Single person tent?

[fredrogers]

Anyone have any reccos for a single person tent- super lightweight? Headed out on a 6 day solo trip and I'm not sure I can stand a bivvy sack for that long.

 

Cheers.

 

Fred.

[allison]

The SD Light Year is a nice choice. Neither ultra-lightweight nor ultra-expensive, solid, comfy, and very much a smaller version of a 2 man tent in terms of roominess. You can find them on sale on the Internet for around $125.

 

Oh, whoops, you said super-lightweight, never mind!!

 

 

[ 08-21-2002, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: allison ]

[fleblebleb]

The Hilleberg Akto is a really cool tent... but costs three times as much as the Sierra Designs thing. Check out http://www.hilleberg.com/ or http://www.promountainsports.com/.

[Goat_Boy]

Unless you need bug or snaffelhound protection, few tents can beat a Megamid for extended trips. 3.5 pounds and tons of room. Sheds wind and water extremely well. Best all around shelter made, IMHO.

[Cpt.Caveman]

If you could find a used one of these for a good price it would be good.

 

 

Otherwise Megamids are this shit.

[backcountrydog]

if going solo...

the betamid is smaller and lighter than megamid (2.5 lbs w/out floor) if u use trekking poles, which double as tent poles. the one draw back to not taking floor (another 1.5 lbs) is that if its buggy and the tent is staked low to ground, the condensation builds up quick so make sure your not up against one side.

other than that...the betamid does fit the bill for a bomber, lightweight shelter.

ps

on the outside of betamid, on the twin peaks, r 2 loops that enable it to b pitched using rope between to trees, etc. if u dont use poles for hiking...megamid Might b the same way, not sure.

ive used my betamid for 4 season use and love it.

[Goat_Boy]

The Mega has a single loop at the peak, so you can, indeed, hang it. From beach hiking to snow camping, nothing beats the clean and simple versatility of the teepee.

[haireball]

an 8x10 vinyl tarp from your local hardware store is light, cheap, and you can vary your pitching options from wide-open-airy to water-tight-like-a-frog's-ass. won't keep bugs out, though...

[mattp]

But the tarp is too low tech. How can such a simple yet effective thing be any good? What - no logo???

[robertjoy]

If a tarp is too low-tech, you might be interested in spending plenty for a tent that meets all your requirements. I have been pondering the NOMAD 2-4-2, by Wanderlust Gear (see site at wanderlustgear.com)which weighs about two pounds, has floor, room for two, costs around $300.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Tarps are ok if it doesnt rain on you or mosquitoes are not abundant. Otherwise they suck. Spending 6 straight days out with those possibilities makes me think a tarp is for people that never spent any time in jungles and swamplands with the military getting pissed on.

[mattp]

When camped below timberline, I'd much rather hang out under a tarp than in a tent. As Haireball noted, you can set them high or low, depending on wind and rain, but the thing I like about tarp camping is that you can cook breakfast in bed, while enjoying the scenery. When snow camping on ski trips, everybody always looks at me suspiciously when I suggest bringing a tarp and they bring their tent anyway -- "just in case." Then they usually spend the entire trip hanging under my tarp because it is so much more comforbable.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Yeah you cant sell me on that matt. I know what tarps are about and spent countless nights in shitstorms of snow, rain wind and running water on my sleeping bag due to no floor.

 

I'll pass on the tarp with a 6 day solo trip this time of year.

[mattp]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

spent countless nights in shitstorms of snow, rain wind and running water on my sleeping bag due to no floor

---

I think that is called operator error.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I dont think so. I think you are armchairing what I have experienced actually

[mattp]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

I dont think so. I think you are armchairing what I have experienced actually

---

You would be correct about that - I'm sitting in a chair with arms on it at this very moment.

[iain]

I've used a megamid for some time. I find them awesome in the snow but limited on ground. Things get unavoidably wet and heavy winds can be miserable no matter how well you anchor the thing down. Bugs can be miserable. That said I use one a lot. Sleeps 4 if necessary! They don't vent well and you can find yourself in a tropical rainforest when the sun hits the frozen vapor on the sides from the night.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Me too. I will be taking my high tech tent out next time too.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I am not saying tarps dont have a good place. I was just stating my opinion here. I guess I am operator error if my opinion is different.

[freeclimb9]

disposable tent: http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=12184

Used these as a kid. Strung a line through the tube between a couple trees, then used clothes pins to seal the door. You local gun-nut, survivalist, army-surplust store might have them.

[fleblebleb]

Q: What's more cramped than a bivi bag?

A: A bivi bag underneath a tarp pitched down low.

 

I slept through a bit of a blizzard this summer with a bivi bag and a tarp, and it worked great - but I wouldn't want to do it for an extended period. We were up on Cache Col and there were gusts of wind from different directions, so I had to pitch it really close to the ground. I'll stick to a tent for longer trips, or trips with a marginal forecast, unless the whole trip is below timberline. And I would rather have a tent that can be pitched fly first.

[thelawgoddess]

quote:

---

Originally posted by fleblebleb:

The Hilleberg Akto is a really cool tent...

---

there is one on display in the tent/tarp yard at pro mountain sports in seattle if you want to check it out.

[Fence_Sitter]

i ahve the walrus micro swift...it is a good inexpensive tent but i have had it in a good little ripper on ranier and it was no prob. i think i got mine at MEC for like $175 canadian so it is on the less expensive side

[haireball]

if I hadn't spent MONTHS in the mountains in bad weather under tarps, I wouldn't have recommended it. I'd have to agree with MattP that if you're getting soaked under a tarp, it's due to operator error. the most common error is poor location, and I've seen at least as many boneheads soaked in poorly located multi-hundred $$$ tents as under poorly pitched or poorly located tarps. I will grant that ya don't always have the most ideal site available for choice - but when that's the case, then the choice is to be cheap wet or expensive wet...

[Dru]

go himalayan soloist and poach time in other people's tents while they are outr climbing. also piss in their water bottles and eat their food. justify it by claiming no ethics over 8000m if they complain show em a jimmied altimiter and say you are at 8420m right now! if they still complain warn them they are about to enter the death zone!