Columbia Frosty Ridge II Backpacking Two-Person Tent

The 2-person Columbia CB-1000 Frosty Ridge long-profile tent is perfect for when you want to travel light on backpacking trips. The main body is constructed with No See Um mesh and a 1500 millimeter nylon floor that's seam sealed. It has a double-coated fly and easy-grasp, reflective zipper pulls that make it easy to get in and out of the tent, even in the dark.

The gusseted compression bag lets you slip the tent right in and then zip the sack closed. Keep glasses, a flashlight and other necessities within an arm's reach with the handy organizer pocket inside the tent. For even more interior storage options, use the Columbia custom designed gear loft to keep your gear high and dry. Easily stash your stuff out of the way and out of your living space.

The CB-1000 features the GoBe Dry Ultimate Rain Protection System, which combines patent pending fabric, component, and seam technology that culminates in exceptional protection from the elements, in particular rain, in any and all terrain. The DryTek Fabric repels moisture with a protective coating. The DryFloor Tub design elevates the floor seams to keep away water, while the DryGuard Skirt deflects rain from floor the seams and stake loops.

Specifications:

• Base Size: 8 x 5 feet
• Center Height: 36 inches
• Poles: 9.5 millimeter aluminum poles
• Weight: 5.32 pounds
• Sleeps: 2

About Columbia Sportswear
Founded in 1938, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown from a small family-owned hat distributor to one of the world's largest outerwear brands and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States. Columbia's extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. Columbia specializes in developing innovative products that are functional yet stylish and offer great value. Eighty-year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and CEO, lead the company. Columbia's history starts with Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, when they fled Germany in 1937. They bought a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river bordering the city. Soon frustrated by poor deliveries from suppliers, the Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves. In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart Neal Boyle, who joined the family business and later took the helm of the growing company. When Neal suddenly died of a heart attack in 1970, Gert enlisted help from Tim, then a college senior. After that it wasn't long before business really started to take off. Columbia was one of the first companies to make jackets from waterproof/breathable fabric. They introduced the breakthrough technology called the Columbia Interchange System, in which a shell and liner combine for multiple wearing options. In the early 1980s, then 60 year-old Gert began her role as "Mother Boyle" in Columbia's successful and popular advertising campaign. In 1998 the company went public, and moved into a new era as a world leader in the active outdoor apparel industry. Today, Columbia Sportswear employs more than 1,800 people around the world and distributes and sells products in more than 50 countries and to more than 12,000 retailers internationally.

What's in the Box?
Frosty Ridge backpacking tent, aluminum poles, compression carry bag

Manufacturer Warranty
Lifetime warranty

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: 2 in the tent? No way!
I did a bicycle tour from Philadelphia to Maine this summer - 8 days on the bike - and used this tent as my night-time shelter. I was looking for a light-weight tent that would pack up into a tight bundle, and this tent fit the bill. The tent is light and easy to pack. It also will setup fairly quickly. I was able to sit up inside the tent, so I never felt very claustrophobic - but there is no way that this tent could hold 2 adults. I did a backyard test run of the tent before my trip - and slept in the tent with my 5 year old son - and there was not much room at all (I am 5'7", 180lbs). While stealth camping one night during the tour, I was hit with a pretty heavy rain-storm, and this tent kept me dry (although it was like sleeping inside of a drum with all the rain pelting the tent) ;) Generally I was happy with the tent, but if I had to re-do my purchase, I would buy a self-supporting tent - which this one is not.
Customer Review: great little tent, but pretty small
overall we are pretty happy with our purchase for the money. we camp at the texas coast and it gets really windy and rain is usually a problem. after being soaked in a dome tent several times we thought these lower, more wind-resistant styles might hold up better. this tent, being such, did the trick. we went with a group with two brand new dome tents and recieved a good pour one night. the dome tent slumberers gave up and ran to sleep in the truck after fighting the tent blowing in their face and all of their blankets and such being soaked. we were nice and cozy dry. we hardly could tell it was raining and we had not a drop anywhere. of course, we joked in the morning that this was due to the fact that there was not any ROOM for anything else to get in. it is quite a small tent for two people. one person would be very nice. we just barely comfortably fit, and it was a little tricky getting in and out. the pictures showed the side entrance doors but it came with the front entrance. we could sleep with about less than an inch of space between us if we pushed against the sides. but it was by no means miserable (if you don't mind sleeping close). the raised roof by the head area makes the small space more bearable. there is of course no room for any gear other than your blankets and pillows. you do need a ground mat- "tent saver" as there is not a thicker fabric on the bottom like most dome tents have. this tent is of good quality and very quick & easy to set up/ take down. the bag it comes with is nice- no struggling to stuff the tent and stakes in. i wish it were just a tinsy bit bigger (too much bigger would take away the awesom wind resistance) but i think for the money with the other options i saw -this was a good choice. campin's not supposed to be lush anyway =)

With the summer approaching us, many families will take to the hills to go camping. If you yourself have never truly camped in a tent before, you are missing out on the purest form of camping. Taking a tent with all the trimmings to the forest is an experience like none other.

However, it is not something that you just up and do one day without learning a few basics. Where to place your tent is surprisingly important on your camping expedition. There are so many 'Hollywood' shots of the perfect campsite that are misleading. A crackling fire with the opening of the tent facing the fire which is only a few footsteps away. Sorry, but that is not advisable in the real forest with real animals and real natural elements such as smoke.

To give you a good idea of where to pitch your tent when camping, I'll tell you about a pack trip that we went on into Bechler Meadows. The trailhead is located in the south end of Yellowstone National Park and will actually take you to Old Faithful if you want to follow it that far.

We were in the 'real' forest, not a forested commercial campground. The trail had designated campsites to help with the overall impact of the area. Ours was located in a bend along the small river and came complete with a campfire area with log benches. There was also a 'high hide' for us to string up the food at night. No picnic table, no bar-b-que grill, no faucet with clean water and no outhouse. It was pure camping and we were planning on staying three days and two nights.

This type of campsite allows you to choose where you place your tent. We did have some guidelines from the Park Ranger, that we met with prior to departure, on how to choose our tent site.

We chose our tent site based on the factors outlined by the Ranger. First we didn't want to be too close to the water. Low lying areas near streams and creeks are susceptible to flooding if Mother Nature dishes out a heavy rain storm. Up in the mountains, what looks like a moderate rain storm can compound quickly if the run-off gathers to your particular stream.

Next we checked the area for dead trees. We certainly didn't want a big gust of wind knocking a tree down on us. You know the saying, 'if a tree falls in the woods...and no one's around..." the point is, trees fall. We made sure that our tent was not in range of any dead trees.

Our fire and food prep area needed to be far enough away from our tent to keep us safe from hungry animals. If a bear smells your campsite, you certainly don't want him rummaging through your tent, too. We kept all aromatic food items, even toothpaste, dangling 15 feet above the ground. However, we made sure that our tent was a good 30 yards away from that.

The last factor in the decision of where to place our tent was the latrine. In the backwoods, there aren't any outhouses. You are truly roughing it when you have to find a suitable place to 'take care of business'. But you want privacy at the same time. We didn't want our 'bathroom area' to be too close to our tent and certainly not upwind.

So with all those factors in mind, we came up with a space that was situated out in a meadow, away from the standing dead trees, water, fire, food, and privy. Our next task was finding the smoothest, most level ground to situate our tent on. Once we found a good spot, we positioned our tent door away from the main wind direction. We were already far enough away from the fire that smoke would not be an issue for us. The ground would provide adequate drainage in the event of a rain deluge so we didn't need to dig a trench around our tent.

We had one other factor to consider when looking for our perfect tent site, our horses. We were on a pack trip and as such, the horses have to be taken care of also. The meadow was the perfect place to 'stake' our horses, however it was also the best place for our tent. We made sure that there was ample space for both of us to cohabitate without getting in each others way.

Our camping trip was awesome and we had a great time. My advice to all of you that want to venture out into the woods this summer is plan ahead, follow the advice of the Forest Rangers when given, and use plain common sense.

http://www.learn-camping.com