High Sierra Appalachian Tent
By: The w0rkm0nk3ys
Growing up, all I needed to have for a great night’s sleep was a comfy bag, pillow and a
cot. Then again growing up in Southern California, that was really all I needed to be
comfy and get a good nights’ sleep when camping in that area.
Now as a grown-ass man my body is not quite so pliant as it used to be, and I need to search for some comfort here and there. Plus I have my wonderful Wife around these days. Being able to go more places and do more things these days, my personal gear has to be able to handle an array of conditions to be at all cost-effective.
Choosing a tent can be sketchy, and you’re investing hundreds on average in your hard earned green for something which is
supposed to help keep you warm, dry and protected from the elements.
At over 47.5lbs, the High Sierra Appalachian should be sturdy.. Because it’s definitely not light. Upon unboxing, I
was very pleased to see a package which is basically a rollerduffle- easy to move, provided you need to drag it behind
you someplace. Further removal of the contents revealed a well put together package.
My wife Wendy and I decided to put it up the first chance we had, which was the very next weekend. After taking a look at
the instructions it took us a few minutes to hash out placement, and we went to work. The tent went up fairly quick- from
pulling it out of the bag to raising the tent was about 5 minutes, not including the time it took to simply get our bearing on the new parts- not bad.
The first thing we noticed after putting up the tent and stepping inside, is that it is big on the inside. We took some time to inspect everything to make sure all was in good repair, then broke it down and got it ready for the trip the following weekend. Destination: Papoose Flats, INYO Mountain Range area of Eastern California.
At our destination we were greeted that evening with mild breezes and clear yet crisp air. We had to place the tent in an area which was much rockier than we normally used, so we placed a second footer on the ground as a buffer. Also, we could see weather coming in when we were setting up, so we made sure to tie everything down extra tight, especially the rain fly..
Our first experience with the tent fully set up was great- tons of room, great windows, and with a simple breeze the tent was very warm. I immediately had to open several windows for increased air flow. When looking around while inside with the dividers open, you can see how large the tent is-seemingly larger than it’s 8-person capacity would dictate. One particularly irritating find- the way the permanently installed zip-open room divider is designed. It makes it much harder than I’d like to freely move around the tent. At the bottom it’s attached to the floor by a zipper to a lip which stands 4-5 inches high- way to high for easy movement about the cabin. You shouldn’t have to feel like you are stepping up onto a curb when you are only trying to go into the opposing side of the tent.
As our day in the mid to high 50s turned to evening, the breeze turned into wind and got cold. Very cold. By the time we went to bed the wind was howling and the gusts repeatedly hit at over 60mph. Through the night the temp continued dropping- in our estimation it easily reached the low 20s, and possibly even lower before rising in the morning. Even with 3 bags, layers of thermals & clothing, and 2 people plus a dog all huddled inside the tent with a heater going full blast all night we were shivering to the bone cold. In the morning once we defrosted and got a chance to take a look at the tent...
To our extreme surprise everything held... At a price. Due to the heavy wind, one of the metal poles bent, but not enough to where it was a major issue. Considering the severity of the conditions, we were surprised the tent wasn’t flattened on top of us! We were able to get the thing to last the rest of the trip for us- another 6 days. During that time we also noticed that our efforts to protect the floor were also in vain- a small yet noticeable hole somehow was created through the floor of the tent even with the extra tarp beneath.
PROS
* Well designed for space
* Bay windows
* Doors on both sides
CONS
* Permanently attached Privacy Divider made tent hard to move around in
* Bent pole and hole in floor (admittedly under less than ideal conditions)
* Heavy
Overall we liked this Tent quite a bit. We were happily surprised that the unit held in the wind. We felt like the tent was well designed overall, fairly easy to use, and sturdy. Other factors which we had to consider were the maddening design of the room divider, the floor damage even with the additional protection, and finally the weight.
3.0 of 5 Stars
-w0rkm0nk3ys
GEAR
During this next adventure we have a crap-load of gear to take a look at for you:
GoPro Hero3 Black Edition
First, we get our Geek on with the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition. Our destinations and planned activities will make a perfect setting to run the Camera & gear through their paces- we can't wait!
Next, we'll be testing out a new tool in our kit- the Fiskars X7 Hatchet. Fairly-important as we're not taking any wood with us and we'll need to rely on dead/downed fuel.
Fiskars X7
Our final (and definitely most relaxing) reviews will be to help address one of the major needs of anyone who camps- a reasonably restful base to recuperate on after your day in the wilderness- in other words, mattresses.
Canyon Combo SUV Quickbed
This time around we're taking a look at both the Coleman Canyon Airbed Combo, as well as the Coleman SUV Quickbed.
Will this gear stand up to the test of Crater Lake, the Umpqua National Forest, and The WorkMonkeys?
Stay tuned & find out!
What's Next:
Life. Unpaved.
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