DCF Tunnel Tents?

I do NOT consider about a 3 pound tent(1342gm) light for summer use. Anything more than pound pound per person is too heavy for the places I visit. No, I have not needed an 80mph tent in over 40 years (since I rode out a tornado.)

A typical hoop or half circle on average, is simply calculated by pi(radius) So, for a typical 42″ high tent, a typical pole would be about 132″ Now, it is relatively obvious we don’t need the full 7′ for width for two, but many are for three or even four persons. Some tents are also somewhat higher or lower. Overall, 10′ to 12′ seems appropriate as an average. Even for narrow two person tents, 9′ is still a long single pole, especially using three of them, they burn through weight.

Gambrel or Dutch roof is a the cheat I was referring to. It is an approximation of the semicircle.

Ah, OK. On the other hand, in the Australian, NZ and European Alps we DO need to handle storms, even in mid-summer. This was mid-summer on the Col du Croix du Bonhomme near Mt Blanc, France. I guess one has to adapt to the conditions.

The are two reasons why I used elbows on my CF poles (or Dutch roof). The first was the radius of curvature inherent in the design. Many mfrs use Al poles – with prebends to avoid excess strain. CF tubing does not allow for prebends, not at all. So elbows. The second reason is that the use of 3 elbows rather than just one gives a fair bit more internal head space, which is desirable in bad weather.

As I said, design for the conditions. A simple tarp might suffice in the ‘Sierra Summers’.

Cheers

Design for conditions is absolutely correct. I believe you have me wrong, Roger. I don’t hike through high mountains when I can avoid it. I do not hike the Sierra’s. In bad storms, I usually utilize one of the shelters(lean-to’s) in the area. (Of course, a few of these, I have had to abandon due to heavy winds/trees coming down.) 5 direction wind? Ha, yeah, we get that as often as not. GOOD description of ADK weather.

I really like tunnel tents. I have two. Very comfortable in bad weather and very good for car camping/base camping. The Stephenson’s is just under three pounds. I do not carry a tunnel tent hiking because they are just too bloody heavy. Theory says they should be good weight. In every case, they end up too heavy, mostly because of the poles, extra material in sleeves to mount them, and extra material in the vestibule(s) needed to make them aerodynamic. For a few adventurers heading up Everest, into Nepal or the French Alps, or Nordic areas, they make a LOT of sense. For three season camping in most of North America (the majority of hikers here for example) they do not. Tunnels remain a very hard sell, here.

For DCF tunnels, it strikes me as kind of an oxymoron. Ultralight materials but not used in an ultralight way. But getting it under two pounds for two people and it starts making sense, again. Engineering compromises… Even the new Dirigo is a lot less weight at 1#12.

Understood.
We love the high mountains – so different needs.

Cheers

It’s not just the altitude!  The Scottish Cairngorms are pretty low altitude and can get some pretty nasty winds.  The biggest debate that I see is do you select gear based upon 95% of your travels or 99%?  The Sawyer filters work great most of the time.  I certainly wouldn’t take it where silt will be an issue (glacier or slot canyons).  You have to select the right gear for the conditions.

95% or 99%? That’s a good question.

But if you select 95% (or even 90%), what do you do for the remainder? Can everyone afford to have an extra and special (and probably more $$) tent for that remaining 5%? Or do you give up on that extra 5%?

Cheers

If I were going to NZ in high altitude with harsh conditions, my Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 would be useless.  I would either try to rent a good tent while down there or suck it up and purchase one.  Interesting as I am planing a 7 week journey to NZ starting this September, I probably won’t be doing to much backpacking though, maybe a week or so.

Off hand, out of the last ten years, or roughly 500+ nights on the trail, I don’t remember a single night of being truly wet, cold, and miserable. Of the past 20 years or around the past 1100+nights, I can remember a total of one night that was pretty bad.

Lucky man!

Cheers