The largest and most versatile tent manufactured by Paha Qué Wilderness, the Perry Mesa tent uses state-of-the art fabrics, innovative design, and high-quality components for performance that ensures a trouble-free camping experience. This tent combines the best features and benefits of Paha Qué tents and screen rooms into a very functional shelter. The tent section can be completely sealed off and will provide a waterproof shelter. A large door can open to the screen room section of the shelter to create one large room. The screen room has awnings onto all three sides which can be attached as awnings, rolled up, or put down to cover a side of the tent from wind, rain, or sun. With all three awnings pulled down, the screen room can also be sealed off to create a floorless tent area. Add the Perry Mesa Tent Footprint (available separately), and you can create one large sealed tent.
With its large no-see-um grade mesh roof, two large doors, three windows, and the screen room, the Perry Mesa provides excellent ventilation, visibility around camp, and fantastic stargazing at night. And when the weather turns unpredictably drizzly or wet, the Perry Mesa buttons up tightly with an easy-to-install rainfly for full waterproof performance--even in heavy rain and driving wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. A bathtub style floor design keeps running ground water out off the tent as well.
The entire tent body and floor seams of the Perry Mesa are factory tape-sealed, eliminating the need for an awkward full-coverage rainfly. By sealing all of the tent's floor, body, and rainfly seams, only a partial coverage rainfly is needed, which is also integral to Paha Qué Weather Control System (WCS). Partial coverage rainflies and mesh roofs provide great ventilation in any weather while virtually eliminating interior condensation, even on the most humid nights. Paha Qué's rainflies (which have built-in awnings) also allow the use of doors and windows even during foul weather.
The Perry Mesa also comes complete with a full set of adjustable and reflective guylines and two complete sets of ground stakes to accommodate any ground conditions you may encounter. An oversized carry sack makes folding and storing the tent a breeze. An emergency tent repair kit is also included with this tent. Poles are packed separately in their own stuff sack to prevent damage to the tent body when stored. The entire Perry Mesa tent is supported by a heavy-duty 6000 series aluminum pole set. All sets are shock-corded for ease of set-up and storage and are also covered by Paha Qué's lifetime warranty. A pair of awning poles is also included.
Manufacturer's Warranty
Lifetime Warranty
About Paha Qué
Paha Qué Wilderness Inc. is a young and innovative company that makes high-quality family camping tents. Campers love them, but when they first see the name in print, they pause and wonder just how to pronounce it and try to understand its meaning. You won't find it in any dictionary and there have been debates amongst linguists about its derivation. According to the legend behind the term, Paha Qué is the Southwest Indian version of "Aloha." Paha Qué takes it to mean "happy trails." It can mean hello, good-bye, how are you, have a good day, and more. Perhaps a variation on the Spanish phrase Qué Pasa? The people at Paha Qué learned it from a local rancher friend whose grandpa learned it from local Indians. It boils down to the fact that the name is surely different, and appropriately so because these tents are very different from ordinary tents.
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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.
