Lightweight shelter recommendations – with bathtub floor

I backpack in areas with some crossover to your territory. I really don't have serious bug problems. They tend to disappear soon after sunset. I would not be afraid to use an open tarp. On several eastern trips, I have taken a headnet or even a full net, but I have never had to use them while sleeping. I do tend to avoid backpacking during the hottest months at low elevation because its miserable even without the bugs. As to rain, I find a large tarp works well. I have successfully used a roughly 8×10 Gossamer Spinntwinn. I currently use a MLD cuben trailstar. With good site selection, it will keep you and your gear very dry. You mostly want to put it down at a location where you can see that water is not likely to flow or collect. As to being bombproof in weather, I have never been hit by a bomb, so I'm not too concerned about bombs. I do think a trailstar is great in wind and rain, though. My Spinntwinn was pretty good in wind and rain. I think a Duplex is a good shelter choice for your priorities. Keeps out the bugs, keeps you and gear dry, and is surprisingly wind resistant. My friend had one out on a Sierra trip with me recently and it handled wind very well. In sum, you can be successful with either choice. Apologies for the smartass bomb comment.

I can't speak to your final question but I had a great experience on the JMT with my ZPacks Duplex. It kept mosquitos out really well and the bathtub was totally waterproof on the day I set up in a slight bowl and got hit by an intense six-hour thunderstorm and had a 2" puddle form under my side of the tent for a few hours. It's a great tent. I've had a couple TarpTents (Contrail and Notch). Great products. My son has an SMD Skyscape and it is great too. I don't have any direct experience with the Lunar Duo. I would not choose a Mid or tarp for the kind of conditions you describe. Keep life simple and get a singlewall with a real bathtub and some mesh.

Thanks Ben, very helpful information. I suppose campsite selection is the key. I backpacked in the U.P. of Michigan – Pictured Rocks Lakeshore – this past summer and the mosquitos were horrendous. I've never experienced anything like that before. I don't think you could backpack that region without bug netting of some kind. Duplex seems like a good all in one package – but at a very high price. I suppose I could get away with a tarp/bivy combo in most Midwest environments. Watch out for those bombs…I hear they are everywhere when you are camping.

Tarptent – they have a variety of models to meet your needs and all have high bathtub floors.

Dave forgot to add that he can put up his TT Notch in 2 minutes MAX! Billy

That's right, Billy. And it weighs under 30 oz!

Dave, you are indeed the Grand Boobah of TT Notch tents!!! Billy

The Notch Grand Boobah is Franco. I am merely a Minion. And an underpaid one at that.

Thanks for the suggestions – which 2 person Tarptent do you recommend? Do they do well in high winds and rain? Also, what's the difference between Tarptent and Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo? Any reason to go either way? I've seen some youtube videos that make it look like the Tarptents leak and/or collapse in strong weather.

Enter Franco with his videos and charts in 5, 4, 3, 2….

Thanks Matt. I think you're right – keep things simple in those kinds of conditions – just go with a single wall. The Duplex is pricey – really the only downside I can see. Do you have a recommendation on the type of tarptent – Double moment, double rainbow, or stratospire?

If you like the Duplex, what about the SMD Haven Tarp + Net Tent? It's a little heavier but less expensive. My older version Haven tarp did well in some big downpours. Big Sky offers some lightweight tents as well with tall bathtub floors. My Big Sky Chinook 2P and my friend's Revolution 2P have both performed well in rain. You can select different interiors (mesh vs solid fabric), different outer shell fabrics, and aluminum or carbon fiber poles depending on your desired weight and budget. On the Chinook and Revolution models, the fly and inner set up together, so the inner stays dry. I think the 2-person Tarptent that makes the most sense for the conditions you describe is the Stratosphire 2. It looks quite liveable in rainy weather to me, but it's got a big footprint Single wall tents work, but you can get wetter in them under some conditions. For example, if condensation forms on the inside of your single wall tent overnight, then rain hits the fly, that condensation can drop off and spray/mist onto you and your gear. A separate mesh inner can mitigate this problem slightly. A solid fabric inner will mostly eliminate the problem. So with single wall in humid climate, you will want as much ventilation as possible to keep condensation to a minimum, and maybe have to wake up and wipe down the inner if it's a problem.

" I've seen some youtube videos that make it look like the Tarptents leak and/or collapse in strong weather." I can show you Youtube videos that show Hilleberg tents leaking and or breaking poles in high wind. If your shelter is seam sealed properly there is no reason for any leaks. Best to define what you are looking for. Tarptent has tarp like shelters all the way to very, very strong 4 season tents. Do you use trekking poles? So you want double walled? 3 or 4 season? How much do you want to spend? You mention a tarp in the original post – you do not get 360 degree protection in a tarp. You will in a Mid, but then you will be losing usable space. Always a trade off. But if you can direct a bit with respect to my questions, I am sure there will be a lot of suggestions, Tarptent or not. LOL @ Billy.

Yep, Dave ia keerect, Tarptent makes several models and one of them surely will fit your needs. I own a Moment DW and Scarp 2 and owned a Contrail several years ago. All great quality. DISCLOSURE: I am a Tarptent Fanboy, to put it mildly.

You'll get a lot of different answers here. My advice is to not get advice from a desert dweller on rain and humidity. And I'm probably not the best person to get advice on bug issues (they don't seem to bother me very often, at least around here). My experience with a tarptent is mixed. I have had fairly good rain protection but fairly poor airflow for condensation issues. It seemed pretty mosquito proof. My experience is with a tarptent Squall. I sold it for a floorless shelter, which I prefer for several reasons(weight, size, ventilation, storm worthiness). But some people just don't like the idea of trying a floorless shelter.

We have a SS2 and it's a palace for 2, and has a nice bathtub floor. Our friend bought a Stratospire 1 for him and his dog, and it's very spacious for his purposes. It's like an 80% scale model of ours. We were at Thomas Knob in a near hurricane and were in the tent from 2pm until 7 am the next morning in a driving rain storm and were nice and dry.

Joseph, I cannot recommend a 2P TarpTent for you. I can only speak from experience about their 1P models. The Statospire 2 seems like the best match for your needs but I haven't used one.

"I backpacked in the U.P. of Michigan – Pictured Rocks Lakeshore – this past summer and the mosquitos were horrendous. I've never experienced anything like that before. I don't think you could backpack that region without bug netting of some kind." Fellow Michigan backpacker here. That's completely normal for the U.P. in the summertime, and not just Pictured Rocks. It's miserable with any shelter. I know this doesn't help with your shelter question, but the best time to backpack in the U.P is early- to mid-October. The bugs are gone, the weather is cool but above freezing, and the color change is glorious. If you go just after peak color change, you have the trails to yourself.

Thanks for your insights and thoughts John. You are scaring me with your description of the condensation problems with single wall tents! The misting phenomenon does not sound like a pleasant experience. I'll take a look at SMD Haven Tarp + Net Tent. BPL doesn't seem to take to kindly to Big Sky – as far as turnaround time on orders and customer service. Conversely, Tarptent seems to have a great reputation. Again, the descriptions of condensation/misting, dripping ceiling make me want to go the Copper Spur or Hubba Hubba direction rather than tarp bivy or hybrid tarp. I wonder if the Duplex has condensation issues. I don't plan to get up all night long to wipe down the walls to prevent dripping in a downpour.

Thanks Dave. I'm looking for a three season tent. I don't use trekking poles (actually I've never tried them to be honest so I suppose I should keep an open mind). The more I read on this thread, the more I'm leaning towards double walled just for peace of mind and simplicity. I know that's not the UL way, and maybe there are all kinds of reasons it's the wrong way. I'm willing to give a Tarptent a try. Wanting to spend around $400.

Awesome advice Charles. Thanks! That'd be my dream to get up there in October. We were actually quite fortunate this year in July – the mosquitos were only bad the first day and then a north wind came and blew them all out. Chapel beach was still bad, but the rest of the trip was not as bad as that first day. The biting flies at Chapel were insane – I must have had 50-60 flies on my pant leg and biting through my socks. With permethrin treated ex officio shirt and picaridin on any exposed skin, and a good head net, I was able to get through 6 days with no bites actually! To see those mosquitos on the bug net at night was just repulsive – hundreds trying to get into our tent.

This is one thread detailing single wall tent woes: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=102390 Yea, Big Sky had some problems a few years ago; however, I think they are doing better now. My experience with them was positive and it seems most people have had good experiences in recent years too. Just make sure the tent you want is in stock or send them an email ahead of time. I personally think they're making some of the best tents out there now

I'm in Ohio and backpack in the same areas as you. Currently, I use a BA Copper Spur UL1. I've even used it in the Porcupine Mountains in winter. I've also been dripped on by condensation in it during a fall trip at Dolly Sods, WV where there was rain or mist 2 of the 3 days. The dripping point just happened to be directly above my head. The only way to prevent that is to have solid fabric on the inner tent's ceiling. But then, you sacrifice some ventilation. I've also owned an older single wall Moment with liner and a Golite SL3 (mid). Both dealt with condensation more effectively. The Moment liner blocked it, although I didn't use the liner much. In the SL3, condensation ran down to the edge of the tent, which is outside the sleeping area. Only shaking due to wind or touching the wall made it noticeable. I also own a TT Scarp 2 with both solid and mesh inners. I don't use the tent often because I'm generally not sharing a tent, but it works great in dealing with condensation. If I get another tent, it will probably be a TT Notch with a solid inner. But, I'm also working on sewing up a piece of solid fabric to mod the Copper Spur. I use a tarp or just a bivy sometimes. They can both have condensation issues too.

We have a Tarptent, and every single time we have gone with a group, and our tent had condensation on the interior, so did everyone else, including those with mainstream manufacturers' models. I believe the misting is actually the condensation being splashed from the outside by the rain pelting the tent. In other words, there is water on the inside wall already, and the raindrops hitting the outside are making it spray a little bit on the inside. I don't think the tent fabric is actually leaking. We have had it happen only a couple of times, and it was always during heavy, constant rain.