My buddy Ron laughed at my tent setup on our first trip together last spring

So Ron watches me unpack this brand new 4-person dome tent and he just goes 'you're gonna hate sleeping in that thing by night two.' I was pretty proud of how fast I got it up too. Turns out he was right... the fabric was way too thin and I woke up with dew all over my bag. He handed me a beat-up old canvas tent he'd had since 2010 and told me to try that instead. Has anyone else had a friend totally change their gear lineup with a single comment?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixfisher2mo ago

Canvas is heavier but it breathes right and keeps the moisture off. My dad gave me an old Eureka tent from the 90s and I haven't bought new gear since. Sometimes the old stuff is just better made.

nina_jenkins1mo ago

The way Ron just casually handed you that old tent after letting you learn the hard way sounds just like my buddy Mark. He watched me struggle with a cheap sleeping pad for two trips before he finally tossed me his old Therm-a-Rest and said "you'll thank me later." That little moment changed everything for me too. Funny how it's always the friends with the beat up gear who know exactly what works. Trusting that worn out canvas tent is probably the best camping advice you'll ever get.

troyreed2mo ago

That old canvas tent is probably built like a tank, my buddy Dave had one from the 80s that weighed a ton but you could sleep through a hurricane in it. Ron sounds like the kind of friend who knows his gear, maybe a little too well (like the guy who shows up with a hammock setup that takes 45 minutes to hang). The funny thing is, I've seen guys spend four hundred bucks on a lightweight tent only to have it rip on a branch, while the beat-up stuff just keeps going. One time I borrowed a tent from a neighbor, an old Coleman from the 70s, and it smelled like mothballs but I slept like a baby in a rainstorm. There's something about gear that's been through a few trips already, it's got that lived-in feel a new tent just can't match.