We have a variety of tents, each with a particular use. The red tent pictured below is a basic 3-person tent, but you can't stand up in it. There is little room inside for gear. The blue tent below is large, and even has an entry room. This tent is great for "car camping" and  takes about 15 minutes to put up. There is even room for folding chairs and a small table for rainy days. We made the two bottom tents. We were looking for a light-weight tent to take backpacking, but had more room than the usual backpacking tent. The brown tent (the prototype) was made from an ordinary tarp. The nylon netting keeps out the bugs, but this tent did not have a floor. Hiking poles were used instead of carrying the extra weight of tent poles. In the picture, we were camped at Sages Ravine on the Appalachian Trail, and used a tent platform with a small tarp on the floor. There is plenty of room for all of our gear in this tent. The green tent is made with very light weight tarps ordered from an online camping store. We sewed nylon netting on the ends to keep out those pesky bugs,  and there is a sewn in tarp for the floor. Again, hiking poles are used instead of tent poles This tent is very roomy inside.

The Federal government offers a senior pass to anyone over 62 years old for a one time fee of $10.00. You can use it at all National Parks and Federal Recreational lands. The pass allows you entry for a minimun of 1/2 the normally charged fee.There are many Federal monuments and areas that have no charge with this pass. You can apply at any Federal Park Office.

                                                        Quick to put up, the red tent is small and  light,  

                            This is more of a family tent, or for when we stay in one place for a few days.

The two tents we made. The prototype performed nicely even in the rain, but was heavier than what we wanted.