Thursday, July 16, 2009
Eureka Assault Outfitter, Bummer...
Eureka Assault (horrible name) Outfitter 4 8.5-Foot by 7.5-Foot Four-Person Tent
My family camps a lot and we got tired of cheap tents that fall apart after the first season and leak the first time they get rained on. Four or five years ago I splurged and invested in this expensive tent because it seemed durable and was good for 4 seasons. We would never use this tent for backpacking; it is far too heavy and bulky for that.
This has been an excellent tent. When the tent was new getting the first pole in was so difficult that I was afraid it would break, but now that the tent has been pitched dozens of times the first pole goes in easy. The tent has been water tight, with no need to apply seem sealer to it. We have camped at the ocean in the fall and still never had a problem with condensation inside the tent body. We have pitched it on sharp gravel multiple times and with out a ground cover and the floor had not been damaged.
The tent body is very durable and it the stitching is high quality. I like the side pockets and the optional loft. The heavy duty zippers never get stuck.
The roomy vestibules are great for storing gear and keeping the family dog dry. Due to the size and configuration of the front vestibule it is hard for me to reach the zipper. We have started using the back door as the main door because it is easier to get in and out of. I had really long arms it would be easier to reach the zippers in the front.
I love this tent. But there is one problem, the lame plastic window. I never cared about having a window in the fly sheet. The window is too cloudy to see out of and if I really need to see out I can just unzip the fly sheet a bit and still stay dry thanks to the roomy vestibule. But my real problem with the plastic window is that it has started falling apart. The plastic window had several holes in it when I unpacked the tent this summer. My tent in no longer waterproof thanks to this stupid plastic window. I'm going to see if Eureka will fix the window. If not for the problem with the window I would give this tent a 5 star rating. Would I buy this tent again? Yes if not for the plastic vestibule.
I have called Eureka (Johnson Outdoors) about getting the window repaired. I had to wait on hold for 15 mintues before I could get through to a humen. Then they said that the cheap ass plastic might be covered under warranty but they will not replace the window, instead they will sew a piece of fabric over it. They must do this a lot. Also I have to pay the postage to send it to New York State for repair and it will take Eureka 4-6 weeks to repair my tent add to that a week for it to reach New York and another week for it to be mailed back and the entire summer will be gone. That adds up to 6-8 weeks to get my tent repaired; I am very disappointed!
I don't know what I am going to do. I might wait until winter to get it repaired but this is my 4 season tent so I would like to be able to use it in the winter.
Eureka sells tents to the military now so I guess us lowly citizen / customers are not their concern anymore.
How To Obtain Eureka Warranty Service:
Consumer Tents, Aluminum Pole Screen Houses, Steel Pole Screen Houses, and Solar Shades:
Return the product, freight prepaid, to the Eureka! dealer from whom it was purchased, or contact Eureka!'s Customer Satisfaction department for return authorization: toll free 1-800-572-8822.
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3 comments:
Yes, you would have been better off with the military version. You can get new ones on ebay around $150 and used ones for even less.
It was the military version. Eureka fixed it by replacing the window with a piece of cloth.
Too bad they did not seam seal the repair though.. :(
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