Shelter for the Out-of-Doors

Gear Junkie reviews TentPak’s integrated backpack and tent system: “Campers could potentially save a couple hundred bucks as opposed to buying a pack and tent separately…”

Michelle Menter of Newfield, NY tells The New York Times about her one-bedroom yurt: “In the end, though, a yurt is still a great big tent. So, what makes it better than camping? You can be in bed, warm and cozy from the woodstove, gazing up through a domed window in the ceiling at clear skies and dancing stars.”

The Gear Guy: Outside Magazine’s Douglas Gantenbein reviews four lightweight, breathable tents from Black Diamond (Firstlight, $300), REI (Quarter Dome T3, $299), Sierra Designs (Meteor Light, $270), and Marmot (Aura 2P, $299), answering the question: What’s the best three-person tent with a good balance of lightweight ventilation and privacy?

“When we stepped outside to get ready for bed in the cottage’s bathroom, a stone’s throw from the tepee and shared with other guests, we realized what the canines’ fuss was about. It was the new moon and a milky fan of shockingly bright stars hung in the desert sky. The coyotes had been celebrating.”  In the Los Angeles Times,  Jessica Gelt writes about her tour of Death Valley desert towns, including a stay in a tepee on the grounds of China Ranch, a date farm in the tiny town of Tecopa just outside the Park.

Melanie Nayer lists five top treehouse lodges, ranging from the Parrot Nest Lodge on the Mopan River in Belize to the Tranquil Resort in Wayanad, Kerala, India, where you wake “up to the smells of vanilla wafting through the air and coffee beans roasting in the sun. The 500-square-foot treehouse at Tranquil Resort is set on a private 400-acre estate complete with a working coffee and vanilla plantation, meant to relax and rejuvenate.”

Seven new family tents reviewed by Gear Junkie: the Big Agnes Flying Diamond 8 ($599.95), Kelty’s Yellowstone 4 ($144.95) and Lounge 4 ($349), Nemo’s Asashi ($399), Eureka’s N!ergy 9 ($209), Sierra Designs’ Lightning XT 4 ($449), and REI’s Hobitat 4 ($249). “Be it in the backcountry, on a canoe trip, or car camping at an area state park, one of these shelters is sure to fit your family’s preference for sleeping outside under the summer stars.”

Inclement weather shelter: Gear Junkie reviews Mammut’s waterproofed and 15-degree down sleeping bag. “With no seams on top and seam-sealed stitches on the bottom, the roughly 2.5-pound Shield protects you from rain, snow and sub-freezing temperatures. It also has a stiffened visor that comes down to your nose to help keep you dry when you sleep.”

Gear Junkie reviews Sierra Designs Mountain Meteor two and three-person tents–designed as “high-end expedition tents built to withstand the ‘toughest mountaineering conditions.’”

Gear Junkie reviews Eureka!’s Timberline SQ Outfitter–a traditional A-frame tent meant to “commemorate the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th anniversary.”

The Gear Guy: Outside Magazine’s Douglas Gantenbein reviews three ultra-light, breathable tents from Black Diamond (HiLight, $370 | Ahwahnee, $650) and Nemo (Nano Elite, $390), answering the question: What’s the best ultra-light waterproof/breathable tent out there?