ALPS Mountaineering - Taurus 2-Person Outfitter

I rock a Taurus 2 tent. Small but not a single. I bought because the rent poles were small enough to fit in my bags. I ride a harley though.

Scouts also have to be within 2 years of age to tent together, making a 6-8 person tent unrealistic in most situations.

If you are scout camping, no one wants a 6-8 person tent. Trust me. 4 person tent at max. My personal recommendation is to register with Hiker Direct and purchase an ALPS Taurus Outfitter in a size you deem appropriate. Probably 2-4 person. The tent is very affordable through HD and is about as durable as you can get while still being easily packable.

I second the Alps Mountaineering, especially the Tarus, built well, easy set up, and you're not going to be taking out a second mortgage to pay for them. We use them in my son's Scout troop monthly and they've held up for years of use (make sure you get the Tarus with aluminum poles, it's a bit more expensive than the one with fiberglass poles but they last)!

Troop scoutmaster here. If you are in a troop (11-17 year olds). I strongly recommend getting two tents. One for you and one for your scouts. The scouting program wants to encourage SYT best practices and youth independence by having adults and youth tent separately if at all possible. The challenge is finding a tent that is big enough to be comfortable but small enough to pack and travel well. In general, a 3 person tent will be big enough for two people plus their gear. A two person tent will be big enough for one person and their gear. You can go smaller or larger but that’s a good starting point. If you’re just starting out, I might recommend looking at more car camping style tents which will be bigger, heavier but more durable and comfortable than more compact backpacking style tents. Depending on your area and typical weather patterns, you might want to look for something with a full rain fly that goes all the way to the ground and has covered vestibules. These will keep you the driest in rainy weather. As for specific recommendations, I strongly encourage you to create a free account/profile on www.hikerdirect.com. It is an unpublished website owned by Alps Mountaineering that is intended for scouts to purchase good quality gear at nearly 50% off retail prices. I have used their products almost exclusively in my 8 years of scouting with my kids and everything has been great quality. My favorite tents are the Lynx, Taurus, glacier 4 and Ranger 1. (I currently own over 7 tents)

I kind of have a soft spot for and like this style of tent (I had an alps brand 2p version that i used for myself and my dog, it was reasonably priced), but I gave mine to a friend in favor of switching to an "ultralight" freestanding tent instead. If i was only planning to camp in places where i knew i would be able to stake into the ground I might have kept it.

Anything by Alps mountaineering. Really good warrantee, great quality, good pricing.

All the tents from Alps mountaineering have treated me very well in wind and rain. Colemans not so much.

I have never used an Ozark Trail tent, but I have used other store brand tents. My experience is the difference between a cheap tent and a half decent tent is waking up with a puddle in your tent. I recommend an Alps Mountaineering tent, but they will run you 100-150.

I love my Alps tent and they’re not too expensive.

Second on the Alps, and I also own a Nemo dragonfly osmo. Some people will say they aren't necessary, but I disagree 100 percent, especially in your use case. Get. a. ground cloth/footprint. Even if it's a $4 dollar general blue tarp. If somebody in the troop has access to tyvek housewrap, even better. You can run that through a wash and dry cycle and make it a lot less crinkly if you want. Unless you plan on camping on carpeting, there will inevitably be a stick, rock, piece of broken glass or debris that will scratch or puncture your floor. As far as purchasing, also keep an eye on the REI Garage Sale. I've seen some really good deals on things that were returned after a couple uses or missing an item that could be easily replaced.

No. Just get an Alps Mountaneering and save yourself a lot of aggravation.