Tent design features

[just jim]

A 2" diameter porthole on the fly, which doubles up as a sundial on conjunction with markings printed on the inner.

 

[just jim]

o.k, pretty daft. I'm kind of serious about the little window, maybe not clear plastic though, since it's not very durable. Some variant of ripstop nylon perhaps?

 

[Arch]

Plus one to whoever mentioned hooks and fixing points inside. A single hook at the highest point to hang a torch from, and some others lower down. Also a few mesh pockets sewn in so that little items can be stowed up off the floor - things like glasses for those who wear them, or a watch, or a phone or whatever, just to stop them getting mixed up in the general melee of clothes and stuff.

 

[Fiona N]

HelenD123 you have just described my tent! (MSR Hubba Hubba HP). The only qualms I have about it are its ability to stand up to strong winds...

Don't worry about wind - I have the same tent and in Corsica on GR20 I pitched the tent on a very limited space at one of the huts. During the night the wind rose to gale force and unfortunately, due to the small plot, I had no option about the orientation which meant I ended up side-on into the wind - so the worst possible situation. It was noisy and I was buffeted but the tent was fine. I should mention that the pegs were all secured with large boulders in the shallow sandy soil. There were several abandoned tents about the place next morning.

 

[Fiona N]

What about a double door on the inner? - a mesh door for warm conditions and a 'solid' but lightweight door for cold conditions.

 

[Yellow7]

I'd have to agree with the hubba hubba. I've been using mine for the past 9 months en-route to cape town , great for the african weather be it hot or wet-season torrential rain. It can be errected with just two pegs and packs quite small. The latest version is green, as the yellow does stand-out a bit when free-camping.

Mark. wallisonwheels.com

 

[hubbike]

thanks for all the input everyone.

I like the name hubba hubba (my sirname is hubbard) but I have a bit of a bug bear about the fly sheet not going down to the ground. this is a typical american design that doesn't fair well in scotlands driving horizontal rain, high winds, etc...

I want a Patagonia proof tent but also a very flexible arrangement...I'll have a go and see what I come up with...

 

[peelywally]

What about a double door on the inner? - a mesh door for warm conditions and a 'solid' but lightweight door for cold conditions.

and those that do have double doors always put the mesh one on the inside zippper , so solid door cant be closed without opening it first , very handy when you wake up with a draft at 3am and can barely see straight let alone fiddle with zips .

 

[andym]

I like the name hubba hubba (my sirname is hubbard)

Maybe you could call it the Hubble Bubble or even the Hubble Abode?

 

[shirokazan]

...I have a bit of a bug bear about the fly sheet not going down to the ground. this is a typical american design that doesn't fair well in scotlands driving horizontal rain, high winds, etc...

But it may help reduce condensation by allowing air to flow through the tent better, and also permit high winds to pass by the tent more easily: if the tent puts up more resistance then it is more likely to be damaged by strong gusts. And the groundsheet has a very high level of water resistance (higher than any other that I've seen the specifications for) so driving rain is less likely to penetrate to the interior.

I've found that most of my kit stored in the vestibules is sheltered from the rain, only being exposed when it's right at the edges. So far only my Ortlieb panniers have received a bit of it where they were touching the flysheet. I think if I were concerned about rain getting on things, I'd make sure that they were wrapped up e.g. put shoes into a plastic bag.

Still, I should be able to give you an update on how it bears up to Scottish conditions after my two-week tour which starts later this month.

 

[HelenD123]

and those that do have double doors always put the mesh one on the inside zippper , so solid door cant be closed without opening it first , very handy when you wake up with a draft at 3am and can barely see straight let alone fiddle with zips .

My Terra Nova tent has the solid side on the inside so you can adjust the ventilation. Don't be tempted to close it up entirely if it's very cold. You'll get lots of condensation .

 

[vernon]

Plus one to whoever mentioned hooks and fixing points inside. A single hook at the highest point to hang a torch from, and some others lower down. Also a few mesh pockets sewn in so that little items can be stowed up off the floor - things like glasses for those who wear them, or a watch, or a phone or whatever, just to stop them getting mixed up in the general melee of clothes and stuff.

My Vango tents have mesh pockets. Quite a few tents have fixing points for gear lofts which tend to be sold as extras.

 

[vernon]

What about a double door on the inner? - a mesh door for warm conditions and a 'solid' but lightweight door for cold conditions.

My Vango tents have those.

 

[andym]

There's a long list of things that ought to be standard on all tents but unfortunately aren't. And they are often things you don't think much about until you're on your second or third tent.

 

[vernon]

And once the long list of things that ought to be standard are incorporated into the ideal tent, it will lose it its appeal as it will be heavier and more expensive than its competitors with fewer features.