Lightweight 4 Season Tent for Iceland

[Rosanne V]

Susan,

Thanks so much for that! I looked into all the other options provided, but in the end I have indeed, again, gone back to both the Scarp 1 and Akto.

Regarding the Scarp, it’s very interesting to hear about the additional poles not being required unless you need it for snowloading… That makes it a little lighter again.

But I do worry about the gap between the outer fly and the floor (compared to the Akto where the fly reaches the floor so no wind can come through.) I’m concerned about sand and grit flying around. Do you have any advise on that?

(I have to admit choosing between the Scarp and Akto is pretty impossible…)

[Franco Darioli]

There is a very small gap between the bottom of the fly and the ground in the current Scarp but not much

A couple of comments on that.

On a very windy day , lay down flat on the ground and you will be almost out of the wind.

There is very little pressure for the first 10 cm or so.

The cop[p[p[p[p[p[p[p[p[p[p[p[  (my cat wrote that…)

A common problem with tents that have the fly right to the ground is condensation.

You need some air gap at the bottom to get the airflow going.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

(I have to admit choosing between the Scarp and Akto is pretty impossible…)

There’s a pretty significant difference in interior space and overall structural stability.  I’ll leave it to others who have compared them, especially the latest Scarp 1 interior, to say more.

[Susan D]

Apologies if this is a double post – mine seems to have disappeared…

Well, I haven’t camped it in any sandstorms.  There was a sandstorm in Iceland in the area I’d planned to camp, so I drove on.  I did spend the night in a Golite tent in a sandstorm, and it was less than pleasant, mostly because of the gap between the fly and ground.  Piling things around the gaps did nothing to prevent heaps of sand from getting in the tent all night.  I can understand your concern.

I’m not sure if you are wondering about the vestibule space (space between inner and outer), or how low you can pitch the tent to the ground.  I have a Hilleberg Soulo, and just from memory, it and the Scarp both can be pitched with the fly just about touching the ground.  Maybe the Soulo goes lower – hard to say without pitching them both.  Along the pole of the Scarp, the fly can be raised or lowered (there’s a line lock that holds it in place, if I remember correctly).  As to the space between the vestibule and the inner, that is somewhat adjustable on the newest version of the Scarp (early 2016).  When the floor is pulled out to its maximum, I think the vestibules are narrower than the one on the Atko (but there are two of them, rather than the Atko’s one).  I usually minimized the inner floor space and maximized the vestibule area.  Having the option was very nice.

The two vestibules are probably my favorite thing about the Scarp.  Having them would really improve being stuck in a tent for several days running.

I bookmarked quite a few pages when I was researching tents for Scotland last year (after a Fly Creek failure in high wind).  Links to a few I found especiallyuseful are below  – a couple from people who have used the Scarp in the UK/Scotland; also Nick Gatel from the forum.  Having lived in Scotland myself for a spell, I’d say they definitely get some absolutely dreadful weather to test tents in (no sandstorms, though).

sdb wanderings review

blogpackinglight long-term review

Nick Gatel on Scarp

some Scarp mods by Robin at blogpackinglight

more mods

[John Mc]

Hi Susan…….

I hope you made it to Iceland and enjoyed it.  Which tent did you decide to go with?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I’d take my Tarptent Moment DW (ripstop inner) with the optional crossing pole. It’s a bit smaller, more aerodynamic and lighter than the Tarptent SCARP 1.

My X-ing pole is shortened 5″ and run under the fly for more support. Two double sided Velcro computer cable straps are sewn ( & sealed) to the two circular Hypalon reinforcements for the exterior X-ing pole straps.

With side and end guy lines and 4 fly hem stakes this tent has easily withstood steady 40 mph winds and 65 mph gusts. *The fly hem stakes prevent fly flapping for a good night’s sleep.

[John Mc]

@Eric…  I thought about your modified Moment and new it would be perfect for the Laugavegur hike.

[Rosanne V]

Hi John,

I did make it to Iceland and it was certainly an adventure!

I ended up going with the Akto, not because I think it was going to be better than the Scarp, but because it was simply easier to order being in Europe, plus I liked the sand colour :)

I did indeed get stuck in storms (but not in sandstorms) and it held up really well – I experienced some insane insane winds! The few times the ground was too hard for nails I used rocks (only in Landmannalaugar and Askja) and when the ground was too soft, I used plastic bags filled with rocks (on the roads leading to Askja). So the tent not being free-standing wasn’t really a problem. The sand colour was quite good as it hid my tent quite well when I was wild camping near roads. It sort of made it look like a giant rock.

The one problem was that the inner tent started moulding after a month, due to always being wet. I have to say I wasn’t quite impressed with a 4 season tent not being able to handle 4 season weather. I understand the tent didn’t get to dry out enough, but at the same time I camped every single night, so it’s not as though it was stuck in my backpack for days on end. Other than that my experience was good!

I actually wrote quite a few blogs about the whole trip, if you (or anyone) fancies a read!

https://roamingwildrosie.com/an-iceland-expedition/?frame-nonce=79722b509c

 

[Bruce Tolley]

Rosanne: amazing trip report. Thanks for sharing.

I have been using my Akto since 2006. It can be prone to condensation when totally zipped up.

I have mitigated small patches of mildew on inner tents by hand washing in Palmolive, followed by treatment with Mirazyme (now called Revivex Odor Eliminator https://www.gearaid.com/products/revivex-odor-eliminator?variant=718518419473), followed by lots of sunshine.

Cheers!

[Todd T]

Holy Toledo, Rosanne, that’s gonna take a while to work through.  Nice trip!  I spent a couple of weeks in Iceland this past summer, but only got to do one short backpack (Landmannalaugar to Skogar).  I’ve often wondered how people manage the full-time wetness when they do long hiking tours.  I was lucky with the wind–only had to deal with it while walking, not in the tent.

Thanks for sharing.

[Kyle Meyer]

I used an Ultamid 4 for a week of backpacking in Iceland and it held up well with extra guylines and a bivy to cut down on drafts and sand.

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