Tent decision HELP!

As someone who is in a similar position (mostly solo hike but have a GF who comes out more and more frequently) and has studied this market quite a bit, I can tell you it is really tough to get 1 tent to meet both of those needs really well. Generally you'll get one that meets your size requirements for 2 people and you just won't be as happy when using it solo.

The best solution I have found would be getting something like the Yama Cirriform DW 2. I would get the fly in cuben and the inner in Silnylon. Take the whole system when you are travelling with the missus, and maybe take just tarp or just tarp and bivy or get a solo inner for when it is just you. Outside of something like that it might just be better to get a good solo tent and a good 2-3 person tent which is the route I ended up going. Had I figured out the Yama option I described before making those purchases I'm not sure which I would have went with.

I hope that is helpful on some level.

ETA: I misread your post a bit and see you have a bit of a different situation than me and a 1 person and 2 person won't really work. I hear the zpacks duplex is a really nice solo shelter and very manageable 2 person shelter. At that weight it might work out well for you as a mostly solo hiker who needs to put a second person in occasionally.

I would recommend the SMD Haven tarp + net tent as a good compromise. The tarp in silnylon weighs 18 oz and the net tent weighs 14 oz, so the whole thing only weighs 32oz (without stakes). The net tent pitches together with the tarp for a dry setup. It would work well for a couple – you can both sit up without touching the walls and you both have your own door and little vestibule. The tarp has lots of tie-outs for stormy weather (I think 14 total) or can be opened up for views and ventilation. If I didn't start sewing my own shelters, I would still own and use mine.

When using it solo, you might be able to use a smaller net tent like the Sea-to-Summit kind. But if you're aiming for lower mileage days, I don't think 32oz for a shelter is too bad. It would only be 24oz if you got the cuben Haven Tarp.

My wife and I have had two silnylon Havens. Very light, easy to set up and plenty of room. We have used ours in the Wind River range,northern Minnesota, the West Coast Trail and Patagonia. You can look at some pictures of it being used in our Flickr albums.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/d1948n/sets

These are interesting to me. I've went through a LOT of tent designs all the way from tarp + bivy to full fledged mountaineering designs.

These strike a nice balance. Weight per hiker in my opinion should be around 2 lbs carried per hiker. If you carry trekking poles get the flavor that uses them or they have similar designs with traditional poles. The thing I like about these new SD tents is the awning ventilation for all conditions. Most tents button down too much and you get condensation, especially when you have two bodies in a tent.

These should have lots of usable space with the way SD has designed the roofline. They have the ease of set-up you like being hybrid single/double wall. They have plenty of views from within the tent if you go with the Tenacity designs.

http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents/backpacking

I also like that SD participates with the UL backpacking community.

Definitely look at http://www.tarptent.com. Some very distinct and varied (and light) designs. The Stratosphere 2 comes to mind for you.

With respect to Sierra Designs, I have the UL Flashlight 2 and it has a very strange smell – if you search several threads you will see like instances. Kind of like a wet dog. I may be sending mine back shortly.

When comparing weight, make sure to look at what is included in the minimum weight. For example, Tarptent includes stuff sack, guiltiness, and pegs in their specifications. Some other manufacturers only include the tent without the other items.

LOL… wet dog smell is NOT good. I wonder what that is caused by. You would think that all these companies would use pretty much the same materials. I have an older SD 2-person tent and I only get the wet dog smell when I bring my wet dog.

The Double Rainbow is a solid design with plenty of happy users. For a hybrid single/double I think you could do far worse.

You won't find the PERFECT shelter no matter what you choose. Pick one that strikes your fancy and budget and go hike.

That smell is really strange. The shelter was never put away wet so I am not sure. I actually stuffed a dryer fabric strip inside the tent to see if the smell would dissipate. Of course, I may now have more bears sneaking around my campsite.

Might be the PU coating on the floor….

Love my Duplex! Perfect for two or just me. Both wife and I can sit up as well.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Looks like people really like the SMD Haven (+net), as well as the zpacks duplex and SD tensegrity. TBH, i was very interested in the new SD tent, but with a listed internal peak height of 41", and that being all the way at the back of the tent, it just wouldn't work for me at 6'3". neat design though.

The zpacks duplex and SMD haven both look really nice, but alas, 600$ is a bit of a stretch for me.. I feel more comfortable in the 3-400 range. That means the sil-nylon haven is probably fits my needs the best. 32 oz sounds pretty good too!

Could anyone argue the Haven vs Swiftline? Swiftline is 36.9oz, 5 inches taller and the offset poles seem nice for "liveablity". (It's also ready to buy, while the Haven is listed as unavailable @ SMD)

If the size and weight are comfortable for you I doubt you can go wrong with the swiftline. One issue is you wont find many first hand reviews online as it just came out. I'm just going by yama's stellar reputation.

Tarptent makes a very similar tent to the swiftline called the stratospire 2. The stratospire has been out for a long time and is a very well regarded tent but a bit heavier than swiftline I think.

I have zero experience on the JMT, so there…

I am in the very beginning stages of planning a section hike with my son next year around mid – late July from Kearsarge Pass to Whitney Portal… things may change as I start delving into all the fine details though, but something like this is what I am planning now…

Now, it hasn't been all that long ago that I finally pulled the trigger on a cuben MLD Duomid and a solo inner net tent, which I plan to use for solo hiking on colder/nastier hikes, or hikes in which I also plan to spend more time in a shelter rather than on the trail. However, I am also planning to pick up a duo inner net tent to use for when there are 2 of us… such as for this hike… This way I can bring the appropriate inner, or neither, for whichever situation I am heading out in…

Now, as I said, I have zero experience on the JMT, not to mention zero experience with the tent, but I am hoping that this will be a good option. For a size reference, I am 5'10" and 175 lbs and my son is 5'6" and 115 lbs (currently… but he is growing like a weed, so will likely be taller than this for sure in another year…) As well, if my wife accompanies me, there will be even more room as she is just over 5' and 95 lbs… So, I am thinking (read: hoping) that this set-up will work out… If it's just me, the cuben Duomid and the cuben solo inner net tent should come in at around 22 oz for everything, but will be a mighty big set-up for just me, which will be nice when I need it. When my wife or son come along, they can carry the larger duo inner net tent (well, if it's my wife, then I'll carry it still…)

Anyway, I may have gotten off topic some, but I was surprised that no one else mentioned this set-up… Maybe someone else can comment about this set-up for use on the JMT…

Looks like you're getting some good advice here. I'm 6'3" and hiked a section of the wonderland with my daughter where it rained on us for the first couple days. We were using my Hexamid twin which worked but it got claustrophobic during inclement weather.

We had issues with condensation but a benefit of the tent being a single walled shelter is that we could wipe down the inside of the tarp with a towel.

The duplex wasn't available at the time I made this purchase. If I had to do it today, I'd get the duplex, possibly the triplex to have some elbow room when we're riding out a storm. It'd be nice having multiple doors so you don't have to crawl over your hiking companion at night. Largest design issue for those two designs vs the Twin is that the Twin benefits from having some bug netting to protect the abrasion sensitive cuben fiber groundsheet from rocks and what not vs the duplex/triplex, you'll need to bring a separate sheet.

I recently was hunting for a tent as well. Some of the mountain lakes I backpack to have had enough mosquitos to drive some people mad. So I had some similar needs. I looked at the following:

8 x 10 tarp + MLD Duo Serenity Bug Shelter – I already have the tarp so it would be around $175 and total weight around 30 oz

SMD Haven Tarp + Haven NetTent – $350 and 32 oz

TarpTent StratoSpire 2 – $349 and 46 oz

I ended up with the StratoSpire 2, which I believe would satisfy “views & some liveability”. I chose it because I wanted the extra vestibule space and there may be times that I take my 2 kids with me. This tent is a 2 – 3 man tent so I assume 1 adult and 2 kids should fit. Good luck with your decision!

I believe the Swiftline has only been available for sale for the past month or two. So don't hold your breath for more feedback on it.

You should get the Swiftline so you can report back on it! Go with the gear lust.

to be honest, i just can't sell myself on a 'mid style tent. It seems like to be able to sit up i would have to be right in the middle of the tent. And for 2 people to sit up, we would have to be back to back! Plus the one door… not for me i think.

If the Haven is still unavailable in a week or so when i pull the trigger I might just have to go with the Swiftline, then everyone can get all the pics and reviews they desire :). With how fast the Gear Swap forum moves on here I don't feel like i'm taking too much of a risk!

Thanks for the help everyone!

Next… a new pack… :)

Yea I highly doubt you will have any trouble selling a swift line on the gear swap.

Here is another option I thought meets most of your needs at a really nice weight and comparatively inexpensive price. Tarptent squall 2.

http://www.tarptent.com/squall2.html

Looking at the 3D model, I think the Squall 2 would be difficult to sit up in

You might check them; http://seekoutside.com/

"Looking at the 3D model, I think the Squall 2 would be difficult to sit up in"

Good point I had forgotten about that aspect of his requirements.

I love my haven tarp + net tent. Super fast and easy to set up. Enough room for me to sit on up in(6'2"). Post a wtb on the gear swap. You might just find a used haven for cheap. The only thing I would trade my haven tarp for would be for the cuben haven. It really is a awesome tent.

I do like the look of the squall, and i'm OK (not my favorite) with not being able to sit up. However my wife does NOT like it. In order to keep a tent I need us both to be OK with it, and hopefully one of us loves it. That was my problem with the BA Scout Plus. I was OK with it (too many stakes), and she didn't like it.

If she never joined me on trips i'd probably go for something like the protrail/cirriform/notch