| MEC Waderer 2 - Tent review | Rate Topic |
| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 | Page: 1 2   |
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| Posted: Tue May 26th, 2009 08:29 pm | 1st Post |
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For those that aren't aware, I have been an avid 'outdoors man' for years and have enjoyed backpacking, canoe tripping and motorcycle/car touring/camping for most of my life. Bargain Basement 'gear' just doesn't cut it with me as my life may depend on quality(not necessarily expensive!) gear to keep me safe and comfortable when I'm miles away from the nearest human, so no Walmart/Kmart offerings find their way home with me. I have been contacted by various members for advice on camping gear and I thought that I would just post a review of a great tent that is of generous size, reasonable price and doesn't take up a lot of room while packed on your bike. My Backpacking tent/shelter although extremely light and compact for a 2 man tent, is just not big enough to easily change in/out of my riding gear. My regular car camping tent is a bit too much for motorcycle touring, without a trailer. It is rather bulky/heavy and doesn't have 2 protected vestibules like it's smaller sibling below has.  MEC's Wanderer 2, A 2 man - 3 season tent. It's been around for ages and it's a well proven and honed design, with lots of features and good ideas. I think it's a steal at only $207.00CDN While a little bulky/heavy to be termed a true backpacking tent, it isn't so bad when split between 2. It's also ideal for canoe tripping, motorcycle touring and even car camping. It has a fairly generous amount of floor space for a 2 person tent, with 3.4sq.m/36.6sq.' and 2 large vestibules that fully protect the inner tent during downpours. The full coverage fly is made of 75-denier polyester taffeta, polyurethane-coated for waterproofness to 2000mm. and all seams are factory taped/sealed. The floor is made of MEC's HT-Seal™, polyurethane-coated for waterproofness to 10,000mm. It has 2 full vestibules, which open in a variety of ways and has 2 hooded vents, to help expel condensation. I also bought it's custom made footprint which is a bargain for just $17.00CDN I have found it very roomy when used by myself and I would imagine it fits 2 people without being 'squished', as is the case with most 2 man tents. It has very good headroom and the slant of the walls is such that it allows lots of elbow room. Overall, I'd rate this tent as better than any Sierra Designs/REI/Kelty tent I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of tents over the years. I currently own 4 other tents, as I've sold off a few of the ones I don't use much anymore. Here is a little slide-show, that shows the tent and it's features.(Click on the 'Show Info' tab on the upper right} http://www.flickr.com/photos/dusty-boots/sets/72157618562830003/show/ Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Tue May 26th, 2009 09:03 pm | 2nd Post |
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Good review, Dusty..... Red and I have been snoring in a Eureka 4-person Timberline for years now..... I probably should look around some at newer or at least different offering. So far, the A-framed Eureka has met our needs fairly well...... In your opinion, are there marked advantages of the MEC over our old Eureka? Attachment: cropeureka.JPG (Downloaded 382 times) Last edited on Tue May 26th, 2009 09:22 pm by Cousin Jack ____________________ First name: Mel (Red's: Sandy) "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to." (Bilbo Baggins) |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 01:11 am | 3rd Post |
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You sure know how to sell, Dusty If I was in the market for a tent, I'd go for that one in a heart beat just because I know that you wouldn't steer anybody wrong. Your da man when it comes to camp gear. I have the same tent as CJ because he and others made the recommendation and I don't regret it at all. I thought it was a goner when golf ball size hall started pelting the devil out of it at Mt. Rushmore. But she held steady with no scares what so ever. Looking forward to putting it to use in Utah, come Sept.  I don't have the vestable for it though. Thinking I should look into it, and maybe the footprint. Although a piece of plastic does the trick.
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 01:36 am | 4th Post |
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Cousin Jack wrote: In your opinion, are there marked advantages of the MEC over our old Eureka? CJ, if that tent you're happy with is serving you well and is still in good shape(waterproofing, flysheet not degraded due to UV rays) I'd stick with your trusty tent. Just like the ole' saying - 'don't mess with it, if it don't need fixin'. As for a 'comparison' CJ, lets compare apples to apples - Comparing the 2 man Wanderer 2, to the Eureka 2 man Timberline XT, the Wanderer 2 has more headroom(not just in the centre portion of the tent) and because of it's dome design, more overall 'usable living space.' The Timberline has 38sq' vs the Wanderer's 36.6 sq', but due to the tent designs, the Wanderer has more usable interior floor space. The Wanderer 2 poles are slightly shorter(22" vs 24") when packed, making them a bit easier for packing The Wanderer 2 is heavier, but it also includes 2 larger vestibules. The Wanderer 2 has a heavier/thicker polyurethane coating(waterproofing) on both the floor and the rainfly. Is probably quicker to set up, due to the fewer number of poles that need to be assembled and attached together. Fewer parts to loose. The 2 man Eureka XT is about $4.87US cheaper, at today's exchange rate, but once you add the optional extra vestibule @ $39.99 and their not so custom 'floor saver' footprint @ $9.99(really just a cut down polyethylene tarp, without grommets) that brings the total to - $229.88US The Wanderer 2 retails for $184.77US, including the 2 vestibules and the option custom fit footprint(much better quality!) is $15.77US, for a total of - $200.54US If it were my money, I know which tent I'd be buying. Last edited on Wed May 27th, 2009 01:51 am by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 01:48 am | 5th Post |
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Winger77 wrote:
That's the beauty of having 2 vestibules on the Wanderer. You can store all your gear in one and use the other as a protected entrance/exit to your tent, without fear of getting the inner tent wet in a down pour. The foot print helps to save premature 'wear n tear' on the tent's floor. A wise investment, although in your case Dave, the plastic is just as good as what Eureka offers as a 'footprint'.  .The thing I like about the Wanderer 2's footprint is that it is custom made for it and besides extending into one of the tent's vestibules, has attachment points that fit on the bottom of the poles, which lets you set up just the fly and the footprint if it's raining out and then set up the inner tent, under the protection of the fly.   Dusty Last edited on Wed May 27th, 2009 01:54 am by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 01:54 am | 6th Post |
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Why in da heck did I have to make camp next to you at Calhoun, when you had all that extra room ???  
____________________ For those who've never fought for it, the price of freedom shall never be known.... "Shooter" 1986 Interstate |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 02:11 am | 7th Post |
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Shooter,  that was the Wanderer 4, the Wanderer 2's larger sibling, that I had down at Calhoun.  Yup too much room in there for what I need when touring by myself. This would be MEC's equivilent to the Eureka Timberline Outfitter 4, although the second vestibule for the Wanderer 4 is $21.42US option.  A few more shots of the Wanderer 4 : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dusty-boots/sets/72157600306878294/show/ Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 03:06 am | 8th Post |
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I have the Big Agnes Emerald Mountain 3 and love it. My lady & I spent 12 hours in it once during a huge storm in North Florida. The tent never leaked nor did we experience any condensation. It was developed for backpacking and is considered a 3 season ultralight intended to house three adults. Everything, the tent, the rain fly, the foot print, the poles, stakes and guy lines all compress into a neat little bag which fits into the bottom of one saddle bag on my '86 1200I; and I have plenty of room to stow other equipment with it. I can have it up in under ten minutes. It is a bit pricey but I have seen it on line for $250. As soon as I figure out how to post photo's I will.
____________________ I Ride a GL 1200 because it is my favroite Bike not the other way around. Trying to ride every patch of blacktop in the lower 48 |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 03:27 am | 9th Post |
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While I'm sure the BA Emerald 3 is a fine tent, I don't care for an all mesh body tent, as condensation can drip down into the inner tent. This happened to me while backpacking up in the Cathedrals in Southern BC, in early Sept and 6" of wet, heavy snow fell. The next 3 days saw temps a degree above/below freezing and it was either snowing, or raining. The fly built up with condensation, despite having the vestibule open and dripped down inside the tent, through the mesh, making everything damp inside.  The Wanderer 2 also comes in a mesh version but I stayed away from that, due to my previous experiences with a full mesh bodied tent. 
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 02:43 pm | 10th Post |
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That's a nice tent dusty. I have REI 4 and 6 person tents, very similar build to your MEC. and a little one man MSR tent for packing and biking. (it says two man but really...) I like REI for the lifetime warranty, but this tent is pretty nice. The REI half dome 2 tent only has one vestibule without the floor. I might have to get one of these MECs. edit: opps I was wrong the REI also has two vestibules. Last edited on Wed May 27th, 2009 02:44 pm by Roach ____________________ 1984 GL1200 STD/Vetter sidecar |
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| Posted: Wed May 27th, 2009 04:05 pm | 11th Post |
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MEC has a very similar return policy as REI and very good quality, as well One of my buds has the REI Half dome and although a nice tent with 2 doors/vestibules, the vestibules are not near as large and the interior height/floor space isn't as great, as well.  My backpacking tent is a 2 man (ya ... I know!) Double Rainbow, made by TarpTent It packs incredibly small, weighs 1135g, has 2 doors/vestibules and is great for that purpose Here it is set up at Moores Point, along the Lake Chelan Lakeshore Trail, which Cousin Jack and pals, just hiked.  and here it is in 'travel mode', packed up in the gray/black compression sac. That's a 1 litre drink bottle for size comparison!  The Wanderer 2 is a much more comfortable tent for motorcycle touring and packs down fairly small as well, with the aid of a compression stuff sac.  Dusty Last edited on Wed May 27th, 2009 04:11 pm by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Thu May 28th, 2009 04:52 am | 12th Post |
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nice tents but pricey made a trip to Alaska in 2007, bought a $200 tent for the trip because i was worried we might camp in the rain a lot, only camped in the rain one nite, the $200 tent was nice for the trip but since then whenever i go camping i take my 10 year old 7x7 $25 Kmart tent, it packs and sets up easier, only real drawback is if it rains it sometimes leaks a little
____________________ email ehcycledude@yahoo.com Rode my bike to Trailer Week |
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| Posted: Thu May 28th, 2009 07:04 am | 13th Post |
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I picked up a little 129.00 Wal Mart tent back in 2002, and I have never got wet in it when it rained.
____________________ You meet the best people who ride a Goldwing |
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| Posted: Fri May 29th, 2009 03:33 am | 14th Post |
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My main tent is a plastic one about two inches by three inches and has a magnetic strip built in. The label says Best Western. I do carry the smallest back packer and sleeping bag I could find just in case. However I have been thinking of a tent with a few more options. I just can't find one with a hot shower. I don't like to ride with external luggage but gave in a little by keeping my dirty laundry in a knapsack strapped to the back seat. It needed the air. Seriously though I wouldn't mind seeing three photos of your bike Dusty. One with the gear spread out on the ground , one with it stowed but lids open and the third ready to roll.
____________________ Len ___________________________ If you ask for directions you only go places where people have already gone. |
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| Posted: Fri May 29th, 2009 05:24 am | 15th Post |
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nobbie wrote: Seriously though I wouldn't mind seeing three photos of your bike Dusty. One with the gear spread out on the ground , one with it stowed but lids open and the third ready to roll. Patience, Grasshopper..... and you shall be rewarded. My Bud and I are going on a nice little 15 day trip. Leaving June 17 and arriving back on July 1st to catch the Canada Day Fireworks display out over Okanagan Lake, here in Penticton. I'll take some shots for you on different ways I can pack the bike and do another little 'slideshow presentation'. Current thought is that I'll most likely be employing 2 trunk rack bags, one on the Pylon Seat, which will hold all my camping equipment and the other will hold my heated clothing, rain suit, bike cover and assortment of gloves, so they will be easy to get to. I might compact everything into the bike's bags, but I would like room for lots of souvenirs. We'll see.  Our route will take us through the gamut of weather conditions, due to elevation profiles, as we'll be heading through Glacier/Beartooth Pass/Chief Joseph Highway/Bighorns/Yellowstone/Grand Tetons/Ketchum/Lolo Pass and up into the Idaho Panhandle, before spending our last night at Bonaparte Lake, east of Tonasket, WA Here's the 1st leg of the trip from MapQuest (Google maps won't plot over the Beartooth Pass) http://www.mapquest.com/mq/7-C69YL3qIBzIYTjk8a0yr and the 2nd leg: http://tinyurl.com/plcuyb for a total of over 2800 miles. We are looking forward to it, as we'll be covering a lot of Destination Highways and primo scenery.  Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Sat May 30th, 2009 02:56 am | 16th Post |
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Hey Dusty,,,,,,, that looks like a great run you have planned out. Glad your taking advantage of being retired. Sure wish I didn't pass up the Tetons  I should have just told the boss I had a flat tire Oh well, maybe I'll scheem up something while at Montrose. I really like your trunk bag too, but there are other items I'll be needing and I figure I did fine on the last trip with what I have. I'm always looking forward to seeing "what Dusty has been up to". You have yourself a super duper trip Ken.
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Sun May 31st, 2009 06:13 pm | 17th Post |
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Thanks, Dave! I bought the 2nd trunk rack bag primarily for the Montrose trip, to store my heated liners etc, as I figure by Sept it'll be getting a little cool for just a mesh jacket, especially in the mornings at altitude. Last Sept/Oct, I got pretty tired of riding 10-12 hours in temps that were in the 30's and feeling 'bulky' with all the layers on. This way I plan to eliminate a lot of 'layers' and keep warm. This trip will be a good 'shake down' run to get things 'dialed in' and the bag is cheap enough that if I don't need it, no big deal, I'll have a spare. Ken
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Mon Jun 1st, 2009 12:01 am | 18th Post |
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nobbie wrote: My main tent is a plastic one about two inches by three inches and has a magnetic strip built in. The label says Best Western.
____________________ Back to riding after a 30 yr lay off.. Started with a 86 Magna 750 on to a 02 Shadow 1100,99 Magna 750,91 ST1100, finaly a 93 Wing.. and now an 06 1800 Loven Life... |
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| Posted: Mon Jun 1st, 2009 01:21 am | 19th Post |
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Foodman wrote:
My air mattress is far thicker than my wallet ! Different people have different travel 'modes'. At this stage of my life, I'm still more comfortable camping, than staying in a stuffy overpriced motel/hotel night after night, while on the road. Having said that, I do use motels when I have to make 'time' on a trip, but when the pace is more relaxed, I'll choose to camp. Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Dorksider # 2 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to Prevent/Repair those cracked 1500 trunk lids by installing a set of Rudy's Lid Reinforcement Panels to the underside of your trunk lid. |
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| Posted: Mon Jun 1st, 2009 02:56 am | 20th Post |
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Dusty Boots wrote:
I have also found that if you are travelling alone and camp you meet a lot of people. Less so when you are in a group.
____________________ Len ___________________________ If you ask for directions you only go places where people have already gone. |
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