UKC

Hey,

I need a bit of advice please. I am looking for a tent for solo wild camping. I was thinking of the TN sololite, but people say it's really small to fit gear in and can't really cook in it. So I thought about the Duolite. It's on Amazon for £157 or Ebay for £140. Is a tent something you'd recommend buying on ebay? And what do people think of the tent itself?

Cheers

In reply to lorddan01: Just a minor safety point, you should never EVER cook in a tent unless the manufacturer specifically endorses that the tent is safe to cook in.

But you realise that tent is 2.5kg.. even the sololite is 1.8kg?! It does irk me that these manufacturers say that these tents are suitable for backpacking when you break your back lugging them about.

As for Solo wild camping, I have a TN Photon (800 grams), but the 1-man Zephyros is only 1.25kg and £99. Surely you can leave your gear outside in your emergency shelter? I usually do, either that or snuggle among your kit in the 1-man tent (I also have a gelert solo, which I still fit in with my gear and I'm 6'5").

The other 2-man tent which is pretty light is the Vango Banshee 200 at £99 new and 500 grams lighter than the Duolite. We've got a couple at Scouts and I have to say I'm impressed.

Be careful buying second hand or older stock in case it's had UV exposure, you may find the fabric is brittle around exposed or stressed points.

Good luck!

In reply to alexgoodey:

Are there any manufacturers that do?

In reply to lorddan01: Those are some nice sound figures weight wise ill have a look thanks.

I was under the impression that it's ok to cook as long as you leave the door open slightly for any harmful gases to escape.

How do those suggested tents rack up against winds and rain? I want a cheap tent but I don't want waste money if it'll only last up to 5mph wind lol.

In reply to lorddan01:
I've got a duolite tourer - same as the standard duolite but with a monster porch. Interesting pole configuration that seems to work pretty well and means that it pitches in one; nice feature if its chucking it down as you pitch.
Pretty stable in the wind so long as you pitch it right and the inner has ample room for two; which probably means it might be overlarge for you with the weight implications of that?
If you're considering cooking in the porch in bad weather then you need a decent porch! Something designed like a Vango Banshee is a non starter for that.

My personal favourite for going solo is an old Terra Nova Solar 1 - but I'm afraid they don't make them anymore

In reply to Carolyn:
I'm guessing the various companies that sell tipi tents and wood stoves for them will be happy enough for you to cook inside the tents

In reply to lorddan01:


There's also the risk of setting the tent alight....

Cooking inside (the porch of) a tent is always going to be bit risky, but may often be the best option in really bad weather.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/qna/qna.asp?uqn=584&P=22&SP=&V=10

In reply to Shearwater:

Aye, well you can carry it

In reply to lorddan01: Have you considered something like this tent ? Similar price to the one you mention. Weight 1.25 kg.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/bushcraft/WF106.html

Plenty of room to cook under the fly.

I went for the Banshee in the end. Got it for £54 instead of £100 with the go outdoor price guarantee.

Got a nice Vango ultralite 900 bag to go with it.

Cheers for the help guys.

Some tents are designed to include chimneys (there are full pot stoves with burners that pack up for backpacking!) but I believe there are several geodesic tents (extreme cold weather style) designed for cooking inside.

The real danger is carbon monoxide, a silent killer - odourless, invisible and lethal.

As for £54 for the Banshee - bloomin brilliant, what a bargain!

In reply to lorddan01:
Where were you price-matching against, please? Sounds like a right bargain!

In reply to rj_townsend:

Blacks have it for £60