Davis Tent & Awning

I recently decided to upgrade the old Army Command post tent to a newer canvas outfitters tent.  While the Command post was functional, serving us well for years it definitely had a few drawbacks.  One, it was a HEAVY!  Weighing in at 130lbs the Command Post took a small platoon to move around, or a lot of ingenuity. Two, I could never get used to hardly being able to see in the middle of the day when inside the tent.  The dark green heavy canvas, which let next to zero light inside just made you feel gloomy.  You about had to have a lantern and a headlamp running concurrently to find you way inside at high noon!  And lastly, the overall layout lacked a lot of functionality with the two columns right in the center.

I knew the name Davis tent from years of seeing their products in the field so that’s where I started my search.  After doing my due diligence and turning up various online reviews (Bowsite – Wall tent, the good the bad & the ugly) I was happy to find out they make their tents locally here in Denver which was a nice plus.  They have a first class website that provides plenty of detail for the intricacies of ordering a semi-custom product.  However, what really sold me on their product was there sales/support staff.  Talking with Rick Davis, he convinced me to downgrade on several items, I always appreciate a salesperson who is honest and sincere and maybe more importantly knows their product inside and out, what works and what doesn’t.  He was a wealth of information and a great resource.

We spend a lot of time living out of a pack in the backcountry, but there are times we enjoy the creature comforts an outfitter tent provides.  Most notably a wood stove that lets you come in and get out of the elements and better yet hang wet gear to dry.  It also gives us the flexibility to get a tent into places where you wouldn’t get a camper/trailer, whether that’s a little two-track 4×4 road, ATV into your favorite spot or of couse horseback/mule.  What appealed to me in the Davis design is their internal frame which makes setup a snap and the flexibility to leave the frame behind if setting up in the backcountry.  The other consideration I appreciated, always the frugal shopper, they actually suggest purchasing the frame material locally and cutting your own poles (they provide the angle kit and cut list).  I’m always up for saving a couple bucks so this made good sense to me.

I ended up going with their 14’x16′ model, the peak wood stove, awning sleevs and rear window.  I was going to pass on the window thinking I’d mainly be using the tent during fall and winter month but the more I thought about all the trips I could use the tent on, including spring/summer family outings I opted for the window.  Both to keep things cool and to help ventilate in case you have someone who doesn’t know how to operate the wood stove.

Overall I couldn’t be happier with my purchase and consider this a life-long investment and a huge plus for my overall sleeping quarter options.