Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was a little disappointed with this tent after I pitched it in my backyard to the seal the seams (manufacturer's recommendation by the way - and a must). The tent alone is nice. Obviously a 12' by 10' footprint is plenty of room. But the fly is poorly designed.
Since there are doors on either side, I thought the fly would cover the rear just like the front (in the picture) but that's not the case. The brim rods are thin fiberglass poles that fit through sleeves in the fly and they attach to exterior guide holes. But the umbrella fly can only be staked on one side.
I placed stakes where the loops are in between the corners to keep it up for 24 hours and let the seam seal cure. It held up nicely until a 15 mph (or so) breeze came through and turned it upside down the following afternoon. All loops that were staked, except the front two where the fly comes out, came out of the ground. Consequently, the left side of the fly completely ripped. So stake out everything/every time in case Mother Nature decides to sneeze on this tent.
You will definitely need a tarp to place underneath it since the floor is made out of the same nylon taffeta as the walls. And I would replace the yellow plastic stakes with aluminum/steel stakes. The tent may stay put in inclement weather but if it's really nasty, I suspect some rain will make its way through the mesh ceiling even with the fly on because the front/rear do not come below the ceiling like the sides.
The sewn-in gear loft is on the right and just below the mesh ceiling. It can be attached horizontally to store things just above the walls or it can be attached vertically but that will block the view from that window. It would have been nice if the whole thing was detachable. But it will work if/when needed.
The separate room divider can be attached/removed via dog bones fed through loops. It divides the tent into rooms starting from just above the ground and up to the mesh ceiling. If someone is tall, there goes your privacy.
That being said, I think the tent will be OK. I thought I was lucky when I got this on sale for under $100. But I'm glad that's all I paid. Fortunately, Eureka sells replacement parts so I ordered another fly for $39 plus shipping.
Update (May 25, 2008): I received the fly replacement and it is a huge improvement over the one that originally came with the tent. The new design does not incorporate the flimsy brim rods. And it arches over on both sides where the doors are located. One caveat: you will need to order the pole that has been incorporated into the new design. Otherwise, it will just hang down and could get snagged by the door's zipper.
When I went to pitch the tent at the camp site by myself, I noticed the fiberglass poles had stress cracks where the poles connect. So while the tent can be pitched by one person, having another person will help reduce that. I would have given this four stars with the new fly but since that happened, it's still 3 stars in my mind.
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A great choice for car camping or use as a base camp, the Eureka Tetragon 1210 rectangular dome tent comfortably sleeps eight people and includes a divider to create two separate rooms. The double-coated StormShield polyester fly and the polyester bathtub floor combine to provide excellent weather protection. This free-standing, two-pole tent is quick and easy to set up with its durable shockcorded fiberglass frame, ring and pin attachments, combination sleeve and clip assembly, and color coded webbing.
It's well ventilated, thanks to large no-see-um mesh ceiling panels, six windows, and two doors. The hooded fly provides enough coverage over the front and rear door windows to enable you to leave the window partially open for even more ventilation even in rain. Other features include:
Twin track zippers for separate operation of the window in the door
External guy points on the fly help secure your tent in high winds
Natural green color scheme blends into any campground
Attached hinged gear loft and two detachable interior storage pockets
Clothes line loop, flashlight loop
Mesh panels allow for clip-in accessories
Tent, pole, and stake bags included
Specifications:
Area: 120 square feet
Floor size: 12 feet by 10 feet
Center height: 6 feet, 5 inches
Wall fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
Floor fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
Fly fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75DStormShield polyester
Pack size: 8 by 28 inches
Weight: 17 pounds, 11 ounces
About Eureka Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka's long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.
The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company's annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.
In 1960, Eureka's new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.
For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.
Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women's Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.
Amazon.com Tent Guide Selecting a Tent Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Expect the Worst In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.
Three- and Four-Season Tents For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.
For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.
Domes and Tunnels Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.
Size Matters Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.
Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.
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