What is a good weight for a tent?

[BOHICA]

I'm sure their are many posts that go over this. But once being in the military I tend to be drawn towards those type of things. Here a link to one that I am looking at. It weighs only 6 lbs, is that heavy for a tent for 1 person. It does come with the fly, net, and space to store your stuff. What are your thoughts?

Thanks



http://www.imsplus.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=30419

[John Nelson]

A good weight for a tent is zero.

Six pounds for a one-person tent is, in my opinion, very heavy. At $285, this is no bargain either.

There are a lot of one-person tents you can find for around 3 to 4 pounds, and a lot of two-person tents for around 4 to 5 pounds. Many people prefer a two-person tent for solo camping. A one-person tent can get quite claustrophobic.

Do you need a four-season tent? If so, you will have to compromise some on both weight and price over a three-season tent. Most cyclotourists use a three-season tent.

[staehpj1]

Six pounds for a solo tent is pretty heavy.  There are nice two person tents that weigh substantially less than that and cost less too.  I'd advise looking elsewhere.

[Pat Lamb]

Six pounds is a good weight for a two-person, four season tent.  I'm a member, so I recommend starting with rei.com -- look at their camping/tents selection.  My rule of thumb is, for N people buy a tent advertised for N+1; so if you're going alone, look for a 2-person tent.  If you end up camping in the rain, or trying to change clothes, you'll appreciate the extra space.  Too, a 2-person tent will give you some room to get away from the sides of the tent when mosquitoes are so thick they'll bite through the tent if you're leaning against the wall.  Also note the bit about seasons; unless you're going to camp in the winter, you can likely get by with a three season tent, which can save you an extra pound.

[BOHICA]

Thank you all for your advice. 

What do you all do about your bike? I mean by when your in the tent your can't see your bike.

[bogiesan]

A military background suggests you will have a different way of looking at a weight-to-value ratio.
Want to see the other side of that discussion? Investigate ultralight backpacking to discover minimalist techniques.

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[John Nelson]

What do you all do about your bike? I mean by when your in the tent your can't see your bike.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?o=RrzKi&thread_id=198856&v=N&page=1&nested=0

[rvklassen]

3 pounds or less, for a tent for one person.

MSR Hubba being one example.  There are silly-light examples that might save an additional pound, but I'm not personally sure about the durability of some of those (besides, we tour as a two-some, so a one-person tent is a non-starter).

[BOHICA]

@ Bogiesan, You are correct on that. The military is not well known for having lite weight equipment.  I already have a 2 man USMC tent. It weighs about 7 lbs. I was just thinking that I did not need something that big. But know reading the post, a 2 man might be better. So I can get all my gear in the tent or vestibule.

[staehpj1]

@ Bogiesan, You are correct on that. The military is not well known for having lite weight equipment.  I already have a 2 man USMC tent. It weighs about 7 lbs. I was just thinking that I did not need something that big. But know reading the post, a 2 man might be better. So I can get all my gear in the tent or vestibule.

A lot of folks prefer that approach.  I tend to prefer leaving the panniers packed and on the bike, taking in only the handlebar bag (containing ID, debit card, cash, and electronics) and what I need to sleep and get dressed in the morning.

[John Nelson]

I'm with Pete in that I leave most of my stuff on the bike and bring very little gear in. Nevertheless, I like extra room in the tent. Not infrequently my clothes for tomorrow are not fully dry and I lay them out on the tent floor to finish drying. And the extra room makes it easy to organize what little I do bring in.

[staehpj1]

Not infrequently my clothes for tomorrow are not fully dry and I lay them out on the tent floor to finish drying. And the extra room makes it easy to organize what little I do bring in.

That reminded me of one other point to consider...  It is really nice to have a gear hammock or some anchor points to string a line to hang a few things on to dry.

[paddleboy17]

I will give a thumbs down for bringing the bags into the tent.  I always bear bag my food, even when my bigest concern is overly agressive racoons.  I do have a compression sack of clothes that come into the tent, and that pretty much leaves my panniers empty.  I use the empty panniers to store my helmet and bike shoes, and I leave the lids unlatched.  I would rather have a racoon paw my stuff that eat a hole in the side to get to something he imagines is there.

I will second the concern that light weight gear is not tough enough for real world applications.  Anything under 4 pounds for a solo tent is reasonable.