Eureka! Tetragon 7 - Tent (sleeps 3)

by Eureka

Product Features

• Single-room rectangular dome tent sleeps three (7 by 7 floor; 49 square foot area)
• Double-coated StormShield polyester fly and polyester bathtub floor provide excellent weather protection
• Brim over twin-track, side-opening door offers protected front entry; brimmed rear window allows ventilation during inclement weather
• Hanging gear loft and two detachable interior storage pockets keep essential items handy
• Center height of 52 inches; weighs 6 pounds, 10 ounces

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A great choice for car camping, base camp, or three-season backpacking, the Eureka Tetragon 7 rectangular dome tent comfortably sleeps three people. The double-coated StormShield polyester fly and the polyester bathtub floor combine to provide excellent weather protection. This free-standing, two-pole tent is quick and easy to set up with its durable shockcorded fiberglass frame, ring and pin attachments, and color coded webbing.

It's well ventilated, thanks to two vents and large areas of mesh in the side walls. The double-coated polyester hooded fly won't stretch, and it allows front and rear windows to remain open even in rain. Other features include:

• Twin track zippers for separate operation of the window in the door
• Brim over twin-track, side-opening door offers protected front entry
• External guy points on the fly help secure your tent in high winds
• Natural green color scheme blends into any campground
• Hanging gear loft and two detachable interior storage pockets
• Mesh panels allow for clip-in accessories
• Tent, pole, and stake bags included

Specifications:

• Area: 49 square feet
• Floor size: 7 feet by 7 feet
• Center height: 4 feet, 4 inches
• Wall fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D 210T polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
• Floor fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D 210T polyester taffeta with 800mm coating
• Fly fabrics: 1.9-ounce 75D 185T StormShield polyester with 800mm coating
• Pack size: 6 by 27 inches
• Weight: 6 pounds, 10 ounces

About Eureka
Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka’s long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.

The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company’s annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.

In 1960, Eureka’s new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.

For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.

Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women’s Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.

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.

Product Description

This tent is ideal for casual backpacking or recreational camping.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 26.4 x 6.2 x 5.2 inches ; 4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000EQ8WYG
• Item model number: 2628225
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,953 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #94 in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Tents

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor design that won't last long, August 24, 2009

By 

J. Reynolds - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eureka! Tetragon 7 - Tent (sleeps 3) (Sports)

We bought 12 of these tents. Right of the bat, 1 of the 12 was missing a grommet to hold the back small pole over the window. Basically killing that tent. After the first year of use 7 of the 12 tents were broken. The number one repair problem with the tents are the poles. The tent uses 4 poles, which in itself makes it harder to setup than most 2 or 3 pole designs. Two poles cross to form the main supports for the tent. 5 tents had these poles break, and we were able to easily repair them. The two small poles over the windows are so thin, I've had 8 of these poles just splinter. The metal ends do not come off, making these impossible to repair. They have to be fully replaced. So far Eureka has failed to respond to 3 email requesting assistance, as their is no place to purchase these pieces to fix the tent. The small poles also lead to holes in the rain fly when being installed, if they slip from the grommet that holds them.

In general when we set the tent up, it was very loose and not very tight, making it look extremely flimsy.

For the money, their are tons of tents that are much more stable and will last longer. I personally chose to not buy something this cheap again and we are buying Alps Mountaineering Tents.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for my purposes!, September 7, 2007

By 

Douglas E. Linn "D.Freezy" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eureka! Tetragon 7 - Tent (sleeps 3) (Sports)

I'm not an avid camper so I knew I didn't need an expensive tent, but I also didn't want to skimp out and get a cheapo tent. The Eureka line fit the bill quite nicely. I was deciding between the Tetragon 7 and Apex XT since I'd be using it for 2 people and I wanted it to be lightweight enough for backpacking. After reading many reviews I went with the Tetragon 7 (and I'm very happy with my decision) for a few reasons:
1. Tent 'person' ratings tend to be liberal. A '2 person' tent is reasonably spaced for 2 average sized people, but leaves little room for extra gear and packs. Since I always put my backpack and gear IN the tent, I went a 3-person tent where my gear takes the place of the 3rd person. I'm definitely glad I went with this size.
2. The Tetragons have good rain flies. I read reviews of this tent having leaking problems, which was something that was swaying me toward the Apex XT which seems to have a nicer fly. Admittedly I haven't experienced inclimate weather yet, but I sealed the seams and have an extra tarp just in case the weather gets rough. I think the Tetragon 7 will work well for my uses.
3. Eureka's lifetime warranty is reassuring.
4. As I mentioned, the packaged tent is fairly lightweight and easy for a backpacking trip.
5. Setup was incredibly easy, I must not have camped in a long time because I could have sworn tents were hard to setup. It only took 2 minutes to get the tent up and fly on.
I'm very happy with my decision and especially Amazon's cheap price. As an intermediate camping person (1-3 trips/year) this tent is perfect for my purposes. If I was an avid camper, I might splurge on a more expensive tent, but this one is great for me!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Problem experienced with the Tetragon 7, October 4, 2009

By 

Glenn Kent (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eureka! Tetragon 7 - Tent (sleeps 3) (Sports)

I've been on 2 to 4-week wilderness trips in northern Canada and Alaska reaching up to 300-miles from the nearest settlement. Needless to say, there's been bad weather experienced in tents. Never has there been a tent pole failure (an old Eureka 3 season). A Eureka Tetragon 7 was purchased as an inexpensive tent intended for car camping; not for critical dependency. It was delivered late afternoon with expected overnight rain. Good. It could be tested to determine if seam sealer might be needed as a touchup. It went up before nightfall in the back yard. A check the following morning showed one of the two main poles had snapped in half. Though not in the tent overnight to describe wind conditions, there was an indicator. Two 10-ft-diameter outdoor canvas umbrellas had been mistakenly left open overnight. If strong winds had been present, they would not have remained standing. After allowing the tent to dry in what became a sunny day, a closer examination showed the two short poles in sleeves above both doors looked as if someone had deliberately abused them. They would not last much longer. I sent an email to the manufacturer asking if they knew of manufacturing defects. Two months later, there was still no response. That's when this review was submitted. I've since purchase a Marmot Thor P3 expedition tent (for other purposes obviously) and I'm considering a 3-season from Big Agnes or Marmot (at higher prices than the Tetragon 7). Having owned North Face expedition, Eureka 3 season and car camping tents plus experienced other brands on trips, it was unfortunate to permanently eliminate Eureka (now owned be a larger parent company) from any further purchasing decisions. It's a manufacture's decision what kind of reputation they want to develop; no response to an inquiry is not a good customer experience. I will never trust Eureka again.