Eureka Tetragon 1610 16- by 10-Foot Nine-Person Family Tent

A great choice for car camping with a large family or use as a base camp, the Eureka Tetragon 1610 rectangular dome tent comfortably sleeps up to nine people. It also includes two room dividers, enabling you to configure the tent to have two or three rooms for extra privacy. The tent has an overall 16 by 10-foot floor measurement. When divided into three rooms, the main room measures 7 by 10 feet while the side rooms measure 4.3 by 10 feet.

The double-coated StormShield polyester fly and the polyester bathtub floor combine to provide excellent weather protection. This free-standing, two-pole tent is quick and easy to set up with its durable shockcorded fiberglass frame, ring and pin attachments, combination sleeve and clip assembly, and color coded webbing.

An attached hinged gear loft and two detachable interior storage pockets offer extra places to stash your gear.

Twin track zippers offer separate operation of the window in the door.

It's well ventilated, thanks to large no-see-um mesh ceiling panels, four large windows, and three doors. The hooded fly provides enough coverage over the front and rear door windows to enable you to leave the window partially open for even more ventilation even in rain. Other features include:

• Twin track zippers for separate operation of the window in the door
• External guy points on the fly help secure your tent in high winds
• Natural green color scheme blends into any campground
• Attached hinged gear loft and two detachable interior storage pockets
• Clothes line loop, flashlight loop
• Mesh panels allow for clip-in accessories
• Tent, pole, and stake bags included

Specifications:

• Area: 139.8 square feet
• Floor size: 16 feet by 10 feet
• Center height: 6 feet, 4 inches
• Wall fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
• Floor fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
• Fly fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D StormShield polyester
• Pack size: 9 by 32 inches
• Weight: 18 pounds, 7 ounces

About Eureka
Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka's long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.

The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company's annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.

In 1960, Eureka's new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.

For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.

Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women's Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.

Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.

Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.

For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.

Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.

Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.

Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.

Customer Review: et1610
This is a really great tent; however I was a little disappointed in the size. I did not look very closely at the layout of the floor plan. It is 16 x 10, but it is not a square and is somewhat octagonal, which makes it feel smaller then it actually is. It is very easy to put together, and I recommend seam sealer for any tent. I really like how open the top of the tent is, and the way the fly wraps around in front. I am not sure about the two extra doors, but I think they will be useful for clean-up after camping. Overall this is a great tent and I can't wait to use it! But if you're looking for a roomy 16x10, this isn't the one.
Customer Review: solid family tent
This is a great light-weight tent -- have always been happy with my Eureka purchases. Fits 6 plus their "stuff" comfortably (more will fit, but we like to have duffle bags and room to stretch). Performed very well in wind and rain (I always seal all the seams on my tents -- no need to risk trusting that manufacturer did an adequate job sealing; so this was no "bathtub" as another reviewer had suggested). Only thing I could possibly complain about (and this isn't much of a complaint), is that it does take a while to get all the stakes/guy wires in place for this tent. I think I used 18 stakes altogether (which added stability, but also setup time).

After crossing the endless mudflats at the top of Horsey Island just beyond the beach at the crest of the mud, lay an area of firm grassland. It was gone 11.00pm and we set about putting up the tents as best we could in the dark. Thankfully it was a clear night without any wind and it did not take long to get the tents pitched.

Amongst our kayak accessories we had a portable stove and the sound of the kettle boiling started to cheer us up. We used most of the water we had brought along trying to clean the mud off ourselves but we made sure we left enough to make hot drinks.

Sitting in the openings of our tents and sipping a hot drink we even started to crack some jokes about what we had gone through, thinking that things could not get any worse. How wrong we were. Looking at the ground more closely and upon examining what we had thought to be grass turned out to be a seaweed type of plant. It quickly dawned on us that in the confusion and haste to get our tents pitched we had made camp on a flood plain. We could not believe it but at the same time we were not prepared to set up camp anywhere else as it would be pointless anyway having absolutely no idea what area would be safe from flooding.

We decided to take our chances with myself and one of the other guys agreeing to stay awake as long as possible and until after high tide which would not be until 4:50am. I tied my inflatable kayak to the tent to stop it floating away if we accidentally fell asleep and did not notice the tide come in, and used the kayak seat for a pillow.

I sat under the stars with Nick while the other members of the group slept. We drank tea to keep awake. At 3:00am we checked the camp perimeter. To the south and about 200 yards from the tents we could see the water flooding the plain. We could not be sure from where it was coming from but most probably an inlet or creek. We carried on checking every half an hour and at 4:30am the water was within fifty yards of the camp. We hoped it would not come any closer and upon checking again at 5:15am thankfully it was no nearer. I went back to my tent and collapsed.

I woke from my short sleep at around 7:30am. It was a glorious morning and the water had not reached our tents. My neck ached from sleeping on an inflatable kayak seat but I did not really notice because just about every other part of my body ached profusely.

In the light of the day we could see the many cuts and grazes to our feet we had sustained getting through the mud but I was mainly concerned with a rather deep 4 inch gash on the bottom of my right foot. I had not noticed it last night, perhaps because it was packed in cold mud but now it started to throb with pain. We had planned to have a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. This however was not possible as we were conscious we needed to get off Horsey Island before the tide went out again leaving us to deal with the mudflats once more.

Adding to our misery one of the group had lost his paddles when dragging his inflatable kayak through the mud. This meant we would either have to tow him or split one of the paddles in two and the rest of us take turns to paddle single bladed. What should have been a relaxing paddle back to the marina took twice as long and involved a combination of towing and taking turns with single blades. Nobody really said much on the return journey, we simply wanted to get back home.

Once back at the marina we unpacked our kits and stowed the kayaks. Later that day I went to the hospital and for my troubles had a tetanus jab and six stitches in my right foot. This was definitely an adventure but one I do not want to repeat in a hurry. My inflatable kayak stood up well to the test but that day I was glad to pack it back up in its bag for a while.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Inflatable Kayak Accessories providing you with excellent resources and products including reviews on the stunning Sevylor Ranger Inflatable Kayak. And an excellent guide to Sit On Top Kayaks