern whereas the Helinox is a great brand but 4X the price of the Teton.
Any recommendations will be considered.
Figs
Sales
Might be time to strike, I went online and noticed 1 day later my $239 tent is now $179 everywhere. Nicely, the store is honoring the sale price a day after my purchase- if only it was always that way...
Might be time to strike, I went online and noticed 1 day later my $239 tent is now $179 everywhere. Nicely, the store is honoring the sale price a day after my purchase- if only it was always that way...
What’s their return policy?
I missed something. What store, what tent?
<Considering options since the 11 year old broke one of my tent poles setting up at Oshkosh last year...>
I blame poor supervision.
Eureka Midori, 1 2 or 3 all on sale, pretty much everywhere, $60 off. This was Cabela's for me.
COT decision
After much searching I decided on the helinox max convertible cot with the extender legs after I found it on the Campsaver website with a 20% discount certificate, could not find the helinox discounted anywhere else on the web. Small travel package and only 7lbs.
Still considering the mattress pad Scott recommended as it would be a perfect fit for the cot.
Nearly ready for Oshkosh
Figs
After much searching I decided on the helinox max convertible cot with the extender legs after I found it on the Campsaver website with a 20% discount certificate, could not find the helinox discounted anywhere else on the web. Small travel package and only 7lbs.
Still considering the mattress pad Scott recommended as it would be a perfect fit for the cot.
Nearly ready for Oshkosh
Figs
The Heytrip mattress I was referring to and bought weighs 6.4 pounds.
If simply driving in and tent camping, are you put in the same area as the RV's (recreational vehicles)?
Auburntsts
Well Known Member
Short answers is yes. Longer answer is the closer to the flightline in Scholler you get the more concentrated the RVs (rec Veh) are. That said RV's are distributed throughout Scholler as are car campers with tents. It's basically first come first serve minus a few exceptions so it's luck of the draw on available camping sites and totally up to you which empty one you pick.
Auburntsts
Well Known Member
Meh -- I've tent camped in Scholler and HBC and never had issues sleeping because of noise. Ear plugs are an easy fix although I know many (my wife among those) don't like them and won't use them. In my experience most of the noise after 10pm is from SoS Bros or the occasional slamming Porta-pot door.
Before Suzanne, and before the campers, I had this. USMC combat tent we got from a detactment that returned from Iraq, and it was being durmoed. Tents, sleeping bags, etc. YEP can fit in a backpack, or rolled up to fit in a plane. I personally got tired of sleeping on the ground, so I opted to get a fold up cot. Fits, fine. Took 60 mph wind at OSH, including the floods in Scholler. When Suzanne started going, we needed a bigger tent, air mattresses, and all the other things necessary. DONT opt for the cheap thin material tents or the cheap poles. Seen my share of the cheap poles turned into twigs. Check military surplus stores, and those online. I think this one was made by a division of Eureka for the military. Since we now have a display, needed something alittle better, so opted for a camper. REAL PITA hauling it to and from SC to OSH, especially in gas!. Different Idea for this year, given our expansion.
Tom
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I'm assuming it's possible to drive in and out from these spots during the event, if you want to grab dinner or supplies, etc?
Auburntsts
Well Known Member
Absolutely
Going on multiple years using a Mountainsmith Genesee 4-person/3-season tent at OSH. Easily set up with color coding which comes in handy since I only use it once a year. Has withstood VERY heavy winds & rain including a couple of years where I decided it was best to ride out storms at the museum.
Weight & bulk is a factor in my RV-4, the Genesee only weighs 7.5 lbs.
Pretty sure that particular model is discontinued but I'd recommend looking at their current product line. They make a quality product at a reasonable price.
Weight & bulk is a factor in my RV-4, the Genesee only weighs 7.5 lbs.
Pretty sure that particular model is discontinued but I'd recommend looking at their current product line. They make a quality product at a reasonable price.
This is my first trip to OSH and will be camping in the Rec Vehicle area with a friend who is driving in early. I just bought the REI Wonderland 6 that a friend and I will be sharing. The REI tent got great reviews, so hopefully it holds up. I used to be an avid backpacker tent camper. But my experience is like 40 years ago and with 1 or two person small dome tents. Not a big multi-person tent.
My question is how do you guys set up the "Guy wires"?? I assume this is separate from what comes with a standard tent? It sounds like I also need a set of bigger stakes to anchor it down. Any suggestions on additional stuff to better secure the tent would be massively appreciated.
My question is how do you guys set up the "Guy wires"?? I assume this is separate from what comes with a standard tent? It sounds like I also need a set of bigger stakes to anchor it down. Any suggestions on additional stuff to better secure the tent would be massively appreciated.
Tents typically come with some guy ropes. If they stretch way out from the tent, it is kind to your neighbors (and your tent) to mark them somehow. Colored tape, chunks of pool noodle, etc. One data point (probably 25 years of Oshkosh camping), is that the supplied anchors have always been adequate.
I looked at the Wonderland 6 and it's a big, tall, tube of a thing. I would use ALL the 'guy wires' as it has; I couldn't tell in the picture where they attach. Your big thing you want to brace against are the WINDS that can really get to howling! 60mph.....
If you breeze (no pun intended) through the previous posts, you see a lot of us who keep coming back every year (volunteers) have settled on the Cabela's Alaskan Guide tents. I 'guy wire' mine on all the WEST and NORTH sides as that is where the WINDS usually come from. But they can come from ANY direction! Mine have orange warning tape on them. And I have solar lights at the staked ends. Helps at night. I wouldn't rely on the little silver tent stakes that come with most tents. Get some of those large yellow plastic things or the metal spikes (look like an 8 inch nail with a usually green plastic fitting on top). The ones that look like they were made out of angle iron work well also.........and bring a hammer. Or borrow one. Hopefully this tent is good in the RAIN as well. 
Have fun! Always an adventure!See posts 27, 46 and 52..........
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The bigger the tent the bigger the problem. Tents with rounded profiles and aluminum poles seem to work best. Think something that looks like an igloo. Tents usually come with a tie down on each corner. For normal condition this is adequate. Most usually have an addition set of tie downs about halfway up on each side to use in heavy weather. Stakes make a big difference in this case size does matter . . . also shape. The same reasoning that works tieing down your airplane applies to your tent. Stakes that have a V profile seem to work better.
thanks!!
That's a great suggestion on the tape and lights. I'll plan to get some additional heavy duty stakes as well.I looked at the Wonderland 6 and it's a big, tall, tube of a thing. I would use ALL the 'guy wires' as it has; I couldn't tell in the picture where they attach. Your big thing you want to brace against are the WINDS that can really get to howling! 60mph.....
See posts 27, 46 and 52..........
Last question..... a long time camper at OSH recommended to bring a blue tarp to lay on the ground under the tent to keep the floor dry. I understand the concept for like morning dampness and such. But wouldn't a tarp tend to collect water if it was raining? Does anyone do this?
Camped all over Texas for 30 years. My standard is a waterproof canvas tarp the same dimension as the tent floor. Stakes go through the tent loops and tarp grommets in each corner. Every use I would spray it with bug spray before the tent was pitched. 30 years of bug spray on it. No bug would dare come near it. Serves me well to this day, but it's very heavy. Probably all the bug spray!
Haven't camped at Osh, but many years camping other places. A tarp is a good idea on damp ground, but it is important not have it stick out from the sides of the tent or it will collect rain like you say. have it be the same size or a little bit smaller than the base of the tent. Many higher end tent makers also sell commercial footprints that exactly match the size and have loops to use the same stakes.
I've had success with the REI Base Camp 4 . It has plenty of height & very roomy inside, along with 2 vestibules. It's held up fine over the last few years at OSH & SNF. The dome is just enough to provide great wind deflection. It fits nicely in the aft wing footprint making it perfect for airplane camping. Packs to 15 lbs.
Ahh, that makes more sense now.
I had an older base camp 4 and it made 25-30 Oshkosh and other trips, successfully weathered quite a few storms. Anyone on a budget, look for a good used one for a strong, durable tent. Very solid performer. Bought a new MSR Habitude, so wife could dress not standing on her knees. We’ll see how it goes.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.... If you want a huge Standup Tent from Wal-Mart, for Glam-Ping (glamor camping) than forget high winds. Those "Coleman" big 8-person tents are great, but can not stand winds. I can not count on one hand the number of Taj Mahal tents I have seen fold like a house of cards or takeoff like Dorthey's House. They have huge sides, large area, not that strong.
A back pack, mountain tent, well staked down, with guy ropes and more stakes holding rain fly down, can handle a lot of wind. It does not have to be a PUP TENT, but typically 2 place, up to 4 place max size, smaller and lower the better, for high winds. They are typically not STAND UP but you can sit up or sit on heals without hitting head, for folks of average height.
All my tents 1, 2 and 4 person requires me to lay down to get dressed ( pants on/off). I have a vestibule and ground tarp outside the tent entrance, with chair, for shoe removal/installation onto foot. Ha ha. Hey it is camping. Been through a lot of storms, never got wet or lost the tent. I use ALPS mostly.
You can go to REI and get a $500 North Face or MSR or $150 and a (small) Coleman, which may be OK. Prices of everything have gone up. But if budget is a thing, don't have to spend many 100's of dollars, but but there is a bit of you get what you pay for as well.
Expect to pay, err I mean "invest" in a good tent that will last, stay dry, and have features. I like ALPS brand, good price, nice thoughtful features. Not top-O-line, but better than Coleman. Not bashing Coleman, they may be fine. Never owned one, just seen the big 8 place ones fold up at airshows a few times. ALPS does make a tall person tent, so standing, albeit may be bend over slight, room for Cots, that is wind worthy. Still for true wind resistance lower smaller is better. For me airplane or motorcycle camping (which I do a good bit) solo, I need small light weight, high quality tent for 1 or 2. I like 2 place best, even when solo, so I can put gear in the tent to stay dry. If car camping the 4 place is what I take. More room for more stuff, even a cot, yet still wind rain worthy.
Amazon is a good place to look at what is out there and see reviews and prices.
A back pack, mountain tent, well staked down, with guy ropes and more stakes holding rain fly down, can handle a lot of wind. It does not have to be a PUP TENT, but typically 2 place, up to 4 place max size, smaller and lower the better, for high winds. They are typically not STAND UP but you can sit up or sit on heals without hitting head, for folks of average height.
All my tents 1, 2 and 4 person requires me to lay down to get dressed ( pants on/off). I have a vestibule and ground tarp outside the tent entrance, with chair, for shoe removal/installation onto foot. Ha ha. Hey it is camping. Been through a lot of storms, never got wet or lost the tent. I use ALPS mostly.
You can go to REI and get a $500 North Face or MSR or $150 and a (small) Coleman, which may be OK. Prices of everything have gone up. But if budget is a thing, don't have to spend many 100's of dollars, but but there is a bit of you get what you pay for as well.
Expect to pay, err I mean "invest" in a good tent that will last, stay dry, and have features. I like ALPS brand, good price, nice thoughtful features. Not top-O-line, but better than Coleman. Not bashing Coleman, they may be fine. Never owned one, just seen the big 8 place ones fold up at airshows a few times. ALPS does make a tall person tent, so standing, albeit may be bend over slight, room for Cots, that is wind worthy. Still for true wind resistance lower smaller is better. For me airplane or motorcycle camping (which I do a good bit) solo, I need small light weight, high quality tent for 1 or 2. I like 2 place best, even when solo, so I can put gear in the tent to stay dry. If car camping the 4 place is what I take. More room for more stuff, even a cot, yet still wind rain worthy.
Amazon is a good place to look at what is out there and see reviews and prices.
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This was 2019 next to HBC pavilion when we had to park all of our RV4s in the display line and camp together here. Everyone on a postage stamp, and night sorties to the fa ility was like negotiating trip wires in Nam. This pic from Kitplanes capture my buddy and I milling about in the daylight.
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Prescott Flyer
Active Member
Going with a Marmot 3p this time. Backed up with extra stakes (Lite Outdoors brand) to guy it for the winds.
