Posted by Roy Scribner on December 31, 2009 under Family Camping, Tents, big agnes tents, camp, camping gear, camping tent, family, family camping tents, quality tents | 
Over the next several weeks, I will be looking at some of the best tents on the market, for family camping. First up, this week, is Big Agnes in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Big Agnes is known for quality tents featuring easy-to-assemble clip-style construction and lightweight hub-style frames. In addition, these tents all feature aluminum poles, which are superior to the more common fiberglass poles that come with cheaper tents. Big Agnes tents are more expensive than many others, but they will last for years and their no-nonsense 100% guarantee can’t be beat.
Big House
The Big House comes in 4-person ($299.95 – shown) and 6-person ($359.95) models. The $50 footprint is available separately, as is a huge (52sq. ft.) front vestibule for $100. These nice, tall, tents provide plenty of room for family camping. In fact, the 6-person model features a center-height of 6’ 3”. The center-height of the Big House 4 is just under 6-feet, at 68-inches.
Lynx Pass
The Lynx Pass 4 ($299.95) is a lower-profile tent than the Big House and light enough for backpacking, at 7lb. 9oz (tent, fly and poles). The integrated vestibule provides 17sq. ft. of storage space for shoes and other small items. For summertime use, you can use just the footprint (sold separately) with the frame and fly for a 5lb. 10oz. backpacking solution.
Jupiter’s Cabin
The Jupiter’s Cabin 4 ($289.95) line is new for 2010 and is a bit of a cross between the Big House and Lynx Pass models. The Jupiter’s Cabin line is relatively heavy, at 11lb., 6oz. (tent, fly and poles), which is indicative of the heavier polyester fly and less mesh venting. The center-height of the Jupiter’s Cabin is 66-inches and, while the footprint (sold separately) and fly can be used independently of the tent body, for lightweight summertime use, this combination still tips the scales at 9lb. 14oz. so the utility of this feature in the Jupiter’s Cabin line is of marginal benefit.
See also…
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Posted by Roy Scribner on under Family Camping, Tents, camp, camping gear, camping tent, family, family camping tents, quality tents |
Over the next several weeks, I will be looking at some of the best tents on the market, for family camping. First up, this week, is Big Agnes in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Big Agnes is known for quality tents featuring easy-to-assemble clip-style construction and lightweight hub-style frames. In addition, these tents all feature aluminum poles, which are superior to the more common fiberglass poles that come with cheaper tents. Big Agnes tents are more expensive than many others, but they will last for years and their no-nonsense 100% guarantee can’t be beat.
Big House
The Big House comes in 4-person ($299.95 – shown) and 6-person ($359.95) models. The $50 footprint is available separately, as is a huge (52sq. ft.) front vestibule for $100. These nice, tall, tents provide plenty of room for family camping. In fact, the 6-person model features a center-height of 6’ 3”. The center-height of the Big House 4 is just under 6-feet, at 68-inches.
Lynx Pass
The Lynx Pass 4 ($299.95) is a lower-profile tent than the Big House and light enough for backpacking, at 7lb. 9oz (tent, fly and poles). The integrated vestibule provides 17sq. ft. of storage space for shoes and other small items. For summertime use, you can use just the footprint (sold separately) with the frame and fly for a 5lb. 10oz. backpacking solution.
Jupiter’s Cabin
The Jupiter’s Cabin 4 ($289.95) line is new for 2010 and is a bit of a cross between the Big House and Lynx Pass models. The Jupiter’s Cabin line is relatively heavy, at 11lb., 6oz. (tent, fly and poles), which is indicative of the heavier polyester fly and less mesh venting. The center-height of the Jupiter’s Cabin is 66-inches and, while the footprint (sold separately) and fly can be used independently of the tent body, for lightweight summertime use, this combination still tips the scales at 9lb. 14oz. so the utility of this feature in the Jupiter’s Cabin line is of marginal benefit.
See also…
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Posted by Roy Scribner on December 24, 2009 under Camping & Kids, Family Camping, Hiking, camp, campfire, camping activities, camping trip, experiences, family, hike, kids, wildlife |
As the year draws to a close, I’m looking forward to all the great camping trips we have planned for the coming year and I wonder what new experiences are in store for us. I don’t know if we’re disorganized or just easy going, but we never have a pre-planned agenda, when we head-off on our outdoor excursions. If we spend an afternoon skipping rocks across a stream or hiking some backcountry trail, everybody is having a pretty good time (okay, my younger two are probably whining at the two-mile mark, if we’re hiking!).
One thing that we all like to do is look for different kinds of wildlife. It’s one thing to look at pictures of bald eagles online, or in a book, but to actually see them in the wild is a special treat for us. We are fortunate, here in northern California, to have access to an abundant range of wildlife. It’s not uncommon for us to spot deer on our hikes, even in the middle of the afternoon.
When we are camping at the beach, the kids will even be motivated to get up early and trek down to the beach in order to see the seals fishing in the surf and the dolphins feeding just offshore.
Mealtimes are always a bit special in the backcountry, even when it’s something simple like hamburgers and baked beans. On hikes, I can usually coax another mile out of my young ones with yogurt-covered raisins or trail mix, which is special to them since they don’t get that at home. S’mores or popcorn is a special treat that, of course, the kids really enjoy.
The ability to have a campfire is probably the single biggest reason that we tend to camp in campgrounds, instead of dispersed camping on federal land. The campfire is always the center of activity when we are camping, whether its s’mores or an game of Uno®. In some of the places we camp, an early evening campfire is almost essential to keep the mosquitoes at bay!
What are some of your favorite camping activities?
See also…
Have you subscribed to my newsletter? I publish it once a month with articles that are unique to the newsletter and not found in the RSS or email feeds.
Posted by Roy Scribner on under Camping & Kids, Family Camping, Hiking, camp, campfire, camping activities, camping trip, experiences, family, hike, kids, wildlife |
As the year draws to a close, I’m looking forward to all the great camping trips we have planned for the coming year and I wonder what new experiences are in store for us. I don’t know if we’re disorganized or just easy going, but we never have a pre-planned agenda, when we head-off on our outdoor excursions. If we spend an afternoon skipping rocks across a stream or hiking some backcountry trail, everybody is having a pretty good time (okay, my younger two are probably whining at the two-mile mark, if we’re hiking!).
One thing that we all like to do is look for different kinds of wildlife. It’s one thing to look at pictures of bald eagles online, or in a book, but to actually see them in the wild is a special treat for us. We are fortunate, here in northern California, to have access to an abundant range of wildlife. It’s not uncommon for us to spot deer on our hikes, even in the middle of the afternoon.
When we are camping at the beach, the kids will even be motivated to get up early and trek down to the beach in order to see the seals fishing in the surf and the dolphins feeding just offshore.
Mealtimes are always a bit special in the backcountry, even when it’s something simple like hamburgers and baked beans. On hikes, I can usually coax another mile out of my young ones with yogurt-covered raisins or trail mix, which is special to them since they don’t get that at home. S’mores or popcorn is a special treat that, of course, the kids really enjoy.
The ability to have a campfire is probably the single biggest reason that we tend to camp in campgrounds, instead of dispersed camping on federal land. The campfire is always the center of activity when we are camping, whether its s’mores or an game of Uno®. In some of the places we camp, an early evening campfire is almost essential to keep the mosquitoes at bay!
What are some of your favorite camping activities?
See also…
Have you subscribed to my newsletter? I publish it once a month with articles that are unique to the newsletter and not found in the RSS or email feeds.