July 30th 2016
Yorktown Heights, NY
Day Two off the water., a very strange feeling. I might lose my sea legs and I loved my sea legs. For those that don’t know what that is;
Sea Legs
noun
- a person’s ability to keep their balance and not feel seasick when on board a moving ship.
The fun part is that while I can now stand on the kayak while in the water and keep my balance, I could not stand on land. Even lying down on land, I’d feel like everything was moving. It did help me fall asleep though. It was like being rocked to sleep. Oh well, I am sure it will come back as soon as I get back on the water.
Today was tent replacement day. I needed to replace the Sierra Designs Lightning 2 / 2 Person Tent It was not designed well or for the climate anywhere in the US. Though the attached rain fly was a good idea, it was not really a full rain fly and its inability to be removed made the tent hot. When it was humid, the inability to get airflow made it damp and when it rained, only the front half was actually a rain fly so the back half was wet. We headed to EMS in Danbury, CT to look at some tents. I had hoped Sierra Designs would exchange it, but that request fell on deaf ears. My new requirements were that the tent had to be at least 90” long, have a fully removable rain fly and be lightweight and free standing. We arrived at EMS and went straight to the tent section. Not sure how many people test out tents in the store, but this time I was going to.
I first check out an EMS Refugio 2. The Refugio 2 was about the same weight and pack size as the Lightning 2 (actually a pound heavier), but a hair under my 90” requirement at 89” and met the requirements for removable rain fly and price was good. Also included a footprint, which was a nice bonus. Price was $229.95
Next up was the highly touted Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. Dimension were right, incredible easy and fast to set up, packed up much smaller than my current tent by over 4” and the weight. The weight was amazing at just over 3 lbs and I mean just barely over. It was dramatically noticeable and easy to repack. The biggest drawback on this tent is the price. At $449 it was the most expensive so I kept looking.
I then tried the Big Agnes Blacktail 2. Like the Copper Spur, it met the right dimensions, removable rain fly and the price was much nicer at $229, but when I tried it out, the walls angled in sharply so while it had a 90” floor, I lost most of that with my big feet meaning my feet and head were hitting the sides. Anyone that tents knows you don’t want to touch the edges of your tent otherwise you will get wet from dampness.
I decided to head over to Dicks Sporting Goods, but after arriving there, I knew that they catered to the recreational camper. There were mostly 4 and 6 person tents and the 2 person tents were heavy, though I have no idea how anyone could fit in them. I knew what my decision was, but hated the idea of spending a month’s food budget on the new tent.
Heading back over to EMS, I did some quick On-Line shopping and found the Copper Spur UL2 for $399 shipped. Then I did a quick search on Eastern Mountain Sport’s Price Match policy. I was happy to see that they would match competitor’s prices and they would even match On-Line retailers pricing. On top of that, I had a $50 Coupon to EMS. I headed back in and they happily adjusted the price. I must say, I really like this store. I’ve bought a lot of gear from them over the years and I’ve always been very happy with the purchase and pricing. I do wish I could get them on board as a Corporate Sponsor because I really like them.
Arlene and I wrapped up tonight with a visit to my parents for a nice dinner and dessert. It’s been a long time since we could just hang out and relax with them. Well, tomorrow is more gear replacement shopping and then I’ll get the new accessories on Lex-T-Sea. I’m looking at a re-launch by mid week or week end. I’m anxious and a bit nervous about that though.
Day 29 done.
Anyone want to buy a lightly used tent?
