Tents? whos using what? Pro and con

[andy_spacey]

I use a hammock and tarp most of the time but i do have my terra nova large laser outer fly with me in case i have to pich on the ground, My hammock Doubles up as the the inner for the moszys.

I have just up geared my Hammock and tarp and saved 800g of my old set up.

But i am looking and reviewing for a new Tent, Thinking of a exped gemini ii.

This would me a have two interdependent systems
I ant a new be to touring and i know that 2.5kg for a tent is a bit heavy than most. (my terra nova is 1.8kg for 2 people.) so it will work out the same as my old system.

It good to look around and feed back

So what you got? how long you had it? pors and cons?

Thanks
Andy

 

[bikepacker]

Hilleberg tents are expensive but well worth the money and represent long-term value. Until this year I have used them exclusively, camping about 60 nights a year. This year however due to wanting a tent to sit inside on my Helinox chair I am experimenting with a Golite Hex with an Ooooworks inner nest. So far only done 5 nights in it so judgement is reserved. I shall soon be taking it to France for 3 weeks so will find out then if it is the right one for me.

 

[P.H]

We all have different requirements and preferences. I like to sleep across the door and like a rigid structure, both of which rule out the tunnel design. My current Terra Nova Solar 2.2 is around 6 years old, 20 - 30 nights a year, 3 season use, it's done me well though is showing signs of age and I've damaged it a couple of times. I haven't started looking for it's replacement yet, but it won't be that different.

Pros - Goes up easily first time, every time, no need to do adjustments later. Near vertical walls making the most of the space. Easy to get in and out of, with two people you can have a door each. Massive door great for watching the sun go down, plenty of room for 2 to sit side by side. Plenty of porch floor space for storage.
Cons - Not the lightest at a bit over 2kg. The flat roof can sometimes collect water. There is no headspace in the porches. Some put the inner first pitch as a disadvantage, in IME it has never been a problem. Price, while I'm sure tents at this price point are better than those a third of the price, I am doubtful they are three times better, for my use anyway.

 

[doog]

I have a Vaude Taurus Ultralight, weight comes in about 1.8kg, 2 person, goes up in a few minutes and if you look around you might find a bargain (but probably not this time of the year). Had it a few years, it has a useful little porch, ideal for very careful cooking in bad weather or storing your gear out of view. My only issue has been a sticky zip on the porch but there is probably an easy cure for that.

 

[compo]

We use a Mojave 5 extended with it's porch. let's see you get this in your panniers:

For my own use on my occasional weekends away I use a tent very similar to this one, but in lighterweight nylon. Nearly 40 years old, and I bought it new, it is still in good condition and totally reliable in the wet.

 

[MarkF]

The Quechua t2 ultralight pro was my first touring tent bought 4 years ago and it's been great. 2kg, super fast erection, less than 5 mins even for the cackhanded. It only has 2 poles and is erected with the inner in situ. I do not have any negatives but, it's sold as a two man tent, really I think it is a one man tent with luggage space.

 

[stu9000]

I've not done any cycle touring yet but plenty camping. I think a tarp and bivvy bag is going to be hard to beat in weight terms. One of the reasons I bought a triban 3 is it has mounting points for a rack. I'm looking forward to getting out there.

 

[asterix]

I like my Hilleberg Nallo 2GT. Tarps and bivvy bags are not for me as if I depended on those when it rains a lot I'd soon be booking a hotel! The weight of a tent like the nallo is nothing compared to the stopover comfort benefit in torrential rain and I have carried mine up hors category mountains quite happily with that in mind. Right now am looking forward to my next trip to the mountains with it in 2 months or so.

 

[Ladytrucker]

Gobi4 great for weekends and short breaks loads of room for 2 of us.

 

[Cycleops]

Gobi4 great for weekends and short breaks loads of room for 2 of us.

How about room for it on the bike?

 

[mcshroom]

I used to use a coleman viper, a nice little single-pole tent which can be pitched all in one (though inner fist is easier)

Unfortunately the groundsheet is getting leaky so I upgraded it two years ago to a coleman cobra (I don't specifically look for coleman tents, but they tend to fall in my requirements/price range)

This one is pitch in one with two pre-bent poles, there's a massive amount of space in there for one person, and a second fly (without door) on the rear for extra luggage. The bike has to live outside though.

 

[andym]

I've not done any cycle touring yet but plenty camping. I think a tarp and bivvy bag is going to be hard to beat in weight terms.

There are a number of dual-skin two-person tents that come in under a kilo (I'm writing this now in one of the excellent nordisk telemarks). The odd thing is that tarps and bivvy bags don't seem to have kept up with developments in technology and are relatively heavy.

 

[Ladytrucker]

How about room for it on the bike?

No, but I can get us and 2 bikes inside it.

 

[Danny]

For my own use on my occasional weekends away I use a tent very similar to this one, but in lighterweight nylon. Nearly 40 years old, and I bought it new, it is still in good condition and totally reliable in the wet.

Hey I've still got one of those. I got it when I was about 12 and was going off on boy scout camps. The tent itself is still in great condition but one of the poles went awol last year when some friends borrowed it to take to a festival.

 

[Sara_H]

Oooh a tent thread.....love it.

I got a terra nova laserspace 2 for cycle camping. Its brilliant - standing height, massive porch (easily fits 2 bikes plus luggage) and a big bedroom with another small door. It weighs more than your avarage crawl in tent, but I think its worth it for the standing height.
Carried between two the weights not an issue, fabric is 2.2kg, poles and pegs 1.1kg.