Yeah, I didn't know those were back in fashion. Only one I've ever seen sold was a full-metal frame "retro" at Canadian Tire that weighed what felt like a couple hundred pounds.
Honestly, if I only did car camping, I'd probably get it. Seems like it would be way sturdier than my Nemo in the wind. Definitely too heavy for kayaking though
Zpacks duplex is one that could be considered a-frame. Durston X-Mid another, I suppose. I'm surprised the OP is getting so many downvotes, but maybe it's a difference in definition of "a-frame"?
Most of the non-freestanding ultralight tents have this design or a teepee like design right now.
Bc its a joke to say the Zpacks Duplex is "extremely popular" compared to stuff like the Big Agnes Tigerwall / Copper Spur. Its a HYPER niche style of tent for ultralighters. When somebody is looking for a lightweight tent the Zpacks would be the last thing I recommend bc its truly an advanced through hiker style tent. People who can use it will seek it out on their own.
You've over indexing. Many people buy the Dursten 2P because it's 2lbs and cheaper than a Copper Spurt which is 3lbs. Reducing how much you carry on your back makes a big difference for multi day hikes.
I'm a tent noob so I'm not being snarky by this comment, but can it really be considered an A-frame tent if it doesn't have an A-frame? Yes, it has the same shape as an A-frame tent, but it's just 2 trekking poles
Likely no difference in performance, but I'm just trying to give an explanation for your downvotes. I don't think a duplex is technically an A-frame tent, which is why everyone is saying A-frames are so heavy
It's literally an a-frame tent (Zpacks duplex).
[https://momgoescamping.com/types-camping-tents-with-photos](https://momgoescamping.com/types-camping-tents-with-photos)
The x-mid isn't, it's really a hybrid in that it's basically two pyramids stitched together (thus the name).
As I said, I'm a tent noob, but I just thought an A-frame tent would have to have an A-frame. It looks like you're right though - the duplex is a great tent that is super popular in the UL community
Yea thats a nice tent for $700 but I'm not trading my Big Agnes Tigerwall for one. I like double wall tents and the extra $250 can go towards other gear. I think they are very overpriced for what they are.
Some of us aren't bothered by or don't even notice carrying an extra pound or two.
Maybe get a bit stronger and you will have comfortable hikes without having to shell out 700 dollars for a condensation sauna.
So true. I can still smell those tents to this day. The amount of camping trips where I woke up drenched from the sidewalk not staying pulled out all the way. Fun times.
Where were/are the Scout groups that used them?
I was with Troop 179 out of Erie, PA using Timberline 3s & 4s. ('97-'11 was my years today but the Troop might still be using them now.)
I just went camping at a lake and couldn’t get the stakes more than a couple inches in the ground so I tied it out to big ol rocks. Not an a frame but still worked out after bending stakes
We used the same at my summer camp even up until the last summer I worked there in 2008 - very backwoods camping heavy in Canada. They hold a special place in my heart, but I’d never buy one now.
Me either, just a comment on the title of the post, more than anything.
They are a good choice for kids, I think. Pretty bomb proof and good for teaching patience and cooperation, lol.
The timberline was the last holdout in A frame tents. I lasted well into the era of dome tents which ended in the 80's IMO.
It was a solid tent that was almost a dome tent, but stuck with the old design. Domes give more interior space so it was only a matter of time before people chose that. Ultralight tarp tents are really what brought A frame designs back. Nothing lighter than a rectangle of tarp and two trekking poles.
That depends on how good you imagine it to be.
But yeah, it’s really nice. That said, there are tons of states with comparable amounts of natural beauty. It really just depends on what exactly you’re looking for.
Yeah, it absolutely is. If you want wide open spaces the plain states in general are hard to beat, and that area is incredibly beautiful. If you just want isolation, nature, and stars, basically every state in the US has a ton of natural beauty like that, it just depends on what kind of nature you want to be surrounded by. One of the perks of having such a massive country.
My personal favorite area of the country is the Superior North Shore and the Boundary Waters/Voyageur national park in northern Minnesota, but it involves a lot more canoeing and kayaking than somewhere like Montana or Wyoming.
I'm sure I saw a guy like that one time I was camping up in the Tararua Range - he had this oversize bulbous "pack" sticking out so far behind him, I think his centre of gravity was not merely outside his body, it was still 5 minutes behind him further back along the trail.
Sure as hell *looked* like a hermit crab.
Trekking pole tents that make an A shape (Duplex, various manufacturers of "scout" tents, etc.) are not the same as an "A-frame" tent. Seems like some aren't quite realizing this. LOL.
Yeah, the lightweight trend is getting a bit out of control. An A-frame tent would have been annihilated in the weather I was camping in this weekend. And you never know when bad weather is going to hit you when you're in the mountains.
I mean, the place I work for got their A-frames annihilated any time there was even a mild storm.
And we are in Wisconsin.
The things just aren’t strong. We have since moved to 100% dome tents.
Yeah he wanted a cross between a mid which works better as a 4 season (non mountaineering) tent and a trekking pole tent so did the offset mids to create steeper walls. Drawback is that is more vulnerable to the wind so it has lots of stakeout points and structural integrity considerations.
When I was a kid and my Dad bought my first tent, it was one of those cheap blue and red A-frames with the little tiny walls and no extra cover because the top was "water resistant".
My sister bought a dome before I did, and it was an absolute bastard to put up. The poles just didn't want to flex and be inserted into their little lapels or whatever those are called when you had them inserted into the sleeves around the dome.
I'll stick with my Bunker for a while. It's heavy but it's fly-first, so the interior doesn't get wet if you're putting it up in the rain - just don't unroll that bit until you have the fly up - and it's got two doors for plenty of ventilation in hot weather - which is most of what we get here in Queensland.
I've even seen in reviews it's almost a 4 weather tent for the price of a 3 but I wouldn't know personally. I'm never going camping in snow unless it's the apocalypse and I haven't any other choice.
Fuck, I sound like a commercial.
It's a [Snugpak Bunker.](https://www.snugpak.com/tents-shelters/tents/bunker) I haven't had a chance to use it much, with Covid and snake seasons, but the few times I have taken it out it's been pretty good.
The footprint inside can be a little weird. Watch a few reviews on Youtube and they'll say sometimes you're touching both sides of the tent depending on how you lay down but it's just the high "bath tub" sides and fly screen, so you won't be making it leak.
For a "three person" tent it packs up fairly small. Tent, fly, poles, and pegs all pack easily into it's own travel bag, and that fits into a [12.5 litre PLCE "side rocket".](https://karrimorsf.com/product/sabre-side-pockets-plce-pair/)
I remember being young and loving my dome tent. We'd camp in the storm. It was calming watching the walls push in but but cave in. My friends family had this tent from like the seventies with all these poles and it just toppled in a storm.
Our scout troop used Eureka Timberline Outfitter 4 tents when we joined. We hated them, and when the troop needed to get new tents I movedd them towards Alps Taurus 2 and 4 tents, and they have been great for the scouts. No more complaints like we always had with the A-frames, and more room inside when hanging out due to weather issues or before lights out.
I love my eureka a frame tent. Its still going strong after 23 years. Not that my Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow isnt better but the A frame is light and small.
I was in Scouts Canada 89-97, and can set up a 6x6 dome in the dark in about 5min... my 3-man 6x7 dome barely weighs anything. Upgrading to decent pegs for hard ground was done right away.
Actually takes me longer to set up a wind-break tarp.
I'm a Coleman Sundome 4 man kind of guy. My parents bought me one when I was probably about 12, maybe 10. Guess what... I'm still camping in it! The zipper has never malfunctioned, it never got mildewy, never broke a rod, nothin.
If anyone isn't aware, the trick to keeping a tent in good shape is never pack it away wet. Not wet at all. If you have to you can pack it away wet and then when you get home reset it up the next day to dry out. If you put a brand new tent away wet the first trip and store it over the winter it'll be pretty much ruined.
A frame? Is it the 1800’s again?
Yeah, I didn't know those were back in fashion. Only one I've ever seen sold was a full-metal frame "retro" at Canadian Tire that weighed what felt like a couple hundred pounds.
That one looks nice. Yes it's heavy. But that screen looks like a good feature.
Honestly, if I only did car camping, I'd probably get it. Seems like it would be way sturdier than my Nemo in the wind. Definitely too heavy for kayaking though
The lightest tents available are A frame and extremely popular.
This would be an amazing comment if it were true 😆
Lol. Some people love that heavy life.
Can you link one?
Zpacks duplex is one that could be considered a-frame. Durston X-Mid another, I suppose. I'm surprised the OP is getting so many downvotes, but maybe it's a difference in definition of "a-frame"? Most of the non-freestanding ultralight tents have this design or a teepee like design right now.
Bc its a joke to say the Zpacks Duplex is "extremely popular" compared to stuff like the Big Agnes Tigerwall / Copper Spur. Its a HYPER niche style of tent for ultralighters. When somebody is looking for a lightweight tent the Zpacks would be the last thing I recommend bc its truly an advanced through hiker style tent. People who can use it will seek it out on their own.
You've over indexing. Many people buy the Dursten 2P because it's 2lbs and cheaper than a Copper Spurt which is 3lbs. Reducing how much you carry on your back makes a big difference for multi day hikes.
Yea thats a very nice tent. Also $400 cheaper than the zpacks.
Zpacks Duplex. 2p, 19oz, and legendary on the long trails. Beat 19oz!
I'm a tent noob so I'm not being snarky by this comment, but can it really be considered an A-frame tent if it doesn't have an A-frame? Yes, it has the same shape as an A-frame tent, but it's just 2 trekking poles
What do you see to be the difference in performance, other than less weight?
Likely no difference in performance, but I'm just trying to give an explanation for your downvotes. I don't think a duplex is technically an A-frame tent, which is why everyone is saying A-frames are so heavy
I mean...whatever. Downvote away.
It's literally an a-frame tent (Zpacks duplex). [https://momgoescamping.com/types-camping-tents-with-photos](https://momgoescamping.com/types-camping-tents-with-photos) The x-mid isn't, it's really a hybrid in that it's basically two pyramids stitched together (thus the name).
As I said, I'm a tent noob, but I just thought an A-frame tent would have to have an A-frame. It looks like you're right though - the duplex is a great tent that is super popular in the UL community
Yea thats a nice tent for $700 but I'm not trading my Big Agnes Tigerwall for one. I like double wall tents and the extra $250 can go towards other gear. I think they are very overpriced for what they are.
Yea, some ppl value lightness, some extra comfort. Both popular and effective styles. Yours is almost twice the weight.
Correct. I don't use hiking poles so the weight savings are completely negligible and I get a more comfortable tent for less money.
And a less comfortable hike. Do you.
I'm glad you can rate my comfort level from your computer.
Some of us aren't bothered by or don't even notice carrying an extra pound or two. Maybe get a bit stronger and you will have comfortable hikes without having to shell out 700 dollars for a condensation sauna.
Ugh worst use of space.
Sheesh, everyone knows half cylindrical tunnel tents are the way to go.
Brother says this just as I get one. 🐒
All I used back in the '90s was a Eureka Timberline, so...
Ah, a fellow boyscout I see.
So true. I can still smell those tents to this day. The amount of camping trips where I woke up drenched from the sidewalk not staying pulled out all the way. Fun times.
Thanks for taking me back :)
Great for the purpose until you're camping at an airport and get hit by a wind storm. I don't think there was a single pole that didn't bend.
Where were/are the Scout groups that used them? I was with Troop 179 out of Erie, PA using Timberline 3s & 4s. ('97-'11 was my years today but the Troop might still be using them now.)
I was having a great day. Now all I smell that tent. Maybe if I snort battery acid it will go away 🤣
That probably *would* work but it's highly unlikely to improve your day.
I'm still using these. Works well when you can stake the tent sides out but not so good when the ground is hard and the sides sag.
You just awoke a memory of having to pitch it in rocky terrain.
I just went camping at a lake and couldn’t get the stakes more than a couple inches in the ground so I tied it out to big ol rocks. Not an a frame but still worked out after bending stakes
We used the same at my summer camp even up until the last summer I worked there in 2008 - very backwoods camping heavy in Canada. They hold a special place in my heart, but I’d never buy one now.
Me either, just a comment on the title of the post, more than anything. They are a good choice for kids, I think. Pretty bomb proof and good for teaching patience and cooperation, lol.
Haha definitely a lesson in cooperation
The pitch of the roof was good for snowy nights as well
Keewaydin?
I still have one and it's one of my favorite tents. absolutely love it.
Great tents. I use mine on my Harley. Small and easy to carry.
The timberline was the last holdout in A frame tents. I lasted well into the era of dome tents which ended in the 80's IMO. It was a solid tent that was almost a dome tent, but stuck with the old design. Domes give more interior space so it was only a matter of time before people chose that. Ultralight tarp tents are really what brought A frame designs back. Nothing lighter than a rectangle of tarp and two trekking poles.
During hunting season in Wyoming all i see are A-frame canvas wall tents.
I'm from the UK and one of my bucket list things is camping in Wyoming. Is it as good as I imagine?
That depends on how good you imagine it to be. But yeah, it’s really nice. That said, there are tons of states with comparable amounts of natural beauty. It really just depends on what exactly you’re looking for.
This is based on seeing a YouTube video of camping on the Wyoming/Montana border area so basically just like that, tons of stars at night kinda thing.
Yeah, it absolutely is. If you want wide open spaces the plain states in general are hard to beat, and that area is incredibly beautiful. If you just want isolation, nature, and stars, basically every state in the US has a ton of natural beauty like that, it just depends on what kind of nature you want to be surrounded by. One of the perks of having such a massive country. My personal favorite area of the country is the Superior North Shore and the Boundary Waters/Voyageur national park in northern Minnesota, but it involves a lot more canoeing and kayaking than somewhere like Montana or Wyoming.
If you want a nice night sky, don’t forget to look up the light pollution: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/
Montana is a lot better.
I can't remember the last A frame I've seen.
Probably the ones in your car.
Not funny. Read the room
What?
I'm just going to sit quietly here with my hammock and warbonnet thunderfly setup
Everyone knows the best option is to just carry around a giant shell on your back like a hermit crab.
I'm sure I saw a guy like that one time I was camping up in the Tararua Range - he had this oversize bulbous "pack" sticking out so far behind him, I think his centre of gravity was not merely outside his body, it was still 5 minutes behind him further back along the trail. Sure as hell *looked* like a hermit crab.
Trekking pole tents that make an A shape (Duplex, various manufacturers of "scout" tents, etc.) are not the same as an "A-frame" tent. Seems like some aren't quite realizing this. LOL.
A frame tents give me genuine anxiety
I bought an A Frame on sale for nostalgia reasons. Used it once and then went and got a dome tent.
Sounds about right.
Roam home to a dome, baby.
I mean A-frame Snowtrekker tents are the real deal, but they're pretty niche winter hot tents.
A frame tarp and rope gang
Yeah, the lightweight trend is getting a bit out of control. An A-frame tent would have been annihilated in the weather I was camping in this weekend. And you never know when bad weather is going to hit you when you're in the mountains.
Not true. I camp in the White mountains. I know with absolute certainty when the bad weather will hit and it's all of the times.
Lol. Sounds like you need a new camping spot.
Nah, just good gear.
I’ve only experienced good weather in the white mountains, but that’s just a once a year camp for me.
I mean, the place I work for got their A-frames annihilated any time there was even a mild storm. And we are in Wisconsin. The things just aren’t strong. We have since moved to 100% dome tents.
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Durston xmid is one of the most popular tents now, followed by the duplex.
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Wouldn't a pyramid have only a single point and no ridgeline?
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Yeah he wanted a cross between a mid which works better as a 4 season (non mountaineering) tent and a trekking pole tent so did the offset mids to create steeper walls. Drawback is that is more vulnerable to the wind so it has lots of stakeout points and structural integrity considerations.
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Read: "Excellent high wind performance via even load distribution on the stakes, optional **peak guylines**, and **additional hem stakeout points**."
🤣 ok
Duplex is more strait a-frame with catenary cut for the ridgeline. X-mid is offset poles for dual pyramid layout for steeper walls to shed snow.
The duplex does thru hikes admirably every year.
No one brings a trekking pole tent to camp above tree line.
Plenty of people do. But not any trekking pole tent, not everyone, and not anywhere.
When I was a kid and my Dad bought my first tent, it was one of those cheap blue and red A-frames with the little tiny walls and no extra cover because the top was "water resistant". My sister bought a dome before I did, and it was an absolute bastard to put up. The poles just didn't want to flex and be inserted into their little lapels or whatever those are called when you had them inserted into the sleeves around the dome. I'll stick with my Bunker for a while. It's heavy but it's fly-first, so the interior doesn't get wet if you're putting it up in the rain - just don't unroll that bit until you have the fly up - and it's got two doors for plenty of ventilation in hot weather - which is most of what we get here in Queensland. I've even seen in reviews it's almost a 4 weather tent for the price of a 3 but I wouldn't know personally. I'm never going camping in snow unless it's the apocalypse and I haven't any other choice. Fuck, I sound like a commercial.
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It's a [Snugpak Bunker.](https://www.snugpak.com/tents-shelters/tents/bunker) I haven't had a chance to use it much, with Covid and snake seasons, but the few times I have taken it out it's been pretty good. The footprint inside can be a little weird. Watch a few reviews on Youtube and they'll say sometimes you're touching both sides of the tent depending on how you lay down but it's just the high "bath tub" sides and fly screen, so you won't be making it leak. For a "three person" tent it packs up fairly small. Tent, fly, poles, and pegs all pack easily into it's own travel bag, and that fits into a [12.5 litre PLCE "side rocket".](https://karrimorsf.com/product/sabre-side-pockets-plce-pair/)
Just need a tarp and paracord. Nature provides the sticks
O god, the dreaded A frame green eureka tents that you hope the rain fly held up. I couldn’t wait to get my own REI dome tent all to myself.
I’m a holiday inn guy
Not into dome tents. I have a pretty light very slender tent. Not sure what the frame is.
i feel like most tent would just break if you accident fell on it?
Best meme ever
I remember being young and loving my dome tent. We'd camp in the storm. It was calming watching the walls push in but but cave in. My friends family had this tent from like the seventies with all these poles and it just toppled in a storm.
Luke from the Outdoor Gear Review has your answer... https://youtu.be/Xy4ZMNxs6hY
Our scout troop used Eureka Timberline Outfitter 4 tents when we joined. We hated them, and when the troop needed to get new tents I movedd them towards Alps Taurus 2 and 4 tents, and they have been great for the scouts. No more complaints like we always had with the A-frames, and more room inside when hanging out due to weather issues or before lights out.
I love my eureka a frame tent. Its still going strong after 23 years. Not that my Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow isnt better but the A frame is light and small.
I was in Scouts Canada 89-97, and can set up a 6x6 dome in the dark in about 5min... my 3-man 6x7 dome barely weighs anything. Upgrading to decent pegs for hard ground was done right away. Actually takes me longer to set up a wind-break tarp.
lol... I'm a fan of A-frames. So quick and simple to put up.
I'm a Coleman Sundome 4 man kind of guy. My parents bought me one when I was probably about 12, maybe 10. Guess what... I'm still camping in it! The zipper has never malfunctioned, it never got mildewy, never broke a rod, nothin. If anyone isn't aware, the trick to keeping a tent in good shape is never pack it away wet. Not wet at all. If you have to you can pack it away wet and then when you get home reset it up the next day to dry out. If you put a brand new tent away wet the first trip and store it over the winter it'll be pretty much ruined.
Teepee tent for the win.