Paha Que Tents

[bwca]

Thread transferred in:

8/28/08 4:41 pm

Oh my God, does anyone else use Paha que tents? I just got one last
month but used it for the first time just recently. This is without a
doubt the best tent I've ever owned. It's big enough to stand in and
super simple to set up. Plus, when I called to order it the guy gave me
a 30% discount just because I asked for it. Really awesome customer
service for sure. So I just went back to them yesterday to get one of
their screen rooms, too. I haven't played with it yet, though. I was
just wondering if anyone else uses them and how you've liked it...

http://tinyurl.com/pahaque

[bwca]

8/29/08 9:09 AM

We've had a Paha Que Promontory tent for several years (10 X 12). We also have their 10 X 12 screen room. I just can't say enough good things about them. Paha Que tents only have four aluminum poles so they are incredibly easy to set up. When my husband has Thursday and Friday off and I don't, he often goes up by himself and has no problems setting the tent up by himself. Makes it great for me because when I drive up Friday after work, camp is already set up and all I have to do is grab a beer! The screen room is awesome and has a multitude of uses. We live in Arizona and have the palest grandchildren in the world. So when we put up the pool for them, we throw the screen room over it and don't have to mess with sunscreen. When we take it camping with us, we use it as a rain room. We usually camp in the mountains and summer rain storms are pretty common at altitude. We set it up as our kitchen, stake out the awning sides and we can
hang out in there and watch the lightening while staying nice and dry. When it's colder, we can drop three of the sides and the stove heats it very nicely while cooking. I actually can't think of anything negative to say about their products. Enjoy your new tent! It's guaranteed to become your favorite.

--Gail

[bwca]

8/29/08 11:08 AM

Thanks to this list, and an experience several years ago at a
campground in August where the local dearth had a multitude of
insectivora attempting to share our meals, or us as we attempted to eat,
we ordered the Paha Que 12x12 screen room, with the rain fly, and have
never looked back. What a difference in quality of life (and why I'm a
car camper and not a backpacker) having that room set up over the picnic
table at the camp site, and going in for meals and family time; of
having the lanterns aglow on either side with the bugs furiously dancing
about the lights, while we comfortably inside enjoy a bug-free
environment; of enjoying the independently setable side panels and the
intelligently designed loops for guying whatever is needed . . .

[bwca]

8/29/08 1:02 PM

You can quite often get them for significantly less on E-bay or, if you subscribe to their newsletter, they offer different products at a greatly reduced price each month. And the cost is kind of relative. I'm 5"10, my husband is 6'3" and we're both in our 50s. For us, it was well worth the price to be able to stand up straight and walk around our tent. It's a real back saver! I might have been less able to justify the price when we were in our 30s.

Our tent and screen room have both taken us through some absolutely horrific storms without leaking or collapsing. Since we normally camp out in the middle of nowhere, we really need equipment that is sturdy. Running to a shower room, bathroom or into town during a bad storm isn't an option where we camp. We're taking a weeks vacation the end of September and have no doubts we'll be dry and comfortable. AND standing up straight!!

--Gail

[bwca]

8/30/08 11:46 AM

Have these tents been stable in very windy conditions?

Sarah, CO

[bwca]

Very stable in wind as long as you stake it down and use guy lines. You can also purchase extra stake & guy lines kits from Paha Que. My experience has been very positive with these products. My wife and I have been through some nasty weather and have yet to spring a leak or get blown down. During the week you can go to their website and have an online chat to get answers to all your questions. Great customer service. You get what you pay for with this company.

[bwca]

There is no getting around the physics of erecting a structure with slab
sides into the atmosphere in which we exist, and having it interact with
the elements. A beauty of the Paha Que items, is that they are
quality-made, and thoughtfully designed to have attach points all over,
poles, and extra lines that allow one to guy the structure as needed in
all "normal" conditions. If one properly guys the windward side(s), and
the stakes hold, there should be no problem. And as others have noted,
these products are frequently discounted, and represent a great value,
if one needs what they offer.

Paul
Chantilly, VA

[bwca]

We've had our 10x14 Paha Que 'Perry Mesa' model for over three years now
and absolutely love it. We'll buy this brand again if/when we have to
replace it.

Camped 20+ times for 1 -2 weeks in all sorts of weather -- 106 degrees
down to high 30's's, in both dry and torrential rain conditions, high
winds (50+ mph gusts) and dead calm, in Okla., Texas, Arkansas,
Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado. Everything else posted here is
true about their ability to withstand weather.

Short history: First tent was improperly sewn which allowed balooning
of rain water at window bottoms on first outing, and of course leaked.
They had just started with a new mfr in China and this was from the
first production run. Customer service at Paha Que was fantastic,
even tho we'd purchased from CampMor ($5 shipping) and not direct from
them. Got us a new tent that initially had only two tiny wet spots
that haven't leaked since applying seam sealer. And we have been
through some very rough thunderstorms.

One word of caution if you're getting one with a screened room
adjoining the sleeping area. Insects, arachnida, raccoons, squirrels,
possums and even skunks can and will enter the screened area (our
"kitchen") due to the open floor. We chose this model so cooking
wouldn't cause problems with grease and food on the floor, and don't
regret it. Just bear in mind that you have to keep all food except
canned goods locked up at night if you're in an area with wildlife
accustomed to campers and people food.

Setup is extremely easy for 2 people and we've never exchanged any
cross words while setting up -- true marital camping bliss. Just
watch their short video on their web site to see how. We use two
sheets of heavy plastic underneath the sleeping area to help protect
the floor from sharp rocks.

The open screened top is awesome for star gazing on clear dry nights.
We did have to apply a small screen patch when hot grease popped and
burned a hole on the large screen in the "kitchen", but is hardly
noticeable.

Zippers all work very well after lots of heavy use. Shell material is
durable.

All poles have held up well, including shock cording. We did buy
extra awning poles so we could have all three awnings up
simultaneously. We've also bought hi-visibility yellow guy ropes
since we're often moving around outside after dark.

In summary, we're very happy with this tent and wouldn't hesitate to
recommend it to anyone who will be camping enough to justify the
higher cost for buying a high quality tent. If you have any questions
please feel free to email and ask, since I don't regularly monitor
this group.

Ms Marion

[bwca]

I was digging around on their site and found a couple things that I thought some people might like to try.

For those who don't like the extra protein of deerflies in their food, they have a food tent that you can keep prepared food in during dinner time:


http://tinyurl.com/foodtent

For those who are uncomfortable using the open latrines in the BWCA, you could cut the bottom out of the outhouse tent and place it over the latrine for privacy:


http://tinyurl.com/outhousetent