Eureka Timberline 4 . External aluminum frame. Roll out your tent, put the frame together, , clip to frame, stake it, rain-fly . About a 5 to 10 minute process .
Second on this. I have a Eureka tent I absolutely love. Bought a North Face that was bigger, but always kept the Eureka.
Recently sold the North Face and went back to the original Eureka.
One of the best things my troop does is completely ditch the footprint in favor of a ground cloth on the inside for this very reason. We've had this policy for at least the last 30 years. Can't begin to say how many times the ground cloth has kept me bone dry while a footprint would have pooled water and left me soaked. Plus it's nice for keeping the inside of the tents nice when scouts inevitably wear their shoes inside. It's much easier to clean a plastic sheet than a tent floor. I also recommend the Timberline with the caveat that it's going to be difficult to find replacement parts in the future.
It does but I'd rather patch a small hole than be wet for a trip. My troop just replaced our old timberlines (for the above mentioned parts reason) and most of the tents had some sort of patch in them and were still perfectly usable. It still seems like a silly trade off to me.
Eureka Timberline tents are great, very durable.
For tent stakes, I have gone to using 8" timberlick type lag bolts. Use an impact driver to install and remove. Unless you are right on a rock, they work great. I also have a few 4" in the bag.
I love this thing. Saved up for it and bought it on sale as a gift for my wife before she was my wife. It has served us admirably (and will for as long as I can keep repairing it)
I would recommend waiting until crossover to buy any equipment unless you find a screaming deal. Sometimes parents buy gear before checking with the troop that is not very suitable. Exception might be if you find a good deal on a good sleeping bag since you will almost certainly be providing that.
Our troop provides tents for youth and adults. The Eureka timberline is a classic but there is no vestibule which makes it crowded with two people and gear. REI half dome 2 or 2 plus is a great tent with vestibule and satisfactory for backpacking. I just had to put my 2002 half dome down after many years of use.
For adult tent you will want a 2 person if you are camping solo, again for room and gear. If you have the means consider springing for a light cot (under 3-4 lbs) for yourself, my biggest regret is not getting one sooner.
I don’t think you can camp with your child unless there is a special needs exception. She probably won’t want to after the first campout anyway since nobody else will be. Adult males, females, youth males, females all need to camp in a separate tenting area, which is incompatible with a parent being in the same tent as their child. Adults should not be in the youth tenting areas at all during a troop campout.
Top Camping Tents on Reddit
1
The North Face
Wawona 6
86% positive of 132 users
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.
Erkoseus
