Second GRAVE MISTAKE: I purchased the Coleman's Outsider Tent from Big 5 in the Fall of 2003. The Outsider Tent COLLAPSED when it rained in the winter months of 2003. I was livid when everything I owned was waterlogged and damaged while camping in the Coleman Outsider Tent! I immediately returned the Coleman Outsider Tent to Big 5 the next business day!
I have purchased tents from Target and Wal-Mart, too. However, I purchased a large 6-7 man tent from Target with two doors, but the zippers broke, leaving the tent unusable and no access into the tent. I did buy this small, hiking junior tent from Target. I decided to keep the junior camping tent from Target as a storage tent for my camping
...Read More
Second GRAVE MISTAKE: I purchased the Coleman's Outsider Tent from Big 5 in the Fall of 2003. The Outsider Tent COLLAPSED when it rained in the winter months of 2003. I was livid when everything I owned was waterlogged and damaged while camping in the Coleman Outsider Tent! I immediately returned the Coleman Outsider Tent to Big 5 the next business day!
I have purchased tents from Target and Wal-Mart, too. However, I purchased a large 6-7 man tent from Target with two doors, but the zippers broke, leaving the tent unusable and no access into the tent. I did buy this small, hiking junior tent from Target. I decided to keep the junior camping tent from Target as a storage tent for my camping gear/food which I keep inside my Gardner Peak Columbia Tent.
By keeping the Target junior tent inside my Gardner Peak Tent, this keeps animals from raiding my food supply-I lock this small tent making it very difficult for a small animal to pry open the locked, zippered tent. This sobering fact is especially true when you accidentally leave the Dutch "D" door open . . . animals such as squirrels, birds, rats meander into an open tent hunting for food.
I make it a habit to not use the bulky, plastic tubs to store my camping supplies since it takes up a considerable amount of space in my Toyota Limited Edition 4WD 4-Runner. Still, animals are tenaciously able prying open the plastic lid! Using the junior camping tent as a storage bin-it rolls up compact and small or lays perfectly flat when your food/camping supplies are consumed. Stowing a junior camping tent is far more conducive traveling with less bulk in your car or SUV.
Also, I owned a cabin tent with screen room from Wal-Mart, but this tent did not last the rainy seasons or high winds. The Wal-Mart cabin tent proved to be unstable, wobbly, and very little moving room when I have my queen-size bed set-up inside this tent.
Moving on-I purchased an Aerodome Tent from Marshall's in the men's department (odd place to buy a tent, huh?). I still have the Aerodome tent for changing on the beach, cooking in this tent due to the open door ventilation feature, storing my food and camping supplies such as firewood, cooking stove, etc. when I just bought too much food/camping supplies stored in my Target junior camping tent. So, the Aerodome is a cool tent that has a great zipper that I can lock when I leave my tent to go play on the beach or leave my tent to get food/camping supplies.
The tents made from 2003 to present from Wal-Mart, Target (except for the junior hiking tent), and Sears have cheap zippers on all their tents and slight/nil poorly designed gear space. I have all my pictures to document all the tents I have owned to show how each tent weathered through each season's use.
Read Less