The 2-lb freestanding tent

The newer Double Rainbow does have the option for free-standing if you use your poles (or buy additional poles). After it is all setup, you can then remove the poles (if you want to base camp). The Double Rainbow Li looks like an amazing tent, but it is also expensive.

The Copper Spur is a very popular, affordable, solid tent. I know more than one person with one, and they all like them. I think you will be happy with it.

I pitch my Double Rainbow often with the trekking pole option. It works pretty well, but I always get a better pitch with stakes. So many great trips with that tent, I feel a bit guilty giving a new one a spin!

Another vote for Big Sky in the free-standing category.  The Revolution is, IMO, best in class 3+ season 1P tent.  Dual vestibule – I will never again buy a single vestibule 1P tent.  Serious height – both at the peak as well as the entry/exit. Pretty good wind stability.  Easy to add multiple guy points if you want to bullet proof it.   Zero condensation (limited experience though).  Reasonable weight though not under the 2lb you seek.  It will be tough to find a 2lb free standing 1P tent that is not a flimsy coffin in wet weather. I will gladly carry an extra lb to have the living space to make waiting on rain bearable.

@groovygeek,

Any quality issues with your BS Revolution?  When did you purchase yours?

Also wanting to hear details from folks with Big Sky gear! Craftsmanship sounds dodgy, similar to lots of stuff from China where sometimes it’s good, sometimes it ain’t. I get it at the price point, not criticizing.
Also hoping I did not purchase a ‘wet flimsy coffin’! Love that visual…

Wanting a freestanding (or semi-freestanding) tent with a side entrance that could fit in High Sierra tight spots, I somewhat impulsively purchased the Exped Mira I that comes in at 2 3/4 pounds, but still 3 or 4 ounce heavier than my Fly Creek Plat. 

Oneil, I’ve never heard or read that Big Sky quality is dodgy. I owned a Revolution 2p and it was built as well as any tent I’ve owned. I think the knock on Big Sky was that they, rather long ago, took a bunch of orders but didn’t have the stock to fulfill them. Obviously, this pissed off many. But I haven’t heard of anything like this happening recently and I think their reputation has pretty much recovered.

But 2 pounds, I don’t think Big Sky gets you quite there. I would consider the Double Rainbow Li if you use trekking poles, with which you can make it freestanding. Way more spacious inside than something like the Hornet 2p.

Good looking shelter Axel.  Those tight spots was the main reason I picked the Hornet 1P.  It was an early version and the fabric would wet out.  Great for the valley, not so great for inclement weather in the mts.

Those tight spots was the main reason I picked the Hornet 1P

That’s also why I like using a small tent in the Sierra, like my Hornet 1P or Big Sky Revolution 1P. I used a MLD Duomid on my JMT hike, and I felt like I had to pass on some great campsites because the thing was so dang big.

nm

Now that I have mad tarp skills, I kick myself for selling the Hornet 1P.  It would’ve been the best of both worlds.

Oneil, I’ve never heard or read that Big Sky quality is dodgy.

Read my post one page back. The quality of the Revolution 1P (w/ solid interior) I received sucked. BUT, I could have had a bad sample of one. Dunno.

However, the Big Sky owner couldn’t have been more courteous and prompt in communication.

I wanted the Revolution 1P as an exoskeleton alternative to my older MSR Hubba HP (“High Performance” w/ solid interior).  Having had the Revolution not live up to a pretty low standard of quality, I decided to decline the owner’s offer of a replacement tent, and just decided to keep my old Hubba. No harm no foul.

@bradmacmt That sucks about the tent, but at least it sounds like you were able to return it and had good communication. I would have been disappointed as well.

My personal experience has been that Big Sky’s construction and fabric quality is a step above Nemo (who is a step above Big Agnes). I currently have a Mirage 1P and Revolution 1P (purchased within the last 1 year), previously owned a Chinook 2P several years ago, and my friend has a Revolution 2P. They’ve all been constructed very well.

I really like my Nemo Hornet 1P, but I can find some little goofs in its construction, although they don’t affect performance. A couple years ago I bought and returned a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1. The grommets for the central cross pole were clearly mis-sewn the first time, evidenced by stitch holes in the fly that they just taped over. The new locations made it nearly impossible to secure the fly correctly. I will probably never buy another Big Agnes tent, but would definitely buy another Nemo tent. I think my Hornet 1P is my all-time favorite tent.

self delete.  drifted off topic.  sorry

It ain’t freestanding but I really like my Tarptent Notch Li.

Quite narrow but nice vestibules for storage or emergency canister stove cooking with top vents in each vestibule and 2-way waterproof door zippers going up into the vent area.

I got the Notch LI with its double wall “semi-solid” interior B/C I want it for 3 season camping at high altitudes where the extra warmth and protection from a possible snow storm would be nice. And that’s also why I did not get the very nice AEON Li.

Great comments here! I really appreciate hearing first hand experience with Big Sky.

Small makers can be a mixed bag, and that’s OK! As long as the customer service can provide resolution all sins are forgiven.

My BA copper spur hv ul 1 p (what a mouthful!) arrived today. Not as svelte a package as I was expecting but the weights are as advertised and quality looks quite good. To hear that BA construction is second to Nemo, which is second to Big Sky, is quite amazing!

The tent weighs 8 oz lighter than my Double Rainbow (inc stakes) and all of a sudden I am looking forward to sleeping without a rain fly. This is I think the roomiest 1p tent I’ve seen.

@bradmacmt That sucks about the tent, but at least it sounds like you were able to return it and had good communication. I would have been disappointed as well.

My personal experience has been that Big Sky’s construction and fabric quality is a step above Nemo (who is a step above Big Agnes). I currently have a Mirage 1P and Revolution 1P (purchased within the last 1 year), previously owned a Chinook 2P several years ago, and my friend has a Revolution 2P. They’ve all been constructed very well.

I really like my Nemo Hornet 1P, but I can find some little goofs in its construction, although they don’t affect performance. A couple years ago I bought and returned a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1. The grommets for the central cross pole were clearly mis-sewn the first time, evidenced by stitch holes in the fly that they just taped over. The new locations made it nearly impossible to secure the fly correctly. I will probably never buy another Big Agnes tent, but would definitely buy another Nemo tent. I think my Hornet 1P is my all-time favorite tent.

Thanks for your considered thoughts John. It was actually your use (photos and explanation) that pushed me to get the Revolution 1P. It didn’t work out this time, but based on the quality of the owner’s communication, and others (like you) testimony, I’d not hesitate to order another Big Sky product. I just decided it wasn’t worth it for me at this time.

I’ve had 4 BA tents and 3 Nemo tents, and all have been of excellent quality. So only goes to show, like my experience with BS, anyone can get a bum product once in a while.

Like you, the Hornet 1P is my favorite solo shelter of all time. But I’m not an especially big guy (5’10” 148lbs). I had a 2016 model, and “upgraded” to a 2019 “Elite”model which shaved a touch over 3 oz’s. I’m actually considering having carbon poles made for it. I have the MSR Hubba HP for tight spots (like Alex J above with his Exped) and fall/winter weather. I use the Big Agnes CSUL1 because, as Oneil points out, it’s so darn roomy. I use it for late October/November when the nights are long in a tent and I want a little more room to spread out.

Would add, much as I love Tarp Tent products, I never could adjust to the TT Rainbow 1P I had. Just too much condensation over a variety of trips and locations. I’m apparently one of those that can’t cope with it. Having said that, I’d not hesitate to own any of their double wall offerings. My only issue is I’m not a trekking pole guy, so I end up with a weight penalty. None of their double wall products are as light, for me, as the Nemo Hornet 1P.

@bradmacmt Funny, I think it was your posts about the Nemo Hornet 1P that steered me to the tent. I was leery about the low-denier fabrics, but it’s now been on three 7-8 day long trips and many shorter trips with no durability issues. Plus it’s always kept me dry, even through some intense thunderstorms. My 2018 Hornet 1P only weighs 23.9 oz (fly, inner, all guylines, and poles), and that includes sewing on an extra tie-out to the head and foot ends of the fly to reduce flapping in the wind.

John, is yours the standard (green) or “Elite” model?

Yeah, I’ve had the Hornet in some pretty severe wind and rain, and it’s been great. And it’s collected the least condensation of any 1P tent I’ve owned.

It’s the standard non-Elite model.

“Tiger Wall 2 Platinum”

Looking at your link, BA states that the water resistance is 1200mm HH, below the 1500mm waterproof standard, and that’s before aging, which can bring even a good HH down well below 1000, almost a guarantee of a leaky tent.  That is consistent with the comments seen on BPL over the years about Big Agnes tents.

Looking at the comments about the Copper Spur UL 1P, Big Agnes claims that the fabric has been improved for 2020, but no specs on their site.  And there are many pre-2020 models of this tent online, except Campsaver, which says the tent has been withdrawn from the market.

This design is not bad for campground use (not in the prairie states though), and I once recommended it to a poster who wanted it for that.  But the walls are close to vertical, spacious of course, but trouble in high winds, which can arrive unexpectedly, especially in high open areas that are popular for backpacking.  Noting the complaint about broken poles, I also suspect that BA and others have used alloy that is too light to hold up in high winds just to get the weight down from all that metal in a “freestanding” tent.

While I think that some form of framework over the occupant is desirable, especially for high winds, do not understand the attraction of “freestanding” or “semi-freestanding” tents.  Love Hilleberg’s picture of a hiker chasing his freestanding tent into a lake, and the photos and clips in a similar vein posted on BPL by moderator Roger Caffin.  Note that a peg that stakes out a vestibule can also serve as a guy point and actually add more wind resistance to a tent, as opposed to a peg the holds the corners or other parts of the living area in place, as on the BA Fly Creek, Nemo, MSR and other designs.  Loss of those pegs in a blow can bring down the whole tent.  So the distinction between freestanding and semi freestanding is not helpful.  It depends on what is being pegged.

Suggest that “self-supporting” is more helpful because it suggests a tent with some form of framework to protect the occupant, and also to reduce the length of unsupported spans of fabric like those on a tunnel with only two hoops, or a mid or other tent with only an upright pole or two for support.  Those long spans of unsupported fabric are especially a problem with nylon,  either sil or PU coated, that expands and sags with increases in rain or humidity.  Look for polyester on tents or that sort, where stakes do not just anchor a tent, but also support it and keep it upright.

Unlike many on this thread, I’ve had only two tents going back years.  Both were from Australia, and modified extensively (lighter floor, enlarged floor etc).  At this point, am building the next tent from scratch to create one with high wind shedding and resistance (no almost vertical walls), highly water resistant outer fabric not found on nearly all US tents made in Asia (Did you ever see a tent that specs Dupont nylon 6.6 fabric, even though it is both very light and durable, and readily available for MYOG?),  a framework that protects the occupant, and a number of other features, the lack of which result in many hikers buying tent after tent as continued usage and bad weather expose their flaws.

If I had to buy a tent, I’d look to Australia and New Zealand (Macpac. Wilderness Equip.) or Europe including the UK (Scottish highlands) not withstanding Brexit (Hilleberg, Trekkertent), or the better US small companies, like Tarptent, notwithstanding whether the tent is “freestanding,” a truly meaningless and unhelpful term.

Soza… tarp and bivy then ?

Notwithstanding my earlier comment, noted a solo tent from Marmot that has possibilities.  It is the Marmot Tungsten Ultralight 1 Person Tent:  https://www.marmot.com/tungsten-ultralight-1-person-tent-37800.html  

It is a basic side-entry wedge with transverse strut, weighing 2.4 oz minimum weight – 2.9 oz maximum weight.  Marmot does not define min/max, so would assume the max.  Because it is a wedge, however, there are no hubs, as on the MSR Hubba design, so the poles should be able to be replaced fairly easily with the Easton carbons available from Quest Outfitters.  The heavier, and therefore stronger Eastons are about 12 grains per inch (gpi).  Marmot does not ID the alloy poles that come with the tent, but would bet they are heavier than 12 gpi.  Marmot should be able to provide their weight per running foot.  Conversions of units of measure (gm or oz per foot to gpi) are easy with Google.

The tent fabric is a polyester, so none of the sagging with nylon.   Next to the tent image on the product page linked above there are choices of a number of photos to click on, including a layout diagram with dimensions which seem ample (over 19 sq/ft floor), except for the height, 38″,  which is as good as the MSRs but not great.  The price is well below anything in DCF, and Marmot has been around for a long time and is well known.

While you might find something better overseas, deliveries to the USA are problematic with the pandemic.  Hope this is something that might interest you.  Be sure to check for discounts from online retailers, and also return policies before ordering.  Good luck.

My desire for free standing is probably better stated as a desire for a double walled shelter. To deal better with condensation but also to see stars and feel breeze on those mild Sierra summer nights, sans rain fly. Embarking on just such a trip this weekend, three nights with overnight lows only to 50 degrees F. Will try the  Copper Spur in all its permutations, might even deploy the ‘porch’ mechanism if the mood suits.

Also, comet Neowise!!