Finding the right Boy Scout Tent for your Scout makes a huge difference between a great camp out and a bad one. There is nothing worse than a boy’s first-night camping by himself and the tent has problems. When it comes to a Boy Scout Tents you need to have a good tent that will hold up to abuse, not cost an arm and leg, and handle all sorts of weather. With so many tents on the market, it’s hard to know what’s best and what isn’t. Even if you’re Troop provides tents for the Boys. It’s still good for a Boy Scout to have their own tent, for when they are camping on their own or family camping.
Size of Tent
While everyone likes to have lots of space in their tent. It’s not practical for a Boy Scout to carry around a giant 10 person cabin tent for every campout. On the flip side, a lightweight single person backpacking tent is great for saving weight. They aren’t the most comfortable for a week of Scout Camp where you have lots of gear to store.
Most 2 person tents are good for 1 person and their gear. Since Boy Scout’s pack everything and the kitchen sink to be prepared for a weekend camp out. Of course, we all know they truly need 3 fishing poles, a huge tackle box. Not to mention the biggest camp chair ever, and enough clothes that they can “fall into the lake” at least 3 times a day. Be sure you buy a tent with enough room for all the gear to be stored inside the tent.
This means a 2 person tent for a Boy Scout Tent is a minimum. Since most boys like to tent with a friend, a 4 person tent is really the best size. This allows enough room for 2 boys and their gear. Without taking up too much space at the campgrounds. Not to mention it prevents the tent from getting so heavy the boys don’t want to carry it even a little ways from the vehicles. Honestly the lighter the tent the better as long as it’s still able to function for the Boy Scouts needs. While single person backpacking tent is extremely lightweight it won’t meet a boy’s needs for comfort on a week-long Boy Scout Camp.
Types of Tent
There are plenty of different types of tents on the market. There are a few different types of dome tents, plus cabin tents, tunnel tents, ridge tents, and the list goes on and on. Tee Pees are even making a comeback not to mention the Yurt. Each type of tent has things it’s best for and things it’s not good for. There is no one perfect tent.
Boy Scouts do a lot of special campouts, like backpacking trips, cold-weather campouts, and even camping at various locations. Having a special tent for every type of camping isn’t possible. That’s where you need a tent that’s good for most camping. Even if it’s not perfect everything.
The Dome shaped tents will fit this need. They allow for plenty of room on the inside. Hold up to most types of weather, and are easy to set up. Dome-shaped tents are also called Geodesic and Semi Geodesic tents.
Why Dome Tents are best for Boy Scouts.
When it comes to tents for Boy Scouts the Dome tent is honestly the best style of tent you get to buy. They are made in summer, three-season, and even 4 season versions. For their size, they are lightweight, strong, durable, and have a lot of room inside.
Ease of Set-Up
One of the best things about a dome tent is how easy they are to set up. Dome tents have 2 poles that cross at over each other. Once the poles are up you clip the tent to the poles, put on your rainfly and you’re done. This makes them easy and quick to set up. You can even set up a dome tent without stakes. This is great for Scouts when they camp places, that don’t allow you to stake the tent down. Normally you need to make sure your tent is staked down and the rain fly is tied down also.
Make sure you look at how the poles are attached to the tent when buying a dome tent. Some tents have you run the poles through fabric. This can make setting up the tent take a little longer. So try to avoid these types of tents if possible. What you want is a tent that uses clips to hold the tent to the poles. This way you can set both poles then clip the tent to the poles, and not have to worry about lifting the tent while setting the poles up. This truly makes setting up your tent a breeze.
Durability
The Dome tent is pretty durable if you buy a good quality tent. With flexible tent poles and shaped like a dome they handle high winds, and other weather. However, there are few things to look at to make sure you get the most durable tent you can afford.
Most Dome tents are made of roughly the same type of fabric. Some of them will have a tarp style floor and fabric walls. Others will have soft fabric on the walls and the floor. For durability, you’ll want a tent with a plastic tarp floor. It’s no secret boys are rough on things. Having a tarp built into the floor helps the tent last when the boys get dirt and whatnot in the tent.
Another thing to look for is the material the tent poles made of. Fiberglass tent poles tend to get brittle and break in cold weather. Whereas aluminum is a little stronger it will bend in high winds. It’s really a toss-up on which is best. If you do a lot of cold weather camping look for aluminum poles. If you do a lot of windy camping consider fiberglass. They can be flexed a lot, without worry. The one bonus for fiberglass tent poles is they can be repaired.
Weather
Weather plays a big part in choosing the good Boy Scout Tent. You will need a tent that is good for all weather conditions. This means at least a 3 season tent and a 4 season tent is better. This is due to Boy Scouts camping in cold weather.
You want to look for a tent with a rain fly that goes almost to the ground. The more the rain fly covers of the tent the better chances your tent will stay dry in heavy rains.
This is also where pole material selection plays a big part in, tent selection. Thicker poles flex less and hold the tent up better in heavy winds. Where aluminum poles can bend. It takes more to bend them, than fiberglass. Fiberglass can flex and leave you having a tent on top of you during wind gusts. You want a tent that is ridged and won’t get blown over in heavy winds. Not to mention be made of thick enough material that it won’t rip easily.
Price
Price is the biggest factor when selecting a Boy Scout tent. Even the best tents wear out. With Boy Scouts having spent a minimum of 20 nights in a tent before reaching Eagle Scout. A tent is will wear out. Most Troops camp at least 6-8 times a year, and most boys are in scouts for 4-7 years before they reach Eagle. That’s a lot of camping trips.
The question is do you buy one tent for $400-500 and hope it lasts all those trips. Do you buy a cheap tent figuring 4 or 5 $50 tents is cheaper than a $500 tent?
It’s my experience even a $500 tent won’t last 7 years of abuse. I suggest you find a happy medium for the price of the tent. Plan on spending $100-200 for a Boy Scout tent. This will get you a tent of good enough quality to last you a few years. There is one caveat on the tent price. If you find a tent with an unlimited lifetime warranty like the ones Cabelas sells spend the extra money on it. That way you won’t have to buy another tent when it wears out. It can be replaced under warranty.
Suggestions
Kelty Grand Mesa Tent fits all most everything we’ve talked about on the perfect Boy Scout Tent. It’s priced right so if you have to replace it in a couple of years, you’ll be ok. The tent poles are aluminum so they will hold up better to heavy winds. The rain fly goes all the way to the floor. You also get a built-in vestibule for storing shoes and other gear outside the tent. It’s designed for backpacking. If you need to carry it a distance it’s ok.
Eureka Tetragon HD standard 4 person dome tent. With a price of less than $120. It’s the perfect compromise of cost and quality. With 2 poles holding up the tent, and two poles for the rain fly it’s easy to set up. The rain fly covers most of the sides of the tent-making it good for rain. It also has a trap style floor making it durable for even the roughest boys. Not to mention Eureka has been building tents for decades, with a tradition of Scouts using them and lasting. Our Troop had Eureka tents when I was a Scout.
Coleman Sundome is almost a standard in dome tents. When people think dome tent they usually picture a Coleman. That said the Sundome is by far the cheapest Boy Scout tent you can trust to last more than a couple of campouts. You will be feeding your fiberglass poles through fabric to set it up. The rain fly only goes halfway down. However, it’s made of thick durable material that will last. The floor is made of a thick tarp-like plastic that will last. The best thing is at under $60 you can buy a new one every year for 7 years and still be less than the cost of a high-end tent.
Conclusion
When it comes to picking the best Boy Scout tent, it pays to shop around and know what to look for. Once you’ve figured out your personal price range. Start looking for a 4 person dome tent that’s easy to set up. Check out the materials it’s made of. The thicker the better, it will last longer. Buy from a company you’ve heard of, and that has a good reputation. If all else, understand that if it’s your first Boy Scout tent it won’t be your last. If you think it will be your last tent make sure it’s the best you’ve ever had.