continues to impress me with their affordable outdoor equipment. Theres always a fine line between cost/reliability with products, and when youre in the wilderness you dont want to be left out in the cold. Ive come to depend on products for this reason.
Prior to this, I camped with my Sundown tent, which I swore by for the simple fact that it could be set up and torn down in five minutes. My dog and I fit fine, but if he was wet and it was raining, forget it. Mess everywhere. Now I camp with my gf and my dog and it came tike to expand. Enter the Evanston. We just came back from Lake George camping, where it endured several random torrential downpours and lots of in and out.
A good rule of thumb when buying a tent is to look at the number of people it says its for, and subtract by 2. I chose this one simply for the porch feature, which Ill expand on below.
Set up:
As easy as any tent, really. Do yourself a favor and mark with colored tape the tent poles so at a glance youll know which ones are which next time you set up. It can be set up by one person if necessary, but two people is optimal for ease of use.
Cleanup/ Tear Down:
Because of the ridge pole holding the porch section, its a little trickier. Use a towel or shirt to brush away the debris that inevitably tracks in.
Durability:
8/10.
No rips or tears, no cracked zipper components. A little bit of moistness seeped into the corners from the rain, however. We did not use sealant, which I suspect would have prevented this entirely.
Space:
10/10 for two people and a dog, 6/10 for four people and two dogs!
A couple of our friends arrived late and opted to set up their tent in the morning, so we hosted them in ours. It was a bit tight, but definitely doable. Points subtracted here because the main tent door placement required some seriously precarious stepping over each other to get to. Not a great situation for those 3am find a tree moments. But the dogs were happy, and everyone had their own roll around area.
The Porch:
6/10.
The usefulness here was two fold. It served to keep some items away from the elements and to trap the dirt from entering the tent. The biggest problem is that the rain fly doesnt cover the mesh covering, so heavy rain will get in. I covered a majority of our items.
It did however, keep dirt and debris out.
Overall, I would highly recommend this tent for those seeking a relaxed and enjoyable tent if its going to be set up for a couple of days.
A Tiny Taste of Tenting Luxury
continues to impress me with their affordable outdoor equipment. Theres always a fine line between cost/reliability with products, and when youre in the wilderness you dont want to be left out in the cold. Ive come to depend on products for this reason. Prior to this, I camped with my Sundown tent, which I swore by for the simple fact that it could be set up and torn down in five minutes. My dog and I fit fine, but if he was wet and it was raining, forget it. Mess everywhere. Now I camp with my gf and my dog and it came tike to expand. Enter the Evanston. We just came back from Lake George camping, where it endured several random torrential downpours and lots of in and out. A good rule of thumb when buying a tent is to look at the number of people it says its for, and subtract by 2. I chose this one simply for the porch feature, which Ill expand on below. Set up: As easy as any tent, really. Do yourself a favor and mark with colored tape the tent poles so at a glance youll know which ones are which next time you set up. It can be set up by one person if necessary, but two people is optimal for ease of use. Cleanup/ Tear Down: Because of the ridge pole holding the porch section, its a little trickier. Use a towel or shirt to brush away the debris that inevitably tracks in. Durability: 8/10. No rips or tears, no cracked zipper components. A little bit of moistness seeped into the corners from the rain, however. We did not use sealant, which I suspect would have prevented this entirely. Space: 10/10 for two people and a dog, 6/10 for four people and two dogs! A couple of our friends arrived late and opted to set up their tent in the morning, so we hosted them in ours. It was a bit tight, but definitely doable. Points subtracted here because the main tent door placement required some seriously precarious stepping over each other to get to. Not a great situation for those 3am find a tree moments. But the dogs were happy, and everyone had their own roll around area. The Porch: 6/10. The usefulness here was two fold. It served to keep some items away from the elements and to trap the dirt from entering the tent. The biggest problem is that the rain fly doesnt cover the mesh covering, so heavy rain will get in. I covered a majority of our items. It did however, keep dirt and debris out. Overall, I would highly recommend this tent for those seeking a relaxed and enjoyable tent if its going to be set up for a couple of days.