Eureka Timberline: A Tale of Three Tents

One summer, forty-two years ago my wife, our German Shepherd, Bear, and I were camped at Camden State Park along the coast of Down East Maine when I awoke shortly after dawn with a strange noise in my ears. There was a storm coming in from the sound of it, it was going to be a doozy. I woke my wife up and warned, “We’ve got a get everything into the truck as fast as possible.” Groggily, she realized what I was talking about, and we grabbed our clothing, sleeping bags and pads and crammed it all into the Bronco much to the confusion of our dog, who was already in the vehicle. It wasn’t a moment too soon as a nor’easter slammed into the campground and flattened our dome tent to the ground. I don’t remember what brand it was, and it wasn’t a top-of-the-line model, but it did not withstand the storm. So, we sat there in the driving rain wondering how we were going to salvage our vacation. That was back in the days when L.L. Bean was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and Camden is relatively close to Freeport, so we trundled on down to one of the world’s best-known outfitters in search of a new shelter. We came away with a two-person Eureka Timberline. It was our first of three, each one slightly larger than the previous edition.

I still have that two-person tent, although I confess I haven’t used it in a while. It sits behind the four-person and the six person on the shelf in the garage. That tent has seen it all. It has been with me to Maine, the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains of Vermont, as a volunteer Backcountry Ranger on the Chippewa and Superior National Forests in Minnesota and the Chequamegon-Nicollet National Forest in Wisconsin and an epic mountain bike missions trip across Karelia in northwestern Russia. It has served well and is still serviceable, still usable after all these years.

Not too many years after we moved to Minnesota, it became apparent that our needs and space requirements were growing, so we visited the now defunct United Outdoor Store in Fridley, where we found the ideal solution to our needs at the time, a four-person Eureka Timberline. Like the two-person model before it, it was easy and quick to set up, suspended from an external frame, but had much more floorspace; adequate enough that when used solo, it allowed for a cot to be set up in the tent. It’s great for outings like base-camping or canoe camping where the small amount of extra weight is of no consequence. The centerline is 6 feet high, so I can stand up with just my head slightly bent to get dressed. A nice addition over the two-person version.

Several years ago, now, my wife asked what I wanted for Father’s Day, and I brought up a webpage on I believe the Campmor site for the Eureka Timberline 6-person Outfitter SQ tent, which was actually a tent that I had wanted for a number of years. Low and behold, by the time Father’s Day rolled around, I/we had a new tent. It is wonderful. Solo, it is almost “glamping,” with space for a cot, table, chair, and all the miscellaneous items that go into a solo camping trip. It’s roomy enough to sit inside on rainy days, or after dark and read by the light of an LED lantern. When the two of us go camping, it easily fits two cots and the table, and like its 4-person predecessor, there is ample space to stand up in order to get dressed. One notable improvement of the “Outfitter” model over the 4-person is the heavy-duty floor, negating the need for an interior ground cloth. In theory, it could be used as a four-season shelter, however I don’t believe I would do so in extreme winter climates like we experience here in Minnesota. (Normally.) We have been using the tent for over three years now, in spring, summer, and fall and it has been a joy to camp in. The only drawback that I have experienced so far is, while solo camping, set-up can be somewhat vexing, particularly on a breezy day. Aside from that one factor, I cannot say enough good things about our third Timberline.

Unfortunately, like my Cogburn CB4 fat-bike and the dodo bird, the Timberline tent in all its versions, is now extinct. Johnson Outdoors sold off their Eureka! line a couple of years ago to concentrate on their Jetboil outdoor cooking system. Personally, I feel that this was somewhat shortsighted, but I felt that way about the demise of the Cogburn as well. I wish I could recommend a suitable alternative to the Timberline Outfitter series, but I am very happy with what I have and until we purchase some sort of camper-trailer (in the not-too-distant future) I see no reason to try anything else. Yes, I’ve had other tents since 1983, each with its advantages and disadvantages. However, from the 2-person to the 4-person to the 6-person, I still stand by and camp in my Eureka! (Also L.L. Bean) Timberline tents. They were and are the best in the backcountry.