Lots of opinions on Canopies

Re: Canopies (once again)

Jim and Jamie,
a bee sting on the tongue has to be miserable. Good thing he was not allergic. We also spend most of our time out and about but if its buggy or cold or wet the norther breeze sure is nice.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Hilditch - you have such a great way of saying things. Thanks for all the humor you bring to this site.

I don't think I would have much use for a Northern Breeze if I lived in a warmer climate, but it can certainly make camping in the rain easier to deal with.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Surely the CI is a small room protecting you from nature itself so by definition you should be leaving your truck at home slinging a rucksack on your back with minimal provisions living of the land and sleeping under the stars?

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Great info, folks

It looks like the Northern Breeze has a "floor" - so it is more of a "tent" than just a "shelter" (bad nomenclature, I admit)

Does that matter to folks?

Probably REALLY useful in very bad weather, but perhaps more than you need for weather that is just mildly bad. (your floor isn't going to last long if you wear shoes in your tent...but maybe it doesn't really matter if the NB's floor lasts very long, as the rest of the tent will last and you don't really care about the floor.)

Then again, without the floor, I'm not sure how good any "shelters" are with respect to keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

We bought the floor but have only used it once when the site we had was very muddy. It snaps in to the NB at the bottom but as you say it certainly could allow for mossies to enter.
Regarding durability: it is really a heavy duty floor - kind of a nylon feeling. We had no problem brushing the dried mud off when we used ours and we keep in in one of the under mattress holes for future use if needed.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Didn't realize the floor was "optional" - cool design.

Thanks for the info

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

I use the floor almost always. Set up NB, snap in floor and back the trailer right in. It's nice to not put on your shoes to go from cabin to kitchen, also it does seem to help a bit with insects.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

And here is our "thumbs up" for REI. As I previously mentioned, one of the corner brackets snapped on our Alcove shelter in some extremely high winds. We returned the shelter to the nearest REI store on Tuesday. They didn't have any more in stock at the store, but ordered us a new one, no questions asked. Our new shelter just arrived today, Friday. Customer service at it's best!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

We bought the REI Alcove shelter with one set of windwalls the other day. I had read a post describing how a single woman was able to put it up herself (I'm sorry I don't remember who that was) and decided to try doing it myself. Very do-able - at least in the garage. One of the hints suggested was to assemble the ridge pole and the two parallel poles, and lay the canopy over the top. And then, rather than totally fitting the leg poles together, fit the top third of each leg into its connector and then once that's done, pop the rest of each leg together. Initially, the two-part poles that connect the ridge pole to the parallel poles wouldn't into the parallel pole connectors. I found that the connectors differ very slightly and once I switched the poles, the connecting poles fit just fine. So, marked each connector to its "mate" with numbered tape. Bob did it pretty much by himself the second time and the markings helped considerably. I'll bring it to the 1st PNW campout the beginning of August. Kathy

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

We have used the REI Alcove on three trips and it is very easy to set up. I have set it up by myself and unlike setting up a tent, the set up was pg rated, no cussing, spitting, or any of the usual loud clanking of poles that has usually gone with this type of thing. I have not had it up in the rain since we do not know what that is anymore in the southwest, but it has performed well even in the wind.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Well I guess you can call us stupid but we tried setting up the Northern Breeze in a pretty strong wind and the hot blazing sun back in April and we couldn't do it. After working with it for over an hr. we said "forget this!" and wadded it up and put it back in the box, where it sits. We're both short, the ground was so hard we couldn't stake it down and we felt like total idiots. I'm not looking forward to setting it up again but for the price we have to figure it out. Problem is, we can't decide where we need to go to use it. Oregon obviously, but as much as I had the hot wind here, I hate the rainy days there, even more!

So, hopefully whenever we finally get out we'll try setting the NB up again. It's really discouraging to hear how easy it is for everyone except us!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

The NB is best for spring and fall, if it's too hot...you will roast inside the NB. Also, if you back your trailer inside and run the ac, it will get super heated in there. It is a fantastic tent in spring and fall, because it does stay warm, and as others have pointed out, it has a lot of adjustable sides etc to get airflow just perfect. When setting it up, pay close attention to the Eureka! Symbols and the metal X on roof. That helps s bunch while laying it out.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

In My experience you need to make sure that all of the zips are done up before starting then if its windy peg out two corners upwind to stop the canopy from blowing away as you erect.

Install all four legs into the center and clip on the two rooftop clips on each pole. If you are tall enough you can leave the second clip off but I'm 5'6' and I struggle with this one when the NB is uprights. Make sure you pull all of these roof clips to the right position on the pole as adjusting when upright is impossible especially for the upper clip.

One person on each leg on the upwind pegged out side and raise the tent until upright then quickly go to the other side and do the same.

As soon as these are up the secret to a rigid enclosure is the elasticated loops at the top of the upright get these on and the lower clips and you are there.

Moving the tent to final location is easy with two people just drag and unzip to go over the rear of the tear or reverse the tear into approximate position before erecting the NB and then back the teardrop into position.

Give yourself enough room to set up the NB by making sure you can get all the way around and you should find it simple.

Pick a non windy day to start with and go from there.

Good luck.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Linda,
here is how we do it (but mind you we do not have hard pack soil)

We dump it out

Find the 4 corners by looking for the metal pins that go into the bottom of the poles and pull them out to make it somewhat square (we usually put it away all unzipped this makes it the easiest to set up - less tention in corners, etc.) At this point we ignore the flaps, etc.

Find the center hub
I take my shoes off and kneel by the hub
Penny hands me the poles one by one (that she has extended fully) and I put them on the hub and lay them flat

When I have all 4 poles attached I put the black clips on each of the poles (2 for each pole)

Then I step off the material and shoes back on I go to one corner and Penny to the opposite corner

I put one pin in my pole and then Penny puts her pin in. we now have kiddy corner poles with pins in standing up

then I hang onto my pole in an upright position and penny moves to a pole that does not have a pin in and inserts the pin. I stay where I am and she moves to the 4th corner and puts that pin in (this one takes the most strength to pull it in place).

now it is up and we walk it to whatever position we want.

Hope this helps!

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

Matt: Why would it be roasting inside if it's sunny? Can't you simply open all the sides of the NB and let the air flow?

(Obviously, I just need to do a bit of research on the NB)

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

We have now had some rain in the Southwest and have had a chance to use the REI Alcove in the rain. With the exception of a bit of water collecting on the top we stayed dry and comfortable. The water that collects on top can be easily removed. As I stated in my previous post on this subject it is easy to set up. However on the last trip up to Black Canyon above Santa Fe, we got to the campground, set up the teardrop, and decided to drink a bottle of wine first. Big mistake. The first 4 times we set up this canopy it took an average of about 10 minutes, after the wine, it took 30 minutes. Had a ranger come by we surely would have been charged with a SUCWI (Setting Up Camp While Inebriated).

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

AlCat-Believe it or not, the mesh of the screen is so tight, that it restricts air flow! We could hardly believe it but, on our last camping trip with friends, we were all sitting inside the NB, playing cards and it was getting toasty, even though it was a fairly breezy day. We opened and rolled up the screens, and felt an instant breeze! We still love our NB, but we bought a battery powered table fan for future use.

 

Re: Canopies (once again)

It does get toasty in there. We got our fair share of giant insects in va. If you open up the NB, it seems they all collect in the ceiling. I purchased a 12v 'Fantastic' brand box fan, set it on the roof of the camper(inside NB). It helps move some air. Honestly I prefer not to use the NB in summer months. But, this tent is a lifesaver on a rainy weekend.