Ultralight Tents.

"Then I bought a cool looking Jansport wedge tent that let rain in the instant I unzipped door fly. (Moral: Do NOT buy a tent based on how cool it looks.)"

Or maybe the moral there is actually not to buy a tent with a built-in shower? It sounds like a good idea, but…

Someone explain

This thread is over a year old so the Alexandra comment made more sense back then. She's a member who was planning a trip through central and South America in climates ranging from the jungle to freezing Patagonia so her questions were all over the map.

Hopefully she's having fun wherever that may be.

An Alexandra question is the BPL equivalent of the outside world "how long is a piece of string ?"

Hey Chuck. If you're out there I hope you are having a great summer.

"Ken isn't a troll, he is just a cranky old dude who has been on this forum too long."

In the old days, this would have been quite enough – pre-internet, wasn't a troll just a cranky old dude who had lived under a bridge for too long? Perfect for Ken, and a role I could happily have settled into myself in my retirement – not too demanding, just pop up and scare some children every so often. With the advent of the internet, it has all become too much like hard work.

"Perfect for Ken, and a role I could happily have settled into myself in my retirement "

Or now….since you are the same age :)

Edited. Oops. Ken is younger. Sorry; I am tonight's old grumpy troll.

Do what you love and never work another day of your life

ok, i'll bite so please deal me in.
but is this word smithing, ie if you love to do it then its not 'work' (aside, I think "labor" is more appropriate in the context of doing something you must to earn a living, ie selling one's labor ) OR are you inferring something else altogether?
Enquiring minds want to know -:)

A too small poncho tarp covering either my home made bug bivy or my home made hammock… the best?
Nope.

Am I washing a weeks worth of dirt and stink off my gear with a big grin on my face?
Yup :)

PS. I went with the tarp and hammock this trip.

I will take what is a simple and direct question at face value and just answer it: Look at Henry Shires line of Tarptents. They offer the best mix of weight, cost and craftsmanship. If money is less of an object, Look at the Zpacks line of tents like the Solplex and Duplex.

Finally, someone explained "Do you know Alexandria?". I have seen that in a few threads and now it makes sense. Thank you!

That's Alexandra

"Do what you love and never work another day of your life"

We are all wired differently, of course, and I am sure that mantra has worked for many — but for me, the last thing I want is to turn fun / passion into a drudgery of deadlines and bottom lines because I need to put food on the table…

The best lightest/cheapest tent is the one you can afford which will withstand the weather you encounter. I saved up my paper-round pay to buy an Ultimate 'Tramp' in 1977 (Google it). 4lb 10oz of durable A framed kit. The nearest equivalent now would be a Golite Hut 1 with two trekking poles supporting the fly at the front in an inverted V plus a piece of carbon fibre golf club shaft for the rear pole, and a suitable inner tent such as an integral designs net tent with strong 10000 HH Oxford nylon floor. Along with some extra guy-lines and decent pegs you'll arrive at just under three pounds in weight.

That's progress.

.

I'm thinking of sewing some pole sleeves onto my spare Hut 1 and adding extra porch panels to emulate this favourite tent of yesteryear. Of course, such a tent may be completely unsuitable for the OP depending on his destinations, but it's a good all-rounder.

I know it's been awhile since the OP asked about the "best/cheapest tent", but I think the question is worth looking at again.

I'm only going to consider cuben fiber because this is an Ultralight backpacking site.

We all know there's no such thing as the perfect tent, everything is a compromise. Yet when you average everything out (weight, cost, storm worthiness, useable space) the Hexamid is still the best UL solo tent on the market.

Simplicity is good. The Hexamid setup is so quick and easy. It's not the absolute most wind worthy shelter, but it's pretty darn solid.

People have complained forever about the full netting floor. All I do is just place a 1 oz piece of polycro underneath and that cures everything. It keeps dirt/mud/grit out of the netting and protects it from abrasion.

I like the removable floor because I can use it as a groundsheet whenever I want to cowboy camp. Can't do that with a regular tent floor.

And the weight CANNOT BE BEAT. The cuben Cricket is close, but you're dealing with a solo innernet and that means small constricting space. The Cricket also costs about $70 more.

The Skyscape X is $115 more, and by the time you add the second pole you're looking at 4 oz heavier than the Hexamid.

The Solplex costs $85 more, and just like the X, you'll need another pole. It's also not as easy to set up. Better in the rain though.

The worst thing about the Hexamid is the low entryway. You definitely have to crawl to get in and out.

THE BEST UL SOLO TENT? That's the most elemental question in UL backpacking. I know it's been argued to death, and it's a matter of taste, but for those of us under 6 feet tall, the simple solution is still the best. Hard to beat the original Hexamid.

I don't care for it. Not best for me. Thread is still worthless.

I agree the Solomid XL with XL innernet is better for tall people.

Neither are cheap though.

Yea, if I was looking for a cheaper solo tent in silnylon, I'd go with the SMD Lunar Solo. I had one a few years ago and I still think it's the best tent I've ever owned. Weighs 24 oz. A tad heavy compared to cuben, but still pretty light. Tons of space and has a large entryway.

The best silnylon solo shelter with the best weight to cost ratio is the Tarptent Protrail. Nothing comes close.

The MLD cuben mids will out perform the Hexamid in severe weather. So if that is a consideration, then they are the best.

"What a stupid thread"

I know, that's why I like it.

The Protrail's biggest drawback is the front entry. Also not as much cubic space as the Lunar Solo. Weight is about the same.

The MLD mids are definitely the most storm worthy. But then you have to deal with the litte bitty innernet. A cuben Solomid with a netting perimeter sure is tempting though.

"A cuben Solomid with a netting perimeter sure is tempting though."

Pity you lose the mountain views when the midges are biting. An oversize meshed top vent you can sit up to peer through maybe?

Rog, you can leave the flaps open on the Solomid and still keep it bug free. Just take a 3.5' X 5' piece of .50 noseeum netting (weighs < 2 oz) and attach it to the opening with Velcro or binder clips, etc. Requires some fiddling, but it provides a lot more space, and it weighs a few oz less than the solo innernet.

Pretty sure the Protrail has 2 cubic feet more than the Lunar Solo. The front entry isn't an issue on that shelter. Very easy ingress and egress. Of course, it is a raging bargain in terms of cost.

Would like to see it in cuben….did I just say that out loud?