Tent for Hot Weather (but with big protection)

I use a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 here in the hot humid south. The SL2 is really small for two, so I wouldn't recommend it. The Scarp 2 with mesh inner is probably your best bet. It has a lot of mesh, two doors for cross venting, and two fly vents; all good things when it is hot.

The double Rainbow should also be well vented, and you could use the inner fabric attachment. I would think that, with both vestibules open and the inner fabric attached to create nice shade, you'd be as cool as you can get. You have to consider whether you want silnylon as shade. If you go with full bug netting, the sun can still warm you up too much. On the other hand, most tarp tents with only one opening will get way too hot in the sun. The Double Rainbow provides the cross-flow ventilation while providing double-wall shade overhead (the inner fabric should really keep the heat from the silnylon down).

With the scarp 2, if you want to use the silnylon canopy for shade, you have to put the whole thing on, which likely will become too hot.

If it's just solo use, you could also use the MLD DuoMid and inner mesh. With the DuoMid, you can roll up half of the canopy to create a 2-sided pyramid shade while inside full bg netting.

Are you concerned about blowing sand? You may want to look at a tent that fully seals up.

hammocks can work great in hot weather, if you expect lows above 70° you dont usually need any under-insulation (ymmv)

bug netting models like the entry-cost Claytor Mosquito are a good choice.

at least, consider thinking outside the confining "tent" box

not too many trees in the desert amigo.

msr hubba hubba has great bug coverage, plus the fly will pretty much protect you from all sand intrusion.

I was thinking Hubba Hubba as well. But then I remembered watching "The Long Way Down" with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman as they rode motorcycles from Scotland to Cape Town. I think it was in Libya and they were caught in a bit of a sand storm while in their Hubbas. Needless to say, when it was done you couldn't see their sleeping pads or sleeping bags inside the tent. They were buried under 6-8 inches of sand.

I think you would want something that provided the option of a fly to the ground pitch.

hey Pal, you are an expert on the desert, im curious. after all, i live in the Sonoran Desert, and trees are everywhere. although im not familiar with Iran or Turkey, i am familiar with the laughable discredit given to the far superior hammock by none other than a groundling, who is likely not trained to even look for trees, if they happen to be standing in a forest. sincerely, amigo –

but, hey, im not preachin'

I would like to add that much of Iran is mountainous and forested. It is actually these mountains that cause the arid region because moisture cannot make it over the peaks. Just because there is a desert in your country does not make your country a desert.

Also Turkey has a mostly a temperate Mediterranean climate outside its mountainous regions. (No deserts)

Please stop continuing the stereotype that we Americans are to ethnocentric to bother learning about other countries.

(Iraq also is not a desert, there is a reason they call the area the fertile crescent. It is just the western half of the country that is part of the Syrian desert.)

That said on to the OP:
I think a BA Seedhouse SL2 (if you are really comfortable with the person you are with) or a SL3 would be perfect for this region. You could forgo the fly and just use the body on dry nights and button it down to keep out sand or rain. I will admit I have no experience with the SL2 in a sand storm though.

–scott

a few notes:
-you should be able to use the Scarp 2 inner for quick shade if you are resting in the midday sun if no natural shade is available – Franco says the Scarp 1 fabric inner works quite well for this. Also, it's likely to not be too hot at night – desert and alpine nights can be very cool.
-if you happen to be in desert areas of those countries, in a season prone to sandstorms, you may want to sew a 5-6 in. extension to the base of the Scarp 2 fly to be able to snug it to the ground in a storm. In a sandstorm, sand gets EVERYWHERE it can.
-keep a small brush or toothbrush you can use to brush sand out of the zippers of your tent and pack – sand will wear them very quickly.
-Note that goggles are essential in a sandstorm – sunglasses won't keep the sand out.
-That said, research where you are traveling to get a good sense of the terrain and weather – you may not even set foot in a desert.

Quite right – Iran and Turkey are not just deserts! :)

I'll have the tent at a mixture of elevations I expect and really can't find any information online or anywhere else on the approximate kind of weather. I think it will be 20c in mountains, though.

My worry about the SL is its ability to withstand english weather when it comes back home – it can do what the SL1 can and more, don't you think guys

I just had my SL2 out in a thunderstorm that lasted on and off for 48 hours. It knocked out all of the street/traffic lights in the city and felled many trees.

I decided it was a great opportunity to test this tent.

Bone dry after 48 hours of torrential rain. (Windshield wipers would not move fast enough kind of downpours.)

I was more then impressed.

If you are looking for a lighter option Henry's tarptents seem to be the favorite on this forum.

-scott

-scott

Paul – if you go back to http://www.outdoorsmagic.com where you also posted the question, you will likely get feedback from some who have had floors wetting out on the SL series. Based on the amount of rain that you get in your neck of the woods, you will get different responses here than there to be sure.

David, are you from England originally? I've not heard an American say 'neck of the woods' before. :)

I just dont think I want the SL – I like the two doors of the Scarp and the fact that I can put a non-mesh inner in it if I want. Henry looks like he listens to customers, and I'd rather deal with a smaller supplier in general.

If the Hubba Hubba isn't too heavy for you, consider the Sierra Designs Lightning. It's the same weight, 6-8" wider, a tiny bit shorter, and it's mesh starts 12-15 sand-stopping inches up from the bottom. It's floor is also fully waterproof (traditional 70D poly coated). Downsides are: 1 door, the half solid inner stops a lot of breezes, & the vestibule is rather steeply sloped (and therefore hard to not rub against when it's dew covered and you are coming in/out).

ps: I hear "neck of the woods" all the time in the US (Michigan, Upstate NY, MD, PA, VA). Usually by folks to live in rural areas.

Paul
The Family Guy is Canadian (the other Americans) , still a confused lot for having had their application for Australian residency rejected . (till recently you had to have a criminal record for that)
Franco
In the case of The Family Guy, the computer said NO

NO? Nuts.

Paul – as Franco mentioned I am Canadian, but my Grandfather was Scottish. Close?

Franco. Now that is an interesting Australian name…..

Close Enough! :)

I decided on the Scarp 1 in the end – can't wait for it to arrive! Also, my travel trains have now changed, I am going to stay in NE Turkey for now – where the weather is more alpine.

Thanks for all help.

Great choice. I suspect you are going to really like this shelter.

Did you also order the two crossing poles for snow use?

I'm in the former Republic of Texas, and we even say "in our neck of the wood". At least we do when we're not doing that ethnocentric American thingie.

I think some of the problem with hot weather tents is the no-see-um mesh, which effectively stops those nice, light breezes. Good luck getting anything else though.