My Eureka Timberline 2 tent...
(Originally posted to Facebook on 10/20/16.)
[Backstory: Earlier this year, my friend Heather (aka maedbh7) had been looking for a "bivvy tent", and found one on Craigslist for $40. The seller was in Dayton, and had asked me to pick it up for her. And earlier this week, we finally took it on an overnight outing to Buck Creek State Park, east of Springfield, OH.]
While Heather tried out the Eureka Solitaire tent (and posted a review to her wall), I used my tried and trusty Eureka Timberline 2. I've had it since the early 1990s. It's somewhat styled after the 2-person tents we had in my Boy Scout troop. It sleeps 2 medium-sized people, or 1 large person. There are zippered vents at both the front and back of the tent to provide ventilation.
I use a 6' x 8' tarp below the tent as a ground cloth, and their "floor saver" (a sheet of thick plastic cut to fit this tent) inside the tent. There is an optional vestibule that attaches to the front of the tent to give me a little bit of storage space for gear and wet/muddy footwear. And there's a mesh "gear loft" that attaches to loops inside the tent to hold light items (flashlight, wallet, meds, cell phone, etc.).
Camping hack: I sprayed primer, fluorescent paint, and clear coat on the heads of the steel stakes so I can find them easier if they're laying in the grass. Brightly colored duct tape may work just as well.
My queen-size air mattress fills nearly the entire floor area. If it's inflated outside the tent, it's a little tricky to put inside. I often have to unroll the air mattress and then inflate it after it's inside. Ditto that for deflating.
Disadvantages: The tent isn't tall enough to stand up in, so changing clothes can become an adventure. If the fly touches the interior "roof" of the tent, dampness can occur inside the tent. And the zippers sometimes get caught and stuck on the sides of the zipper.
Despite these disadvantages, this is a great tent for a weekend outing.
[Backstory: Earlier this year, my friend Heather (aka maedbh7) had been looking for a "bivvy tent", and found one on Craigslist for $40. The seller was in Dayton, and had asked me to pick it up for her. And earlier this week, we finally took it on an overnight outing to Buck Creek State Park, east of Springfield, OH.]
While Heather tried out the Eureka Solitaire tent (and posted a review to her wall), I used my tried and trusty Eureka Timberline 2. I've had it since the early 1990s. It's somewhat styled after the 2-person tents we had in my Boy Scout troop. It sleeps 2 medium-sized people, or 1 large person. There are zippered vents at both the front and back of the tent to provide ventilation.
I use a 6' x 8' tarp below the tent as a ground cloth, and their "floor saver" (a sheet of thick plastic cut to fit this tent) inside the tent. There is an optional vestibule that attaches to the front of the tent to give me a little bit of storage space for gear and wet/muddy footwear. And there's a mesh "gear loft" that attaches to loops inside the tent to hold light items (flashlight, wallet, meds, cell phone, etc.).
Camping hack: I sprayed primer, fluorescent paint, and clear coat on the heads of the steel stakes so I can find them easier if they're laying in the grass. Brightly colored duct tape may work just as well.
My queen-size air mattress fills nearly the entire floor area. If it's inflated outside the tent, it's a little tricky to put inside. I often have to unroll the air mattress and then inflate it after it's inside. Ditto that for deflating.
Disadvantages: The tent isn't tall enough to stand up in, so changing clothes can become an adventure. If the fly touches the interior "roof" of the tent, dampness can occur inside the tent. And the zippers sometimes get caught and stuck on the sides of the zipper.
Despite these disadvantages, this is a great tent for a weekend outing.