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#108942 - 10/17/07 06:14 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: Erik_B]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


I just found the identical tent under a different brand on the Cabellas website...the reviews don't look spectacular.

I did find this tent through. The reviews are good though it's not much more than a bivy sack with poles and a rain fly. I'm thinking about picking it up myself. It even comes with spare pole sections and a bottle of seam sealer!





Edited by Hacksaw (10/17/07 06:44 PM)
Edit Reason: Added link and tent info

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#108945 - 10/17/07 06:56 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: Erik_B]
Frank2135 Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 04/26/07
Posts: 266
Loc: Ohio, USA
(WARNING: MIDDLE-AGED REMINISCING ALERT!) My first tent (military surplus, heavy cotton canvas) was absolutely perfect, unless you had to carry it very far. Also, after a couple of seasons the waterproofing wasn't so hot. The lack of a floor also had some drawbacks, as did the lack of mesh windows. Other than that, it was perfect. I loved that tent.

Much later I got a hi-tech, nylon & no-see-um mesh, separate rain fly, waterproof tub floor, flexible-fiberglass-pole wonder. It weighs a third as much, takes half the time to set up, and has none of the drawbacks of the old one. When inside, I am as isolated from my environment as several ounces of space-age fabric can make you.

Now when going solo more often than not I carry two military ponchos, a poncho liner, a poly/mylar "blanket" with grommeted corners, and a 3' x 3' piece of fine nylon mesh. That is my sleep/shelter system. It's not perfect, and it's sure not hi-tech, but I like the simplicity, flexibility, and multi-tasking capability of the components. I also like being a little more in touch with my surroundings. I have yet to get wet (except for one time when I foolishly set up in a location where the rain water pooled during the night) and yet to sleep cold (except for the occasion just mentioned).

I guess my long-delayed point is, a tent is a tent. It has a function. The measure of its success in performing that function is probably dependent on your expectations and perceptions as much as anything else.
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#108951 - 10/17/07 08:25 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: ]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3241
Loc: Alberta, Canada
A couple of thoughts on the hoop tent:

I hope the fly doesn't conform too closely to the shape of the inner tent. Otherwise, I'd be worried about condensation problems. This type of design can have ventilation issues.

And given the weight, I wouldn't expect the floor of the bathtub to stay waterproof very long. Clear your sites carefully, and put something underneath to lessen abrasion (groundsheet, footprint, or even trash bags).

On the plus side, you can use the inner tent with a grounsheet underneath and a tarp pitched over top, and have a shelter that's quite light and versatile, with room to do more than just sleep.

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#108952 - 10/17/07 09:08 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: dougwalkabout]
KenK Offline
"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2211
Loc: NE Wisconsin

Some of the Scouts in my son's Boy Scout troop have purchased solo backpacking tents. One of the Scouts bought the Eureka Solitaire ($70). My son has the Eureka Spitfire 1 ($100).

The limited headroom in the Eureka Solitaire drives the one Scout nuts. He can't even situp. He wishes he'd purchased the Spitfire.

The Spitfire 1 is a high quality reasonably lightweight tent at a decent price, BUT you'll probably have to stow your gear outside. My son puts it in a large plastic bag to protect it from the elements.

If you want to stow your gear inside, consider the Eureka Spitfire 2 ($140) - that is what I use since I needed more length (I'm 6'5").

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#108958 - 10/17/07 11:44 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: KenK]
asfried1 Offline
Newbie

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 31
Although they are single walled tents, Tarp Tents are extremely well thought out. I own the two person Double Rainbow and have had extremely good experiences with it. It is a scant more damp than my double walled tents but not so's you'd really notice. And it weighs an unexaggerated 4 pounds less!!!

http://www.tarptent.com/products.html

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#109006 - 10/18/07 03:13 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: asfried1]
KenK Offline
"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2211
Loc: NE Wisconsin
Your really can't compare the weight of a single-walled tent (Double Rainbow) to a double-walled tent (Spitfire 2).

In the event of a driving rain on a cool windy day, closing the single-walled Double Rainbow would result in massive condensation problems. The double-walled Spitfire 2 with a full-length fly, even with all doors closed, still has substantial ventilation through the bottom of the rain fly and the hooded fly vent at the top.


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#109320 - 10/20/07 09:02 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: KenK]
asfried1 Offline
Newbie

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 31
Originally Posted By: KenK
Your really can't compare the weight of a single-walled tent (Double Rainbow) to a double-walled tent (Spitfire 2).

In the event of a driving rain on a cool windy day, closing the single-walled Double Rainbow would result in massive condensation problems. The double-walled Spitfire 2 with a full-length fly, even with all doors closed, still has substantial ventilation through the bottom of the rain fly and the hooded fly vent at the top.



Well, all I can do is suggest you try the Double Rainbow or one of the other TarpTents. Your prediction has not been my experience. I have, actually, slept very comfortably in my Double Rainbow on "a cold windy day" without a significantly larger amount of condensation than the double wall tents I own. In fact, the worst tent I ever owned for condensation was one of those double walled tents with the full mesh top - sleeping in that tent was like sleeping in a rain forest.

Again, 4 lbs is a pretty fair trade off for a bit more condensation.

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#109344 - 10/21/07 02:35 AM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: asfried1]
Fallshirmjager Offline
Newbie

Registered: 02/09/04
Posts: 42
Over the last couple of years, I've been using the MSR Zoid tents.

Without the footprint and sticks, you can roll the 2.0, 1.0 and mini down to loaf of bread size, and hang the poles on the outside of your back pack.
IIRC, the Zoid 2.0 weighs in at around 3 lbs. total, and it's a generous 2 man/3 season tent.

The Zoid does have some design flaws, but at the time, they were the lightest and smallest tents I could find.

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#109349 - 10/21/07 04:32 AM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: Erik_B]
perpster Offline
Stranger

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 3
Specs say it's only 6 ft long, so if you're close to that tall or taller...

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#109397 - 10/21/07 07:36 PM Re: Looking for a Tent. [Re: Erik_B]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
If you want really light weight, and money is not an object, Stephensons Warmlites are supposed to be great. I have never tried one, but they sure sound interesting...
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