From time to time we will offer guest reviews from trusted folks. We're proud and pleased to present our first, from AOC trip leader Pam W. on her experience with the 2-3 person Greatland tent from Target...Survey says, not worth the bargain price :-)
I enthusiastically bought my tent at Target on the advice of my car camping friends. Their cheapie Target tents made it through many car camping trips unscathed, so I figured I’d be fine. I plunked down my $30 for my nice roomy tent and set off for a 3 day canoe camping trip. The tent was easy to set up, and the rainfly worked well. I got a little nervous in the middle of the night for a bathroom break when I had to struggle with the door zippers, but all in all, night one was good.
Night two. As I set up my tent in our new spot, I noticed the poles had a little more flexibility than they had previously. I remember thinking “That’s odd,” as I moved the poles into position. When I bent the pole to attach to the little metal foot thingy, I really bent the pole. I mean, it just made this slow snapping noise, and then… I got to see what was inside one of those poles. Nothing! Just this weird, fibrous plastic that seemed to weaken or dissolve in rain. Major design flaw. Luckily, I was camping with experienced campers who a) brought duct tape and b) knew how to use a twig to brace a broken tent pole.
I returned it to Target the next week. The twig was still attached. The clerk asked “Was it defective?” Oh yeah.
I bought my Target tent in 2005, have probably used it at least a half dozen times each year and have never had any problems with it. It has handled rain well in the past, but it is getting a little long in the tooth. Sounds like you happened to get a defective one.
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