Camping Tents
Coleman Sundome Tent Review: One Season of Real Use
Ten weekends, one hard May rain, and about 15 minutes to put up alone. What 63 square feet of Coleman Sundome actually does for two people who camp out of a car.
One long May rain, one dry floor at six in the morning, and the fifteen-minute pitch that made me stop thinking about tents.
Ten weekends, one hard May rain, and about 15 minutes to put up alone. What 63 square feet of Coleman Sundome actually does for two people who camp out of a car.
One woman's side-by-side on the two Coleman dome tents weekend campers keep asking about, from somebody who actually sleeps in one of them.
Ten practical reasons, from a woman who has camped in one for a season of weekend trips.
One long May rain, one dry floor at six in the morning, and the fifteen-minute pitch that made me stop thinking about tents.
Five steps, in the right order, from someone who pitches a four-person Coleman alone about ten weekends a season.
Ten weekends, one all-night rain, and the handful of things I would change if the company asked me.
I slept on the same closed-cell foam pad for ten camping weekends in north Alabama. Here is what it fixed, what it did not, and who should walk past it.
One is a foam pad that cannot go flat. The other gives you cushion you can feel. A season of car camping tells you which one you actually want.
Eight months of weekend trips on a closed-cell foam pad, after a generic air mattress kept deflating under me by morning.
A retired hygienist, a deflating air mattress, and eight months of two-night weekends in north Alabama.
Five steps I use every camping weekend, in the order I use them, starting with the layer under the sleeping bag that most people skip.
Eight months on one closed-cell foam pad, the good parts and the parts that will not suit everyone.
Eight months, about ten camping weekends, one battery change. What the Spot 400 actually did on the gravel loop between our campsite and the bathhouse.
One lamp has been on my head for eight months of real camp weekends. The other I have only handled in a store and at a neighbor's site. Here is the honest split.
A retired hygienist who has camped the southern Appalachians for twenty-five years on the one piece of gear she reaches for every single night.
A 200-yard walk down a gravel loop road, a flashlight clamped under the chin, and the small piece of gear that ended all of it.
Five steps I use on the 200 yard walk from the site to the bathhouse, plus the light strapped to my head while I do it.
One season, one lamp, one battery change. The parts of owning a Black Diamond Spot 400 that the spec sheet leaves out.
I bought it in March to stop digging a warm water bottle out of my daypack. Eight months and a lot of miles later, here is what held up and what did not.
A day hiker's honest comparison of the Teton Sports Oasis Hydration Pack and the CamelBak Rogue Light hydration vest, based on one season on the trail and a campground look at the vest.
A retired dental hygienist on why the Teton Oasis earned a place on weekly 3-to-6-mile hikes.
Twenty years of taking the pack off for a drink, and what finally ended it.
Five steps I actually use on a humid north Alabama trail, plus the one piece of gear that made the habit stick.
One season, about thirty day hikes, and one June rainstorm. Here is what holds up on the Teton Sports Oasis, and the parts I would change if I could.
Eight months, about ten campground weekends, one burn ban, and a lot of bacon. Here is what the two-burner actually did and what it did not.
I bought the Camp Chef Explorer in March and cooked on it through one season. Here is how it compares with the Coleman Triton for car campers who want a real breakfast.
A retired dental hygienist on why she gave a two-burner stove permanent space in the car, and what it will not fix.
A county burn ban shut off the campfire on a July weekend. Breakfast still happened, on two propane burners set up beside the car.
Five steps, one stove, and the order I actually cook in, from a season of weekend trips.
Ten camping weekends, a couple dozen breakfasts, one burn ban, and a short list of things I would change if anybody asked me.
Ten weekends, one hard May rain, and about 15 minutes to put up alone. What 63 square feet of Coleman Sundome actually does for two people who camp out of a car.
Ten weekends, one all-night rain, and the handful of things I would change if the company asked me.
I slept on the same closed-cell foam pad for ten camping weekends in north Alabama. Here is what it fixed, what it did not, and who should walk past it.
Eight months on one closed-cell foam pad, the good parts and the parts that will not suit everyone.
Eight months, about ten camping weekends, one battery change. What the Spot 400 actually did on the gravel loop between our campsite and the bathhouse.
One season, one lamp, one battery change. The parts of owning a Black Diamond Spot 400 that the spec sheet leaves out.
I bought it in March to stop digging a warm water bottle out of my daypack. Eight months and a lot of miles later, here is what held up and what did not.
One season, about thirty day hikes, and one June rainstorm. Here is what holds up on the Teton Sports Oasis, and the parts I would change if I could.
Eight months, about ten campground weekends, one burn ban, and a lot of bacon. Here is what the two-burner actually did and what it did not.
Ten camping weekends, a couple dozen breakfasts, one burn ban, and a short list of things I would change if anybody asked me.