Eureka Blue Mesa Tent: A Great Investment For Future Camping!
Written: Oct 21 '03 (Updated Nov 07 '04)
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Pros: very resistant to the weather, sturdy, holds up well in the wind
Cons: need two people to put up, one small leak, need to close doors during rain
The Bottom Line: Better ventilation and a virtually leak-proof floor make this tent our new first choice when camping with the family.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Eureka Mesa 1610 3 Room Tent |
We’ve used our Coleman Weathermaster tent for the three years we’ve been camping. Up until this past year it suited our needs fine, even weathering a terrible storm in Florida last December. I knew the tent would have to be recoated and resealed after that storm, though, and I wasn’t really looking forward to doing it.
In the camping groups I’ve participated in, I’ve heard a great deal about the Eureka brand of tents - all positive. With that in mind, it was one of the first brands I looked to for a new tent. Although their products are more expensive than others, I was told that it is worth it.
The Eureka Blue Mesa Tent was the tent I chose to purchase. There were two main reasons for this decision. One was that the tent specifications say that it sleeps nine. With three kids and two adults who normally go camping, that’s a good amount of room. The other reason was the bathtub-style floor. What this means is that there is no seam along the bottom of the tent. The floor seam is actually about a foot up the wall of the tent, making it much more waterproof.
I liked the colors of the Eureka Blue Mesa Tent immediately when it came out of the box. The blue and off-white is quite attractive looking. The nylon taffeta material is quite lightweight, and I carried it and the poles around very easy. This is considered a 3-season tent, meaning it is good for spring, summer, and fall weather.
Setting it up in the backyard was another story. While I’d never had a problem setting up the Coleman Weathermaster by myself, I soon figured out it was pretty impossible to set up the Eureka Blue Mesa Tent all alone. I ended up calling out my 12 year old, and with her help, we managed to raise the tent. The poles are a combination of aluminum shock-corded poles and fiberglass, making the tent strong and yet flexible. There are clips on the outer walls of the tent which keep the tent securely fastened to the poles, and the sleeves which the poles go through have so far proven to be quite strong.
Once it was assembled, I was even more pleased. There is quite a bit more ventilation with the Eureka Blue Mesa Tent than I’d had with the Coleman Weathermaster . Just about the entire roof is made of the no-see-um mesh. Over this goes the blue StormSheild polyester rainfly which does a terrific job keeping out the weather.
The tent is quite spacious. At 16 feet by 8 feet, we fit the entire family in with no problems and have plenty of room to keep our clothes in with us and move around. The roof peaks out at 6 feet, 2 inches. This means none of us have to duck inside the tent! There is a gear loft in the tent where we keep things like car keys, wallets, and flashlights so we don’t have to fumble for them if we get up in the dark. The tent can be divided into three rooms if privacy is needed, and each room has its own door. This is great if someone decides they have to go to the bathroom as they don’t have to climb over everyone else in the tent.
The doors can be unzipped so they aid in air circulation in the tent as well when just the screen is kept closed. There is a pole over each door which holds the rainfly out almost as an awning, helping to keep rain from falling directly on the doors. In theory, this should mean we can keep the doors open in the rain with only the screen between us and the outside world. This has not proven to be true, however. When it rains, we rely on the roof for the main ventilation with the screens of the doors and window exposed just a bit at the top.
The rainfly also has rings and comes with cord sot it can be pegged down during windy days. This alone was one great improvement over my Coleman Weathermaster as I’d has to stake it out myself during high winds. The only problem is the cord is dark, so we had to tie something to the cords so people wouldn’t trip over it. We learned this when at one campground someone continually tripped over it, eventually tearing out the ring. I re-sewed it, which was no problem on the rainfly. I would have been more nervous had this occurred with the tent itself.
All of the seams have been factory taped and sealed. I was hoping this meant that I would get out of having to use seam-sealer, and so far that has proven true. The only leak we had was a small one on one of the zippers, so we keep a tarp over that door now.
I’m very satisfied with this tent, and it will probably be the one we use more frequently now. A friend of ours gave us a Eureka Titan tent when they moved up to a trailer, but I like the Eureka Blue Mesa Tent a bit better for it’s exceptional ventilation.
Other tent & camping reviews:
Coleman Weathermaster Tent
Wenzel Screen Room
Coleman Electronic Ignition 2 Burner Propane Stove
Coleman Sleeping Bags
Coleman King Size Flocked Quickbed with Quickpump
Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool
Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Ovens
Woodall's Eastern Campground Directory
50 Hikes in the White Mountains
Campmor Online Store
BackCountry Online Store
Eastern Mountain Sports Online Store
Cabela’s Online Store
© 2003 Patti Aliventi
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