Light Solo Tent

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a solo tent that is lightweight. The lighter the weight the more likely I would be to consider a small 2 person tent for the extra room and on the off chance someone comes along with me.

I have been looking at the MSR Hubba, the Marmot EOS 1, and the Sierra Designs Lightning Tent. The first two weigh in under 4 pounds, while the lightning is a 2 person and slightly over 4 pounds.

Has anyone used or bought these tents? Any thoughts or suggestions? Are there any tents I should be considering?

The negatives I have heard are that the Hubba struggles in the wind because of its high profile and that the EOS is kind of cramped - just a couple inches to small in every directions, despite what the specs tell you.

I would really appreciate some input - especially as I am getting sick of lugging my 7 pound tent along with me everywhere this year

Thanks

I haven't used any of the ones you mentioned, but this one works great for me. I have the SL2. It will hold two people if you don't mind being close, or plenty of room for one person plus gear.

I have a SD Clip Flashlight CD. Roomy for 1, tight for 2. Works well in bad weather. Haven't used it yet, but there are many good reports on news://rec.backcountry.

Doug

One thing I forgot - I want the tent I purchase to be freestanding...

Try a Tadpole 23!

I bought a NF Tadpole 23 last summer and used it on a several overnight trips.

I like it a lot. It has about 27 SQ Ft of floor space, plus a nice big Vestibule.

It is freestanding and has adequate headroom. It's a bit tight for two (especially in the rain!) but quite weather proof and cozy. Just over 4 lbs

I've also used it on an overnight in the winter and it worked fine. Shed snow well and although a bit drafty, was A LOT lighter than my MH Trango Assault.

cb

I love the Henry Shires tarptents. I have both the Cloudburst and the Squall and like them both though the Cloudburst has more usable room.

www.tarptent.com

Edit: Just noticed the "freestanding" part . . . sorry !!! The tarptents are still great tents

sli74

I'll second the votes for a Tarptent and the North Face Tadpole 23. You simply cannot beat the Tarptent for the weight. Its a sturdy tent that weights just about nothing. The NF Tadpole is an excellent freestanding tent but it does weight in at around 4 lbs. I have used both tents many times and I am happy with both. If you are looking for a more traditional tent, the Tadpole is the way to go. However, if you are looking for a non-tradational tent to really take some weight off your back, consider the Tarptent.

Just to chime in on the Tarptent bandwagon, I have a Henry SHires Squall tarptent (the old version - I think the newer version has more room. It weighs 29 ounces with tent pegs and ground sheet (2 MIL painters tarp)

I bought the floorless model, and use the groundsheet to put under my sleeping pad in shelters with dirty floors. I'm 6'5" and weigh 250, and there is room for me and gear in it. Used it in the rain last Friday night. There was a bit less room because I lowered the sides a bit. (the bottom is mesh - great for ventilation but need to be lowered in windy rain. Not sure how the floored models deal with ventilation or rain.)

A friend of mine had a big agnes tent. Looked pretty spiffy.

dundare said:

One thing I forgot - I want the tent I purchase to be freestanding...

Click to expand...

In general, frestanding adds weight. Some feel it is overrated.

Doug

In your musings on which tent to buy, you might want to consider addl factors besides weight.

In the end, your purchase will probably represent a trade-off among a variety of things.

Ability to withstand wind and rain, for example, was important to me. After a wet and wild night under a tarp at Guyot, I wanted more robust foul wx protection than a flapping tarp provided. So I traded a few OZs for that.

I also wanted a quick and easy set up, with a min of stake driving and guying. Thus free-standing, and a few more OZs there. This proved handy, especially on smaller tent platforms, such as at Avery Col in the Bigalows.

Finally, I wanted a 2-person shelter for my non-solo trips. A few more OZs there.

TheTadpole 23 met my needs pretty well.

Although just after I bought it, I got a case of "Buyer's Remorse" when I saw the MSR Hubba Hubba, which as two doors and two vestibules, and a few more OZs too!

cb

my review of the Eureko zeus EXO

Three pounds, self-standing, very fast set-up, about $120. The one-man model has lots of elbow room, but consider the two-man model for a bit more headroom.

Check out the single wall Black Diamond Firstlight. They are very light and freestanding dome tents. They are about a little under $300 retail and are very lightweight for a 2 person tent. I keep eyeing one myself but it's on the wishlist for the future...

http://www.bdel.com/gear/firstlight.php

Jay

One Last Question

I am still torn on this purchase - now between a tarptent and the MSR Hubba.

For the tarp tent fans out there, which do you think is best and why?

I really like the Cloudburst 2, but like the idea of using the trekking poles that is available for the Virga and the Squall.

Are these a chore to set up on tent platforms?

Any suggestion appreciated - I would like to order one tonight so I will have it in time for my upcoming trip and wont have to lug my curreny 7 pd tent along with me solo

HI Dundare - Check out this thread on whiteblaze

Having used tarps a lot, including a Quest Nova (like a megamid) and my Betalite, I would prefer the cloudburst if I were to get another tarptent.
I like the large opening and the volume inside that it provides.

However with that said, I really, really, like the superlight 2 wall tents that have been out on the market recently - If all of youre trips are going to be shorter weekend type trips - less than 2-3 days, then an extra pound wouldn't really matter (especially for the additional amount of ventilation) from a tent like the Hubba.

If you are planning a lot of long distance trips, then I can undserstand the desire for an ultralight tarptent - they are great.

A lot of tarp tenters will say that by finding the perfect site and pitching your tent correctly, you can avoid all condensation and such. However, there are plenty of nights where all I want to do is set up as quickly as possible, get my dinner cooked and crash, and not have to worry about avoiding ventilation problems, staking out guylines and such.

If you are in a hurry, I do recall there being a 2-3 week wait list for the shires tents.
Tough, Tough call. Be happy - Buy both

Pitching the cloudburst is more important than most double wall tents. Something I thought should be mentioned too about the Cloudburst in particular is it's footprint. It's a huge tent, very long and because of that, it is a little harder to pitch it on say some tent spots. When I camped at 13 falls in the Pemis, I had to kind of overlap the end over the campsite boundary because I had a small campsite and such a long tent.

If you are camping off the trail and off any established site (bushwacking, etc) then this makes it a bit harder.

Also, initially the floor on the tarp tent if you buy one with the floor, is very slippery. Henry Shires tells you to use some silicone seam sealer and make X patterns or whatever to make it less slippery.

jay

Well, after coming perilously close to ordering one of the tarptents, I think I am going to order the Hubba Hubba. 2 person, 2 doors, 4 pounds, good sized vestibules, and freestanding wins - I think.

Thanks for all the insightful and helpful comments, especially those who sent me message via the pm option on the site.

Regardless, I am thinking about trying to ebay my Mountain Hardware Light Wedge III if I like the Hubba Hubba and use the proceeds to get a tarp tent. I emailed the company yesterday about what the ship date would be if I ordered one since they were all on backorder and Henry Shires himself responded to me - pretty cool imo.

Thanks again,
Dundare

did you look at the kelty teton 2 ? similar weight and dimensions.
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=38470424&memberId=12500226



this was my set-up on a very raining outing. that's the Seirra Designs Alpha CD footprint being used as the fly over the entrances. I was in the Kelty Teton and my 2 boys and their 2 friends were in the SD.We were all quite dry.

dundare said:

I emailed the company yesterday about what the ship date would be if I ordered one since they were all on backorder and Henry Shires himself responded to me - pretty cool imo.

Thanks again,
Dundare

Click to expand...

The customer service is AMAZING !!!! I have emailed back and forth with Henry about various options and he has always been prompt about responding. I got my Squall before the zippers were an option to completely enclose the tent, I emailed Henry about zippers and he didn't think they would be a good idea but after some tests they decided to add zippers to the newer models and for a minimal fee they took mine back and added the zippers for me. Pretty cool.

sli74

I ended up ordering the Hubba Hubba from campmor. The two doors clinched it for me - for those occasions my wife or a friend comes along with me. As long as I like the Hubba Hubba, I will be selling my Light Wedge III and will probably purchase a tarptent to try out - heh I liked it when the world was simpler and my old Eureka tent from 1986 was all I ever thought of using when camping

Good luck with your new toy, er, I mean piece of gear!!!!