Eureka Tetragon 8 Adventure 8-Foot by 7-Foot Four-Person Tent

I have owned an 8 x 8 tent made by Eureka (Gander Mountain label) for about 8 years and it is an excellent tent. I also own a 7 x 8 tent made by Kelty which is also and excellent tent. I take great care of my tents as well. I bought this tent with great excitement, for two reasons: It was designed more like my Kelty tent, which I love, and because it had the Eureka name, which is considered to be a great name in tents.

After unboxing the tent, I set it up in no time at all. This tent sets up VERY EASY, just like my Kelty. After getting it set up and taking a closer look at the seams, etc., I discovered that there were about 2 inches of missing stitches along one of the seams. I accepted this as merely a mass-production flaw and I stitched it up. I REALLY wanted to keep this tent. The next day, I began examing the surface of the tent fabric a bit more and discovered a couple small holes that were obviously original holes (smooth edges). At this point I was becoming skeptical of whether this tent was REALLY any better than the cheap tents you can get at Walmart. I tried to ignore these flaws, becaust at this point, I still really wanted to keep this tent because of it’s ease of set-up and it’s great ventilation.

The next week I took this tent on our annual Canadian adventure into northern Ontario, to be used for interior kayak camping. It set up easily, It held up good in the rain, but not great, and everything went fairly well with it for 3 nights. At this point, I had planned on keeping it. Then, upon returning home,I unpacked it to dry it out more thoroughly, and I noticed that one of the metal ferrules had just fallen off the end of one of the fly rods. I was so disappointed, as I knew I could not justify keeping this tent.

It is my opinion, based on examining a LOT of tents, that this tent, as much as I want to say otherwise, is no better in quality than those that are half the price from Walmart or similar stores. From the crooked weak stitching, to the inferior fabric, to the horribly assembled rods, I saw no reason to pay twice as much as a similar tent.

Either Eureka quality has dramatically gone down over the years, or they are having their less expensive tents built by some inferior company, and selling them with the Eureka name. One thing is absolute, this tent was not near the quality of the one I bought years ago for about the same price, not even close. I am guessing that if I kept this tent, it wouldn’t have lasted more than 2 years of regular camping. I returned it.

I would have given it 3 stars because that’s what it is, and AVERAGE tent. However, because it cost twice as much as the same size AVERAGE tent from Walmart, I had to deduct 1 star. If you want an average tent that will perform just as good as this one, you can get one for half the price. If you want a high-quality tent for more money, look elsewhere. I wish I could recommend this tent but I cannot.
Rating: 2 / 5

Very easy to set up. Can set it up in under 3 minutes. It replaced an Ozark Mountain from Wal-Mart. Though it costs a little more than the Wal-Mart tent, it is made much better, easier to set up, and works flawlessly.

The Wal-Mart tent, though cheaper, had problems with zippers getting stuck, and took much longer to set up and tear down and ultimately tore in the middle of a rainy campout due to he zipper.

I’ve used this tent three times and it appears very solid. Many people I camp with have earlier models of this tent that are 4 and 5 years old.

In the long run, you will save money, and have a better camping experience.

—————-Update 18 months later- October 30 2009 ————————-

I love Eureka Tents. We have 8 tetragons that are 6-7 years old. I bought a new tent 18 months ago in 2007. It looked like the old ones with a key difference in that the new one was made in China.

On a campout this past two weeks ago, I had 100% total tent failure. The two poles suddenly snapped ripping a whole in the fly. The loops on top that hold the poles in ripped out and the tent collapsed…..at 3:00 am.

No wind, No weather.

I first threw the tent away..but then decided to send it back to Eureka to see if they would replace it.

————–Update November 2, 2009 ————————

What an AWESOME company. No questions asked. I sent the tent back and they just called me that they are sending out a brand new tent to replace the one that failed!!!!!

What a great company!!! Lifetime guarantees rock!!!!! How can you NOT buy from these guys!!!

Rating: 5 / 5

I bought this tent to use during motorcycle touring. The packed size is a little long to allow it to be placed in the trunk of my 86 Goldwing but we take a trailer anyway. It is a good size for two large men with air mattresses and we have had three inside. It sets up easily but I found it necessary to upgrade on the tent stakes. The door is a simple zipper system that hasn’t missed a beat, as long as you grab the zipper pull correctly, it easily navigates past the storm flap for the zipper across the bottom of the door. The pockets inside are adjustable to several locations and are very handy to keep track of items while you sleep. All of the mesh that is covered up by the rain fly is great for ventilation but doesn’t retain much heat on cold nights. This is not a big deal as long as you plan accordingly with an appropriate sleeping bag. The extension over the door and window are a nice touch and I have observed no sign of the pole ripping through the pocket and I have used this tent for three years. My friend has a much larger tent, but we take this one because it is just that easy to set up, tear down and pack away. There are many models within the Tetragon series of Eureka tents, just select the size you need.
Rating: 5 / 5