Columbia Bugaboo II 12-Foot-by-9-Foot 4-Pole 5-Person Dome Tent

Manufacturer: Columbia
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List Price: $190.00
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Product Description

Bring the family to the campsite and still have room to spare with the Columbia Bugaboo II dome tent. The Bugaboo II--which sleeps up to five people--is equipped with both a Cyclone venting system and a GoBe Dry rain protection system. The Cyclone system greatly increases the air circulation within the tent, helping you stay cool on warmer days or dry out after a nasty rainstorm. The GoBe Dry system, meanwhile, ensures that the pounding rain won't find a way inside.

The Bugaboo II also includes plenty of room for storage, with two external storage lockers, several internal pockets, a gear loft for packs or valuables, and even multiple cupholders for holding coffee, soft drinks, or beer bottles. Other details include color-coded fiberglass poles and sleeves for easy setup, a polyester taffeta body and rainfly, and a Camp Port for cable passage. The Bugaboo II measures 12 by 6.16 by 9 feet (W x H x D), weighs 21 pounds, and comes in a fossil, carbon, and boa combination.

Key Features:

Sleeps 5 campers
GoBe Dry Ultimate Rain Protection system
Camp Port to allow easy passage of cables
Cyclone Venting to allow for better air circulation when rainfly is in use
Two external storage lockers, internal pockets, cupholders, and gear loft
Color coded fiberglass poles and sleeves for easy set up
Polyester taffeta body and rainfly
Weighs 21 pounds

About Columbia Sportswear
Founded in 1938, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown from a small family-owned hat distributor to one of the world's largest outerwear brands and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States. Columbia's extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. Columbia specializes in developing innovative products that are functional yet stylish and offer great value. Eighty-year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and CEO, lead the company.

Columbia's history starts with Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, when they fled Germany in 1937. They bought a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river bordering the city. Soon frustrated by poor deliveries from suppliers, the Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves. In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart Neal Boyle, who joined the family business and later took the helm of the growing company. When Neal suddenly died of a heart attack in 1970, Gert enlisted help from Tim, then a college senior. After that it wasn't long before business really started to take off. Columbia was one of the first companies to make jackets from waterproof/breathable fabric. They introduced the breakthrough technology called the Columbia Interchange System, in which a shell and liner combine for multiple wearing options. In the early 1980s, then 60 year-old Gert began her role as "Mother Boyle" in Columbia's successful and popular advertising campaign.

The company went public in 1998 and moved into a new era as a world leader in the active outdoor apparel industry. Today, Columbia Sportswear employs more than 1,800 people around the world and distributes and sells products in more than 50 countries and to more than 12,000 retailers internationally.

The Bugaboo II dome tent measures 12 by 9 feet and sleeps up to five people.

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 Details

Spacious dome tent with sleeping space for up to 5 people
Cyclone venting system increases air circulation within the tent
GoBe Dry rain protection system keeps rain from seeping inside
2 external storage lockers, gear loft, and cupholders
Measures 12 x 6.16 x 9 feet (W x H x D) and weighs 21 pounds

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Customer Reviews

Love This Tent!!!

Review Date: January 9, 2009

Reviewer: Deidre, Mesa Verde National Park, CO USA

After receiving this tent we did not have time to do a "dry run" of setting it up before we left on a three week vacation. Of course the first night we got to camp late and had to set it up in Big Bend National Park in near darkness with wind gusts of 35mph. Due to tent being large it was challenging but with the two of us it went quickly.The color coded poles are great help. The tent withstood the winds and light showers throughout the trip through Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. For two of us and our Jack Russell Terrier the size is great for all our gear and the dog to have room to play inside. I would highly recommend this tent for those who want quick set-up and durability.

Excellent tent for a first-timer

Review Date: April 27, 2009

Reviewer: P. Jessurum, Weston, FL

I bought this tent after a lot of research for our first family camping trip... I was a bit hesitant at first since the art of camping was not part of my skill-set. However, I found that the tent was an absolute delight to work with. It is easy to setup, although, it takes two people to do so, and easy to take down. The rainfly leaves enough room between it and the tent to promote air circulation and you actually feel the breeze coming in. We camped at a Florida park and the wind was very very strong at night... our tent didn't budge, while we saw a Coleman tent bending inwards with the strong winds.
The only con I could find is that the tent does not have a footprint available for it. The base (floor) of the tent is made with the same material as the rest of the tent: sides, top, etc, so it is not particularly strong and resistant. When we opened the tent and set it up in our patio before leaving on the trip, a small stone actually made a little hole on the surface. Knowing this, I purchased a blue tarp to lay it as a platform for the tent. This really protected the bottom of the tent and even provided a nice little mat for the entrance.
But if you're struggling to make a decision, be confident that this tent is an EXCELLENT choice.

Great Tent!

Review Date: January 19, 2009

Reviewer: JGNA,

Easy to assemble, very roomy inside. I haven't been dissapointed with a Columbia product yet, and this tent is no exception. A great value!

Very pleased with this tent

Review Date: April 6, 2009

Reviewer: A. Elliott, Chattanooga,TN

We bought this tent and was pleased with how fast it came (within 5 days).. Without time to set it up we headed to Jacksonville (in March)to camp... The set up is very easy,directions easy to understand (the only complaint about the directions is it gave no detaled direction about the cargo pockets, cup holders or dividers (and with this being our first tent that would have been helpful)... The tent is large enough to hold our oversized pillowtop queen air mattress three suitcases and a twin air mattress.. We did get rain one night we were there and were very pleased at how well this tent held up (no leaks at all).the temperature during the day was in the 80's the tent had very good air flow.. at night the temps were in the 50's and we were very cozy.... the electric port is conveniently under the rain flap to avoid getting wet...... we are very happy with this tent.....

VERY Happy with this tent!!!

Review Date: August 7, 2009

Reviewer: RPN, Indiana

I bought this for my son and I do go on a 3-day 2-night Cub Scout campout. I was a little unsure of what to buy since it has been about 18 years since I last went camping, and my son is just shy of his 9th birthday. This tent served us VERY VERY well.
If you are like me (little to no recent camping eperience) I would recommend doing a "dry run set up" of the tent a day or 2 before leaving on your trip just to familiarize yourself with it. The color coded poles and directions of how to set up & take down the tent are good, because once we had gotten to the campsite we were able to put the tent up in just a matter of minutes, and despite my son's young age he was able to do quite a bit of it with me. Take down is easy and the oversized carry bag meant not having to worry about if I could get it back to the same size it was before I set it up (which I was able to do, so then the oversize carry bag had room for other items I want to store with the tent.)
The area we camped in had quite a lot of insects, but we had no problems at all as the mesh did a good job keeping them outside of the tent. Also, I found that if we kept the inside venting open even just a little bit, it kept the tent a lot cooler during the day.
THE BIG TEST came on our 2nd night when we had a HUGE storm roll through with VERY HEAVY WIND AND RAIN. I wondered all night when the rain would start making it's way into the tent, but the tent did a GREAT job & we stayed dry all night long.
All in all, I was very happy that I purchased this tent.