>>1145279>So when you handle this tent compared to the Coleman at $45 can you really feel the difference in a big way ?I've used both and yes, absolutely you can see and feel a difference in a big way.
1- The Coleman has single wall construction with a vent at the top. The MSR is true double wall construction with a breathable inner wall. At night, the cold air will make the tent fabric cold, which causes moisture from your body to condense on the fabric and rain down on your sleeping bag. With the Coleman, that condensation is right next to your sleeping bag and the inside of the tent will feel more clammy even in warm weather. With the MSR, the inside will feel more ventilated and dry in all conditions.
2- Cheaper tents typically (granted, every one is different) use a multi-piece pole construction, so each pole will break down into, say, 8 individual pieces with a cross section at the top of the tent. This makes it very easy to lose any given part than with the MSR, which has collapsible poles held together with a central cord so the overall number of pieces you need to pack is only 2 or 3 (however many large pole sections the tent has).
3- There is a difference in durability and packability of the fabrics used. Higher end tents will utilize silicone-impregnated, or silicone-faced fabric, which stands up better to being packed and wrinkled than cheaper urethane coatings.
4. Quality of construction will show over time. I have an uncle who lives out of town and keeps a cheap Eureka tent at my father's house for when he comes in town and goes on an annual family camping trip (Eureka do make some nicer tents these days, but this is from their lower end line, comparable to the Coleman). That uncle bought two of these tents several years ago - one for use in his home state and one for this annual use out of state. The one he used more frequently broke apart after a single season, while the one he keeps at my dad's is still fine after 6 or 7 years.
