HOWA and Kodiak versus Springbar tents - Van & RV Living Forum

Well I have a 10’ x 14’ Kodiak as there are two of us and we like the space even though it makes it harder to find enough flat ground to pitch it we used it for several years. Chinese made but had vents and some accessories that the USA made Springbar didn’t have. I got a special deal when they first came out so it was about $200 cheaper than the Springbar. Biggest difference is the repair service and the cable stake system the Springbar has. There are no guide lines on this style of tent which allows the walls and top to move in high winds ( and they really move )with less of a chance of damage. Only breakage I have ever heard of is the cast aluminum pole joints and poles. The tents only have an external ridge pole and two uprights at either end. Basically you unfold the tent on a ground cloth and on mine there are 16 perimeter stakes that hold down the floor. I have obtained several different stake sets for different types of ground and use a battery powered impact driver to plant the stakes then use ball bungees to secure the tent to the stakes. The ridge pole and uprights have 4 spring steel bars that extent from the 90 degree joint on either end and go into pockets in the tent roof. You simply raise one end of the ridge pole and set the upright then go to the other end after unzipping the doors so you don’t have to fight the vacuum created by expanding the tent and set the other upright. My 14’ tent can be difficult to set the last upright if on uneven ground. There are some really good YouTube videos showing one in a wind storm and setting up instructions. We have had ours over 10 years and the only thing we have had to do is clean and lubricate the zippers. The only damage was a pack rat ate a 1” hole in the corner while it was stored. I believe the Springbar is the better tent but more expensive and they are too heavy to pay to ship for repairs so you will face a trip to Salt Lake City to take advantage of their repair service and last I checked it could take some time to get them done and the tent returned. I had a hard time convincing myself to pay $600 dollars for a tent then about another $100 for stakes especially if you watch the high wind video you wouldn’t want to try to stay in it during that! I have watched the floor lift close to a foot and tip over cots in 45 to 50 mph winds without damaging the tent!

Well I have a 10’ x 14’ Kodiak as there are two of us and we like the space even though it makes it harder to find enough flat ground to pitch it we used it for several years. Chinese made but had vents and some accessories that the USA made Springbar didn’t have.

We have had ours over 10 years and the only thing we have had to do is clean and lubricate the zippers.

I believe the Springbar is the better tent but more expensive...

Aren't most of the Springbars made in China? I know you can request that yours be made here.

Why do you think Springbar is better? Springbar has a steel cable that I believe is stainless steel that is part of the floor seam that is a continuous loop completely around the tent where it is secured by the stakes. The Kodiak only has cloth loops. The older Springbar tents were made in the USA by people that took pride in their product and today still believe they should last and provide the customer service/repair facility to do so, because of competition some are now made by low paid workers. The Kodiak tent is a copy with some changes ( some good like vents, some bad like the loops some just different like added accessories) all of which are made by low paid workers. Seams are sometimes not perfect but still good enough. I chose the Kodiak because I couldn’t afford the Springbar and was willing to be more careful with it as well as wanted the end vents that Springbar didn’t offer at the time, as I use it in hot weather. As my tent ages I will have to repair and try to replace parts where the Springbar could be sent back and repaired but at a cost of time and money again that I don’t have.