I love this tent and I really enjoyed watching this video. My 8 yr old and I put this together the first time and I learned quickly to put all the top polls in first and then add the side poles, opposite corner first. He and I put it together the next week by ourselves for a scouting camping trip and it took half the time after we used those tips. This tent is HUGE and amazing. It held up well through a surprise thunderstorm with winds and rain. We were dry except.for very slight leaking at the screens in the "front porch" everyone else in the camp had wet tents and bedding. We fit 2 twin cots and a queen cot in the middle.of this tent without touching the edge of the tent (imperative to prevent wicking of water into the tent) we still had plenty of room to move around in the tent. Highly recommend! Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the feedback on your tent. I also had a slight leak but nothing I couldn't easily deal with and I love having extra room in a tent and having a lot of great windows on nice days. Thanks for leaving the comment. Rick
Awesome video, thank you buddy!gooing out in 3 weeks down here in south Florida and just picked up this tent. It rains everyday this time of year so im probably gonna also run a tarp in between the rain fly just to be safe 👍
Good idea. I have a canopy I use in front of the tents sometimes to give more weather protection when it's raining. Let me know how it works for you. Rick
I had this tent out at the Miramonte Reservoir in SW Colorado this last week and we went though one of the worst thunderstorms I have ever been in. The wind had to have been gusting around 50 to 60 mph and it was about to take the tent down. One issue with this tent is how large it is, so it catches a lot of wind. There were five of us working to stabilize the tent and put more guy lines down with larger stakes. We were out in the wind and rain to save the tent, and when it was all over it held up well. Just remember to take extra paracord and larger stakes and make sure to stake it down well right away so you don't have to fight to keep the tent stable when the storm hits. Side Note: In my opinion, this is only a summer tent for Colorado. It is to cold in the Spring and Fall for this tent. Anywhere else, it's a solid 3 season tent. Rick
I really like this tent for the summers here in Colorado, but as I found out in one trip this summer near Telluride, Colorado, we had a massive thunderstorm blow through and it about took the tent down. We were able to get some larger stakes in the ground and more guy lines but it didn't hold up as well as some of tents we're using now. Mike has the 12'x12' Kodiak Canvas tent. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xEAdBMz5SGI.html I have the Kodiak Canvas 10'x14' Flexbow tent: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MCtSaGe5sAE.html and the Kodiak Canvas 10'x10' tent you can see here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E4ajVYJYuO0.html These tents are more expensive but honestly, I like them much better and they really held up well in the same storm we almost lost the Coleman tent in. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick
It has a lot of room inside and I get some great views and air flowing through when I open all of the windows. It's been a great tent so far. Thanks for leaving the comment. Rick
Yes, but during a major thunderstorm, this year at the Miramonte Reservoir here in Colorado, we had winds over 50 mph and I would guess much higher than that, and we almost lost the tent. We did stabilize it with more guy line and stronger stakes, but the one thing I did notice is that the top of the front doors, did not zip along the top, and some rain was coming in, however, I'm being a little critical during the worst of all storms I have ever slept in. I like the tent a lot and it has the most room I have ever had in a tent, but it really is best for warmer weather and I would get stronger guy lines and heavy duty stakes and always tie it down extremely well. The large size of this tent makes it more challenging in bad weather. Let me know if you have any other questions.
@@mikenrickoutdoors thanks we are in California so we don’t have crazy storms like that. Thanks for the info. Oh one question I just thought of the way the poles attach at the ground. Do you see any issues with that? I assume they are plastic and I would be concerned about them breaking. We are replacing a Coleman tent we have had for 10 years that has held up great but a pole finally snapped.
The attachments at the ground are metal, so there's no issues there. My "strong" recommendation is to use heavy duty stakes and bring along extra guy lines so you can stake it down well. One criticism I have is that the top is mesh, so when I had to put the tent up in a previous rain storm, the inside got soaked before I could get the rain fly over it. Just a few things to think about. Rick
I have used this tent many times and in different conditions and this is what I have personally found: 1. In heavy rain but light wind, the tent performed well with only one small leak near the floor but it was easily handled. 2. In heavy rain (thunder storm) with high winds, the tent almost blew over and had to be reinforced with addition tie-downs. 3. When setting up in rain, there is only a screen on the top of the tent so the inside will get wet until you get the rainfly on. Bottom line for me is this is a great family tent when you're in areas that will not get high winds and is best for summer use. I personally have move to Kodiak Canvas tents that hold up extremely well in high winds and can be used during the winter. Thank you for your advice on this tent. It's not meant for everyone and in every condition. Rick
I have the skylodge screened in room tent which I believe is a 12 person tent. Personally, I would look at a 12 person tent, such as the Sunlodge 12 person tent. These tents only sleep a lot of people when lined up side by side on the floor, but if you want to sleep on more comfortable cots and have tables for cooking and places to store your gear, then you need at least two times the people in your family. Currently, I have a Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow 10x14 tent and I feel it's barely enough for myself as a 1-person tent. I personally like a large cot, porta-potty, chair, propane heater and one or two table, which makes my 10x14 tent quickly run out of space. I hope this helps, but I would be looking for a two or three room tent for your family. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Rick
The Sunlodge doesn’t have the screen room built in. I don’t know. I’m getting frustrated shopping honestly. I feel like most family tents are just cheap in the size range and features. If you step up an really spend some money it seems like you loose some of the features. I don’t know. I just need a solid tent for my wife and I and our 5, 3, an 2 yr old boys. 3-4 night trips couple times a year week at most.
Mike and I have both bought 4-season tents from Kodiak Canvas and love them. Mike has the 12 x 12 Kodiak Canvas Cabin Lodge Tent and I have the Kodiak Canvas 10 x 14 Flex-bow Tent. These both have a lot of windows and are great for both warm and cold weather camping. I would recommend looking at Mike's 12' x 12' Cabin Lodge tent. It comes ready for a wood stove. Check out these two videos of the tent setup and the stove & oven setup. Mike's Tent: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xEAdBMz5SGI.html. Stove/Oven Setup: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yTXMSnogNRM.html. Let me know what you think. I think tents like these are far better for you and your family. Rick
