I've been a lurker here for a long time. Only recently did i register here and i'm glad i did. I'd like to pick some of your brains here. My family is finally at the point where i can start to plan for camping trips. I have a 100 series LC and I will be camping during the spring/summer/fall months at any given time. I won't be camping in the winter. My wife is not that willing.
I've been reading and searching, and doing more reading and searching. There's autohome, hannibal, ironman, arb, camping labs, cascadia, mombasa, so on and so forth. If i am not looking for a hard shelled RTT, (to the first time buyer) they all look the same for the most part. Unfortunately, there isn't a store near me like EMS or REI that has these things on display to really evaluate. What i'd like to know, especially from those of you who have seen/experienced more than one tent, is... Are there key things to look out for or avoid when choosing a RTT? Of course if you have one model, you'll easily say "this tent suits me just fine, or my tent is awesome." My thinking is if everything is equal, apples to apples, why wouldn't you buy the less expensive model? What makes a similar suited ARB more expensive than a comparable camping lab or ironman? Brand? Country of origin? --> What's so bad about the made in china tents? Any and all input is appreciated.
I've been reading and searching, and doing more reading and searching. There's autohome, hannibal, ironman, arb, camping labs, cascadia, mombasa, so on and so forth. If i am not looking for a hard shelled RTT, (to the first time buyer) they all look the same for the most part. Unfortunately, there isn't a store near me like EMS or REI that has these things on display to really evaluate. What i'd like to know, especially from those of you who have seen/experienced more than one tent, is... Are there key things to look out for or avoid when choosing a RTT? Of course if you have one model, you'll easily say "this tent suits me just fine, or my tent is awesome." My thinking is if everything is equal, apples to apples, why wouldn't you buy the less expensive model? What makes a similar suited ARB more expensive than a comparable camping lab or ironman? Brand? Country of origin? --> What's so bad about the made in china tents? Any and all input is appreciated.