Which tent for a first timer?

[venussonata]

Hello everyone!

I've been camping a few times before, but always in a camper with my family.
Now I'm ready to hit the open road and camp wherever the wind plants me, most likely with only one or two friends at the most. So I've been looking at some affordable tents (seeing as how I'm a poor college student), and I'm not sure which of the two of these is better.

There's this one, which is an entire set of stuff for about $100.

On the other hand, there is this one that is nothing more than a tent.

Do I really need all of things that the first one offers? Okay, I know I don't need them, but is it something worth spending for right now?

Thanks everyone!

[kingcrazylegs]

The first one, NO. The second is more the style that you'd want to use backpacking. If you want a really good tent look at Sierra Designs. Their prices have gotten much more reasonable recently and you can often find them on sale online or at REI (also online).