Which Lightweight Tent

[Eugene Smith]

I have always wondered why the pack in your avatar was so stinking big Steve… but didn't have the guts to ask! :)

[Dutch Anderson]

+1 on Sierra Designs Lightning…excellent Shelter

[Steven McAllister]

Hi U,

Re:
"I have always wondered why the pack in your avatar was so stinking big Steve… but didn't have the guts to ask! :)"

I always thought it looked like some kind of Photoshop retouch job, but no, it's real:-)

Not quite the "Flextrek 37trillion":

[Bob Gross]

"But is snow really an issue with 3 season hikers?"

In the Sierra Nevada Range, I have been snowed on in every month of the year. I just got snowed on in late May.

–B.G.–

[Steven McAllister]

Re:
"I have been snowed on in every month of the year."

Me to, in the Uintas and Yellowstone, but never more than a few inches. Never enough to require a 4 season tent.

I do know that there can be freak storms, but I don't think it is a reason to carry a heavy tent.
If you should get in such a situation, you have to kick the snow off from time to time is all.

[David Ure]

You are fixated on freestanding meaning 4 season. Why is that?

[Mike W]

…

[Alissa D.]

Thanks for the recommendations. I had a look at most of the suggestions, and I like the look of the Skyledge 2.1. Granted, it's not the lightest, but to me it looks like it would meet all my requirements.

Does anybody have any experiences with it? How does it hold up in winds? Is it comfortable to use a bug tent when it's hot?

Reviews are quite good; the most cited con seems to be that it's a bit cramped for 2 people. But I could still go for the 3 version.

[Sieto van der Heide]

Vaude (a German brand) makes a nice lightweight tent, the 'Vaude Hogan Ultralight Argon' (quite a mouth-full). It's a 1+ to 2 person, 4 season tent. Weight is 1500 grams (3 pounds, 5 ounces)(includes inner, outer, poles and pegs).

[Steven McAllister]

Freestanding doesn't have anything to do with a shelter's ability to withstand snow or wind. That is marketing hype. Don't fall for it.

Freestanding is a term that means that a shelter doesn't require that it be staked(pegged) down. All shelters should be staked(pegged) down in most cases.

A three season shelter should be able to handle three season snow loads approx. 95% of the time.

Many dome, freestanding shelters will collapse under one foot of snow or 50 knot winds. I have seen it. You can replace the tent poles with heavier, more expensive poles to overcome this. You can also extend a shelter's weatherpoofness by adding tie-points and lines.

My point is that freestanding doesn't determine a shelters ability to handle weather. A Wenzel freestanding dome can't compete with most lighter pyramid non-freestanding shelters in heavy snow or strong winds.

And no competent structural engineer is going to tell you that a freestanding dome can handle weather better than a non-freestanding pyramid/tipi/hoop design without adding lots of weight to the structure.

Many will disagree, but I'm trying to steer you away from the marketing hype. For backpacking, there are many options that are lighter and more weatherproof than your typical car camping dome feestanding shelter.

Many will tell you that their 3 lb solo shelter is the most awesome thing in the world, but there are too many people out there that do major long distance hikes with 1.5 lb tents that would never consider anything heavier except for extreme expeditions.

[Brian Martin]

I think a good comparison to make would be the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 and the Copper Spur UL2. This way you can compare a side entry tent that has more vertical walls to a front entry tent with sharper sloping walls. The single, front entries are used in the lighter of the UL tents, and they usually have more sloping walls to save weight. Your local BA dealer should have both to look at.

Once you have that info, you can narrow down your search. Also, I didn't see if you used trekking poles or not. If not, your weight savings will decrease with non-freestanding tents. Good luck with the search. Most of us have had, or still do have many tents. There is always some trial and error.

[rhonda rouyer]

The Henry Shire Tarp Tents have floors and bug netting. You might want to check them out just to see.

[David Ure]

"Freestanding doesn't have anything to do with a shelter's ability to withstand snow or wind. That is marketing hype. Don't fall for it."

Positively uninformed, generalized advice.

[Andrew Mazibrada]

Have a look at my reviews of the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1, Fly Creek UL1 and the Vaude Power Lizard UL. The two Big Agnes tents are definitely 1 person only tents so you'd need to SL2 and UL2 respectively but they are excellent tents and you'll see why I think so from my review – http://www.journeymantraveller.com is my blog.

The Power Lizard is a contender too. It is a palatial one-person tent and a snug two person tent and it is only 1040g (2.3lb). It can withstand, according to Vaude, very strong wind and, having used it, I can certainly see that may well be the case. I did not like it, but that wasn't because it was not a good tent, I just preferred the layout of the Big Agnes tents. If you are solo camping much of the time but need a two person tent every so often, it is worth a look.

[MIchael MacCormac]

just to get back to the question-
1)Any number of Henry Shires Tarptents will most likely suit you. If you want a double wall "feel' look at the Rainbow or Double Rainbow with the clip in liner.
2)Six Moon Designs- esp the Haven or Vamp
I have dealt with Tarptent & Six Moon designs and was very satisfied
3)Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 or 2
Also look at GossamerGear, Mountain Laurel Designs- altho they are more tarp like in design- but very good products.
Montbell has a hybrid tent as well- but tight (Crescent 1 or 2)
Might check Big Sky International- but be aware of delivery problems, at least in the past (hope this doesn't start a new thread on this). REI Quarter Dome, SD Clip
Flashlight, MSR Hubba Hubba are all well over 2.5 lbs.

[Mark Cashmere]

Since you are considering the Skyledge, I will throw the MontBell Thunder Dome 2 out there. I just picked one up and I am impressed with the overall size and weight (not for the SUL'ers of course) and the construction as setup inside my house. Most reviews are favorable as long as you aren't over 6'. Looks the be plenty of room for 1, OK room for 1 person and a child (or pet), possible room for 2 people (if necessary). Only has one vestibule which was one of my requirements. The tent body, fly and footprint in a GG Airbloc compression sack weigh 3 lbs. 6.6 ounces on my scale with the pole in its bag weighing in at 14.2 ounces. I will probably sub out the delivered stakes and sack for some Ti hooks or nails I have. All in all, probably around 4.5 lbs. and I think I can compress the stuff sack down to about 5" x 7" x 9". Pole will have to ride separate. My 2 cents. Hope you find what you are looking for – I know how those quests can be… :)

[Steven McAllister]

Re: "Positively uninformed, generalized advice."

This is beginning to read like a troll.

[Rod Lawlor]

re "This is beginning to read like a troll."

Nah, that's just David. He's more like Shrek. He likes to look big and scary, but he's kind to puppies.

Plus he's not scared to offer his opinions in a forthright and challenging manner. I kinda like it.

[David Ure]

Well Steve – I guess I have been a Troll for 4 years as a Member of BPL.com. Seriously though, I think it is vital, especially with new trekkers to validate ones perspective when giving advice as to where they hike, what time of year they hike, and in what conditions they hike in. To exclaim that freestanding tents are marketing hype and not effective in the wind and snow would be like me suggesting that an 8×10 tarp works really well at Base Camp Denali.

But in the interest of not upsetting you (because you have posted about this marketing hype several times), I will refrain from posting responses to your posts.

Anyone see Shrek 4?

[Alex Gilman]

I'm with David on this one. There's a time and a place for every piece of gear. My luxury item IS my shelter. I love the bombproof shelter feel and that's why I sleep in tents and not under a tarp. I've slept through nights in my Morpho, Andi, GoGo not even knowing that the wind picked up until I talked to someone in the morning and they were bragging about their wind resistance. A few times I even ignorantly asked "oh wow really it got windy and rained?" I didnt know because I was sleeping right through it.

Freestanding tents do make life just a bit easier when pitching on rock or cleaning them out.

Moving camp a few feet over or rotating the tent is much easier.

[Ben Wortman]

how about the Golite shangri-la 2? 1.5lbs for teh canopy that can be used in teh winter, and just 1.5 for the nest that can be used for summer/bug season. It is a really versatile setup. You could sew your own net to just cover the door and save about a pount to make it a 2 pound shelter.

[Larry De La Briandais]

You don't always need to stake down a freestanding tent. I have a free standing tent that I have NEVER staked down. It has always been used in a place that NEVER gets any wind, even during a storm.

[Jeffs Eleven]

You don't HAVE to, no. But when you're tent becomes a sail and suddenly picks up and blows down the valley, you'll wish you had spent the necessary minute sticking pegs in the ground.

TRUST ME!

Sometimes they creep a few inches along the ground. Sometimes they pick up and are gone faster than you can say "HOLY SH-!"

Everybody say it with me, "Just stake it"

[Larry De La Briandais]

"But when you're tent becomes a sail and suddenly picks up and blows down the valley…"

Between the various free standing tents I've used at this same place I've not staked it down over 100 times. It has NEVER moved. It is protected well enough that there is never any wind, even in thunder storms. While it is a good idea (I will anywhere else), it is not always necessary.

[Sam Farrington]

Dan,
Please tell me – what is the tent in your avatar?

A D,
You must be perplexed by now, so just one suggestion.
Consider the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1. It has much more floor space than some of its 26" wide competitors, is well made of modern UL materials, and will remain comfortable when the weather gets rotten. But be sure to weigh before you buy – the one issue I've had with BA is understating weights. Do not recommend any MH tents – their bags are super, but their tents poorly designed and made, IMO. Please don't buy anything without sitting and lying in it first to get a good sense of the amount of headroom, elbow room and foot room.

Freestanding debaters:
Dan, Thank you for the excellent run down of additional pluses for freestanding tents (not all such tents, of course, but the ones that are well designed and well made of light materials). Have tried and watched many others try the stake-supported tents and observed just one disaster after another, usually when stakes came out. They are fine and save weight for very experienced trekkers who are willing to endure or know how to compensate for their disadvantages, but a poor suggestion for those who do not. My longest used tent was the first tent dubbed by Eureka as the Crescent: freestanding, pitched without exposing the inner, huge vestibule-both horizontally and vertically, 30" wide floor at one end and 40" at the other (compare to 26" for several suggested here), modified with a lighter but better floor, front beaks to replace the door cover, and carbon poles to further lower the weight – total about 3.3 lbs., even with the Eureka fly and canopy fabric that was quite heavier than today's state of the art fabrics. That tent survived and kept me and my dogs dry in horrendous, hypothermia threatening weather, including blows above treeline. Some day I hope to reproduce it with today's fabrics, easier pole threading design, and a prebend in the 2 front to back poles to add headroom. It totally spoiled me for freestanding tents.

[Author]

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