Which tent would you recommend?

[Seth_O]

While reading SS I found out there is an (apparently) inevitable zombie invasion looming on the horizon.

So I plan to get a good tent for my family to live in during the apocolypse. Which tent would you recommend? Looking for something to house all 7 of us to live in for an extended period (think 1-2yrs.) Think a few feet of snow in the winter, and in the 90's in the summer (so heating and ventilation are a must.)

Specifically looking for something I can find on GL, not interested in the myriad of commercially made products. I probably have 1.5 folks to help set it up, so it can't require 8 GI's

What would you get?

 

[doghead]

A shovel.

Dig an underground lair, or grave....

 

[Seth_O]

A shovel.

Dig an underground lair, or grave....

Ok, while I was joking about the zombie apocolypse, I do really need some tent suggestions. I read a bunch of tent posts from different folks on here and saw some different thoughts play out, but they were primarily surrounding using the tent as a garage or short-term living conditions.

Modular and aluminum frame seem like a good place to start, but I don't know that much about mil tents....

 

[gunboy1656]

I would say for 8 use the GP medium.

You will still have room to use for other things, as well as a sleep area.

 

[Billy Bobbed]

Use your deuce bed as a tent,but the cargo cover on.There was a guy on here a few months ago he had a bed and couch in it,it was cool.It was well done,do a search.look up,took deuce camping on a SS search
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/Took the deuce camping.

 

[Crazyguyla]

Here is a site that has pictures of the most popular military tents.. the fram tent 16x16 is fairly easy to setup and can be made longer by adding sections.

Military tents- RDDUSA MILITARY TENTS

 

[wreckerman893]

Nothing will make you hate your companions more than erecting a GP Medium or Large unless you have done it several hundred times and have it down to a science.

I would reccommend looking for the ARFAB aluminum framed tents. They are easy to erect, covered with vinyl (as opposed to canvas), and you can hook several together to make one long tent.

They have been selling them on GL recently....usually in huge lots of frames (sometimes without the cover). If you just buy the frames you could cover them with large tarps and still be good to go.

Just my input for what it is worth.

 

[Stalwart]

Medium Base-X, simply amazing tents.

 

[wikallen]

How do you want to heat and cool your tent. With GP Small Medium and Large a barrel fuel stove or wood stove works well. We use a good size wood stove in our GP Small with 4 people and room to spare for a table and chairs. We do have vestibules on each end. We stay plenty warm on some very cold winter nights. We did pile snow on the outside walls one night of 30 below zero.

 

[CARNAC]

Bang for buck, frame tent or temper tent. Both are almost identical to each other with only a very slight size difference.

Some of the newer shelter systems are nice but hard to find in decent condition for a price you can afford. They also are
a set size so no expanding or contracting as needed. This also brings up the issue of maintenance. If the frame tent
gets ripped, replace the specific section or patch it. If a basex or drash gets ripped......oh well. Bust a strut on a basex,
and you're sleeping out. Should stress fiberglass strut that is about 3/8 in diameter.

I'd also stay away from the modular GP tents. Talk about needing a platoon to set the dang thing up.

Doghead was correct though. Dig a bunker and have firing ports, escape hatch, a years supply of food, and lots of ammo.


btw, what happens to zombies after say 30 days? Do they die off from starvation like they did in 28 Days? I mean, come
on, even a zombie body must have nutrition to survive even though they're dead. My zombie plan counts on that.

 

[Seth_O]

For heating I was planning on a tent compatible with a fuel-burning heater, and windows to open to ventilate to help cool it off.

I like modular, and love the idea of something with vestibules - then it's easy to do a cooking area, and seperated/enclosed latrine area. I saw something that looked great at the worlds most eclectic store (Smith & Edwards in Ogden, UT.) It was clearly military surplus, was modular, had vestibules, could have a liner and a floor, had windows, and was quite a bit spendier than I wanted to go (like $5k for 2 8/16 sections.) No idea what type of tent it was though, and it got me wondering what folks on here, who know a lot more about this stuff than I do, would use. I can't fit 7 folks in the back of an M35A2 for very long, and not at all with all the necessary supplies . The other added advantage to a tent (vs an entrenched shelter) is that I can semi-easily move it.

CARNAC - you'll note I am planning on 1-2 yrs for my apocolypse. Not limiting myself to zombie's.

 

[Crazyguyla]

Talking about zombie invasions.. artist is Travis Pitts

 

[SCSG-G4]

Seth,
What you probably saw was called a Temper Tent. Depending on what modules you want for them they can go from simple to a mini-palace, with budgets to match. Usually each section has windows on both sides, with screens. Advantage over the older GP Medium is there are no center poles, just the aluminum frame. Each one usually has a couple of places to hook in an A/C unit into the end for cooling, and the hospital versions have an inner liner and floor for sanitary reasons. They also have roof fly's for very hot or wet areas that go up above the standard roof to give better solar load and ventilation. Problem I see for you is that you will need a second deuce just to carry all the components. I think you would be better off to plan on building some simple log shelters and take the tools to build them, with tarps to form a quick roof while construction takes place. Logs also do a much better job of keeping natural predators away from family members.

 

[Seth_O]

Seth,
What you probably saw was called a Temper Tent..... Usually each section has windows on both sides, with screens. Advantage over the older GP Medium is there are no center poles, just the aluminum frame. Each one usually has a couple of places to hook in an A/C unit into the end for cooling, and the hospital versions have an inner liner and floor for sanitary reasons. They also have roof fly's for very hot or wet areas that go up above the standard roof to give better solar load and ventilation....

Yep, that sounds like exactly what I saw. Bummer about how much space it takes though, it was perfect for what I wanted. Maybe I should just pack it into a trailer and keep it there in case of emergency? Then just back the deuce up to it, hook it up and away we go.......

Tks SCSG!

 

[Poccur]

Base-X is sound advice...can pick them up on Ebay (!!!!) and DRMO...
They have aluminum frames, it is Drash that has fibreglass (they call it Titanitie). Aluminum struts can be fixed and if you pop one the tent still functions.
Look at 303 model, I move and put one of those up on my own, it is 18" x 15"...
Windows velcro shut, roll up with clear plastic covers or roll up again to have breathable mesh. Perfect no-see-um mesh for the zombie hoards milling around outside the shelter fascinated by the noise of your MEPs...

 

[art]

If you need one, I have a 16' x 16' vinyl frame tent for sale.
you can put together 2 tents to make a 16' x 32' or multibles of 16' eg: 16x48 16x54 and on & on.

 

[BadMastard]

All good ideas. If you were thinking custom, there is a place in Salt Lake City called the Tentman. Hope there makes custom tents and covers for everything from boats to airplanes. Might be worth checking out. She doesn't claim anything is zombie proof though, she knows zombies all too well after living in Utah for 10 years.

BadMastard

 

[Recovry4x4]

If you are talking of a tem residence, you only need to get it set up. Cost difference between a Base-X or Drash and a GP Medium is vast. My 9 yr old and myself can erect a GP Medium in just over an hour and strike it in half that time. If you get a decent deal on a GP Medium, I wouldn't turn my back on it.

 

[jamesfrom180]

Choosing Indian tipi (teepee, tepee) styles, sizes, and fabrics

Though not OD it is canvas. For long term living you really can't beat these things. Due to interesting family hobbies I've grown up around these things. Have seen them survive 50 MPH gust and tornadoes and can attest to the fact that when set up for it will stay cool or hot, which ever you choose. For the space they enclose relatively lite on weight. Single person with practice can set one up and take down. Plains Indian women did it for decades. You really can't argue with a couple centuries of R&D. I don't know your application but for my money if I had to live in a tent for more than a month that is where I would stay.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Wow, that was a lot to read.