Stansport 2 Person Camping Tent

This is a cost effective option for a decent backpacking tent IF you realize up front that you need to waterproof it before use. Every tent I own, from the cheap ones made in China to the high dollar tents, has needed waterproofing before taking it out camping. I strongly recommend "Atsko Silicone Water Guard" as it's the BEST one out there that actually works. When you're applying the spray, you can actually see that it's bonding with the tent material as the tent begins to lose its transparent see-thru look. Pay special attention to spraying your stitched seams as well as you do the rest of the tent and you won't need separate seam sealer. You can find Atsko here on Amazon, but I pick mine up at Walmart for half the price and in a 13.125 oz can. I love the classic design of this tent and the fact that it packs down into a small enough package to stow in a backpack. (Even my smaller sized packs will hold this tent) Mine did not come with the rear window even though the box clearly says it has a "zippered/screened back window", which is a bummer because you need that window for ventilation in the warmer weather. I've even used this style of tent in the winter snow and stayed dry and warm. If you really want to improve this tent from the get-go, chuck the cheesy stakes and stretchy, cheap cords that come with all tents these days and replace them with good sturdy stakes and paracord for the tie-outs. (I use the stainless steel heavy duty stakes that Wally World sells for 48 cents each. You'll need 10 of them.) This is the 3rd tent of this style that I've bought over the years simply because they work extremely well if prepped right, are lightweight and pack down small. If possible, I do like to set up an overhead tarp just to keep the sun from turning this baby into a sweatbox in the warm months and add an extra layer of rain protection just in case. Like all tents I've ever owned, a little tweaking, waterproofing and common sense care during use and you'll enjoy this tent for a long time.

When my private multi-bajillion dollar jet is in the shop so that the golden toilet can be replaced after each flight, I find myself more often than not flying Spirit Airlines because of their wonderful carry-on bag policy. Since my personal assistant only gets to use 30 minutes of computer/internet time per day, and I limit him to using Walmart Connect's dialup service, he often forgets/does not have time to make sure to book me the 26$ carry on bag fare. Which in the long run is fine with me, because I dock him a week's pay for such atrocities, and use the money that I would have paid him to purchase a dodo egg so I can make a dodo egg/unicorn meat omelette. Don't worry, I know a guy.I also like to sit in the aisle on commercial airplanes because I need the leg space. My first wife disappeared into a Gulag never to be seen again because she insinuated that because I am only 5' 2.5" with a proportionately longer torso than legs, that I should be ok sitting in the middle or against the window. She also didn't understand why I like to put both armrests down, even if I have plenty of space to spare on each side because of my smallish frame. That's how people end up in the Gulag.I decided to blend in with the common people this past weekend when I had an event to attend to, and I had heard wonderful things about this mode of transportation called an "automobile." I thought I'd give it a try; I mean, how hard could it be compared to playing Forza 8 on my giant TV screen? I had also saved enough money up that I could buy a Bugatti Veyron, but for whatever reason the dealership that I went to called Carmax didn't have any available. Why would they call themselves "Carmax"? Luckily my personal assistant has what he refers to as a "minivan", and I told him that he could use 2 hours of my dedicated 100G LTE^2 connection per day if he let me borrow it. He was super excited, and kept prattling on about this thing called "e-mail" and how quickly he could send messages to people. I have no idea what he is talking about, of course, because when I want to "send a message", people just end up in the Gulag.Since I wasn't flying on Spirit, I had 26$ to spend on whatever I wanted. It's hard for me deal with those types of numbers because it didn't have a zero or a comma in it, but I saw a photo of people with tents, and they looked like they were smiling, so I bought this particular "scout" tent. For some reason, this company Amazon wouldn't let me pay for a tent with a 1,000 bill over the phone, so I had my assistant order me one. In return, I set the heat to 62 degrees in his living quarters instead of 55.****For reference, I am actually pretty short and have a small build, and I do drive a minivan when I go camping. My wife is not in the Gulag, though she does question why I need the aisle when I have really short legs. I don't have a private jet, I don't fly Spirit Airlines, I don't have a personal assistant, and I don't know what a 1,000$ bill looks like. I do have this particular tent though, and I used it when I completed a recent 24-hour run. A few thoughts:- As a first order of business, I recommend you getting rid of the stakes that come with this tent and replacing them with heavier duty ones.- As a second order of business, getting rid of the cheap nylon lines that come with the tent would also be helpful. Using the light/thin versions of rockstraps would work much better, and if you're using this to tour on a motorcycle, you probably have rockstraps or something similar laying around as it is.- Setup is remarkably easy and quick. Six stakes to hold the tent down, two poles that hold the tent up tied to two stakes, and two additional lines tied to two stakes that give width to the tent, though conceivably with one person, you won't really need the extra width. To recap: 4 lines, 2 poles, and 10 stakes.- As others have noted, the design and position of the pole by the front "door" makes it a bit tricky to get in and out. I have the luxury of being both short and small, so it wasn't an issue for me just to wiggle my body through, but anyone of average height or average build will probably look like a bear trying to get into a Fiat.- I can't speak to how well this thing fends off water since it was pleasant the entire weekend, but applying sealant would be an easy and worthwhile task. I didn't experience any condensation inside overnight, but maybe that's because I had the door cracked the entire time.- The design and shape of the tent would make it slightly difficult to find a protector/pad that fits perfectly. If you're worried about keeping the floor in good shape, you'd probably be better off just cutting/folding a tarp to the right size so that you could still access the stake holes.- I was able to fit a sleeping bag, a portable power source, and a styrofoam cooler all inside the tent without any issues. I probably could have fit one of my dogs in there too, but they stayed at home with my wife (who is not actually in the Gulag, remember).- The sack that the tent comes with is pretty decent, but if you're converting to better quality stakes and/or have other camping accessories, you're better off leaving the stakes and lines out and just putting those in a separate bag somewhere. Or finding just a slightly larger sack to carry them all in comfortably.Overall - price is right, really functional, and with a few small mods (better lines, better stakes, maybe sealant), this should last you several years and lots of fun.

I really love this thing. I can set it up in about 10 minutes and it weighs nothing. The stakes are very cheap and only lasted me a few uses before bending due to rocky grounds, but better replacements are affordable. It's not waterproof so you'll want a tarp if you are sleeping somewhere wet. I've slept through two shower storms without a tarp and while the water did seep through, it wasn't so bad. It's very small so it's more of a sleeping pod than a portable room, like some tents. I found a sleeping pad that fits the width of the tent perfectly and my wife and I can sleep fine in it together, but it's very cozy. "Cuddling" is cramped but possible ;) if the walls were truly water proof, this would be the perfect tent for me.