Modern Vespa

I'm going to the Hills on Wheels rally in Tennessee. It'll be my first camping rally, and I need to shop for a tent. I'm looking for a 2-person tent for hopefully no more than $100

Does anybody have one that they've been particularly happy with and would suggest to others?

Definitely get a two or 3 man tent. I went to the Tahoe rally with the RBSC, and took a one man, and that was a big mistake, no room for me no room for gear. I had to set up cross ways to have room to lay straight. Was very difficult to get in and out of it, and forget having room to change. So make sure the set up dimensions are over 6'long, by 3 to 4' wide, and about 4' tall. That way you can at-least kneel inside to change shirts and such.
Good luck with the trip, and post some pictures when you get back!!

+100

A "2-man tent" may just fit two people, with room for nothing else at all. I'm sure you can find a good deal at any sporting goods store for your price...probably even for less than your price at this time of year. Go to Dicks or someplace like that where they have the tents set up on the floor. Then you'll get a better idea of how big it really is on the inside. Find one you like...

Then open the box and see if it packs into one small bag when rolled up so you can easily carry it on your scooter. Get something that one person can set up in the dark. It happens! (Get a flashlight you can hold in your mouth, too. )

You can spend as much as you want on a tent, but for general use for the odd camping trip or rally, you don't have to get fancy. I found mine at a thrift store for $10.00.

Just to clarify. I do remember from my days of Boy Scouts that you always want get a tent for the number of people +1
It's just me in this tent, that's why I'm looking for a 2-person, and I think 've found the one:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-SunDome-7-Foot-3-Person-Orange/dp/B001C1A362/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253809080&sr=1-13

plenty of room, the reviews are good, and the price is right

A 2 person dome tent is fine. As said above you don't need anything expensive. If you can get one with a net window on both sides to allow the air through. You can get little "gear lofts" which allow you to store stuff off the floor for about $10. Practise putting the tent up a couple of times before you go. Remember you'll need a roll up mattress and a sleeping bag as well. Some mattresses can turn into chairs which is nice. If you can buy food there then I'd do that rather than taking cooking gear - it takes up a lot of space. I lived in a cheap dome tent for 6 months while filling in all the coloured squares below - I'm still using it 15 years on.

An unusual tent is the hennessy hammock tent which packs very small and is really comfortable (I've got one). It's useless if there are no trees etc to hang it from but if you can pick your site while you're riding along then it works well. It wouldn't be suitable for your trip but I thought I'd mention it.

Ear plugs and a torch might also be useful.

Regarding the mattress, should it be inflateable or a pad? Where can I find these chair ones that you're talking about?

You can spend a few hundred bucks on a tent that promises not to leak.

Or you can go and spend $70 on a three person dome tent and $15 for a blue tarp and it's guaranteed not to leak.

The best ones are the self inflating ones. An air mattress won't work unless someone has a decent pump. A pad is fine if you're young. I googled for "self inflating mattress chair" and found nothing - perhaps the one I have in my garage is now unique

Most modern dome tents are fine in all weathers unless you get a kids play tent. A 3 man tent might be a little too big unless you're definitely planning on scoring a pair of twins. Not sure about the tarpaulin - if you put them under a tent they just tend to collect all the water under you. Best bet is to put your tent up on slightly raised ground (if you can) and make sure the outer skin of the tent is well pegged out.

How can my tent be a little too big?
Wouldn't I want something with plenty of room for me and my stuff?

Not under.

Over.

ahh that makes since, because the other suggestions that I have read say to put the tarp under the tent

Depends on how badly it's raining

If rained for a few days prior and you're setting up in marshy mud then putting a tarp down can keep the water from eventually soaking through the bottom of the tent (though many modern tents have a tarp-like bottom - in the old days they didn't, which is why people set up ON tarps).

But if the ground's relatively flat and dry (or it is grassy) then usually the bottom is fine, but having the tarp to throw over the top if it rains hard, storms, or you have a steady rain for hours will keep the top from leaking and soaking your stuff.

I have a 3 person tent, I would not want to camp for more than one night in anything smaller, personally. I have a cot that I prefer, it sits about 6 inches off of the ground and when it is warm the air flow under me keeps me comfortable, when it is cold I put a trash bag over small things I place under the cot and that keeps me insulated and warm.

My tent center height is too short to allow changing clothes in it. I used to go on bicycle rallies and packing for those was even more restrictive. I have an extra large tee shirt that I put over top of everything I am wearing and then I can change my bra under that, once I have my bra on I am covered more than most women are at the beach so I don't care if anyone looks at me swapping my dirty shirt for a clean one. My huge tee shirt is also long enough that I can stand behind my tent and change everything on the bottom very quickly and really I might flash someone if they are nosy enough to go poking around and all of that kind of thing, but that is their problem if they are that desperate. I mean how long does it take to drop your drawers and pull on another pair? I take about 5 seconds for the process.

If you are a guy, changing shirts shouldn't be a big deal-if you look nice enough be proud of what ya got, if you don't, don't worry eyes will be averted quickly enough.

For both, if you are really shy or can't find a nice spot to pitch your tent against a tree line, just get something to tie around your waist like a skirt and change under that. Really, a few moments of practice and you will be surprised at how easy it is to maintain your modesty and change clothes at the same time.

Another option that is available is to hang some sheets to create a changing room, get a smallish roundish rock and put it in the corner of the sheet, wrap some fine rope around the wrapped stone to hold it well (a constrictor knot works well for this, you will make a pocket with the stone inside of it), toss the other end of the rope over a tree (learning to make a monkey fist knot is handy for this and it impresses people far more than it should) repeat as necessary at the other corner and at least a couple of times in the middle of the side of the sheet to create a small room for folks to change behind. Of course trees are required for this, but it is not difficult at all. Of course you would pack sufficient lengths of rope...

Cheers,
-v

walmart has decent ones for under $100. I bought a 4 person one and it is perfect for 2 people with gear only takes up a 6x6 square 2 ft long comes with a nice carrying bag and no problem for 1 to set up. It a ozark trail, size 10' x 13' 6' tall in the center.

I would not focus to much on the number of people that can fit into it. I have had several tents through the years and I divide tents into two categories. Tents I can stand in and tents I cannot stand in. the tents you can stand in, even if it is just the center, allow you to change inside the tent with ease.

The shorter tents require you to dress while laying down or to dress outside or in the restroom/shower facilities. The number of people is less important to me as you can get 2-3 person tents tall enough to stand in and you can 4-6 person tents that are too short for me. The other factor is packing. The smaller (and shorter) the tent, the smaller it packs.

If you follow the links in my sig file you can see my little orange tent as well as several other styles. I grew up at Boy Scout camp so dressing while inside a really short tent is not really that difficult and something I knew how to do. My tent was too short to even sit up in.

If you are not going to camp a lot, the Coleman tents are good choices and should be on clearance sale at every Wal-Mart. Most include a rain fly that will keep out most of the rain and I like a tarp under all of my tents. If you are want to have a little insurance when you not really expecting rain, you could improve the "dry insurance" with a simple 99 cent painters tarp from Home Depot (or the 99 cent store) and a few clothes pins.

The tent from Amazon looks fine to me.

Regarding standing room: If I don't plan on spending a lot of time in the tent (except in a horizontal position) I don't mind the low ceiling. It's a small price to pay for a tent that doesn't take up much room on the scooter. Still, my week of camping last year took a toll and I found the cramped headroom irritating. I now have two tents...my little one (still my first choice) and a larger one with room to stand in for trips where I'll using the tent for more than just a place to crash overnight.

I bought a sleeping pad a couple of years ago and found that it was no help at all...not much better than sleeping on bare rock. Admittedly, it was not a very expensive one. Since then I pack an inflatable mattress. It doesn't take up any more room than the pad and since I have a lighter plug for the inflator, it only takes a minute to blow it up. I think there are battery powered inflators, too. If you are going to use lung power, I'd stick with the pad.

I don't carry a ground tarp to save room. So far, I haven't needed it either, even when it rained. Choose your location carefully. The inflatable mattress keeps me off the floor anyway and I don't leave anything that could be damaged by water on the floor unless it's in a plastic bag just in case. (But my little tent hasn't leaked even a bit in the last several years.)

Bring a small folding chair. You can live with low ceiling height, you can live with sleeping on a pad, but if you can't find a place to sit and rest, you're going to get pretty uncomfortable after a while.

I bought this tent for this rally based on price and reviews - my other tent was impaled by a pine tree branch in my backyard. Nice short bag for the rear rack on my GTS and it actually JUST BARELY fits under the seat.

http://www.rei.com/product/731378

*oh shit! I just realized that you were asking this question Aleck! Nevermind... you had a different avatar here so I wasn't paying attention. See you at the rally.

And Target has their foam mattress top pads on clearance. I got a twin for $10. 1.5" foam. that rolls into a reusable roll bag.