Columbia Frosty Ridge II Backpacking Two-Person Tent

The 2-person Columbia CB-1000 Frosty Ridge long-profile tent is perfect for when you want to travel light on backpacking trips. The main body is constructed with No See Um mesh and a 1500 millimeter nylon floor that's seam sealed. It has a double-coated fly and easy-grasp, reflective zipper pulls that make it easy to get in and out of the tent, even in the dark.

The gusseted compression bag lets you slip the tent right in and then zip the sack closed. Keep glasses, a flashlight and other necessities within an arm's reach with the handy organizer pocket inside the tent. For even more interior storage options, use the Columbia custom designed gear loft to keep your gear high and dry. Easily stash your stuff out of the way and out of your living space.

The CB-1000 features the GoBe Dry Ultimate Rain Protection System, which combines patent pending fabric, component, and seam technology that culminates in exceptional protection from the elements, in particular rain, in any and all terrain. The DryTek Fabric repels moisture with a protective coating. The DryFloor Tub design elevates the floor seams to keep away water, while the DryGuard Skirt deflects rain from floor the seams and stake loops.

Specifications:

• Base Size: 8 x 5 feet
• Center Height: 36 inches
• Poles: 9.5 millimeter aluminum poles
• Weight: 5.32 pounds
• Sleeps: 2

About Columbia Sportswear
Founded in 1938, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown from a small family-owned hat distributor to one of the world's largest outerwear brands and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States. Columbia's extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. Columbia specializes in developing innovative products that are functional yet stylish and offer great value. Eighty-year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and CEO, lead the company. Columbia's history starts with Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, when they fled Germany in 1937. They bought a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river bordering the city. Soon frustrated by poor deliveries from suppliers, the Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves. In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart Neal Boyle, who joined the family business and later took the helm of the growing company. When Neal suddenly died of a heart attack in 1970, Gert enlisted help from Tim, then a college senior. After that it wasn't long before business really started to take off. Columbia was one of the first companies to make jackets from waterproof/breathable fabric. They introduced the breakthrough technology called the Columbia Interchange System, in which a shell and liner combine for multiple wearing options. In the early 1980s, then 60 year-old Gert began her role as "Mother Boyle" in Columbia's successful and popular advertising campaign. In 1998 the company went public, and moved into a new era as a world leader in the active outdoor apparel industry. Today, Columbia Sportswear employs more than 1,800 people around the world and distributes and sells products in more than 50 countries and to more than 12,000 retailers internationally.

What's in the Box?
Frosty Ridge backpacking tent, aluminum poles, compression carry bag

Manufacturer Warranty
Lifetime warranty

Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.

Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.

For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.

Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.

Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.

Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.

Customer Review: 2 in the tent? No way!
I did a bicycle tour from Philadelphia to Maine this summer - 8 days on the bike - and used this tent as my night-time shelter. I was looking for a light-weight tent that would pack up into a tight bundle, and this tent fit the bill. The tent is light and easy to pack. It also will setup fairly quickly. I was able to sit up inside the tent, so I never felt very claustrophobic - but there is no way that this tent could hold 2 adults. I did a backyard test run of the tent before my trip - and slept in the tent with my 5 year old son - and there was not much room at all (I am 5'7", 180lbs). While stealth camping one night during the tour, I was hit with a pretty heavy rain-storm, and this tent kept me dry (although it was like sleeping inside of a drum with all the rain pelting the tent) ;) Generally I was happy with the tent, but if I had to re-do my purchase, I would buy a self-supporting tent - which this one is not.
Customer Review: great little tent, but pretty small
overall we are pretty happy with our purchase for the money. we camp at the texas coast and it gets really windy and rain is usually a problem. after being soaked in a dome tent several times we thought these lower, more wind-resistant styles might hold up better. this tent, being such, did the trick. we went with a group with two brand new dome tents and recieved a good pour one night. the dome tent slumberers gave up and ran to sleep in the truck after fighting the tent blowing in their face and all of their blankets and such being soaked. we were nice and cozy dry. we hardly could tell it was raining and we had not a drop anywhere. of course, we joked in the morning that this was due to the fact that there was not any ROOM for anything else to get in. it is quite a small tent for two people. one person would be very nice. we just barely comfortably fit, and it was a little tricky getting in and out. the pictures showed the side entrance doors but it came with the front entrance. we could sleep with about less than an inch of space between us if we pushed against the sides. but it was by no means miserable (if you don't mind sleeping close). the raised roof by the head area makes the small space more bearable. there is of course no room for any gear other than your blankets and pillows. you do need a ground mat- "tent saver" as there is not a thicker fabric on the bottom like most dome tents have. this tent is of good quality and very quick & easy to set up/ take down. the bag it comes with is nice- no struggling to stuff the tent and stakes in. i wish it were just a tinsy bit bigger (too much bigger would take away the awesom wind resistance) but i think for the money with the other options i saw -this was a good choice. campin's not supposed to be lush anyway =)

Why alternative housing? To save money, to travel, to live creatively - there are many reasons why people choose to live in tents, RVs, cabins, underground homes, rental rooms and anything else that's less common than the houses, condos and apartments that most people call home. Below are some of these housing options, and their advantages.

Alternative Housing That Moves

Camping at a hot springs area, we sat around the campfire one night with several young men living in the desert in their old converted school bus. It cost them nothing to park it in the desert (on BLM land you have to move every two weeks, though), bathed for free in hot spring tubs that were as nice as those in nearby expensive resorts, and played guitar around the fire each night. Not such a bad life.

In Arizona there are whole communities that spring up each winter, full of people living in their RVs. Advantages of RV housing are obvious, and include moving with the seasons, trying out different places, and not paying property taxes. I've talked to people living in Rvs that cost $200,000 and ones that cost $600, so the selection of accommodations is varied, to say the least.

My wife and I lived for almost a month in our conversion van as we traveled from Arizona to Florida and then to Michigan. Advantages of a van include better mileage than an RV, and being inconspicuous. We found that could park and sleep almost anywhere.

Other Alternative Housing

In most areas where rents are high, renting rooms has become common. This makes sense for single people. Just pay a set amount each month or week, and (if it includes utilities) you have a predictable and lower cost of living. I rented out rooms in my own home for years, and even put carpet and lighting in a shed so I could get $50 per week for it in summer.

A friend of mine lived in a shack he built for $3,000 on a small piece of land he bought for $7,000. Eventually he ran into problems with the county because he had no occupancy permit. Apparently you can't live on your own land in the woods if your home is too small. However, you can camp on it, so a $2,000 used RV parked on your land makes for a cheap and legal housing alternative.

Some people live on houseboats and avoid paying property taxes. Some live in the jungle near the beaches in Hawaii, so they can afford to be in paradise. I know people who lived in a basement while slowly building the house above for cash. People live in cabins built in the national forest wilderness, moving every few years as they are discovered. Truly, your imagination is the only limit to your alternative housing options.

Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, get a free real estate investing course, and see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com