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Backpacking tent....robust and light recommendations

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 abr1966 23 May 2022

I'm sure there are lots of previous threads so excuse my laziness but.....looking for any personal opinions or heresay.

Basically I'm getting a tent for someone who will be in it most days for 3 or maybe a bit more months doing a charity walk in UK.

I had thought about the Hubba Hubba NX but very mixed reviews and whilst light I'm less confident about the robustness. MSR Elixir 1 comes to mind but looking on the sites there are loads of makes I've never heard of ...a lot look American and light but for UK?

Sit height of around 95 cm would be good and any comments/views about the weight/quality/space compromise...

Thanks

 Tom F Harding 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

Hilleberg Akto all the way - expensive though! I have a MSR Hubba HP and I've never been particularly happy with it, the fly sheet ends well above the ground so in windy conditions rain gets blow up inside. The ground sheet is also not waterproof in any way (the additional footprints are also not waterproof...).

2
 grectangle 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

Robust and light do not always pair well in the world of tents.  Weight-saving means material saving.  I have met many people with very expensive and lightweight single person tents walking in the UK.  One fellow set his up (brand new 700 quid) outside a bothy only for a stiff wind to come in and blow it flat.  He slept in the bothy.  Another had imported one from the States, paid a ridiculous amount, and his collapsed in the night during a storm.    

My advice is to focus on something that is more on the robust side, and definitely weather-tight, and not worry about a pound or two in weight saving.  In 3 months the weather will get bad and you don't want to be stressing about your shelter holding up.  If you're not sleeping well, all that lightweight stuff will still be a burden to carry.

I carry a 2 man tent, weighing 5 pounds (the Akto weighs 3), on long-distance walks.  Having that extra space night after night is a luxury, all my stuff stays inside and never gets wet, plus there's an extra vestibule to cook in.  I realise that seems excessive these days, so if set on a 1 man, do make sure it's got a decent sized vestibule for all your stuff to sit under and keep dry.

Good luck and let us know what you go with and how it works out!

1
 Tony Buckley 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

If you're going to be in a tent so frequently over such a long period in the UK, I'd not bother looking at an American tent.

Nothing especially wrong with such tents but they're built for a different set of needs; warmer and, especially, drier weather.  You may shave a few ounces off by having an inner tent that's made of fine mesh, but you'll notice that a stiff breeze will make it chillier inside.  You may think that having a flysheet that isn't quite as enveloping isn't that important, but you'll change your mind after a week's wet weather.  And small is ok if you're only inside for a night or two, but it will become restrictive well before your three months are up.

So, be prepared to shoulder a bit extra weight for the sake of space, warmth and weatherproofing.  If cost were no object, I'd look at Hilleberg; though not the Akto.  Fine tent though it is with many happy users, I think it's too small for the period you'll be using it.  I'd look at the Staika or the Nallo.  The cost is enough to make you wince a bit though.

The Terra Nova Quasar has been around for a long time; it's a good tent that will meet your needs; their Voyager tent is similarly well-regarded though as a semi-geodesic style, not quite as tough.  You should also look at the Lightwave G20 trek and the Lightwave t20 trail.

So you aren't short of options (lots of potentially suitable tents I haven't mentioned) and the only way to really discover what will work for you is to go and see them for yourself.  See them packed, see them put up, get inside and sit up, lie down, get in the positions you would when cooking, think about what i would be like being in there for another day of miserable wind and rain and make your mind up once you've done all that.  Happy shopping!

T.

 PaulJepson 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

I used a Tarptent (USA) on a long trail in the states and it was fantastic. I used in on the Pennine Way in 2017 and, whilst I had zero reservations about it being structurally sound, keeping me dry, being robust for long periods of time, etc., it was not very good at coping with the general high humidity of UK summer weather.

 Acrux 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

The tarptent scarp 1 is supposed to be very good, generously sized for a 1 man tent and has an extra external pole system for bad weather. Weights 1.4kg without extra poles and 1.8kg with them. Expensive though and need to be imported I believe

 Welsh Kate 23 May 2022
In reply to Acrux:

Yep, I have a Scarp 1 which has a fly designed for our kind of weather. I've never actually used the additional external poles whilst camping but they provide impressive additional robustness to the structure. The tent's spacious, and having a porch either side is fab for sorting kit, storing stuff in one side and using the other for in / out / cooking in rubbish weather. I've had mine for about 8 years now and the Superlite Voyager rarely gets out of the loft these days.

 Dave Todd 23 May 2022
In reply to Welsh Kate:

I think the Scarp 1 is the tent that Murray Wilkie has been using over the past few years ('Scotland's Mountains' on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/wilkiemurray/videos ).  Seems to have stood up to many nights on the Scottish hills.

 DaveHK 23 May 2022
In reply to Tony Buckley:

> .You should also look at the Lightwave G20 trek 

I had one of these and it was disastrously poor, quite the worst tent I've used in 30 years. Lightwave's customer service was useless but fortunately the retailer gave me a refund.

To cut a long story short it was impossible to pitch right, leaked like a sieve from the word go and was falling apart after a 3 week bike tour.

 65 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

I'd second the Akto. Proper stormproof and light enough. I'm 188cm and was quite comfy lazing all day in mine with a book and the stove going in bad weather.

We've got a Hubba Hubba 2 person, it's really well laid out and comfortable but it doesn't stand up to proper wind very well. It probably won't blow down or break but you don't get a good night's sleep in a hoolie. Pitches inner first too which is sub-optimal for a wet climate tent, especially if being used on several consecutive nights.

 PaulJepson 23 May 2022
In reply to PaulJepson:

Sorry I should say it was the Tarptent Notch I have experience with. I have heard people say the Scarp works really well in the UK.

 Acrux 23 May 2022
In reply to 65:

I have the hubba hubba nx and I agree, very light tent with a spacious design but probably not the best in the wind. I took it camping recently in 40mph gusts and it was bending a fair bit. Not sure I would trust it in much higher winds. Supposedly you can pitch the outer first if you have the ground sheet, though I imagine it is a bit of a pain

 bruxist 23 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

I like the Hilleberg Akto, but I like its ultralight cousin the Enan better (1.7 kg vs. 1.2kg). The only downside of the Enan in comparison with the Akto is that given the material is so lightweight, the tent can be a little noisy in storms on exposed hills, but then nobody sets off on a 3-monther without earplugs in their pack lest they have to stop in a bothy or at a hostel... Hilleberg are v. pricey though (£680/750 for the Akto/Enan if bought direct).

I don't think I'd buy an Akto over an Enan when at the other end of the scale there's something like the Wild Country Zephyros 2 (Terra Nova's cheaper knock-off of their own Laser Comp). Although I'm mainly using it now just in winter, I've used it for long periods in all seasons over the last few years and have been entirely happy with it (1.8kg and £150-200). Both the Enan and the Zephyros 2 seem to me equally robust, have similar pitching styles & speeds, but the Enan is lighter and more expensive and feels like it shouldn't be as robust as it is, whereas the Zephyros 2 is heavier and cheaper and feels exactly as robust as it is.

 bobbyspangles 24 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

throwing my hat in the ring.

try 3f ul tents. i have a lanshan 2. bomber tent

Post edited at 12:02
 libertine 24 May 2022
In reply to bobbyspangles:

I have lanshan 2pro.

Very pleased with it especially at the price.

 brianjcooper 24 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

Not sure if Terra Nova still make their Ultra Quasar tent. Touch wood. Ours has been bomb proof over the years.

After a particularly violent storm, it was one of few still left standing on the campsite. As others have said. A bit more weight is well worth being robust.

1
 65 24 May 2022
In reply to brianjcooper:

The Quasar is a brilliant and totally bombproof tent but it isn't remotely suitable as a solo backpacking tent. There's a bit more weight and there's sending it home from the first post office you come to.

 Brian Pollock 24 May 2022
In reply to abr1966:

Another vote for the Scarp 1. Comfortable for a couple - 2 full size thermarests fit but quite cosy. Palatial for one. I'm 5ft 10 and can comfortably sit up in it and I have a lot of extra leg room lying down. Enough to fit a rucksack side on.

I only recently bought it second hand. So far it has done very well with a 30mph> side wind - with cross poles it was solid as a rock. Also zero condensation that night/ morning. On another occasion camped next to melting snow and little wind there was condensation on the outer flysheet but nothing affecting the inner - the cross poles (or use of trekking poles) keep the outer well clear of the inner.

I think they are out of stock until June-ish though. The manufacturer is pretty responsive to emails though and you can register for an update on new stock. They occasionally come up second hand on Ebay, various Facebook pages, etc.

 brianjcooper 24 May 2022
In reply to 65:

> The Quasar is a brilliant and totally bombproof tent but it isn't remotely suitable as a solo backpacking tent. There's a bit more weight and there's sending it home from the first post office you come to.

I obviously misunderstood the OP was solo backpacking. The weight distributed between two of us seemed OK. Point taken though.

Post edited at 21:27

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