Peregrine Gannet Tent Review
A customer and writer, Tim Wayne, reached out to tell his story of finding a tent that is perfect for him. That tent is the Peregrine Gannet - 4 Person. The Gannet is a multi-season tent that comes in three sizes: 2-person, 3-person, and 4-person. Here is Tim's in-depth review!
A REAL CAMPING TENT
Well I did it! After many years of buying the old standard in camping gear - you know, that recognized brand name they write country music songs about. I finally broke away from my “hope it lasts one season” let down in camping gear and took my tent purchases up a notch.
Let me first start by saying at a limited use, one of those big store tents might do fine. In fact, like most of life, it was the lessons I learned using those tents that made me realize what I might want to look for in a new one - and what not to look for. I can tell you about me toting around my “just in case” bag of mismatched stakes, old fiberglass poles, and rain flys However I kinda graduated from the occasional tent camper to a life on the road. I wanted something durable, something dependable, and most importantly something cost effective. You start looking at the tents and the price point suddenly jumps! That acceptance was my first hurdle. Then there's the different kinds of materials and all the different brand names.
After what felt like months of research, I stumbled upon a small company out of Utah called Peregrine. I had never heard of them before, but the reviews seemed positive. The want list checked off and the price point was better than expected. I chose the ‘Gannet 4 person footprint combo”.
When the tent arrived I was immediately impressed with the size and weight of my new castle for the woods. At just over 8 pounds this tent seemed light, compact, and way better equipped than my retired big box mammoth. The aluminum poles gave me instant confidence that I wouldn't be spending time duct taping splintered poles. The YKK zippers showed me this company cared about quality. I can honestly say I had never thought about zippers before...I mean I guess It just never occurred to me that some are better than others -but I was familiar with the YKK name, only because I must have seen it somewhere before and it wasn't on my old tent. Yes, zipper brands do make a difference.
Don't get me wrong, this is a “no frills” kinda tent. You aren't gonna find gimmicks to encourage you to bring a laptop or plug a tv in it, but it has 2 small mesh pockets for easy access to your flashlight, reading glasses, or anything else you deem important. It has a center ceiling hook for a small lantern and my favorite part is the double "C-shape" door with 2 vestibules that zip in the middle. The vestibule is new for me. I like it because it works like a sort of porch. It can keep things like my muddy boots dry and out of the elements but also out of the tent. The center zipper of the vestibule also allows for you to set it up so that if left opened you can have a nice cross wind draft, but also a little more privacy if you wanted it.
The height peaks at just over 4 feet inside. You aren't going to be doing any jumping jacks, but another part of my graduation was coming to terms that a tent is a place to sleep. The inconvenience I faced logging a big tent around just so I could momentarily stand up in it just wasn't worth the pain it was setting up alone or depending on it in harsher, windy conditions.
The footprint was a new thing for me as well. My older tents always had those bathtub style floorings. I admit I like them -but what I miss in the heavy tarp style flooring I picked up with an opportunity to set up a “fast flight” mode that incorporates the rain fly and the footprint for a simple, quick, set up shelter.
The tent itself comes with a rainfly that basically fits over the entire tent like a glove and then stakes out to form eves for the rain to keep off the sides with. This basic design eliminates the possibility for one other thing to go wrong in bad elements. However, with two peak vents, it shouldn't get stuffy inside and on those fine weathered evenings, take the rain fly off and the mesh walls of this tent allows ample opportunity for stargazing. I spent the first week in it enduring the Appalachian mountain rainy season and didn't have a drop inside the tent. The tape seamed walls did a great job keeping the water out and the flooring dry.
This tent has been a great value. In fact I liked it so much I bought a second one. My road adventures had me using that tent for nearly 18 months straight in every kind of condition from the windy and sun baked Sonoran desert in early fall to the unpredictable snow patched Pacific Northwest in the early spring. I'm not sure any other tent could hold up any better with so much constant use. Sure you are gonna find faults with anything you spend that much time with but ultimately I made some great memories, rested comfortably, and learned the difference of quality over quantity when it comes to camping products. Thanks to those guys at Peregrine for teaching me that difference, without breaking the piggy bank.
See You in the woods.
Shop the Peregrine Gannet Tent here!
