What is a good GTM tent?

[vorter]

I'm doing a 3-day GTM training event and I want to pick out a good quality tent that i can use.
I'm looking for a good sized tent (at least 2 person) that can fit my gear and me, possibly a second person.
Budget isn't a big deal, but under $100. Also must be easy to setup/pack.

[Eclipse]

Anything at Target, Walmart, or similar will work - lots of choice in your price range.

[N Harmon]

Try to get one with a rain fly that covers the whole tent. And get yourself some Silicon waterproofing spray:

[Spaceman3750]

Check REI, theres a 2 man online for exactly $100 but im on my iphone so its hard for me to get.

[Krapenhoeffer]

Or you could go all out, and make a tent with a tarp and some 550 cord. 

[Major Lord]

A disposable plastic tube tent is great for this kind of thing. It can be used as a tent, as a storage bag to hang your food in a tree, cut up for signal panels, and used to wrap up dead hookers anything you need to keep clean. Unlike a nylon tent, if you have to walk away from it to carry out your mission, you have lost only a few bucks, and you can carry half a dozen of these for less than the weight penalty of the yuppie-style REI tent. They usually come with a light duty nylon cord, but if you are expecting snow, I suggest carrying 550 cord too.

Major Lord

[Spaceman3750]

Or you could go all out, and make a tent with a tarp and some 550 cord. 

I've done that a couple of times and I prayrd that it didn't rsin the whole time .

REI has good backpacking tents.

[Trung Si Ma]

I'm doing a 3-day GTM training event and I want to pick out a good quality tent that i can use.

Hampton Inn?  Or is that more aircrew-ish?

[SARTAC Medic]

The best way to make your decision is to know alittle about tents, and then to shop for what you want. 

In general, I recommend that you shave one person off the suggested capicity for each person, plus one for each set of ground team gear including the 72 hour pack.   If you try to put 4 people into a 4 person tent WITH 4 72 hours packs, it would be TOO cramped.   The other option is to bring a 55 gallon trash bag and leave your gear outside the tent and then be able to fit the full ammount of people in the tent. 

Also, the more people the tent holds the heavier it is generally going to be.  With that said, I would recommend something in the 1-2 person tent size.  It will allow you to put you and your gear, or you and a buddy with gear outside.   Dick's Sporting Goods has, (at my last visit 2 days ago to the local one) a nice 2 person "backpackers" tent at your price point. Check out online and you may see it http://www.dickssportinggoods.com

Now for construction.  There are single wall and double wall tents.   Single wall tents are lighter weight, easier to set up, and generally are 3-4 season (good all year).   They also tend to be more expensive and need to be cared for properly to maintain the waterproofness of the material. 
Double walled tents are alittle heavier, better in hot weather, and usualy have a vestibule where you can set up your gear, leave your boots, maybe even cook (with the stove outside the tent area).  Some allow you to set up the rain fly alone as a tarp shelter, or use the main body alone in hot weather as a skeeter beater shelter if you dont expect rain. 

Since this will be your home away from home, i would get the BEST you can afford for your price point.   Generally with camping equipment you get what you pay for.   The $30.00 tent from Walmart/Target/Costco, etc will only give you $30.00 worth of service life even if taken care of properly.  The materials and construction are mass produced in a large sweatshop factory and they show it. 

I would stick with name brands and you should be ok.   Kelty is a decently priced brand with many options. http:www.kelty.com.   Big Agness, The North Face, Eureka, Coleman... the names keep on running!   REI has a nice selection of tents from the in-expensive to the over the top.   

Campmore.com http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368487?ip_navtype=AdvancedSearch&catFilter=&searchKeywords=200368487&ip_sortBy=&filters=Price%7E0-100%7E%240-%24100%20%2824%29&ip_constrain=&pageSize=24&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&sizeFilter=&ip_state=&priceFilter=&currentPage=&colorFilter= has a TON of tents, and very respectable prices. I have the search set to backpacking tents under $100.. you can change that if you want. 

Lastly, consider the TYPE of tent you want.   Dome tents may be self standing and no not "REQUIRE" to be staked down to stand.  A-Frame tents generally need to be staked down, but are lighter because they have less poles.   There are also HEX type tents, hammock tents, and tarp shelters

I will let you search for the tent types, because half the fun of buying a tent is being able to research, but now you have a good background to know what to look for.  Remember that gear counts as one person unless you leave it outside, weight matters, size matters, and construction matter.  You can find a tent in your price point, whatever you decided your price point is.  Just make sure you follow the do diligence  and check some reviews.   

OHHH and one last thing.. bring that tent home and set it up 2-3 times before the FTX so you know where things go.  You may have little time to set it up on the FTX and knowing that pole A goes to hole Q will let you look like a pro.  You may need a second person to help you set up, or you may be able to do it yourself.  What ground space do you need?  Where is the door?  Do I tie those pieces together or clip that thing there?


Good luck though, some of my best memories WIWAC were bivouacs.. Especially the ones in the winter, with snow, where we MADE our shelters....

[Майор Хаткевич]

Good luck though, some of my best memories WIWAC were bivouacs.. Especially the ones in the winter, with snow, where we MADE our shelters....

Was that uphill or uphill? 

[arajca]

In addition to the other advice provided, consider how often you are going to use it. If you plan to use it frequently (6 or more times/year), get the highest quality you can. If you plan to use it infrequently (1 or 2 times/year), look at a lower priced tent. I know folks whov'e sent a not-so-small fortune on gear that sits on the shelf 360 days per year and I get to hear them (or more often, their significant other) complain about how much they spent on something they hardly use...

[vorter]

I went ahead and bought a Ozark Trail 2-person w/rain fly and gear loft. Only $20 and I tried setting it up, was extremely easy and light. I will test it on a GTM training session this weekend. Thanks for the advice!

[a2capt]

There's one thing nice about the $20 option, too- even with all the "you get $20 worth".. arguments, you'll certainly get a few uses out of it at least,  if not many more with proper attention to care.  But it's also only $20- and when you find out what you really want should you want more,  this can be passed on to someone else, kept as a "guest house (tent)" spare .. etc.

[ol'fido]

Try to get one with a rain fly that covers the whole tent. And get yourself some Silicon waterproofing spray:

Take care if you use the spray on waterproofing. Some of these make the tent a lot more flammable. So don't set up too close to a camp fire. Definitely get some of the brush on seam sealer and go over all the seams. Whole heartedly agree with getting a tent with a full coverage fly. I got lucky and found one at walmart about 20 years ago but you generally can't find tents with full flys at walmart, target, etc.

[SJFedor]

I'm doing a 3-day GTM training event and I want to pick out a good quality tent that i can use.

Hampton Inn?  Or is that more aircrew-ish?

Hampton Inn is roughing it for aircrews.

[SPD6696]

Another thing to consider.  A waterproof (Goretex) bivy bag, and a tarp.  I've spent a lot of time in the really crappy weather when I was a grunt either sleeping in a bag with a poncho over me, or in an ECW bivy.  Not recommended, unless you have a tarp shelter, too.  If weight is an issue, you might want to consider this.  Otherwise, I would go with a full blown tent with fly and vestibule.  If no vestibule, I'd carry some type of tarp to pitch a shelter for cooking under, etc.  Heck, I'd do that anyway.   

[GTCommando]

I know this is a little late, but I figured someone out there could use this. In looking for a good GTM tent, try looking where I got mine: garage sales. My mom found a 7'x7', which is just big enough for two cadets and their gear, for $5. Now if that isn't a steal, I don't know what is. I sprayed it down with waterproofing spray, and I've been using it since last September. I know that kind of a deal doesn't come around every day, but it wouldn't hurt to look.

[MIKE]

MSR E-wing: http://www.backpacker.com/msr-e-wing-emergency-shelter-gear-zone/slideshows/124

[GTCommando]

^ I like it, but a bit too pricey for a tightwad like myself. 

[Al Sayre]

http://www.bargainoutfitters.com/net/browse/camping-tents.aspx?c=13&s=420

Big selection and price ranges...