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Technical Details
- Self-supporting, lightweight, solo tent (8 by 3-foot floor; 24 square foot area)
- Super sized side opening door with twin track zippers and offset window
- Two large no-see-um mesh ends for even more ventilation
- Main fly and floor seams are factory taped for extreme weather protection
- Center height of 38 inches; weighs 3 pounds, 14 ounces
Product Description
Self-supporting, lightweight, solo tent in low impact colors.Amazon.com Product Description
Roomy and well ventilated, the Eureka Backcountry 1 provides a roomy area to sleep and store your gear as well as a good amount of headroom. It weighs just under 4 pounds, and stores away discreetly with its 6 by 15.5-inch pack size. It features a large side-opening door with twin track zippers and an offset door window for good ventilation as well as visibility. It also offers two large no-see-um mesh ends for even more ventilation. Its muted green colors also help the tent to blend into any wooded campsite. This two-pole tent sets up quickly and easily, thanks to the 9mm DAC Press-fit 7000 series aluminum frame, clip attachments, and post and grommet corner attachments with locking end tips. The main fly and floor seams are factory taped for extreme weather protection, while the bathtub floor keeps seams taut and high off the ground for superior protection. Other features include two storage pockets, four gear loft loops, and one flashlight loop. It includes tent, pole, and stake bags.Specifications:
- Area: 24 square feet
- Floor size: 8 feet by 3 feet
- Center height: 3 feet, 2 inches
- Wall fabrics: 1.9-ounce 70D nylon taffeta with 1200mm coating
- Floor fabrics: 1.9-ounce 70D nylon taffeta with 1200mm coating
- Fly fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D Stormshield polyester with 1200mm coating
- Pack size: 6 by 15.5 inches
- Weight: 3 pounds, 14 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.
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Customer Reviews
2010-08-23
By N. VanNatta (Northwest Ohio, USA)
I rarely review items I buy online but I felt this tent deserved it. This tent is an excellent purchase for anyone looking for a great 1 person tent at a great price. It was very easy to set up for one person and so far seems very durable. I did not tape the edges used right out of the box. I just returned from a biking/camping trip on the greenbrier river trail in WV where I used the tent. The first night it rained heavily for almost eight solid hours. (it wasn't very windy but it was very rainy) The inside of the tent remained bone dry, and thankfully all of my gear was protected by the rain. I was able to sleep comfortably with a full 35l pack, helmet, bedding, water bottles, and shoes. so there is plenty of extra room, but it was very light attached to the outside of my pack for riding. Perfect Tent.
2010-08-09
By Rosiel (Pennsylvania)
I do not own this particular model of the one-person Eureka tent, but I own 2 previous incarnations. There are variations on the door, how the poles are connected to the tent, and the fly, but the basic tent, a 3' x 8' tent you can sit in if you're not too tall, is the basic model. It is an excellent idea, and I have used mine extensively in various weathers. I also have a Big Agnes 2 person tent, and it works better in summer heat because of all the mesh, allowing for better air circulation, but also much more expensive. However, when the weather is not hot, this is possibly a better choice because it will keep you warmer at night. I will use this tent in my October stay in upstate New York, where it can get nippy in the early morning.
Most campers know that if you want to be really comfortable by yourself, if weight is no problem, get a 2 person tent, as you'll have plenty of room for all your gear inside the tent. With a regular sleeping mat in the tent, a must in my opinion, don't leave home without it, you've got 2 x 3 feet of space at one end, and 11 inches along the side, and remember that the tent does slope at the edges. Not a lot of room for gear.
When it comes to the combination of price, reliability, not-hot weather camping and weight, this tent can't be beat for solo camping.
2010-06-11
By Average Consumer (Iowa)
I agree with all of the positive comments in the previous reviews and just wanted to add that the cot below fits perfectly inside this tent. I have used this cot for camping in the Idaho Bitterroot Mountains for a fishing trip and it was great. I am excited to pair this cot and the Eureka Solo Backcountry 1 tent. I think it will make for a perfect camping experience.
Byer of Maine Allagash AL Cot (Green)
2010-05-25
By Cal 20 Sailor (Kaneohe Bay, HI USA)
I haven't yet used this tent for backpacking as it is a smidgen on the "heavy" side for that for me, at least for hiking longer distances; I'd rather carry a tarp and/or bivy than a tent most times, anyway. If I were going on a back-country fishing trip or doing day-hikes from a remote base-camp, I would probably take it. I have used it for motorcycle camping, though, and it works great for that, holding me (5'10" 190 lbs.) and all my luggage/gear without crowding. (I have the older model, with tent fabric on the ends of the tent instead of mosquito netting, but for some reason it weighs less (3 lbs 10 oz.) and packs smaller (only 13" x 5") than this current model. These specs have become my standard for judging the desirability of solo tents--especially the packed length, which is so short as to easily fit inside a smaller backpack, or a motorcycle tailbag.) Its one "fault" in the high-tech consumerist outdoors market is that it isn't tech-sexy-angular and garishly colorful and offered as Ultra-anything, like other tents, and I'm always apprehensive that Eureka! may give-in and change or discontinue it, but so far it seems to be selling steadily enough to stay in their product line-up. It is a GREAT tent, though: well designed and made, easy to pitch and strike, plenty of interior space and headroom, muted coloration, weather proven, well ventilated, easily packable, relatively light, sturdy, reliable--in short, everything any tent should be. Think of it as the Volkswagen Beetle of tents: She may be plain, even old-fashioned, but you can count on her where it matters...
