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Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Take Back the Joy of Camping

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Too often we forget how to relax. Leave your iPod and smart phones at home, and remember what camping is supposed to be.

If you want to go forward, there are times when you first have to take a step back. Most of us head to the outdoors to relax and get away from the everyday grind of city life. Yet, give us time, and we can make a simple camping trip into a complicated affair.

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SnugPak Scorpion 3 Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Scorpion3-016While I enjoy just about all types of outdoors gear, I've always had a leaning to the stuff that's got a military feel or look to it.  Whether it's packs, clothes, or shelters, a quite of bit of gear that I've acquired falls under that category.  That must be at least part of the reason I was so excited to try out the new Scorpion 3 tent from Snugpak over the past few months.


 

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Kelty Shadehouse Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Shadehouse-007aSo, the night has ended or the rain has stopped and the sun is shining brightly on the world.  You can't stay in your tent all the time because you'll miss all the fun, but it's nice to have a retreat area where you can relax throughout the day when things slow down just a bit. That's exactly what the Kelty Shadehouse provides to help make your camping trip just a bit more comfortable.

 

 

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Kelty Palisade 4 Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Palisade4-004cDuring my usual camp outings, I usually have a fairly simply approach to my shelter--especially during the spring, summer, and fall.  I typically use a thin, silicone impregnated tarp for my shelter needs.  But, this year at our annual Practice What You Preach (PWYP) gathering, I took a big step toward luxurious living with Kelty's Palisade 4 tent.

 

 

 

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Integral Designs Silshelter Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

SilShelter005cA leading manufacturer of high end shelter designs, Integral Designs offers a wide range of solo options for the individual adventurer.  Today, we look at their Silshelter--a quick and easy shelter for those times that it really hits the fan!

 

 

 

 

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Woods CA Prospector Tent Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

IMG_4220cIt was during the electrical thunderstorm with hail and pounding rain outside, that I came to appreciate the canvas tent versus the “nylon cocoon”.  There was a point that I reached in camping when I realized I was a little bit beyond the “hobby” camper.

Update! In addition to the written review, we've also posted two videos as well so you can get a real-time feel for the tent and hear Joe tell a little about its construction.

 

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MSR E-House Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

100_2053cContinuing with our series of simple shelters to be used outdoors, Woods Monkey takes a look at MSR's E-House.  Our tester Scott (from www.scottsknots.net) gives us an overview of this new system.

 

 

 

 

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MSR E-Bivy Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

EBivy_1_aEditor's Note: At our recent Practice What You Preach outdoors gathering, we had several different companies send in gear for testing and evaluation by the participants.  One of those was Cascade Designs.  Doug Ritter of Equipped To Survive coordinated the efforts to obtain items from MSR and Platypus, both of which are divisions of Cascade Designs.  We'd like to thank Doug for helping facilitate the acquisition of the different products, and Cascade Designs for sending those items for all of the attendes to use during the week-long outing.

Bivouac bags, or bivies, are somewhat controversial among outdoors-people.  Designed for the military, they were originally marketed commercially towards climbers and adventure racers, and they have gained popularity with the bushcraft crowd.  The original intention of the bivouac bag was to provide emergency shelter in case of an injury or if it would be unsafe to continue due to inclement weather.  They became the ultralight shelter of the light-n-fast crowd, providing protection from the rain in lieu of a more traditional tent.  Bushcrafters, often fond of a tarp or primitive natural shelters, found bivouac bags useful to protect their sleeping bag and add some extra warmth in cold conditions.

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Titanium Goat Vertex 6.5 Tent and Stove Review

Reviews - Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

Editor's note:  Kevin Estela is a Survival Instructor for the Wilderness Learning Center in Chateaugay, New York.

98.6 degrees. It is the average body temperature of a person and the temperature the human body must remain around to survive. When a person becomes too cold or too hot by only a couple degrees, he or she will start to feel the effects of hypo or hyperthermia. During extended winter stays in the outdoors, it seems like there are few places to escape the cold other than outside by a fire or in a shelter in your sleeping bag. For years I never considered for more than a heartbeat bringing a fire into a nylon shelter, that is, until now.  I recently contacted DJ Leavitt at Titanium Goat in Ogden, UT about his company’s Vertex 6.5 tent with titanium collapsible stove.

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Payge McMahon is an adventure athlete and journalist who travels the world inspiring others to get outdoors, try new things and start checking off that bucket list. She has climbed in the Himalaya, summited the highest mountains in Africa, Japan and the continental United States, cycled through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, backpacked across Northern Spain, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and California’s 221 mile John Muir Trail. She has trekked through the deserts of Egypt and Jordan, the Amazon Rainforest and the list goes on! She is an expert in travel and many things outdoors. She writes for numerous magazines including National Geographic Adventures, Self Reliance Illustrated, Woods Monkey, Her Nashville and Her Look. To follow her latest adventures click the link above or go to www.facebook.com/paygemcmahon
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