Need a new tent

[John Nettles]

Hope all had a Joyous Christmas!  I need to finally get a new tent after many many years of great service of my old one (brand no longer made).  So I am looking for testimonies from people who have toured with their tents in the past year or three.

I am looking for a tent that MUST: 1) sleep one restless sleeper plus gear (F&R panniers; 2) has a max of three non-fiberglass poles; 3) be able to sit up in; 4) sub-six pounds when fully packed (poles, tent, fly, stakes, etc.); 5) high quality

I PREFER the tent: 1) have great ventilation (camping temps are usually is in the 65-85 range) at night so great ventilation is strongly desired; 2) Short folded pole length; 3) traditional poles [no funking 45 degree bends in the middle of a single section (I too old school ), "T" pole (hubs okay though), etc.]; 4) heavier/durable materials over shaving grams; 5) strong zippers or can be retro-fitted with such); 6) minor vestibule over entrance to keep rain out of tent

I don't care: 1) if free-standing; 2) what color (no hot pink); 3) brand; 4) for tarps/canopy only.

Some tents I have considered are NF Vector 22; SD Lightening; and Black Diamond/Bibler several varieties.  An interesting tent is the NEMO which does not use any poles but is self standing.  I'll wait until the techonolgy proves itself but it is sort of cool.

May we all have a wonderful New Year!!

Happy trails and may the wind be at your back!

TulsaJohn

[tofubicycle]

TulsaJohn,

If you click the search link in your upper right corner and use "tent" or "tents" as the keyword you should find a number of threads pertaining to this very subject.

Having said that, I'll echo my previous recommendations of Hilleberg brand tents. It is true that these have a reputation of being warm tents, after all they are 4-season tents, but all it takes is some experimenting with your venting practices and mindfullness with regard to wind direction. You may find you want a two or three-season tent which will typically be cooler inside with less effort on your part but if you have the money for a Hilleberg, I think you'll find them to be one of the best tents available - I know I do. For short-term or minimalist solo trips I use the Akto and for long-term solo trips or any two-person trips I use the Nallo GT. I simply can not say enough good things about these tents.

Excellent details and photogrpahs on each of these tents can be found here.  Oddly enough this site shows the tents in far greater scale and detail than the manufacturer's site.

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i'd rather be biking.

[dombrosk]

Take a look at the MSR ZOID 2.  They also make smaller sizes, "1.5", 1, and micro, but I share your desire for more room and being able to sit up.  Only two poles which fold up very short.  Tent and poles fit into a rear pannier with room for my thermorest and lightweight summer sleeping bag.  Ventilation is excellent thanks to a 'chimney' like vent that can be closed down to make the tent warmer.  Not free-standing, but that hasn't been a problem for me.

[Seel]

The top tent on my gear list is the REI Half Dome. 2-man, free-standing, great ventilation, light weight, etc. If I were buy a tent today for touring this would be it - just my personal opinion.


Now with all that said I must confess that I'm seriously looking at switching to a hammock! Read about the Spear Hammock @ http://www.speerhammocks.com/index.html.

I will in all probability be purchasing the kit and sewing it myself.

[toetheline]

I absolutely LOVE my Big Agnes Seedhouse 2.
I'm sort of tall (6'2"), and I fit. Sleeping comfy with 4 panniers.  The body of the tent is all mesh, great ventilation. Poles are great.  Total weight with fly and ground cloth is right at 4 pounds (I think)  Packs small enough to fit inside my panniers
And, Made is USA Steamboat Colorado.  There customer support is awesome.
On a side note, I bought their sleeping bag and pad as well.  They are all great.
 

[MikeL]

I second Seel's vote.  I used the REI half dome this summer on the Great Divide route.  I had hot desert nights and nights with freezing rain and ice, and the tent held up great.  There are lots of ventilation options that make it adaptable to all kinds of temperatures.

It's maybe a little on the big side for solo touring, but the extra room was worth it as long as you're not the type who cuts holes in their toothbrush to save weight.  I packed it in one small front pannier and wrapped the poles in my pad.  Worked like a charm.

[John Nettles]

Thanks for the responses.  Has anyone had PERSONAL experience with the single wall tents like Bibler?  If so, how would they be in August in the central plains.  While no tent will be comfortable in 100 degrees, I "think" a fly'd tent would be cooler as it would have a airflow between the fly and the tent.  However, everyone who has a Bibler or similar tent swears by them but all reviews seem to be in cooler/cold climates.

Any one out there use/used one?  Thanks!

Happy trails and may the wind be at your back!

TulsaJohn

[wanderingwheel]

I've got a Bibler bivy, does that count?  It's been great to me, but I wouldn't use it if the weather wasn't threatening.  Instead, I'd just sleep out.  In the plains, I found my best option to be to use a standard tent, don't bother mounting the fly, and just sleep on top of my pad with no sleeping bag.  In this way, the tent merely acts as a bug shelter and nothing more.

Sean

[litespeed]

I had a North Face Canyonlands, the smallest they made, until it wore out. They had stopped making it so I replaced it with a Particle 13. I'm 6'2" and both were plenty long enough for me although not tall enough to sit up in comfortably. I'm happy with this one but when it wears out I might get a Hilleberg. They are expensive but very roomy, beautifully designed and surprisingly light.