Bomber, Lightweight, Freestanding Tent

Lots of good options:

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2
Big Agnes Fishhook UL1
Hilleberg Unna
MSR Hubba
Marmot Eos

More info (your budget, your comfort and space preferences) would guide the conversation. Many "almost" free-standing tents like the Tarptent Notch are also good options.

Edit: Considering the budget info you added, an MSR Hubba Hubba would be my choice. 2 person.

The Moment DW is a great tent and is freestanding WITH the crossing pole.

For "bomber" security against high winds and heavy rain this tent has a lot going for it. Order it with four fly hem stake loops for even more security in high winds.

And get the MSR "Ground Hog" stakes (aluminum, "Y" cross-section) for their very good holding power.

I don't mean this to be unkind or pessimistic, but have you really taken a good hard look at what you're planning on doing? You're going into the middle of nowhere for a year and a half with no experience and a fairly limited budget – how well is this likely to turn out for you? Are you even mildly equipped to deal with most equipment, medical, or other emergencies / scenarios? Do you have any idea if the gear you're choosing will work well for you and your particular situation since given your lack of experience with it? Hell, are you even sure you can walk that much for those many consecutive days / distance?

My suggestion: stop posting, step away from the computer, take what you already have purchased, and borrow / beg / rent the things you haven't already, go out into the woods for a week, and see if you come out undeterred and still wanting to do 80x longer. What you're asking to do is basically run a marathon having never even put on running shoes – sure, you may be able to complete it after a huge amount of time and effort, but is it even going to be enjoyable to do so?

How many times are you going to ask?

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=89918&skip_to_post=765708#765708

Like nobody would notice with the name change. Alexandra B.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/profile.html?u=AlexBambifluff

"I don't mean this to be unkind or pessimistic, but have you really taken a good hard look at what you're planning on doing?"

I don't think this is unkind or pessimistic & I'm just a new guy (to lighter weight backpacking & this site). Actually, I think it's a beneficial thing for new people to hear to better gauge risk.

Perhaps I'm overly cautious, but no way I'd jump into 18 months through South America without knowing what brands of tents are available. I can see poking around on sites like this for better info., but for an undertaking like that I'd need more behind me than poking around online for gear. I'd want some solid experience to know what exactly I want or need out of a tent.

2 cent post. :)

"2 cent post. :)"

Or a big 24-carat lump of bullion for someone open to reason. ;-)

We can turn this thread into an Alexandra witch hunt, or we can try to be helpful and courteous and give out our best info.

If you don't have something constructive, move to a different thread. OP did not ask for trip advice, and it's already been said -ad nauseam. Adults make their own decisions.

Here's a good one:

http://www.backcountrygear.com/msr-hubba-hubba-nx.html?gclid=COTiqZ-Bsr4CFetlOgodqE8ARQ

It's your dime.

I'm interested in upgrading, so I'm watching this thread. I own the MSR Hubba, which I really really really like, except that it weighs 3 lbs. So the idea has been simmering that I need to lose at least a pound off my tent.

What I want, basically, is another Hubba, that weighs 2 lbs. I think the new Hubba NX is 2.5 lbs, but it costs a silly amount. The Hubba was $220 (I saw it as low as $200) and the Hubba NX is selling at $340.

"NX" stands for "iN Xcess," I think.

So I'm tuned in, here, for other options.

Please continue.

The REI Quarter Dome 1 tent is a good solid 3 season tent at a little over 2lbs on sale right now.

http://www.rei.com/product/862421/rei-quarter-dome-1-tent#specsTab

I think quarter dome falls into that grey area of what "freestanding" means. Ie, it needs to be staked on two corners, like the BA Fly Creek and Seedhouse.

"Like nobody would notice with the name change. Alexandra B."

Ahahahah, do you really think I have changed my name to try and not be found out? From Alexandra to Alessandra? Wow, that's clever!
I have changed name cause my inital name was a typo and Alessandra is my real name.
I was asked to break down my questions into one per post, so I did and asked again.
Especially because in the previous thread I had different requirements.

P.S. I am an ex competitive swimmer, swimming for the national Italian team, I don't think I'm that out of shape for hiking. I used to hike 11 hours a day when I was about 12, so I'm sure I can manage some of it now too. And probably you guys haven't understood that my trip isn't necessarily about hiking; rather about trekking, moving from place to place and camping wherever, at times.
Nobody said I haven't got ANY money at all, I simply said I won't have another 400$ to spend on a second and third sleeping bag, once in S. America, cause I'd rather spend them differently.
May be I haven't got that much experience, but life can't always be lived in the caution side. It's boring.

To some of you; If you live your life so cautiously that you don't do anything unless you're 100% prepared, how the hell are you supposed to have fun?

Live a little.

Alex, don't fret so much over the kit you're taking. Might you be better off buying some of the stuff when you get there to save having to fly with it all?

I don't have a free standing tent but I'm pretty happy with my Force Ten Helium 100, only needs a peg at each end really.

But I don't need to fly with my gear, I need to hitchhike with it! :-P
I'm already in Mexico.

I presumed you were still in Italy!

good luck with your trip and shopping.

Girl, I'm a 5' 10", 180 lb. male and I wouldn't think of "hitch hiking" in Latin America. Waaaay too dangerous, ESPECIALLY in Mexico! Cartels regularly kidnap women and sell them in the human trafficking business.

I hope you are with others on this trek.

Godspeed…

I have been living in Mexico for the past year and I can assure you that most of what you are saying is false scare-mongering publicity, used as a controlling tool by governments, media and multinational corporations. Reality is way different than what we read on statistics, what we watch in the news or what we find on newspapers.
Sure, it's not the safest place in the world, but it's not more dangerous than New York. I have met lots of women who have done the same thing and with less money.
The gangs and guerrillas wars are mostly between them and rarely involve turists. If they do, well so it happens anywhere in the world.
I have been hitchhiking here in Mexico with no problem and I feel there are more kind and selfless people in this world than the other way round.

Ben, there's a difference between not planning out every minor detail and going "hey, I'm leaving for 18 months in a couple weeks, can someone explain tents to me" (which is to say nothing of how someone can be expected to survive that long on their own and if they can't even work Google).

All this aside, best of luck on your trip. I look forward to hearing about it. I'll be braving the treacherous West Village NYC while you're in safe Mexico.

Is that a bet? I'll send you an electronic postcard using google search if I survive.

"Is that a bet? I'll write you an eletronic postcard from google if I survive."

Uhh…. okay. Not sure if you were trying to prove my point or you just did it inadvertently but, either way, QED.

Cautious people fear the unfamiliar.

Bold people just do.

However, there is a fine line between bold and stupidity. On the other hand living life in a box is a living death to some. Some need to push our own boundries, to strike out into the unfamiliar, and to ignore those urges is to live a life unsatisfied.

I see a lot of fear perpetuated on this forum, and that is ok to me. I understand as it is human nature. What you need to understand though is that many others are not wired this way. The same way you need safe and familiar, others need bold adventure. Either way we all end up dead.

There are a million ways to be human, and all are worthwhile.

So in order to survive, I have to know everything about hiking/camping/tents and the like? Really?! Even if I won't be hiking and I won't be camping on a regular basis?!

How have these guys done it then? http://en.forwardtherevolution.net/p/locomotive-of-freedom.html
And these guys?: http://nowgasm.wordpress.com/2013/03/
And these guys?: http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-traveling-without-money
And people who survived, when the internet wasn't available? Or nowadays technology?

Why don't you return to your cautious world and I continue with my exciting adventerous life and then we'll talk again in 10 years and see who is happier and got the most out of it?

I would suggest getting the lightest 2 pole dome tent you can find. It is a pretty solid design, livable, and cheap.