recommendations for 2p UL shelter

Maybe a used sil nylon SMD Haven?

I once asked SMD about the width on the Haven. Said they've heard back that it can just barely fit the 50" (two wide pads) but the bathtub part flattens out in that case.

Thanks for the suggestion, I had looked at the Haven but concluded it's just a tad too narrow. Great specs though, no doubt.

I have a sil haven and it fits great with two 20" pads. I think two 25" pads would be a little tight and push the tub floor flat. I love my Haven tent. Its so fast and easy to put up. My haven weights right at 32oz with guyline.

I have the SMD Lunar Duo that I use with my 20 yr old son and am surprised it doesn't get more attention on this site. It is a great tent. It's 40 oz in silnylon but it is huge inside and the ventilation is excellent. Having two doors is a nice plus and worth the extra weight in my opinion for two people.

Another vote for the Lunar Duo: surprisingly large, simple set-up, quite protective and not very heavy. Great little tent. It's very tarp like with both doors open but without the bugs. Plenty of room for 2 and their gear.

My wife and I used the Haven/net tent on the CDT and had more than enough space for 2 20" pads.

Compared to the Lunar Duo, the Haven is 9 ounces lighter and better ventilated and has more pitching options (tarp only, net only).

I picked up the tarp here on Gear Swap for cheap and bought the net new for a total of ~$300.

My wife and I used the cuben SMD Haven and inner net on the JMT and were very happy with it. We use two coupled 20" sleeping pads and a double-quilt – so our need for width is not as big.
Right now SMD has the Haven (in Silnylon) on sale for $160 and the the inner net for $120. So the total is $280 (instead of $350).

Thanks all for the feedback. Re the Haven, it does look great but I need a bit more width than 2×20. It seems they could have made this only slightly wider for a fraction of an ounce and accommodated another slice of the market, but they didn't so ultimately I think it's a touch too narrow for my needs.

I think I've eliminated the DR, seems like a great shelter but ultimately the other two seem a bit better suited. Pros/cons: LHG is lighter, narrower head space may not be an issue with my daughter (we won't be hanging out in there for extended time besides sleeping, nor will be both be in there when changing clothes). SMD has head-space galore for about a 6oz penalty.

I'm curious if anyone has experience with either the LHG or SMD and DIDN'T like it, why not. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure the Haven's floor width is 46'' or 48''

What about finding a used GoLite SL2 and getting Bear Paw to make an inner for it (or sew on a floating bathtub floor like in their AT2 shelter)?

I am assuming by LHG you mean the Lightheart Gear Duo tent? We tried it for one night, and it didn't work too well for us because my bf kept knocking down the poles in the middle of the night on pee trips – poles go inside the tent, where they are easier to knock out of position when coming and going through the door. There was also a LOT of condensation in the tent in the morning, though it may have just been a bad night for condensation and is not necessarily a problem with the tent. I have a Lightheart Solo which I really like, but the duo wasn't the tent for us. You might not have the same problem if you are aware of your surroundings in the middle of the night and don't thrash around when you sleep, though…

Given your specs and price limits, it would be hard to beat any of the Tarptent 2p models that strike your fancy. TT makes great gear with excellent customer service.

Double Rainbow, Stratospire 2 or Squall 2 might be just what you're after.

If you really want extra room and are looking at trekking pole supported shelters, take a look at the Tarptent StratoSpire 2.
This one DOES take 2x 25" mats with ease (takes 3×20") and has good sitting up headroom too as well as very large vestibules.
Unlike the others it can be set up fly (or inner) alone .
Don't forget to add the weight of the stakes too, they are included with the SS2.
Take a look at the available space in the new 3D video clip :
http://www.tarptent.com/stratospire2.html

BTW, works very well for two facing each other sitting up because the highest point is not in the center but back towards the head-end on each side.
franco@tarptent

My wife who is not much of a camper, has been happy to share an SMD Duo with me this year. I'm very happy with the tent and appreciate the headroom.

d k, yes LHG = LightHeart Gear, the Duo. Interesting comments — I have the LHG Solo as well and really like it, I've never had issues with knocking the poles out of place (in fact, in the Solo that's darn near impossible if the shelter is set up right). But I do see that on the Duo the sides are much flatter, so the pole handle isn't nestled deeply into a sharp corner like on the Solo. Condensation issues — did you have the newer style that has the vents at top?

Franco, I like TT products a lot, the StratoSpire is just adding up to a few too many ounces and a few too many dollars for me.

Yes I understand but you seemed to be focused on those 25" mats and I don't see how they would fit in the LHG shelter assuming they are not torso size:

I could be wrong , so of course if anyone knows better please post.

No, I had the older style Duo, without vents, with both head and foot tapering down. The newer one looks much better in design for two people.

I think that my boyfriend is just one of those people that doesn't have a good sense of the boundaries of his body and the strength of exterior objects when he wakes up in the middle of the night! I don't think I'd have knocked into them myself. But I do prefer trekking pole-supported tents to have the poles outside rather than inside, after that night.

d k, thanks for the reply. I believe condensation should be better handled now that they have added the top vents.

Franco, I had seen those dimensions and that diagram before, and I had assumed that two 25" pads would fit if the pads tapered at the foot end (like the NeoAir XLite). To confirm I touched base with Judy at LHG and you are right, my assumption is wrong, she said two wide pads would not fit but that they are re-designing the LHG Duo to be more rectangular inside in order to fit two wide pads. Re-design should be available starting next month.

I'm in the middle of a similar choice.

For my girlfriend and I, our roomy option is the Stratospire II, (46oz) our light/affordable option is the Haven net & tarp (32oz) and i'm awaiting exact specs for the YMG swiftline to see where that fits along that spectrum.

My money's no option "rediculously light/rediculously pricey" choices might be a SMD cuben haven, a Zpack's Duplex tent, or an MLD cuben Supermid and duomidXL inner.

JR, it looks like the SMD Lunar Duo checks all your boxes. It is very spacious inside. Great tent, we are happy with ours.

As far as the SMD Haven, I guess it depends on the pads that you are using, because we can fit both our 25" pads inside without pushing down on the bath tub floor. We are using TAR X-Lites and X-Therms. Inside the Haven they are barely touching the bath tub walls at the shoulder area, but not pushing down at all. In fact, the bath tub walls are above the top of the pads all the way around. I just thought you should know this and consider your actual pads of choice before disregarding a tent based on numbers or blanket opinions. Others may be referring to rectangle shaped pads, and some manufacturers 25" pads are wider than others.

When you say 50" shoulder width, is that just for lying down, or also include sitting up? The verticle walls of the Lunar Duo are why we chose it over the LHG Double Rainbow.

Tarptent makes some nice looking shelters. I've only tried out their 1P shelters, not the 2P, so can't help you there. Sorry.

Dean, that's really interesting. I use the NeoAir XLite wide/long, and pad for my daughter TBD. She says she will be fine with a standard blue foam, but I think she'll end up with an air pad as well. She's a toss-and-turner so I expect to need a wide, so I could get a tapered air pad or trim a foam pad for her. I just e-mailed SMD to confirm how this might all fit because if so then the Haven would look really good at 32 oz.

I don't think we'll need the full width for sitting up, I don't expect us to be doing a lot of sitting up in the tent together. For me at least, only time I'm sitting up in my solo is when I'm changing clothes, and we won't be doing that together. Since LHG is redesigning the Duo I would rather wait to consider the new model than jump on the old model.

So back to SMD. Yes the LD checks off all the boxes, just wish it was lighter, the Haven might be a better choice pending pad fit.

Hi all, just looping back on this thread, thanks all for the comments and insights. And special thanks to Dean for sharing pics of his Haven set up with pads laid out inside. Based on this I pulled the trigger on the Haven tarp and nettent combo while year-end pricing still available. We will have one wide and one regular pad, I laid out dimensions on the living room floor and it looks like it will be a little tight but will fit. Will definitely enjoy the 9+ oz savings compared to some of the other choices discussed, plus the ability to split the carry load if desired.

Plus got confirmation of first choice for permit in Yosemite in June for the daughter trip. Very excited!