New to backpacking starting my gear hunt

[PaulMags]

Eureka makes good "Bread and butter" tents. Not the lightest, but very solid and affordable tents. Can't go wrong.

[Gary M]

Eureka makes good "Bread and butter" tents. Not the lightest, but very solid and affordable tents. Can't go wrong.

My sons scout troop used Eureka tents, and I know a lot of other youth groups also use them. As mentioned, they are pretty good quality, and made tough enough to stand up to some abuse. Reasonably priced also. Not the best in the world, but "pound for pound", a real contender.

Gary M

Olathe, Kansas

[AdventureMyk]

My oldest active tent is a Eureka! 2 person that I bought in 1988. It's seen easily a couple hundred different camping runs. Aside from the seam seal in the floor eventually turning to powder she's still good to go. That's 27 years of use and her zippers still work perfectly, no threading or stitches coming undone, etc. While I have a new Eureka! Solitare I don't expect to get the same longevity out of it but then I mostly hammock camp so time will tell. Awesome products at a great price.

[toejam]

I found myself in need of a light tent quickly, and grabbed a Eureka Spitfire 1 at a local store for $89. Expected it to fall apart in a couple of seasons, but it was my go-to tent for 7 years. Was so light and easy I gave up futsing with a tarp. I always recommend those to people looking for a light, inexpensive tent.

[HikerJen]

I'm weighing in a little late, but my BSA Venture Crew uses Kelty Grand Mesa tents. They fit 2 people comfortably, have a full rainfly with vestibule, hold up great in rain and weigh only 4 lbs. I just picked up the tent and footprint on Amazon for $145 plus S&H - that was the best price I could find online.

[grizzled]

This may be a very limited option, but at the local U outdoor rec center (Montana State University) you can rent just about anything very reasonably. Test running a few options without forking over big cash would be a huge plus. Another parrot on forgetting a 10 lb tent for anything other than car camping. The only place for any 5 lb plus tent is a 3-4 season version for adverse conditions and even there, 7 to 8 lbs is getting heavy.

As for the gun, even if it was supposed to be fun, they do have a place. But only if your camping companions include grizzly bears. I've had several up close (less than 10') encounters with black bears over the years and all ended well for ALL parties involved. And I was packing a 44 mag during almost all of them.