Vintage-y tent?
 

So, I stopped at the local Goodwill today, and scored a tent. It's a 9' x 8' dome tent called the Quest Tamarack, made by NorthPole (sold to Dick's Sporting Goods around 2004), who apparently made most of the tents in the world, for other major brands.
It says it's a 3-season tent, so fairly warm when needed, and seems very well made. The best part is, it looks like it was never used, at least not outdoors, where it could get dirty. It also has the Owner's Manual and registration card, and had a 5 year warranty when new. 😎
Anyone have experience with this model, or at least any pre-2004 Quest tent? Just looking for confirmation, that it's at least decent.
Thanks. 🙂

2004 is practically new.

This is vintage.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...acb0827e0d.jpg

From 'Cycle and Camp' by Thomas Hiram Holding 1896

yeah. What caretaker said. :-)


Now to the tent. We don't really need a tent unless

1) it's buggy and then we might need a screen tent...
2) or unless it's raining and then it's all about sealed seams - does the tent have sealed seams? If the tent leaks then it is no longer useful. So, seam seal it and test it when the forecast is for torrential downpour. :-)
3) or unless it's very windy ... does your tent fabric and guy lines work at high winds? Test it.

You forgot condition 4) When you're camping in an area of plentiful snakes. 😲 And I don't really care to test that, lol, at least not on purpose. 😛😁😉
BTW, yes, it's seam sealed, and that's the second most important reason I got it, for rain. 👍
I'm pretty confident it's a pretty good tent, and big enough, I hope. I'm 6'2"-ish, and most so-called 2-man tents just don't have enough room.

9x8, it must be a four person tent then?

weight?

my guess at winning the prize is 9-10lbs

it has an interesting 'doormat' (based on a couple of photos from my google search

Most tents of that caliber work, but tend to be heavy. The five-year-warranty is probably more about average-user use predictions, than a testament to it's actual longevity. Keep in mind that you bought a fifteen-year-old tent that's been used 0-1 times.

It's unlikely that those old-seams will hold up as long as originally intended.

What are the poles made of? Fiberglass is heavy and they tend to break. Aluminum especially DAC poles are what you want.

BTW: I would never want to carry anything that big for solo use on a bike tour. 2/3-man size would be the biggest I'd go. Also I would always want a tent intended for backpacking, so at least somewhat-lighter-weight.

I checked out some pictures. It’s described as a six person tent. Looks like it probably well over 10 pounds -and bulky. More of a car camping tent IMHO. I sure wouldn’t want to haul that along on a tour but good luck to you! If it works for you great. If not, no big loss.

3-season means it won't hold up to snow. 4-season tents will. 3-season category has little to do with warmth per-say.

UV deteriorates Nylons , so at some point the fabric will tear easily..
unless this one stayed in the bag but for a day or so over all that time..







....




....

yup, it is specced as a 10lb tent, but could be 11.
I've carried a 7lb tent around a lot over the years, but certainly wouldnt want to have a heavier one.

I know, I know, like everything its about money, so I appreciate that it was inexpensive.
It is what it is.

If you are going to use it, it would be worth your while buying some seam sealer and going over all the fly and floor seams one day, do a good job and it will be a serviceable tent.

Erect your tent and check for age-related issues. The waterproof coating tends to degrade over time, and 15 years is definitely old by outdoor gear standards. Carefully inspect tent floor and rainfly to determine if waterproof coating is flaking off or delaminating from the base fabric.

As others have indicated, anything over 5-6 lbs is a pretty heavy tent for single person use.

I never did find anything saying how many "men" it's supposed to hold, but I know my previous 8' x 7' tent was fairly smallish for me. This is supposed to be UV resistant, or whatever they call it, and supposed to be pretty good in the wind, too. Besides, for $8, I think most of us would at least try it, huh? 😁😉 Right at 10 pounds is a bit heavier than I'd really like, but it's one of those compromises you have to make, when you're tall and need more room. ✌️ They do call it a backpacking tent, btw, just on the heavier end of that category, I guess.

For $8 I would neither buy nor try it. A 10 lb tent for one person is cray cray. And 6'2" isn't that tall to need like a 6 person tent.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish (fits here).

Car Camping Seems done a lot in Europe ..

Set up the Tent in a commercial , fairly secure campground, and just hang out..

If shared by 3-5 people a 10lb tent might be OK, for solo use it is a waste of energy. $8 is a great deal if you can use it for car-camping, or backyard play :)

a 10-pound tent might not be so bad if you're going on a short tour and expect to spend longish periods settled at one campsite, doing day tours in the vicinity. lugging that much weight on a longer tour, especially up steep climbs, will get old ueber fast.

I used a couple different solo tents and a couple tents rated at two people. I find that for a week, I can get by with a solo tent but for a month long trip I want to be able to spread out a bit better and bring more of my gear into the tent with me. Two of my two person tents below.

I did several cycling trips with an REI Nitelite. It was 3,005 grams, add another 460 grams for ground sheet. Photo below. Weighs too much but was a great tent in the wind.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4600d68dd2.jpg


Then I bought a Big Agnes Scout Plus. It is a trekking pole tent, poles not included. I made some tent poles that are short enough when folded to fit in a pannier. With poles, that tent with a plastic ground sheet is 1,565 grams. About half the weight of the other tent that it replaced. Not a self supporting tent and when you are on a wood platform, not easy to stake out when you are trying to jam twigs between the planks to use as stakes. This tent has a lot of condensation, I would never recommend it for two people but as a solo tent I can be careful to avoid touching the ceiling.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...281c4cb6b6.jpg

I like both tents but when I am pedaling up a steep hill, I kind of like the one that weighs only half as much better.

My favorite tent of all time was my made in Camden Maine, Moss Starlet. 1 1/2 person size it weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds. That said, the weight never bothered me. I've since replaced it with a Big Agnes weighing less than half. I still use the Starlet for car camping. The Moss is much more durable, more resistant to tears...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ffb10ceb70.jpg
Moss without fly ^

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d99425c396.jpg
Moss with fly ^

Agree with @Tourist in MSN. Generally prefer one person more capacity than is sleeping in the tent.

That said, 6 people and 10# is massive! Might as well keep your bike indoors with that!

So if I just find 2-4 women to share it with, everything will be fine? 😁😉 I absolutely get you guys' point, on the weight, that's why I've refrained from using a tent, in the past, for touring. But I figure, if you're gonna carry a tent, you might as well carry one you'll be comfortable in.
As for floor space, you also have to figure in, if you're a restless sleeper or not. I can toss & turn like crazy, lol, and don't want to damage myself or the tent, because of it. 😲
I still haven't set it up yet, but should have time for that later today or tomorrow. 😎

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1c4ceae2a.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b0b121dd5.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...128210fa8.jpeg
OK then, I'll try this one out, just to make you guys happy. 😁😉
This came from the same thrift store, and this one also appears to be unused. But this one is smaller, so only cost me $5. 😁
This is mentioned at trailspace, but seems slightly hard to find, according to one reviewer. 🤔 Behold, my new carbon-fiber poled Sierra Designs Ultra Lightyear CD!!! 😎
But I warn you, if I feel cramped, I'm blaming each & every one of you. 😄😉

Cool find. I heard that model was replaced by the ultra lightyear ipod

When I looked up that tent, it made me think of the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea sub....

And hey, it says it's good up to 6'6"

Good call!

Great deal and that's the right kind of tent for solo touring use.

You solved your weight problem 😀 Congrats!

Now , really, wait for big storm forecast and pitch it in your backyard ... better yet , get your sleep system in and sleep the night during the storm.

Sizewise it looks good

one of my tents is big agnes fly creek one...i use it on few selected trips...I am not impressed by it compared to my other tents but it does keep me dry, it weighs next to nothing and sizewise the footprint is awesome for stealth camping because it makes it easy to fit in a flat spot.

I swoon over the Moss Starlet tent mentioned in the post above. I was never able to get one but I would have loved to adopt one as my sea kayaking tent.