Tent shopping

Tarptent Aeon Li.

Light. Compact. Easy setup. Weather and bug protection. Open the vestibule wide in good weather for amphitheater views.

Me = thumbs up.

SO makes me think rugged Maybe a mid like the MLD Solomid XL or Duomid. HMG and Locus Gear also intrigue me. May need an inner for bugs depending on location and time of year.

I replaced a tarptent Notch with a Solplex for myself, but have the utmost repect for Tarptent. My son and I take a Duomid XL if our bivies or hammocks are not enough.  There are so many more shelters I want to try.

Yes, the MLD Duomid is a very solid shelter, and the one that I would use if I thought I was going to get my butt kicked by the weather in the alpine. The Duomid with a Solomid nest is the solo shelter that I used for many years prior to adopting the Aeon, and I would still go back to the Duomid if I thought I was going to be exposed to severe weather. A heavier and more complex (assuming you want bug protection) but bombproof solution. In terms of cuben/DCF construction quality, nothing touches MLD.  Ron Bell is the OG, and still the best.

Philip, you play in a high humidity area. Would you care to share your thoughts/experience/strategies with condensation and the Aeon?

For the DuoMid, is there an inner-net that fills the tent, like the HMG ultamid full inner?

I had the ultamid, but it’s footprint was a little too big for me. But I loved it otherwise.

It looks like the main selling point of the pack you chose is the ability to carry heavy loads, up to 50lbs, and light pack weight was not a priority. So it seems like you might be into mountaineering or hunting, or carrying heavy camera equipment?

So what are your criteria/priorities for the tent? Without more information we are just guessing, and each person will probably suggest their own favorite tent, but most of us probably have different priorities than you do. Single-wall/double-wall? Material? Trekking pole? Free-standing? Budget? Size?

You might even be perfectly happy with a mass produced tent like a Big Agnes Copper Spur or a Nemo Hornet, etc.

I have a half inner for the Duomid xl, but we don’t usually use it. I bought the set used here but I know there are options for a full inner. If not from mld then maybe bear paw wilderness.

Dan,

I chose the SO because of me wanting a comfortable carry pack up to around 40 lbs if I need to carry a bunch of water in Big Bend. So I do none of those things you mention besides backpack. I chose SO because of reading post on BPL. Like I said in the initial post, my base weight is around 11 without backpack or bear canister. Is there other information I should provide besides what’s in original post?

My criteria is something that doesn’t have a huge foot print like the Ultamid 2. Doesn’t need a ton of care for. That’s about it.

The condensation in a single wall shelter in the PNW can be terrible.   Occasionally you can mitigate this with site selection, but there have been many nights where no amount of ventilation helps and it’s going to be damp inside no matter where you pitch your shelter.   All of my current shelters are single walled, and I’m based in the PNW, but this is something to be aware of.   If this would be a problem for you, I’d look at a double wall option like the Moment or Notch.

I have not had any condensation problems in the Aeon, even after a rainy night. That is not to say no condensation forms, but the shelter is roomy enough for me so that it is pretty easy to avoid touching the walls, and the walls are steep enough that a droplet runs down to the outward sloping perimeter noseeum mesh. DCF fabrics allow condensation to ‘sheet’ into a thin film unlike siliconized fabrics which grow a lawn of condensation droplets. I totally hate silnylon for that reason. Anyway, no issues for me.

I did a sea kayaking trip over the weekend, and took my TT Aeon with me. Most of my nights in tents since last summer have been  spent in larger shelters, like the 6-man Seek Outside DCF Redcliff, the 4-man HMG Ultamid 4, or the 4-man Seek Outside DCF Cimarron. Getting back into the Aeon it sure felt a lot smaller than I remembered, haha, so I guess it’s all relative.

I went with the TT Notch LI. I’m 6’1 and no issues with length or height. really like the dual vestibules/doors and amount of venting options. simple setup w/ 4 stakes and two hiking poles. I did get the TT adapters so my hiking pole grips attach to the tent versus rest on the ground.