- While the SVOPES tent is normally priced at $449, it was on sale for $318.79 versus the VEVOR tent's $394.90; and
- Based on the photos and specification language, they're the same tent, made at the same factory, by the same people, of the same materials, with the same specifications, and with the same accessories (as you can see if you follow the links above).
Friday, July 31, 2026
A Warehouse Picker Error in my Favor, or More Evidence for my Identicality Theory?
Wordle 1868 Hint
Hint: A boxer's compensation package (or the boxer's spouse's handbag, which part of it probably ends up in).
Not Enough? Get the first letter of today's Wordle after the ad below.
New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.
First Letter: P
Thursday, July 30, 2026
The Next Quest -- Upon Which I May Find Myself Buying American
Now that the tent is on the way, I'm already looking for the stuff that will go in it, and that includes a wood stove for heating it.
Looking around, I see that US-made models, as expected, are quite a bit more expensive than Chinese stuff -- $400-600 versus $100-200.
While reviews seem to suggest that there's no substantial safety gap between the two types, I prefer the American models better because they're made of heavier metal and just look cooler. While I do plan to floor the tent with whatever "fake Persian" rugs I happen to come across, I'd kind of like a classy stove.
AND!
This is where the used market comes in. I suspect I can find a used US-made stove on e.g. Facebook or Craigslist at a comparable price to, or even better price than, a brand new Chinese rig. This is north central Florida and I see a lot of hunting and camping gear in those venues. In fact, the Jayco pop-up camper was a "hunting cabin" for many years before I bought it.
I may not limit myself to stoves that are advertised as specifically made for tent use. As long as the flue fits the tent's stove jack, I could (pending safety research) lay down a stone "floor" underneath an antique house stove (I'll probably need to do that even under one of the new ones). I spent many winter hours hovering close to the wood stove in my grandparents' farmhouse, as it was the only heat source in a large two-story building.
I've been thinking of the wood stove as just a better heat source than an electric space heater, but it occurred to me this morning that I can also use a tea kettle or "moka pot" coffee brewer with it, saving me trips inside the main house for beverage replenishment. While I sometimes eat at my desk, I don't store food in the camper office because that might attract critters. But a canister of coffee or tea doesn't sound problematic in that regard.
