BD Lighthouse in wet conditions

FWIW I took a Lighthouse to New Zealand earlier this year and it was a complete disaster. In high humidity conditions the tent barely slowed the rain down. It was actually raining through the fabric within less than half an hour. It is a great tent to put up and I really liked the design but it was not water proof or even a little water resistant. I have sold the tent and moved on but to say the least the performance; for a $500 tent (including vestibule); was very, very disappointing.

My experience with Epic Firstlight (same tent material as the Lighthouse) is much better — on three almost continuously rainy nights, the fabric held off the rain for 9 hours. In fact, this was much better than the 5 hours estimated by BD's own reps. The fabric dries very, very quickly, so if there is a break in the rain, the clock gets reset, so to speak.

Despite the good performance above, the Epic fabric is only rain resistant, not rainproof. Once rain starts to get in, it REALLY gets in! Don't think that you can just sponge the walls off every now and then. No, water will be seeping in pretty much everywhere!

The tent does have its place though. I view it as "an extra arrow in the quiver". When camping in arid places or where rain is either seasonal or fast moving, this tent is light and super easy to set up. But it should not be viewed as a "go to" tent for all three-season use.

Thanks guys looks as though the Lighthouse is not for me….just too wet
Has anyone suggestions as an alternative or do I resort to a bomber tent such as the Bibler Eldorado
Have tried various tarps and tarp tents and decided I'm definitely a tent person. My current tarp/tent is a Contrail OK for mild conditions but when the rain is coming in horizontally and there's and inch or three of mud on the ground it just doesn't cut
Thanks for your comments
Andrew

Hi Andrew

Have you considered the Hilleberg Akto, you will probably need to import it, but it is light, waterproof, roomy and would work well in SW Tassie where as you say it rains a lot.

In the summer of 96 I spent 3 weeks in the rain in the Western Arthurs, great country but wet.

You may want to wait for the new line of tents coming out from GoLite… some of them seem to be very similar to the BD tents in design, but with a combination of silnylon and Epic.

Roger, I have looked on line at the Akto, looks good but have been put off it by some comments on line that if you're over 6 ft (I'm 6"1") its a bit of a squeeze. The peak hieght is 36" and I would like to aim for 40" or higher.
What accomodation did you use in the Arthurs?
Ordering on line from US or elsewher is no problem..for lightweight gear there's not much available in Australia
Andrew

It was a Sierra Designs Expedition Dome tent (I think) there was 3 of us so the weight was spread between all 3. From what I can tell this tent is no longer available, though similar tents are made by Mountain Hardwear.

As for lightweight gear, I know what you mean sadly the market is too small in Oz.

Hi Andrew,

i will be leaving for New Zealand and Australia (tasmania) in two months. In total we will spend 4.5 months over there.

For a lightweight tent for two persons I selected the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3. it is actually a 3 persons tent but as i expect some lenghty tent times we figured we would like the extra space. Very nice if it rains a lot. The inner tent is almost all mesh so good protection against sandflies.

We will also be travelling to Patagonia so it has to stand up to some wicked winds as well.

I expect the tent to stand up to all these conditions pretty well and that for only 2kg.
I am looking forward to test the tent in all these conditions in Tasmania!

They also have a SL2 an SL1. They all get good reviews.

Good luck

nm

I am interested in hearing from tall users of the Hilleberg Alko
Have heard/seen on some online chat sites that users over 6 foot are challenged in using/fitting into this tent.
I'm just over 6 foot (6'1' or 6'2" depending on who measuring) and am interested in this tent, would need to purchase it over the net unseen, as I'm in Australia, and as a BPL member would value your experience as a BPL member
Thanks Andrew

I'm 6', not over, but have no problem with the height of the Akto. My head doesn't touch the inner when I'm sitting on a 1" mat.

However, it's not your overall height than needs to be considered, but your "sitting down height" – if it's your legs that are long, instead of your body, the height will be fine, but if you have a long body you're likely to touch the inner. (I'm sure that there's a neater way to word this, but this should be understandable!).

For sleeping you will not have any problems, as there is ample floor length.

As another thought, have you considered a fully enclosed tarp (eg Golite Hex) and a breathable bivvy bag – far more space for less weight and good in horrible conditions?

(Edited after mystery triple posting!)

(Edited after mystery triple posting!)

I'm 6'1" (long upper bodied… 21.5" pack size) and found that I could sit up in the highest portion if I kept my head just slightly bent forward. If an inflatable mattress was in use this would be slightly reduced. I, personally, don't mind the confined space, but some have found the Akto a bit tight.

nm

I had an Akto and am 6'. I sold it to move up to the Nallo. I'll pay the weight price for the room. My recreational activity it seems is to buy different tents and test them, then sell and move on. I have to say, I don't miss the Akto. I still have a FirstLight and all the goodies including Fibraplex poles. Damp interior got my attention, and it was too easy to hit those wet walls as a six footer. I've got a RAB summit extreme and a MH EV-2 that have yet to be damp on the inside.
Just some food for thought,
Don

Thanks guys for your comments, think I'll continue to look..possibly the Nallo.but needs further thought….however will definitely be going for a tent…have prev tried tarps, pyramids with bivys but this time want full rain protection, enclosed floor and insect proof accomodation.
Thanks for your input
Andrew

Yes, Stay away from the Lighthouse. Bibler makes a great single wall as well as Integral Designs.

I would recommend the Exped Venus 2 for your use. It is an excellent rain tent and although it is a double wall, you can leave the fly attached and it erects like a single wall. It is not freestanding, but Exped offers other models that are if you wish to pursue that angle.

Andrew, I really like my Hilleberg Unna for solo trips. I'm 6'4" and clautrophobic but the Unna's got plenty of room for me (no vestibule though). About 4 lb with titanium stakes. You might also consider a Stephenson's tent. I've used a 2R on solo trips and it's waterproof and adequate on condensation down to freezing (haven't used it below that). Someone has mentioned Bibler; I think these are the best tents in the world but the solo tent (Eldorado?) is tight for a big guy.