Editor's Review
A Good Hunting Shelter
It was early September when my wife, Diane, and I had the opportunity to field test a new tent, the Pamo Valley from Paha Que' Wilderness. We were on a one-week archery hunt in Oregon.
Here is what we liked about the Pamo Valley tent:
• Four screened-windows
After getting up early and hunting all morning, it was nice to take an afternoon nap when we returned to camp and before we headed back out again for the evening hunt. The heat buildup inside our old tent would drive you outside — it was just too uncomfortable to sleep there during hot afternoons. The Pamo Valley tent allowed us to open all four large, screened windows, one on each of the tent walls. This kept the bugs out but not the afternoon breeze, no matter from which direction it was blowing. With four sides up and the mesh tent top open too, we got the naps we needed.
• Open, screened top
When we removed the rainfly covering the top of the tent, its roof became an open, screened area as well. On warm nights we could leave the rainfly off and look up at the stars. Diane felt like she was sleeping outside — no more feelings of claustrophobia for her.
• Bathtub-style floor
The floor material went up the tent's walls about four inches – in case of rain all our items inside would stay dry.
•Storage areas
The tent had a mesh storage area in the center of the ceiling as well as storage areas on the sidewalls.
•Height
The tent was tall enough that we could easily stand to dress. I'm six feet and trying to pull pants on while leaning over or lying on a sleeping bag makes me appreciate the fact that the Pamo Valley tent has straight-up sidewalls and a high midsection.
It did not rain during our hunt so we didn't get to test how waterproof the tent would be. We also didn't experience any real winds — the ones reaching a speed of 17-20 mph would have also given the tent a good test.
The downside of the tent for us was its size. Even though it could sleep four, we think it would be a tight fit. Some of the marketing material and other reviews say it can sleep six — we don't think so, unless some of them are small children. It was a tight fit for our two oversize sleeping bags and the gear we wanted to keep in our tent during the week. We found the space at the foot of our sleeping bags and to the sides packed with our gear bags, archery equipment, boots, camo jackets, etc. It would have been nice to have some free space to stand and move about without worrying whether we would be stepping on our things.
Since our field test, however, Paha Que' Wilderness has come out with a larger, two-room model called the Promontory. For a week's hunting trip with all our gear, I am sure this new tent would be a much better hunting shelter. On the other hand, the Pamo Valley tent, is more than large enough for those weekend scouting trips or camping trips that don't require you to store a week's worth of food and gear in it. (Diane says she'd rather do without some of the gear than face another stint in our old-style tent…)
Also, of note is that in December 2003, Paha Que' Wilderness signed an agreement to make four models of tents which will be sold under the Winchester brand name.
So if you are looking for a new tent, consider the Paha Que' Wilderness models or the new models with the Winchester brand name.
You can contact Paha Que' Wilderness in the following ways:
Mail:
Paha Que’ Wilderness, Inc.
12320 Stowe Dr. Suite. F
Poway, CA 92064
Phone:
888-700-TENTS (8368)
E-mail:
happytrails@pahaque.com
Web site:
www.pahaque.com
Jerry Springer
Editor
WesternHunter.com
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