I bought this tent in preparation for an overnight camping trip for a family of 5, including a 1 year old. Of course as soon as it arrived the kids wanted to sleep in it THAT night. Well, it was quite the rainy night - ALL NIGHT LONG, light rain to downpours. After setting it up in the drizzle, and wiping out the inside, this tent remained bone dry all night with the factory taped seams. Water just beads off the fly, outside walls, and storm flaps over the windows. I was very impressed with this aspect of the tent. Although the rainfly does not cover much of the long sides of the tent, as I mentioned before, water just beaded and slid off the fly, and down the sides of the tent.
Ventilation was excellent - I was able to open the tops of the storm flaps on the two windows on opposite short sides, in the pouring rain. The fly over these two windows extends out from the tent far enough to protect these windows from even driving rain. The entire top of the tent is mesh and allowed for plenty of air circulation.
The fly has a great feature (in my opinion) - it has four see-through panels at the peak of the tent which allow you to look through the mesh tent roof, to the sky!! If you prefer not to, the tent itself has a zipper panel that zips over the mesh roof in the areas where the fly has the see-through panels. The fly also has the Eureka! logo watermarked into the the outside surface of the fly.
The quality of the materials is excellent, as I would expect from Eureka!. Zippers work very well, fabrics are substantial, and the size is wonderful. I am 6'6" and I can stand easily throughout the tent.
The tent setup easily and all the pieces fit together well. I used a 16'x20' tarp underneath and folded the rest under the tent.
I have not yet used the divider for 2 rooms, the awning, or the included gear loft.
It was obvious to me that a lot of thought went into this tent and it shows in the quality and features. I am looking forward to many years of fun.
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Eureka Copper Canyon 1512 Twelve-Person 15-Foot by 12-Foot Family TentProduct Description: Featuring vertical walls for maximal internal space, this 15-foot x 12-foot (180 square feet) freestanding cabin-style tent accommodates up to 12 campers on cots. The tent includes a removable curtain so it can be divided into two rooms as well as being configured as a single room. Two D-shaped doors with side flaps permit private entry into each room and have large #8 zippers with covers for durability and rain protection. Six large zippered mesh windows open for visibility and airflow and close for privacy. Toggles keep window flaps off the floor and out of the way. A detachable awning shades the front. A fly with clear-panel skylights permits stargazing and includes pockets for storing storm guyouts when not in use. A port allows an extension cord (not included) to be run into the tent. A sweep-out point facilitates housekeeping. A hanging gear-loft supplies convenient storage.
Made of 1200mm, 75D polyester, the tent has nine steel and fiberglass poles that slip into sleeves during setup. Frame clips and ring-and-pin assemblies also facilitate setup. Mesh screens out insects as small as no-see-ums. The tent weighs 39 pounds, 8 ounces and has a center height of 7-foot-4.
Eureka! tents' standard design features include bathtub-style floors that wrap up the sides to keep water out; nickel sliders and self-healing zippers; and factory-taped major seams to seal out weather.
Key Details: The spacious Copper Canyon 1512 tent can sleep up to 12 campers.
Floor Size: 15 x 12 feet
Pack Size: 10 x 28 inches
Center Height: 7' 4"
Minimum Weight: 39 pounds, 8 ounces
Tent Area: 180 square feet
Seasons: 3
Sleeps: 12
Doors: 2
Windows: 6
Wall Fabric: 75D polyester taffeta, 1200 mm
Fly Fabric: 75D StormShield polyester, 1200 mm
Floor Fabric: 75D polyester taffeta, 1200 mm
Mesh Fabric: 68D no-see-um
Frame: 12.65 mm fiberglass and 19.5 mm steel
About Eureka! Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka's long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.
The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company's annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.
In 1960, Eureka's new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.
For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.
Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women's Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.
Amazon.com Tent Guide Selecting a Tent Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Expect the Worst In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.
Three- and Four-Season Tents For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.
For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.
Domes and Tunnels Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.
Size Matters Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.
Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.
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Suisse Sport Fit 3 Person Tent.I Just used this tent for a five day camping trip in the Tennessee mountains.It went up easy and stayed dry during a heavy down pour.Saying it is a 3 person tent is a bit of a stretch.I can see 2 people using it fairly comfortably but 3 would be very tight.Also, due to the slant of the sides, if you are over 6 feet tall your head and feet may hit the walls. For 1 or 2 people under 6 feet tall this is a good product for the money.
