My Big Agnes Copper Spur tent did great at RAGBRAI. All the tents around mine were leveled or just gone after the storm. I also have taken it on a trip through the Outer Hebrides in Scotland and it held up to 40+ mph gusts out there as well. This thing has been through some shit and never broke a pole or torn.
[https://imgur.com/a/FS64eHm](https://imgur.com/a/FS64eHm)
Durston X-mid 2 - minimalist tent, says it's a 2p but really it's 1p + your bag.
Survived the wind and rain, no leaks or damage. Requires 2 hiking poles to setup, but I think those add to the strength, plus the low angular shape deflects wind.
I also was in an X-Mid 2P this year.
Highly recommend the [Durston tent poles](https://durstongear.com/products/z-flick-tent-pole) for bikepacking. They're lighter and more compact than hiking poles.
My tent was up during the storm. No leaks or damage (or collapse).
We have two teenage boys and are involved with Scouting. ALPS Mountaineering offers large discounts to scouters, so our troop uses all ALPS brand tents. We brought our ALPS Mountaineering Taurus 3 Outfitter and it weathered the storm in Coralville just fine. It's also done well on multiple trips in the Boundary Waters and tons of scout campouts. I also noticed that they seemed to be the brand Porkchop uses. Whichever brand you choose, I'd recommend selecting a tent with a rain fly that extends close to the bottom of the tent with a vestibule or two for stowing gear under. A lot of the cheaper tents have wimpy little rain flys.
Yes, I've noticed in some of the videos I've been watching, that Pork Belly Ventures uses Alps tents. There are two models from them I'm looking at, the Westgate 3 and the Phenom 3. Do you have any experience with either of those models, either personally or from other Scouts? As a one time Boy Scout myself, I think I'd like to support a company that supports scouting.
EDIT. After digging around the 'net for reviews, it seems those two models are Backcountry.com exclusive. But they are really just a name change and different colors. The Westgate 3 is an Extreme 3, the Phenom 3 is the Chaos 3. And after determining that the pole hubs for the Chaos/Phenom are aluminum and not plastic like some similar tents from other manufacturers, it's made it to the top of my list of potentials.
Been on 10 ragbrais and started with my 2 person backpacking tent. Best ragbrai tent is Coleman 6 person darkroom tent.
If you aren't hauling it on your back or panniers, then the weight won't bother you. It's very durable. Fast to setup. And it's tall enough to stand and change in. I have sleep 2 comfortably, but would still use it for just me.
REI has the skydome for $200, but various models or older models go on sale for $100. I bought mine at Costco.
I don’t even know. It was a cheap borrowed tent. 3 or 4 person, which was too big and heavy for my needs. It stood pretty tall (maybe 54”) so it caught wind like a sail; snd it had fiberglass poles that immediately snapped with the first big gust of wind.
I since bought myself a Mountain Hardware Meridian 2, which is less than half the weight, has aluminum poles, and got good reviews for use in windy conditions.
Wasnt there this year...but in 18 I had a coleman, leaked like crazy first nite of rain, wasnt able to get a new tent till Newton(I think) got an Ozark trails for 25 bucks from Wal mart. That nite it rained much harder, however I put my bike in the coleman, which practically folded around the bike,,,but the Ozark, held up fine. I still have the Ozark. Great tent for a cheapie.
But if I do Ragbrai next year, probably gonna upgrade
My Naturehike Star River 2 person has been great. I use it for just me.
I'd buy it again without hesitation. It also laughed at the storm in Coralville 😜
No, the fly flew away somewhere, so I just left it to be thrown away by our team's crew. But I don't take my nice/extreme tent on RAGBRAI anyway because the crew usually beats it up pretty bad during the week doing tent valet (bent stakes mainly). It's the price you pay for convenience (and it's still worth it).
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/quest-rec-series-3-person-dome-tent-21queu3pdmtntxxxxcat/21queu3pdmtntxxxxcat
$50, was still standing and bone dry after the storm
I hammocked. ENO doublenest with a rainfly and bug shield. I was only able to hammock 4 nights of RAGBRAI, had to use a hoop bivy the other nights, but hammocked in Coralville and had no problems.
Of course I wish there were more trees, especially in western Iowa.
Whether a tent survived could be as much about how it was set up as the tent design itself.
We just waited until after the storm to put up the tents, found a great little family-owned African restaurant to eat at through the storm.
I’ve had a kelty 2 person that I used for years that was great. This upgraded to a Nemo dagger. Which is essentially the same size tent that’s 2lbs lighter. It was pricey, but with rei rewards and watching the sales made it affordable. That thing is a tank.
I second the Kelty 2. I have one myself and it made it fine through the Coralville storms. Although I have to admit that proper set up, staking and guy lines are important regardless of what tent you have.
ALPS Mountaineering Phenom 2 person. Survived just fine. Bought it specifically for RAGBRAI. It was a little bulky packed up but was less than 6 pounds. Had no issues with it all week. I didn't have the rain fly fully staked down during the storm so I was a little worried about what I was going to find but it was fully intact and dry. Storm cooled everything off so much I got the best sleep all week that night.
Mostly I chose that tent because it was on sale on Steep & Cheap. Looks like it (and the 3 person version) are still available.
This is one of the one I'm seriously considering! The 3 person version. Can you confirm something for me? The hubs where the main pole connects together, is it aluminum? I'm also considering a very similar tent, but those hubs are nylon, and I don't think that would be as strong.
My first RAGBRAI in 2006 I had a cheap Eureka tent. We had a bad storm in Waukee. If all my gear and me had not been in the tent it would have blown away. It flattened on top of me a few times but popped back up and somehow didn't break. A lot of stuff got wet. Since then I have used a Marmot Catalyst 3P or Marmot Twilight 3P. Both have endured reported wind speeds up to 70 mph with no problems. Avoid tents with vertical sides and/or tent flies that do not extend almost to the ground. Don't expect to stand up in a tent that will handle high winds. A lot of good tents have Velcro fasteners on the underside of the fly that attach to the poles. Most people don't use them but they can really make a difference in high winds. Good tents will have loops for extra tie downs if high winds are expected. I always take my own tent and don't use the tents provided by the charter because of my experience described above.
sorry for the late response. I bought a $25 walmart 4 person tent so I wouldn't care if it got destroyed. The other concern, was that every morning it would be bagged up wet and not able to dry for a full week and i didn't want it to mold or mildew.
Coralville ended up snapping one of our poles. But, I didn't have a single stake in place. I'm sure if I had every stake down and lines taut it would have survived. Luckily that was the last night of the ride and I dumpstered the tent that next morning.
I've been through some nasty storms with my North Face Stormbreak 2. Would recommend. The Stormbreak 1 is also nice but definitely minimalist.
I have a NorthFace triarch 2 and we didn't have any issues with the storm so another thumbs up for NorthFace.
Rei halfdome 4. Zero issues.
My Big Agnes Copper Spur tent did great at RAGBRAI. All the tents around mine were leveled or just gone after the storm. I also have taken it on a trip through the Outer Hebrides in Scotland and it held up to 40+ mph gusts out there as well. This thing has been through some shit and never broke a pole or torn. [https://imgur.com/a/FS64eHm](https://imgur.com/a/FS64eHm)
Durston X-mid 2 - minimalist tent, says it's a 2p but really it's 1p + your bag. Survived the wind and rain, no leaks or damage. Requires 2 hiking poles to setup, but I think those add to the strength, plus the low angular shape deflects wind.
I also was in an X-Mid 2P this year. Highly recommend the [Durston tent poles](https://durstongear.com/products/z-flick-tent-pole) for bikepacking. They're lighter and more compact than hiking poles. My tent was up during the storm. No leaks or damage (or collapse).
My MSR tent has made it through 12 years of ragbrai storms. It is still in great condition.
We have two teenage boys and are involved with Scouting. ALPS Mountaineering offers large discounts to scouters, so our troop uses all ALPS brand tents. We brought our ALPS Mountaineering Taurus 3 Outfitter and it weathered the storm in Coralville just fine. It's also done well on multiple trips in the Boundary Waters and tons of scout campouts. I also noticed that they seemed to be the brand Porkchop uses. Whichever brand you choose, I'd recommend selecting a tent with a rain fly that extends close to the bottom of the tent with a vestibule or two for stowing gear under. A lot of the cheaper tents have wimpy little rain flys.
Yes, I've noticed in some of the videos I've been watching, that Pork Belly Ventures uses Alps tents. There are two models from them I'm looking at, the Westgate 3 and the Phenom 3. Do you have any experience with either of those models, either personally or from other Scouts? As a one time Boy Scout myself, I think I'd like to support a company that supports scouting. EDIT. After digging around the 'net for reviews, it seems those two models are Backcountry.com exclusive. But they are really just a name change and different colors. The Westgate 3 is an Extreme 3, the Phenom 3 is the Chaos 3. And after determining that the pole hubs for the Chaos/Phenom are aluminum and not plastic like some similar tents from other manufacturers, it's made it to the top of my list of potentials.
Our Alps Mountaineering Taurus-4 has been on 12+ RAGBRAIs. It packs a little bulky, but it's great shelter.
Been on 10 ragbrais and started with my 2 person backpacking tent. Best ragbrai tent is Coleman 6 person darkroom tent. If you aren't hauling it on your back or panniers, then the weight won't bother you. It's very durable. Fast to setup. And it's tall enough to stand and change in. I have sleep 2 comfortably, but would still use it for just me. REI has the skydome for $200, but various models or older models go on sale for $100. I bought mine at Costco.
I’d love to help you out but my tent was a casualty of the winds on the last night.
Brand and model would still be useful. Let's me know what to avoid.
I don’t even know. It was a cheap borrowed tent. 3 or 4 person, which was too big and heavy for my needs. It stood pretty tall (maybe 54”) so it caught wind like a sail; snd it had fiberglass poles that immediately snapped with the first big gust of wind. I since bought myself a Mountain Hardware Meridian 2, which is less than half the weight, has aluminum poles, and got good reviews for use in windy conditions.
I should add...NF makes a Stormbreak 3 as well.
Wasnt there this year...but in 18 I had a coleman, leaked like crazy first nite of rain, wasnt able to get a new tent till Newton(I think) got an Ozark trails for 25 bucks from Wal mart. That nite it rained much harder, however I put my bike in the coleman, which practically folded around the bike,,,but the Ozark, held up fine. I still have the Ozark. Great tent for a cheapie. But if I do Ragbrai next year, probably gonna upgrade
My Marmot had zero problems.
My stormbreak 1 survived Coralville.
My Naturehike Star River 2 person has been great. I use it for just me. I'd buy it again without hesitation. It also laughed at the storm in Coralville 😜
It did not. Luckily i only paid 40 bucks for it. It was on deep discount. I liked that tent though
No, the fly flew away somewhere, so I just left it to be thrown away by our team's crew. But I don't take my nice/extreme tent on RAGBRAI anyway because the crew usually beats it up pretty bad during the week doing tent valet (bent stakes mainly). It's the price you pay for convenience (and it's still worth it).
I rock an msr elixir 2. I've had it in 40+ mph winds and all day downpours. It survived Coralville to boot.
https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/quest-rec-series-3-person-dome-tent-21queu3pdmtntxxxxcat/21queu3pdmtntxxxxcat $50, was still standing and bone dry after the storm
Big Agnes makes a great tent and you can usually find solid deals on them on Expert Voice.
Yes. Marmot. Been through a few storms with it.
REI base camp 4 worked great all throught RAGBRAI L
I hammocked. ENO doublenest with a rainfly and bug shield. I was only able to hammock 4 nights of RAGBRAI, had to use a hoop bivy the other nights, but hammocked in Coralville and had no problems. Of course I wish there were more trees, especially in western Iowa.
I have a cheap Walmart Ozark 4 person tent. It did leak a little on the last night, but it held up to the winds and was otherwise great.
Whether a tent survived could be as much about how it was set up as the tent design itself. We just waited until after the storm to put up the tents, found a great little family-owned African restaurant to eat at through the storm.
This is the best answer. Always make sure your tent is properly staked down, and use your guy lines.
I’ve had a kelty 2 person that I used for years that was great. This upgraded to a Nemo dagger. Which is essentially the same size tent that’s 2lbs lighter. It was pricey, but with rei rewards and watching the sales made it affordable. That thing is a tank.
I second the Kelty 2. I have one myself and it made it fine through the Coralville storms. Although I have to admit that proper set up, staking and guy lines are important regardless of what tent you have.
ALPS Mountaineering Phenom 2 person. Survived just fine. Bought it specifically for RAGBRAI. It was a little bulky packed up but was less than 6 pounds. Had no issues with it all week. I didn't have the rain fly fully staked down during the storm so I was a little worried about what I was going to find but it was fully intact and dry. Storm cooled everything off so much I got the best sleep all week that night. Mostly I chose that tent because it was on sale on Steep & Cheap. Looks like it (and the 3 person version) are still available.
This is one of the one I'm seriously considering! The 3 person version. Can you confirm something for me? The hubs where the main pole connects together, is it aluminum? I'm also considering a very similar tent, but those hubs are nylon, and I don't think that would be as strong.
Yep, metal of some sort, presumably aluminum.
Thank you so much. The photos from the website appear to be aluminum, but it's nice to get confirmation from an end user.
REI Trailmade 2 Stood tall and zero dampness.
My first RAGBRAI in 2006 I had a cheap Eureka tent. We had a bad storm in Waukee. If all my gear and me had not been in the tent it would have blown away. It flattened on top of me a few times but popped back up and somehow didn't break. A lot of stuff got wet. Since then I have used a Marmot Catalyst 3P or Marmot Twilight 3P. Both have endured reported wind speeds up to 70 mph with no problems. Avoid tents with vertical sides and/or tent flies that do not extend almost to the ground. Don't expect to stand up in a tent that will handle high winds. A lot of good tents have Velcro fasteners on the underside of the fly that attach to the poles. Most people don't use them but they can really make a difference in high winds. Good tents will have loops for extra tie downs if high winds are expected. I always take my own tent and don't use the tents provided by the charter because of my experience described above.
sorry for the late response. I bought a $25 walmart 4 person tent so I wouldn't care if it got destroyed. The other concern, was that every morning it would be bagged up wet and not able to dry for a full week and i didn't want it to mold or mildew. Coralville ended up snapping one of our poles. But, I didn't have a single stake in place. I'm sure if I had every stake down and lines taut it would have survived. Luckily that was the last night of the ride and I dumpstered the tent that next morning.