the Ferret
01-09-2009, 08:41 PM
My brother and I just ordered and recieved these 2 tents for motorcycle camping and I thought I might give you a side by side comparison if you are interested in buying a 2 man tent. I bought the Eureka per recommendations on another site.
First of all the Cabelas tent costs more. $139.00 plus shipping so lets say $150 vs the Eureka which lists for $125 but I found on sale for $94 plus a $10 rebate and free shipping..so lets say $84 delivered to my door.
The Eureka set up quickly with short sleeves on 1 end and ring and pin on the other end. It has fiberglass poles (2) that are shock corded and 1 end has a plastic cap which slides into the small sleeves. To hold the tent against the poles, there are 3 clips on each side that doesn't have the sleeve and the two sides with the sleeves have 2 clips. There is a loop and barrel that holds up the center of the tent. First time set up, even with looking at directions took all of 4 or 5 minutes. I'm sure it could be done in half that time next time. It has a bathtub type floor and mesh on 3 sides and the roof. 2 of the sides are doors with 2 zippers each. One that runs across the bottom of the door and one that goes up the side of the door and over the top.There are 2 mesh pockets inside for storage. There is a fly that covers about 80% of the tent with vestibules on each door side that attaches with snap buckles. There is one vent on the "open" side not covered by the fly. Weight is listed at 5 pounds and 14 ozs but it feels heavier than that. It comes with a bag for the tent, 1 for the poles and one for the stakes. The stakes are aluminum and L shaped (except for 2 plastic ones which I assume are for staking out the vestibules). Bagged up it measures 20" long. Diameter I would guess at 6" ?
http://www.eurekatent.com/p-57-apex-2xt.aspx
The Cabelas tent has aluminum poles, again 2, that are shock corded. They have pins on the end that go through eyes sewn in the corners of the tent. There are no sleeves, only clips for attaching the tent to the poles. Set up was again rediculously easy on this tent. There is only one door and that door has a two zippers that will unzip/zip the door open in one motion from either direction. There are 2 storage pockets in this tent plus a loft which also attaches with clips which is real nice. The fly covers 100% of the tent and attaches with clips on 2 sides and by putting the eyes on the end of the tent poles on the other end. The fly has 2 vents near the top. It also has a bathtub floor and is mostly mesh on 3 of the sides. Weight is listed at "under 5 pounds" on the box but 5# 6 oz on the website but it feels much lighter than the Eureka.Bagged up it measures 20" long.Diameter I would guess at 6" ?
The material on the Cabelas is much nicer both in the tent and in the bathtub material, the clips are of higher quality, the barrel and loops are of higher quality. The reinforcement patches for the clips are of a much nicer quality too. The tent bag is much nicer and has compression straps that form a handle for carrying. The stakes are also aluminum but much nicer shaped. There were no plastic stakes in the bag, and the tie out lines are reflective at night. The Cabelas tent came with seam sealer, and extra pieces of tent material for repairs if necessary.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0031780516763a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=Ultralight+tent&sort=all&Go.y=13&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&Go.x=22&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
In comparison for the $14 difference in list price, there really is no comparison. The Cabelas tent is much, much nicer is every aspect. Really quality stuff compared to the Eureka.
I guess you could make a case for the Eureka if you found it on sale as I did. For the $56 difference ($66 with shippping) I can get a self inflating pad to sleep on (which I need), or a sleeping bag.Don't get me wrong, both are nice tents...one is just much nicer. As usual, you get what you pay for.
First of all the Cabelas tent costs more. $139.00 plus shipping so lets say $150 vs the Eureka which lists for $125 but I found on sale for $94 plus a $10 rebate and free shipping..so lets say $84 delivered to my door.
The Eureka set up quickly with short sleeves on 1 end and ring and pin on the other end. It has fiberglass poles (2) that are shock corded and 1 end has a plastic cap which slides into the small sleeves. To hold the tent against the poles, there are 3 clips on each side that doesn't have the sleeve and the two sides with the sleeves have 2 clips. There is a loop and barrel that holds up the center of the tent. First time set up, even with looking at directions took all of 4 or 5 minutes. I'm sure it could be done in half that time next time. It has a bathtub type floor and mesh on 3 sides and the roof. 2 of the sides are doors with 2 zippers each. One that runs across the bottom of the door and one that goes up the side of the door and over the top.There are 2 mesh pockets inside for storage. There is a fly that covers about 80% of the tent with vestibules on each door side that attaches with snap buckles. There is one vent on the "open" side not covered by the fly. Weight is listed at 5 pounds and 14 ozs but it feels heavier than that. It comes with a bag for the tent, 1 for the poles and one for the stakes. The stakes are aluminum and L shaped (except for 2 plastic ones which I assume are for staking out the vestibules). Bagged up it measures 20" long. Diameter I would guess at 6" ?
http://www.eurekatent.com/p-57-apex-2xt.aspx
The Cabelas tent has aluminum poles, again 2, that are shock corded. They have pins on the end that go through eyes sewn in the corners of the tent. There are no sleeves, only clips for attaching the tent to the poles. Set up was again rediculously easy on this tent. There is only one door and that door has a two zippers that will unzip/zip the door open in one motion from either direction. There are 2 storage pockets in this tent plus a loft which also attaches with clips which is real nice. The fly covers 100% of the tent and attaches with clips on 2 sides and by putting the eyes on the end of the tent poles on the other end. The fly has 2 vents near the top. It also has a bathtub floor and is mostly mesh on 3 of the sides. Weight is listed at "under 5 pounds" on the box but 5# 6 oz on the website but it feels much lighter than the Eureka.Bagged up it measures 20" long.Diameter I would guess at 6" ?
The material on the Cabelas is much nicer both in the tent and in the bathtub material, the clips are of higher quality, the barrel and loops are of higher quality. The reinforcement patches for the clips are of a much nicer quality too. The tent bag is much nicer and has compression straps that form a handle for carrying. The stakes are also aluminum but much nicer shaped. There were no plastic stakes in the bag, and the tie out lines are reflective at night. The Cabelas tent came with seam sealer, and extra pieces of tent material for repairs if necessary.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0031780516763a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=Ultralight+tent&sort=all&Go.y=13&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&Go.x=22&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
In comparison for the $14 difference in list price, there really is no comparison. The Cabelas tent is much, much nicer is every aspect. Really quality stuff compared to the Eureka.
I guess you could make a case for the Eureka if you found it on sale as I did. For the $56 difference ($66 with shippping) I can get a self inflating pad to sleep on (which I need), or a sleeping bag.Don't get me wrong, both are nice tents...one is just much nicer. As usual, you get what you pay for.