Gear

Best New Tents

July 17, 2009

Outdoor Life's test recently tested all of the latest tents with an eye toward choosing the best models for fall hunts. Here we size Hilleberg's very roomy Kaitum GT.

The Kaitum GT looks like a giant caterpillar but everything about this tent says quality. Super strong guys and materials and huge living and vestibule space for stowing gear. Yes, it's expensive, but worth every penny when the snow falls.

OR's Andromeda II rivals the Hilleberg in the expeditionary category. A huge vestibule but we found it a little trickier to set up.

Gear editor, John Taranto and I arguing the merits of various models.

Here we're just getting ready to put the rain fly on the MSR Carbon Reflex. This tent is super lightweight and an excellent choice for summertime use and into the early fall.

Good stake-down points on the MSR will help shed summer rains.

The Hilleberg's rounded design sheds rain, snow and wind with ease.

John and I crank all of the data and remarks into our score sheets.

The view from the roomy vestibule of the OR Andromeda II.

Got lots of gear? Vestibule space is critical. Both the Hilleberg and OR Andromeda have a ton.

We purposely set each tent up without looking at the instructions to see which ones were easiest and most intuitive.

Orange tent in the back is the Coleman Hooligan 2. An excellent buy at just $60.

Kelty's Apex tent poles snap together on a single hub that makes set-up a breeze. This was by far the easiest and quickest tent to set up.

Here' we're tying off the stake-down points on the Kelty Apex, which was one of the roomiest 3-person tents we looked at.

Eureka's Tundraline tent is very roomy, but it's heavy--definitely for car camping or use on horseback trips where weight is not a factor.

You can see all of our test results on tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads in our October 2009 gear section.

Going camping this summer? We have something for everyone with this
line up of awesome new tents.

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