One of the biggest problems with the F1 tent has been solved with the Desert version...but it's not perfect either. What are your thoughts on these tents? Friday : Beach Overnight Adventure! - Luke

I was deployed to Djibouti and encountered the French frequently. One time I saw a French soldier set one of these up in the desert. Now I don't know about other countries in Africa, but Djiboutian dirt can get really hard packed (the roads almost shook our Humvee to pieces) so those stakes work perfectly out in the desert there. Its good to see someone in the US using one of these. It brings back some memories.

This is so crazy I was just at my local army surplus store and saw one just like it then you just posted this video. Keep on doing what your doing love your channel and your reviews.

You're the BEST Luke! Thanks for keeping it pure and real for us here man. I'm sure I speak for all of US here feeling the same way, we want you to keep it simple and honest. That's really it. Keep doing what you do, I personally think you're the BEST YT channel out here reviewing gear/tech in the outdoor world of camping/hiking/backpacking etc.

A big YES to that as a future video and would then be great to see how you take it to the next level when addresses any issues that transpire! Great work Luke as ever.

Yes, we need to see a proper storm test.

I use this tent when I live in the woods for 5 years great tent it ave me

Hey Luke, at 10:10 you talked about how you sold your preivious F1 to a Viewer, well IM the viewer you sold that tent to and i use it ALOT, LOVE that tent. As for rain, i got caught out in it last summer during a pretty good thunderstorm were we recieved 3 or more inches of rain over night. Now id had warning that the storm was comming so was able to really stake it out tight and make sure the pitch was about as perfect as i could make it. I had very very little water make it inside and that was becouse id actually pulled it TO tight and a cpl corner seams spread a small bit, i was not dissapointed with the tent at all. I did however replace the stakes with the triangle light aluminum stakes walmart sells and that cut the weight alot , ive even set the tent up between 2 trees and not even used the poles cut some more weight but that was more an experiment then anything. Thank You for selling me you old one but im glad you replaced it in your own inventory. ANd i sure wish the F1 had bug screen on both ends lol.

I just got delivery of the F1 and I am testing it in storms around here. After a windy/stormy night there were puddles just inside the doors on the windward side. The doors cannot take wind-driven rain, so I have now turned the tent so that the wind will hit the side of the tent. Some F1's come with doors on just one end like the desert version. I would say that this would be a good thing as you can face the doorless end into the wind. The rest of the tent (everything not to the windward with zippers) was water tight without any treatment. A major fault of the F1 is lack of bug mesh on the doors as Luke pointed out. This would make it a Spring/Fall tent except that I will rig up some bug mesh on 1/2 of each door (on each end). Whatever is said, these tents are high quality, new, and have the usual weird French things about them, so they are a terrific value. (Must admit that I have not been in the tent at night--saving that for later or for Luke's next video on these.)

Nice basic review, Brother ! I would LOVE to see how they fair in a heavy rain shower or thunderstorm (careful with the lightning with those metal tent poles). Keep up the great work !!!

Yes, I would like to see both the testing and the waterproofing process. Thanks for the video!

I like them both. Surplus adventure sounds good, its been a while ^^

Yes, Luke, more testing on this tent. Thank you.

Keep up the great work Luke! Thanks for sharing. ATB from snowy Wisconsin where we just got socked with the second spring snow storm in the past 5 days. Yikes! : )

I have been eying these for a bit now so yes I want to see how water proof it is/can be. Keep up the good work my friend.

Oh yeah, “verses” sounds good. I like the tan one. Like you said, if placed right you should have good ventilation even with the back wall.

Yes rain test. Thanks for videos and tests/reviews.

I bought four of those nylon tents ⛺️ and would jump on the opportunity to buy more! And I got them for $29.98 each with free shipping too. Please soak these tents!!!

Yep get them real wet. I have more uses for the winter tent. I'm up in the mountains of Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, Summer and Winter. For summer bug control I also carry a military insect bar. I can tie it inside my tent. Works great. Thanks (in advance) for testing the tents out. Cheers.

Weather test, full blown! You’re the man Luke!

Yes indeed, I would like to know how it stands up to bad weather! Thanks guy, awesome!

Thanks Luke great advice

Yes I'm interested to see you in a rain storm with these tents

Would love to see the water proofing and rain test. Also loved the drone footage. Doing great things on the channel. Keep up the good videos but remember your family comes first and your fans know that. Take care.

Thanks for sharing, rain would be Nice indeed

Hey Luke love the channel brother, you and your family do a great job. I have the F-1 and a friend of mine has the desert commando. They will be great for back pack hunting and just camping. Set up is easy and quick. Not sure about yours but we have condensation issues. Haven't had them.out in a storm yet so yes it would be great to see a test done on these tents to see how water proof they really are. If they need treated what would your advice be on that. Thanks again brother for a great channel. Can't wait to see more.

Great introduction to some good tents. I've been looking for something simple good quality tents that can not kill the bank. Thank you.

Great video Luke thanks. I am guilty of cutting my cordage, I pre-measure out 25ft lengths and carry 4 hanks of it. But I do carry a 100 ft spool of #36 bankline

Great idea Luke, would love to see the test!

Would definitely enjoy seeing them set up and tested out, TOGR style!

Hey Luke, I had all three tents, the F1, French Army Troop tent (just like the Desert one only made out of the same material as the F1 with only one door, and the Desert Troop Tent. I sold the Desert one as I prefer the green. Here are my tips for them. First, if one wants to save the weight, switch the stakes out for the aluminum shepherds hook stakes. With a total of 16 stakes holding the tent down wind will not be an issue. Second, go to Walmart and pick up their 5 x 7 foot nylon tarp for a footprint. Yes, it's blue but no one will see it under the tent, but the size is perfect for a footprint and they are only 10 bucks and extremely light weight and protects the floor of the tents well. I got the weight down to 4.5 pounds for each tent, not a bad for a backpacking tent for the size. If one wanted to save a little more weight the poles could be easily made out in the field with a couple of sturdy sticks. I have been in the rain with the Troop tent, green, and had no issues with leaks, none. However, certain times of year, condensation can be an issue, even with the vents open. I have not tried the F1 tent, but the Desert and the Troop tent will have condensation when it is cooler out. They are awesome tents, great reviews on them. Take care man. I forgot to mention one other thing Luke, The grommet holes on the 5 x 7 tarp align up perfect with all the stake out points on the tent body.

Yes, love your channel Luke

Just a couple of things to point out for the construction of the Desert. The hardware on the stakeout points was likely changed to reduce static transfer. Blowing sand generates a LOT of static electricity, sometimes to levels that can be dangerous, and the rubberized tie-outs would be to minimize that. The single door, would also be because of sand. Desert sand is ultra fine grit that will jam up, and blow through most zippers, so the single door is meant to be positioned AWAY from the blowing sand so you have a solid wall to reduce sand infiltration inside the tent, and into your gear. Keep up the awesome work Luke! Love your channel, and if you ever want to sell that Desert, let me know ;) And YES, I want to see the waterproof testing on both of these.

I have the desert tent.Spent a week in it .It did rain but I had a trap over it.It is for one person or two friendly people.The problem I found was condensation.I left the side vents open and the front door open a little.That seemed to solved the problem.Room for your gear and a low cot.

Great review! Strangely enough those look almost exactly like the pup tent I had as a kid 30 years ago

Hey Luke for 50 bucks and free delivery I gave it a chance not that I need another tent but can’t pass up a deal like this. Thanks for your honest reviews and fantastic channel. Have a blessed week .

Yay! So I'm not the only outdoorsperson who always strives not to cut up my cordage/rope and as a result has odd/messy looking lines running around (which get the job done, quite well)!

I have been doing that for decades. Nothing new. It is nice to see others using the technique.

Excellent presentation, Luke. I like them both, too. And...what a bargain!

great tents loved your review......please show more of them thanks....

Thank you for the video. Very informative, especially on the differences between the two. And yes, I would love to find out how well they both will stand during some rain. Perhaps, a torrential rain or two to find out how well it repels water and/ or how long it takes before it allows leaks or seepage.

Great as always

Great video, getting the desert tent for sure... finally bug mesh doors!

So right about the stakes at 5:44, Luke. I live in the desert (NV) and those stakes are no match for the ground here. They bend over with the first hit. I had to go get those stakes that look like long nails. Great vid on the 2 tents. I am interested in a rain-storm test.

Yessssss for the storm check!

That test would be great. I never saw the desert tent and yes it would be better to have another door. Thanks for all of your hard work. All the best to you and your family.

Lets see these tents in a storm Luke. 👍🏻

Luke Bring the Rain!!! Stay strong! And thanks for all you do!

I want to see how these do in a storm and what it takes to waterproof them.

Yes let's see how waterproof these two tents are and if they are not how to waterproof them professional semi-professional

Hello Luke, yes try them out in a summer rain store, sounds like a couple of tents I would like to have. God bless always and forever.

I just bought the green tent. Wish it had bug mesh front and back, then soooooo great, but great the way it is too. Main fault is the tent stakes. I will replace all 17 with lighter ones. The feel of the quality is very good. The groundsheet was very good on first inspection. Thanks for the review.

Would love to see the water proofing process.. Thanks

Great video and yes test them both please!!!!!

Now your getting somewhere

As a french man i am glad you like those products ;)

I have a tent similar to both of these, called Minipack. Longer vents, only one door but with mesh, very good zipper, for 36 bucks. Comes in Coyote, Dark olive, and Woodland Camo. Had no complaints, I can also set it up with trekking poles and configure it with a tarp if need be (for heavy storm conditions). Weighs 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) with the heavy duty tarp, 900 grams (1.98 lbs) without it.

I really like these simple A-frame tents, they're usually a bit primitive and heavier compared to modern dome style tents but they're dirt cheap and you don't need to fiddle with those silly folding tent poles. I have a mil-tec made version in flecktarn that I've used for over 10 years now and it's still holding up ok.

Testing those tents in a rain storm would be awesome.

I had seen this tent over on keepshooting, was wondering if it was any good, Looks pretty decent. I dont mind the lack of a back door.. The price is great. Would love to see them tested out in the storms

Luke it depends were you buy them from on the doors with mesh. My green f1 has the screen doors and a very heavy rain fly. But I also bought mine years ago before they were advertised everywhere. Awesome video, keep up the great work

I just bought one myself recently. Would love to see an overnighter and water test, before and after kinda thing. Kinda also curious how this thing would fair in mild winter settings.

Yo! I love military tents, thanks Luke 😆

Very cool as always... Thanks LUKE !!!

Make it rain Luke!! This looks like the tent I've been looking for.

Can't wait to see another military surplus adventure! Also maybe another kayaking adventure? Cheers!

I think it would be great to take them out for a trial overnight or two. Maybe two at a time and switch to see and feel the difference right away. It might be a lot of work setting up but you could do a side by side comparison. Or one at a time since your the one carrying the pack. Love to watch your videos all the time. Every time I yawn I think of you saying “Did I get ya?” Answer “YES, every time”. Looking forward to the next video. Thank you for sharing!

Good video. And that Chevy truck is cool. Chevy runs deep! 🚘 I vote do overnight and Rain. 👍

Absolutely! Let's see how they do in a heavy thunderstorm!

Yup, I deff want to see how these tents do in the rain.

Love mine, I have the green one, only one door with mesh on mine., they can get warm w/o much wind.

Test them in the rain, Luke! Great review!

I have the F1 in green. It is a great tent and a little more roomy than other trail type A frames. It's about 6 pounds, which to me is a little on the heavy side for a backpacking tent. You have hit on the differences correctly-- the tan desert tent has no back door, but does have the netting on the front doors. My green F1 has no netting on the front doors, which to me... is the failing of the tent. Gotta have those mesh doors. Love the color; it will fit in well here in Dixie with the foliage we have. It will fit in well in the deep forests you camp in up there in North Carolina. You won't be able to see that tent from very far away. What ya get for the money factor is great.

Yes on both waterproof testing and military surplus overnighter!

Hey Luke, how's it going buddy. These are cool. I have the same tent as the O.D. one except mine is canvas. It's a great tent but really heavy. I changed out all the stakes with plastic stakes. Plus mine has a rain fly that goes over it to. I put it to the test in the rain and it did great. Did not leak at all. Stayed dry the whole time. Pretty good deal.

P.S. Ayuh...the channel here is getting classier, more professional all the time. Great work!

Hi Luke! Yeah, I would love to see an overnighter in the tan tent now that I found a source; and to find out what it costs to "waterproof" and seam seal it. The F1Commando is still out of stock however they have the tan available for $34.95 and mine will be $31.45 with a 10% discount (total near $40 with shipping). I'm not crazy about the tan color but $40 for a military surplus tent, it's a good deal. I watched your video to find the weight on it and it's 5.8 pounds, so thank you for that. You, sir, are a compendium of knowledge.

I use to have the older canvas version of this tent, I got rid of it in the end as it was to dark inside. I do like the Desert coloured new version :)

Yes. Check the seams and water proofing . plus a rain fly.

Definitely a rain test needed!

Hey Luke, if you want to take the tent to the next level, beef up the waterproofing (although from comments it's pretty good as is) but how about adding bugproofing to the F1? Either by installing the panels or using a separate mesh inside of it.

I definitely like the a-frame style tent. And yes, do an overnight with the tent.

Thanks Luke for doing another review on this Gladd you got another one....yes do a real weather test on this tent...keep up the Awsome work..Robby Dtox

The desert commando reminds me of my old 2man pup tent in so many ways. Pretty hard to beat it, as long as its waterproof!!

I love the F1. You should bring it out to Oregon in the fall. Let's see how water proof it is.

About the rain test: I have the green one and used it during a three day trip and every night there was a lot of rain with a thunderstorm. The walls of the tent were quite wet, but still ok. But the roof ridge was a weak point: The rain startet dropping inside the tent - not much, but I had to put a rain coat over my sleeping bag. After checking the outside of the tent the next day I realised that there is some kind of cotton band along the roof ridge that was soaking wet. I put duckt tape on it and had no problems the next night. I'm still wondering what kind of impregantion agent I should use and if I have to use two different ones for the nylon part and for the cotton part as I do not have any experiences with impregnation. So I'm looking forward to your test and tips for impregnation! Keep up the good work, I like your channel very much!

After watching your review here and then back to the original review on the F1 I thought of the extra weight issue with the heavy stakes and the poles. I was thinking maybe to replace the tent poles with trekking poles since I already have them and fashioning stakes on site out of green wood. Your thoughts?

Luke, loving all the reviews. it would be great if you would do a rain/storm test on either tent. I would prefer to see the green F1 though. I would like to hear your opinions about them after a fairly hot summer weekend as well. If you have the time to do a head to head scenario, that sure wouldn’t hurt my feelings either.

I know this is from 5 years ago however what are your thoughts on using these tents for winter camping?

Yes to the rain test. One of my favorite aspects of your channel is that you test equipment. I don't see how the F1 is very usable without any bug mesh on the doors. It seems the only time you could really use the tent is in the winter when there are no bugs, or when it was cold enough out that you could keep both doors fully zipped up. Otherwise you would be miserable.

Thanks for the review. I'm grabbing one today from Keep Shooting. I would definitely like to see a rain test! I live in N. Carolina, and l am just getting in to camping. I'm hoping your reviews will help me know what to purchase. Thanks again.

See how it does in heavy rain an can the they be painted camo color i just started watching your videos i like them keep up the good work 👍

Ohh commented in the middle of the video. YES!!! I would like to see at least one of these tents in a rain storm and even snow storm too if possible. Thinking about buying one, so really cool if possible. :o)

Yes, please try them out in a mountain spring storm....and how and the cost foe total waterproofing...

Please test these tents! Great video.

Go for it dude

Desert Commando it is, thanks man.

Great vid! I am sad to say , I would love to see you tuff out a nasty storm in that tent... cheers

I love it !!

Sounds great! Very interested in the desert comando