Had to pick between a cheap coleman and a pricey MSR tent for a trip in Oregon

I was heading out for a 5 day trip in the Columbia River Gorge last spring and needed a new tent. My old one finally gave out after a zipper broke in the rain. I had it narrowed down to a basic Coleman dome tent for $80 or an MSR Hubba Hubba for $450. I went with the MSR because the weather forecast looked rough and I didn't want to deal with leaks or broken poles. First night a storm came through with 30 mph wind gusts and the thing held solid, no sagging or pooling water. My buddy brought a cheap tent and spent half the night trying to keep his rainfly from flapping off. Was that difference in price actually worth it for you guys or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

averyc9422d ago

Used to think all tents were just overpriced fabric, but that storm story changed my mind.

logan_anderson4022d ago

Man oh man, that's exactly how I felt too! You never really GET it until you're in a tent during a real storm and it doesn't collapse on you. Good gear is worth every penny when the weather goes sideways.

max_schmidt7722d ago

Disagree a little... that Coleman would've held up fine if you set it up right and got it guyed out before the storm hit. Most of the time people cheap out on stakes or pitch it loose and blame the tent.