Copper Canyon LX 8

RIP Eureka. I mostly car camp and have camped my whole life. I bought my first Eureka tent in 1989. The waterproofing on the fly is failing but it is still a fantastic tent. I took an inexpensive 3 person REI tent on an 8 week cross country car camping trip, and it performed better than anticipated in a variety of conditions. I currently camp with my partner and 2 Golden Retrievers in an 8 person Eureka ans it is the bomb. Plenty of room to stand in and the two dogs have plenty of room. Over time your needs might change, so buy a quality tent that meets your current needs but you don’t need to break the bank.

Tent manufacturers like to exaggerate space. Something being advertised as 4 persons is more like a two person tent. Do some research and look closely at the dimensions and lay it out with some string to give you an idea of the floor space. I have a Eureka Copper Canyon that I love. Setup isn't horrible and can be done by one person. Their 6 person tent is current $140 USD which isn't bad if you're not using cots. I have their 8 person tent and it fits my family of 4 with large military style cots with room to spear. 8 person also has a room divider and separate entrances. Whatever you get, also get a tarp to act as a ground cloth to help protect your tent and help out in case of rain events.

Check online resellers. I bought a Eureka Copper Canyon LX in May from [The Last Hunt](https://thelasthunt.com) They’ve only got the 6 person Space Camp Tent right now but they’re worth keeping an eye on.

We got a Eureka Copper Canyon or something I think it's called. It was like $160 a year or so ago on sale from amazon. It's a big square, and no separate rooms. It's kind of old school in that for the main vertical poles it has solid steel tubes, and the bendy fiberglass ones on top. As such, it has TONS of headroom and feels really spacious inside, and I like the solid feeling construction. Has three huge windows, plus the door, so great ventilation. It's HEAVY though, but that's what you get with big tents, so we don't mind. We got absolutely dumped on the second time we used it, like, woke up almost in a puddle, and we stayed dry. Just had a ground tarp underneath, so I was impressed. They make an even bigger version that is more rectangular and has a divider for two "rooms" I think. I'd recommend it!

For a tent, I want something I can stand up in and move around a bit to change clothes, store gear and not trip over anything while I do it. We have a Eureka Copper Canyon that has lasted us awhile. For sleeping, I typically lean towards a hammock if I'm by myself. When I'm with the wife, we use 24" tall inflatable twin mattresses. No sharing of air mattresses. The height makes it a bit easier to get in and out of bed. Our cookware is still mostly stuff used for boiling water and a carbon steel skillet for cooking. I think the pot we use for boiling water is made by Stanley, but it's very old. Carbon steel skillets are expensive, but lightweight and very versatile. Think of a lighter version of cast iron. We keep a French press for coffee. A Yeti cooler seems to handle several days for keeping food cold if it starts out frozen. Fresh veggies are the first items we cook and we keep a few dehydrated meals for the end of the week or in case something spoils. I like to freeze a couple gallon jugs of spring water beforehand to use for cooling food, but also drinking as it thaws. This is all of course for car camping. We don't need much to be comfortable, so there are no large batteries or generators. The point is to separate yourself from civilization, so no tablets, internet devices outside of maybe a Kindle and cell phone that is kept in the car.

I love our White Duck 10x10 Pro Rata tent. Can stand easily plenty of room for queen mattress, dog beds, duffles, etc. It can be a pain to stake down on hard grounds. I got a Eureka Copper Canyon for short trips, or ones that I don’t worry about weather https://preview.redd.it/6rwit5ts9j4f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ebcb14cb5fa89b8891244458c437c204c8eda12