Tent Thread

[Idris]

Last year about this time there was a great thread on tents, can't find it here or on PMag either....it discussed lots of Tents (not the other bivy options) for skiing, lots of referances to an inexpensive 3 season tent which quite a few had used for winter camping....I will be in the market for a tent this summer ....light, 2 person , for use at altitude, not too pricy....

[Lostinthetrees]

Check out selection at REI on web and when in States. They have a wide variety for comparison shopping.

I have two styles that I like for different purposes. Marmot Nutshell and Moss Starlite. Both 3 season. tub bottoms. Alum shock corded poles, free standing, no staking required.

I prefer the Starlite for backpacking, little cozy tight for 2 persons, roomy for 1. Although it has seen over 20 years of hard use and starting to lose water-repelency... I swear by it and will replace it. It packs down to an 18" long and 6" diameter size. Moss tents were purchased by REI a few years ago and I think they still carry many of the same models/designs.

Nutshells are a little roomier for 2. Don't pack as tiny for backpacking. I use them for family trips - car camping and short walks into the woods.

All gear purchased is very light weight, takes up mimimal room and has small "footprints". Natural color flys so they can not be easily noticed. I can get them up in less than 3 minutes for a quick 1 night bivoac and get out quickly next AM.

[Viva]

Moss tents were bought out by Outdoor Research, I believe. OR continues to manufacture the old Moss line, but now under their name. Good quality stuff.

I'm not a fan of tents and avoid using them. I do own a couple of Kelty tents, however. I like 'em because they're as good as most of the offerings of the bigger name companies (e.g., Mountain Hardon, The North Suckmyface, etc.) and inexpensive. For backpacking, I use the Kelty Mantis II, a very lightweight 2-person tent.

[non grata]

i use a northface tadpole 23. it's been good for most 3 season conditions and it's a pretty light double with a tiny footprint and nice vestibule design. super easy to throw up since it's got just 3 poles.

lots of mesh so it's better for warmer weather but i did take it out to mt. rainier/camp muir last summer and it was still pretty comfy.

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/...p?productId=68

[Spamhelmet]

mountain hardware´s trango assault.

pros: small footprint, supersuper durable, quite easy to put up,
even large enuff to spend couple of days bogged in withoud developing a bad case of "The Shining", quite good ventilation
etc.

cons:not the lightest one, not the cheapest one, one apsid (in regular trango you have two if you decide to have marital problems while camping...)



AND it comes in that lovely peach colour!

edit: since the new EDT 2 or something replaced the trango assault modell this year, you might get it cheap from some of the stores...

[homerjay]

Moss = MSR these days.

I like Sierra Designs tents, personally.

[CaddyDaddy77]

Have what turned into the Marmot Odessy. Have had it for about 5 yrs now and very happy. Pretty good tent for the price.



Pros
Easy assembly/breakdown
Durable bottom
Nice features, big vestibule, etc.
Good venting, for summer jaunts.

Cons
Internal Pole system is a bit awkward at first
bout' it really. Pretty happy with it.


Good shopping site for tents,
http://www.thetentstore.com/

[tywhy]

i've had my mountain hardwear Trango 3 for a year now and love it! didn't get any winter camping in with it, but it's passed every other test well.

[Spats]

Any simple 2-pole dome tent *with a full rainfly* will work well in anything but gale-force storms. Plus, they'll make excellent backpacking tents and weigh pounds less than a 4-season tent.

The REI Half Dome (slightly larger) or Quarter Dome UL (slightly smaller, lighter) are good options. Both have two doors and vestibules, which is highly recommended.

I have used a Eureka Apex XT for 7 years, but they've changed the design since, and it's now heavier and less useful.

If you will always be camping in snow, a Black Diamond Megamid (or similar) plus ground tarp is the lightest way to go.

If you want four-season burliness, want to save weight, and have $$$, go for a Hilleberg Nallo (www.hilleberg.se) or a Warmlite (www.warmlite.com).

[Greydon Clark]

I'll second Spats recommendation the Black Diamond Megamid or BETAmid. I had good success with these tents last spring and summer, the 'mid handled 50 MPH winds like a champ...once we have her braced properly and it doubled as a group cooking/smoking room which made out group of six very happy. This year I thought of buying a 4 Season tent, but I realized that I live in California and only do overnight trips in the spring. Also, like many on this thread I avoid bringing a tent whenever possible. I do have a TNF tube tent for backpacking when bugs might be an issue and a Kelty Dome tent for pretty much no reason.

[Flash]

For the $$, I am not sure anything beats the REI Half Dome. It is light, easy to set-up, and it has a decent amount of space for 2. We have had ours for a decade, and it is still going strong.

There are nicer tents out there (I dig the Hilleberg Nallo), but you can't beat a Half Dome for 160 samoleans.

REI Half Dome

[Dr. Crash]

I lust after a Bibler Awanhee 2 (Awanhee probably spelled wrong, too lazy to check). But for the price of one of those guys, one can get 4 to 5 of the aforementionned REI Half Dome tents. I just got one for summer camping with my two little boys (the REI one). But I sure would love a Bibler for lightweight 4-season. And I can't wait to see how people who try the BD Lighthouse (based on same design, Epic fabric, less than 4 lbs and less than $400) on snow fare with it.

drC

[Big Hit77]

The sierra Designs 3/4 season tents, the Alpha and Omega are nice. The Alpha is super roomy, and easy to set up, and has been bomber in almost everything i have put it through. The nice thing about SD is that they make great tents. They aren't flashy, they don't have a lot of pockets to clutter things up, but they do make some of the stronger tents out there. They also have a good warranty dept although The same can really be said for almost any major tent manufactor. Also, MSR is now owned by Cascade Designs (Think Thermarest)..not that this matters much though.

[Xover]

don't listen to the rest of the wankers above

I just went through what you're going through right now and based on what is sounds like you want - take a good hard look at the new BD tents like the lighthouse - lightest, strongest, cheapest things out there.

good luck - it is easier to eliminate tents you are thinking about getting by finding things on them that you REALLY don't like then pick from your narrowed down list

[LCC]

Practice pitching all the tents (heheh) you are considering in the store before you buy one. This will make your decision very easy.

Nothing worse than setting your tent up for the first time at night, in a storm, drunk and/or high. Pracitice ahead of time.

I've got a Marmot Swallow and a MSR Ziod 2.0. I really like them both for different reasons.

[cj001f]

Originally posted by Xover
don't listen to the rest of the wankers above

I just went through what you're going through right now and based on what is sounds like you want - take a good hard look at the new BD tents like the lighthouse - lightest, strongest, cheapest things out there.

And praytell why you want to buy a tent that's not fully weatherproof?

[EstoBum]

Originally posted by LCC

Nothing worse than setting your tent up for the first time at night, in a storm, drunk and/or high. Pracitice ahead of time.

My girlfriend didn't understand the logic that it would be easy to put up the tent the in a pitch dark night when we were both pissed drunk - especially since it was color coded.

[Dr. Crash]

Originally posted by cj001f
And praytell why you want to buy a tent that's not fully weatherproof?

There is a growing record of people who've used those tents in huge downpours and stayed dry.

And of course for most people the answer to that will be less weight and the conditions they need the tents for. After all, when it's not raining, many people are just fine in a hammock.

drC

[cj001f]

Originally posted by Dr. Crash
There is a growing record of people who've used those tents in huge downpours and stayed dry.

Where?

"*EPIC by Nextec® fabrics are highly water resistant. This means they resist penetration by water under all but the most extreme conditions."

Is what BD says about it.

If I'm bringing a tent - I want it to be bombproof, because I'm expecting really bad conditions. There's a whole range of other shelters available that weigh less, or are more flexible, for other conditions. Like a BetaLite tarp!

[cmor]

I just got a Bibler Pinon. It's great, but it smells like shit. I swear, it's not me. I've heard the ToddTex can get a strange odoer. Anyone else run into this?

I've got a Bibler fitzroy with that weird breathable fabric. Smells ok to me.

[Dr. Crash]

cj001f, check the forums on backpacker light or something like that. A friend of mine considering getting the Lighthouse showed me a few threads discussing that.

drC

[cj001f]

Originally posted by Dr. Crash
cj001f, check the forums on backpacker light or something like that. A friend of mine considering getting the Lighthouse showed me a few threads discussing that.

drC

You mean like this glowing review?

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/review/00005433

" I love this tent it has kept me dry throughout rainstorms and it fits eaisly inside of my pack. It is simple to set up and I never had condensation in it. It is the best tent i have ever used. It is great for only one person."

I currently own a Bibler Winter Bivy - made of Epic, like the tents. It's great for Snow, Cold, Dry. Not bad for rain - but it definitely doesn't keep it all out. Based on that experience I'm not in the market for an Epic tent - nor do I see much purpose, save high altitude mountaineering. YMMV

[Phil]

Tom,

I love my Bibler Eldorado. Got it used from a friend and have put it threw patagonia winds, BC rain and Norway nights. Bomber and light. I've spent at least 100 days in it and I can't complain yet.

I use a salathe bivy works awesome in snow. Donno about rain though.


Outside


Inside

[house]

i have a 3 season sierra designs. its the older style orion (same as omega/alpha, but 3 season). its lightweight, esp when i split it up with whoever else is sleeping in it. not a very big vestibule though, which sucks for winter stuff, but havent had any problems when sub-alpine. i actually used it on my 2 nights up on mt rainier and had no problems cause there are plenty of guy points to keep it steady. if you wanna use it up high and down low too, i bet the convertible SD ones would kick ass.

[random]

I have a MEC Merganser and it hasn't let me down yet. Not too bad with weight, but could be a little lighter I suppose, but it's pretty roomy for a 2-man, and I'm a princess so it works out.