Sorry to create a whole new thread on this but BD lighthouse vs. dbl rainbow/lunar duo

Eric:

I see your choices as "specialized" rather than general three season use.

The BD is good for places where rain storms are either seasonal (predictable) or they come and go relatively quickly. This tent is simplicity itself, and a joy to set up and use. But I wouldn't bring it on multiple-day trips where prolonged rain is a possibility. As breathable as it is, I also wouldn't use it in humid areas. To me, this tent is good for drier/colder places.

Tarptents are wonderfully light and spacious — a combination that double wall tents find hard to beat. But tarptents aren't a panacea either — else all of us would be using them exclusively (most of us don't). Tarptents are good for temperate areas with low to moderate humidity. In areas of high humidity (think very humid and still night air) — all the vents in the world won't do you any good — and you can expect lots of condensation — maybe even some dripping on you — esp. if it's also raining! Separately, if cold winds are blowing, a tarptent can be uncomfortably drafty — as there's no way of closing the vents — nor do you want to, because blocking the vents will quickly invite condensation.

Some people are very quick to recommend a tarptent, and just leaving it at that — without any mention of suitability. My recommendation is still to get a lightweight double wall tent for general use, and then supplement that with specialized tents like BD or tarptents for places where they can be used to their advantage — sort of like having extra arrows in your quiver.

I agree – it's very easy to be seduced into buying a tarptent by all the raves here. I had a Hubba, which always performed perfectly for me under all the conditions I encountered, but I just had to try a Rainbow because of the pound-plus savings and because it looked like the latest, greatest thing. I fell into the trap. Notice I said "fell," not "was pushed" – those who post the raves are blameless; their reviews of the TarpTents are right on the money when they call them a great product. I alone talked me into getting a Rainbow.

I sold the Rainbow last weekend. While it was a truly lovely tent that worked fine the night I spent in it, and while I probably could have gotten used to it over time, what I was ignoring was the subjective side of the sport: I'm just not an ultralighter at heart. I'm happy with my 18 pound summer load; although I can see that it could be cut to 14 (and have tried to do so), I'm just not happy. Reason says I should be happy at the lower weight, but I'm not. So, I sold the Rainbow to someone who will fall head-over-heels for it, and I'm now heavily, but quite happily, walking around with the tent that is perfect for me.

Get the tent that makes you happy. Weight is important, but it's not the end-all, be-all of gear selection. (I think I just chopped two full points from my BPL rating?!) After you find that tent, don't worry about what anyone else says.

I love it, a wrench in the works. Thanks guys for your honesty, I appreciate it and now you have me thinking in a whole new direction and completely spinning but I'm glad. I'm learning alot. I was looking at the msr hubba hubba 2 person as well. It's even heavier but that has complete mesh for hot humid nights which I'll probably definitely encounter. Any experience with it? Any other recommendations? It doesn't have to be 2 doors as I'll mainly be by myself but looking for the ventilation aspect of it because I'm a hot sleeper and would much rather be cold than hot. I'll probably come to the conclusion I need two tents but I'll mainly be camping in the summer or late spring, early fall. Thanks again.

Eric:

If you are mostly going to use this tent by yourself, then I highly recommend that you take a look at my beloved Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 SL. It's a whole pound lighter than the Hubba Hubba — but provides essentially the same floor space. Indeed, the 2 SL weighs essentially the same as the much smaller/narrower Hubba solo tent!

But if you will mostly be sharing, then I would recommend something with two doors and vestibules. Just a lot easier — and the added weight is "nothing" when shared between two users. The Hubba Hubba is an excellent choice, but so too is the REI Half Dome HC — a perennial favorite that just keeps getting better — and a lot better value for the money IMO.

Another option, if you will mostly be sharing, want the two doors/vestibules, but don't mind being intimately snug with your partner — then shave some weight and take a look at the REI Quarter Dome UL instead.

Finally, I don't want to give the impression that tarptents are not a good choice. They are an excellent choice for camping in certain areas and climates — just that they are not the answer for everything. For 3-season camping here in California, for example, they can be an excellent choice.

You might consider the Hubba, if you only intend solo use. It's a little narrow, but plenty long, and is also 100% mesh (one of the things I love – on a clear night, it's just like sleeping under the stars, without bugs.) It's about a pound lighter than the Hubba Hubba (which I also have, and my wife and I like it for the car camping she agrees to do.)

The narrow hasn't been too much problem – My Vapor Trail pack goes in one end, to double as a pad extender for my 3/4 Prolite; everything else goes in the vestibule or up around my head in the other end. Plenty of room – but then, I don't take much "extra" stuff. I wear all my clothes (except raingear), which lets me take a lighter bag; my raingear or my Dromlite make up my pillow (on top of my shoes); my water bottle, first aid kit, map case, headlamp, and water filter store around the shoes; the stove and pot go in the vestibule, and the food bag hangs in a tree. Plenty of room, the way my gear is set up.

Glenn — I follow you, all the way, until the pillow part! A rainjacket or water bladder placed on top of your boots? Yuck! Eeeeewww! :)

I lay my shoes at the head of the tent, toes toward my thermarest (this assumes a dry day – they're not caked with mud or completely soaked; if they are, they go in the vestibule.) The shoes give some height. Then, an inflated Dromlite goes on top of that; vary the inflation for softness. If the Dromlite is holding water (which makes it tend to roll away from my head), my rain jacket, pants, and pack cover stuffed tightly into a stuff sack serve the same purpose. (Again, assuming they're dry.)

As far as the smell, I've never noticed any – but it may be that I smell worse than the shoes?

Oh, ok… thanks for elaborating. :)