Timberline 6 (Original)

Any Eureka Timberline series tent are very easy to set up by yourself. I would recommend the Timerline 2 six man tent if you are camping with kids.

Any Eureka Timberline series tent are very easy to set up by yourself. I would recommend the Timerline 2 six man tent if you are camping with kids.

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.

I have a Eureka tent that I bought in 1988 that I still use.

You do not want all season or 4 season. You want winter or expedition. If you are doing real winter camping. Growing up I camped year round in New England. We did a trip every month for about 12 years. We used green eureka a frames. If you are not base camping in alpine areas, then the expedition tents are overkill.

I didn’t know tents still came with fibreglass poles, I haven’t had one with them since the 80s. The three I’ve bought since then (North Face, MEC, Eureka) have all been aluminum. You could probably just replace the poles of your current tent if you like the tent enough.

I’d look for a used eureka a-frame. You should be able to find them for super cheap and they are lightweight. Just buy some nikwax spray on waterproofing for the fly to bolster it a bit (you can use it to restore your other gear’s waterproofing too). 

Been using our Eureka Timberline a-frames for YEARS. We have the two and four person (which we use respectively for one and two people, for roomy comfy car camping- not backpacking). They’ve lasted through hundreds of nights in all climates. Yes, it’s gonna get some moisture on the inside of the walls if it’s pouring down rain for hours on end. But these things are tanks. Simple to set up, and just last for a very long time.

That reminds me of the Eureka A-Frame tents we always used in Boy Scouts. They were great. We could set them up and tear them down in no time.