Many tents are touted to be "lightweight" and we even see the word "ultralight" in the name of a tent. There is a lot of misleading information out there, and a lot of heavier shelters (by our standards) are being hyped as "lightweight," and they win awards from other magazines. So, do you buy it? A five+ pound three-season two-person tent is not ultralight or even lightweight; it's not even close. There are literally hundreds of shelters on the market, but only a small fraction of them are truly lightweight and well suited for lightweight backpacking. Our interest is in that select few.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Double-Wall Tent (Three-Season)
- Single-Wall Tent with Floor (Three-Season)
- Floorless Shelters
- New Double-Wall Tents
- Terra Nova's Laser Photon is Claimed to be the Lightest Double-Wall Tent in the World
- Believe it - New Ultralight Tents From MSR With Carbon Fiber Poles
- Big Sky Introduces the Convertible and Montana, Breaks the Three-Pound Barrier
- REI Updates the Quarter Dome
- Big Agnes Introduces a 2.25-Pound Double-Wall Solo Tent for 2009
- Integral Designs' New BugDome Converts the SilDome to a Double-Wall Two-Person Tent
- Nemo Introduces the Go-Go EX for Tall Hikers up to Ten Feet
- Sierra Designs Introduces Seventeen New Tents for Spring 2009
- Not to Be Outdone, The North Face Introduces Nineteen New Tents for Spring 2009
- Mountain Hardwear's Helion 2 Features Cutting Edge Lightweight Components
- Trends
- New Single-Wall Tents
- The Gossamer Gear The One is as Light as a Tarp
- Tarptent Introduces the Sublite, a Nineteen-Ounce Solo Tyvek Tent
- New Six Moon Designs Refuge X Weighs just 17.5 Ounces, and It's a Two-Person Tent!
- Big Sky International Introduces a Lightweight Single-Wall Tent
- The New AntiGravityGear O2 Tent has Cross Ventilation and Loads of Floor Space
- The North Face Flight Series Tents
- Is the eVENT Tent Really Gone? The Code Name is Rab Summit Mountain Bivi
- Trends
- Tarps
- Bivies
- Coming Soon: Backpacking Light's 2008 Single-Wall Tent State of the Market Report
# WORDS: 4590
# PHOTOS: 20
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
Companion forum thread to:
Lightweight Shelter Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Hang-em-high does not seem to have a search function, and the Tyvek is listed NOT under Fabric. Look under Paper!
cheers
Do double wall tents with all mesh inners really differ that much from single wall tents with bathtub floors?
Nm
Please use metric units in addition to imperial.
> Do double wall tents with all mesh inners really differ that much from single wall tents with bathtub floors?
Well, they are probably heavier … :-)
Depends whether the bathtub floor is held up by netting to the roof. If it is (how else do you hold it up?), then both should be insect-proof. In that case, no functional difference.
The netting inner tent is a marketing thing – 'you can leave the fly behind' in the American summer. Don't try this in other countries – the weather may not be quite as stable!
Cheers
About the rab summit extreme, there is a thing that i dont understand … I read frecuently that the exchange lite were a heavier cloth that event
But the new summit its bigger (taller) and lighter … ¿there is a new cloth?
How it can be compared to event?
If someone could give me more info about this tent is welcome
Its important because im interested in one high altitude tent for my next mont trip to nepal and the older summit is one of my favourites …
Take a look at this for more details:
http://www.anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00143/
I don't know if Will tried to be ironic or that he really thinks exchange lite is something new, but in reality Exchange Lite is just a proprietary name used by RAB/Outdoor Designs. It used to be an air permeable version of gore-tex; today they use it for eVENT.
Looks a lot like a double rainbow. Big Agnes does the short strut pole also.
I know this forum looks down at REI gear in a big way, but I paid $219 for a T3 last weekend. After replacing the stakes, and losing the storage bags, it weighs 4.55#. That isn't bad for a 3 person test, with 2 vestibules. You gotta admit, they're trying; albeit as much as they can while trying to reach a mass market.
Ok – so if BPL stakes weigh 6 grams each… just what is Terra doing to get down to a 1 gram stake? Or was that just a typo?
IIRC, BPL sells 1 gram stakes too.
Me too, David ….. I'll likely pass on the Carbon Reflex @ $450: My '06 Hubba was purchased new for $150, and my Fibraplex Carbon poles costs $115 … total weight with everything is 2 lbs 10 oz at a costs of $265.
As always, very well organized and detailed..
I LOVE this stuff !! And am grateful that this forum exists so that contributors , like Will, can share .
Thanks BPL !
How about the Stephenson 2R two-wall four-season tent at 2.75 pounds? No mesh inner walls. My friend has one and loves it. I've been snow camping in that tent.
Perhaps you could borrow one and review it.
Stephenson's tents obviously didn't qualify for this review because they were not at this OR show. However, their tents are certainly worthy of inclusion in an overall comparison of lightweight double walled shelters.
Nm
Hi All. I have been away for a week hiking on the CDT. Here are my responses to some of the questions raised about the shelters roundup.
Tyvek: On the Hang 'em High website, click on "catalog", then enter "Tyvek" in the search box and it will come up.
Terra Nova 1 gram stakes: They actually weigh 1.28 gram (.045 ounce) each. They are like tooth picks, and I wonder how well they will secure a tent. It takes 12 of them to stake the Laser Photon. I think some heftier stakes are needed to secure the 4 main guylines on the tent, at least.
ID Bug Dome/SilDome Tent: They use the same pole, and the combination makes into a double wall tent if the SilDome is laid over the BugDome with pole. I don't know if they attach together so they can be set up as a unit.
Stephenson's 2R: I don't believe this is a new tent. Note that our Outdoor Retailer LW shelters roundup only focuses on new tents hitting the market in 08 and 09, and does not cover older models.
Exchange Lite Fabric: I double checked and was told that it is an eVENT product. I believe the GTX product is FLO2.
Best, Will
Nm
I have the Stephenson 3R. Tons of room for two and gear. Great so far. It is relatively light for a double wall at a little under four pounds; however, it also seems to be extremely sturdy. At least for me, it is a good compromise bewteen light weight and the insistence that in so far as possible equipment failure is not an option when deep in the backcountry.
excellent assessment, hope the author doesnt mind me posting a link here:
http://www.anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00143/
note the vestibule!
I note the weight of the vestibule in addition to the 2kg tent is not quoted. :-)
Good article though, and comments about the need for a tent made me think. I still like the roominess of my Hex 3 which is pretty bombproof in high wind, and big enough to not have to worry about condensation too much.
Half the weight too, including a MYOG Tyvek bathtub groundsheet.
Roger: The hex 3 has loops sewn in to support the bathtub walls.
…
I was going to say the same thing about the MSR tents. They look great, but I'll take my DoubleRainbow over a double wall for any 3+ season hike. I like being able to set the tent up in the rain and not worry about soaking my tent floor. I guess it is kudos to Henry Shires – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Excellent article – please keep it up.
Become a member to post in the forums.