I'm scouting for tents for a 2009 thru-hike and was just wondering if people could list tents they have used on previous thru-hikes and whether they were good or bad.
Budgeting around £200 ($400) and looking to use it quite a lot on the trail.
Any comments appreciated

Any of Henry Shires Tarptents:

http://tarptent.com/products.html

I used--and still use, with hardly any signs of deterioration--a Virga I, which is the ancestor of the Contrail.

Ive been looking at some eureka's they look nice and the reviews seem good.

Ive been looking at some eureka's they look nice and the reviews seem good.

Eureka makes fine tents. Eureka Spitfire is a very decent solo backpacking tent, and won't break the bank.

MSR Hubba and the Hubba Hubba. I have not thru hiked but section. I promise the MSR hubba's are worth every cent. :)

Well I'm new here but I have heard good things about the Mountain Hardwear "Sprite 1" tent. My cousin is a thru hiker this year and has been using one, so I ask him about it on a previous e-mail because I was thinking about one and he said nothing but good things about it. The one I was looking at was somewhere around $150-$160 and only weighs about 3.5 lbs.

Eureka makes fine tents. Eureka Spitfire is a very decent solo backpacking tent, and won't break the bank.

I used Eureka tents my whole life and never had a problem. I was bought an REI tent for Christmas one year and could list 5 things wrong with it,

1. Too loose on the bottom, the sides 'spill' out past the footprint and the rain fly.

2. Too many poles, stay away from 3 pole construction. I don't know why it's so confusing sometimes but if your in a hail storm what you get is 1 person with 2 poles 1 person with 1 pole and 2 dumb looks on 2 dumb faces.

3. Too large of an area, being a rounded tent it takes too much room, look at this picture of it hanging off the edge of a platform at Guyot
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=26903&c=641

4. HEAVY. Starts off at 7lbs and when wet more like 9 lbs. Thanks mom.
5. Not a complaint, this is a great tent for car camping, not for backpacking I am thinking of replacing it with this Eureka, 150 bucks and solid reviews. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___24216

If your going solo, Tarptent or Hammock is probably a better option tho.

I used Eureka tents my whole life and never had a problem. I was bought an REI tent for Christmas one year and could list 5 things wrong with it,

1. Too loose on the bottom, the sides 'spill' out past the footprint and the rain fly.

2. Too many poles, stay away from 3 pole construction. I don't know why it's so confusing sometimes but if your in a hail storm what you get is 1 person with 2 poles 1 person with 1 pole and 2 dumb looks on 2 dumb faces.

3. Too large of an area, being a rounded tent it takes too much room, look at this picture of it hanging off the edge of a platform at Guyot
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=26903&c=641

4. HEAVY. Starts off at 7lbs and when wet more like 9 lbs. Thanks mom.
5. Not a complaint, this is a great tent for car camping, not for backpacking I am thinking of replacing it with this Eureka, 150 bucks and solid reviews. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___24216

If your going solo, Tarptent or Hammock is probably a better option tho.

Your points are valid per your experience. However, this is not a valid indictment of REI tents overall. The tent you got is not a backpacking tent, so of course it's not very good for backpacking. REI does make some good backpacking tents that would not have most of the problems you site. I realize that you know this and in effect said so, I just thought I'd reiterate. I don't own any REI tents, but have known many who did and were happy.

Just for all you future hikers out there, this is why you have to be very careful asking for gear for Christmas, Birthday, Graduation, whatever. The only safe way to do this is to get a catalog and mark exactly what you want, or find your gear online, then print out the pages to give to your friends/relatives. Saves a lot of hard feelings or less than ideal hikes. Just a tip from someone who has been there, done that. :)

Your points are valid per your experience. However, this is not a valid indictment of REI tents overall. The tent you got is not a backpacking tent, so of course it's not very good for backpacking. REI does make some good backpacking tents that would not have most of the problems you site. I realize that you know this and in effect said so, I just thought I'd reiterate. I don't own any REI tents, but have known many who did and were happy.

Just for all you future hikers out there, this is why you have to be very careful asking for gear for Christmas, Birthday, Graduation, whatever. The only safe way to do this is to get a catalog and mark exactly what you want, or find your gear online, then print out the pages to give to your friends/relatives. Saves a lot of hard feelings or less than ideal hikes. Just a tip from someone who has been there, done that. :)

I love that tent in so many ways, I also like the REI half dome because of its ease in setup, Most times I don't mind carrying the few extra pounds but for any type of distance this tent is too bulky (not only to carry but in space it needs to setup) and when it gets wet it's very hard to shake dry. If I am going on a 3-5 day hike with lots of tent site options I wouldn't hesitate to carry it, but for longer hikes that I am planning I need smaller, lighter, and easier to setup. (Oddly enough my mother did buy me that tent for christmas, and got herself a lightweight REI backpacking tent... She doesn't go backpacking however...but she loves that tent and won't trade) :D

Worked great. No regrets. Will definitely use a HS tarptent on my redux thruhike next year.

I have the Tarptent CloudburstII.. 2.5lbs. I had it for several years and its done great. I also bought some 1.1oz silnylon from Wilderness Outdoor Fabrics and made an 8x11 wide 10' long tarp with a catenary curve at the top. wts 14oz. use your tracking poles. You could always make one...

Here's something that's not quite a tent. You could fashion some bug protection to use underneath it. It looks to be designed to cheat the wind, and Integral Designs makes some top-shelf items.
http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=847&CFID=149051&CFTOKEN=83786935&mainproducttypeid=1

Used Tarptent Squall for the first part of my hike. Okay, not a lot of head room and because it's single wall, there were condensation issues with two people in it. The back pole broke too but Henry was great at replacing it. A decent, ultralight tent.

For New England miosquitoes, Whites, etc we used the MSR hubba hubba - very good, freestanding and double wall which was nice with bugs.

I agree with Roots. Every MSR product I've ever had was built with function in mind first and then form. The MSR missing link is what I use the most but I prefer having a seperate fly really.

I find the Clip Flashlight to be a good compromize between weight and comfort. Way under your budget, too.

You will see a lot of Tarptent products on the Trail, in particular the Rainbow.

www.tarptent.com

I have used a Squall 2 on many adventures. It is designated as a 2-person, but since it only weighs in at a little over 2 pounds, I use is as a single person + gear.

The worst I have had this tent out in was a trip a couple years ago in Slickrock Creek Wilderness in Western North Carolina. The bottom fell out of the sky like I have never seen nor heard before in any trip I've been on. Every time I thought "Well - can't rain any harder than that!" - well I would be proved wrong as it would start raining even harder!

At any rate - I did eventually get to sleep, and the next morning I literally had the edge of a small creek running under the tent on the front corner under where was sleeping. Amazingly - my gear stayed relatively dry (there was some moisture from the "misting effect"), but the water did not come up through the Sil floor at all.

This tent really rocks, and I would recommend it to anyone!

-delieriousNomad

I have the '03 Squall, and I've been in a few torrential downpours, and my gear has never gotten wet. It has the sil bathtub floor, with the elongated beak. Shires makes a good tarptent.

I have a MSR hubba hubba (2 person tent) and a Kelty something solo tent. Both are lightweight and great tents.

MSR Hubba and the Hubba Hubba. I have not thru hiked but section. I promise the MSR hubba's are worth every cent. :)

MSR makes great stuff, but I always wondered why the type of double wall that seems to be popular nowadays seems so popular? I always avoid these kind of tents because it always seems like I have to pitch my tent in poring rain and it seems that that the double wall design allows the tent to fill up with water while you are pitching, before the fly goes on.

For now I'll stick with my single wall tents so I can have a dry tent.

Also, the tents I use seem to allow for more ventilation in the rain than the huba series and for that matter most double wall tents that are being made nowadays.

Is there a trick to getting around what I think is a most obvious flaw or am I doing something wrong?

stevie

I like my Hubba. Not sure why kayakbrooklyn has trouble with its ventilation, I think it is about as good as you can get. As far as setting it up in the rain, it can be done if you use the footprint. Set up the foot print the pole and then the fly. Once the fly is attached, you can put the tent body in there and then attatch one corner at a time followed by the cross pole then reach thru the flaps to atttach the clips. tent body stays dry.

Wally, If you're hiking northbound and leaving early (March or earlier), you might take into consideration that heavy snows are possible. The new Tarptent four season tent looks very nice. I have a Hilleberg Akto which is very good at shedding wind and moderate snow loads, but is miserably hot in warm weather and produces lots of condensation in less than ideal conditions. The Tarptent has dual doors which, I suppose, would deal much better with the condensation problem than my Akto. Flow through ventilation is a must for a true all season tent. My Akto is sorely lacking in that respect and Hilleberg would be wise to update the existing design to remain competitive. The bottom line is that you could carry a 1.5 lb. shelter and be comfortable most of the time, or a 2.5 lb. shelter and be comfortable (and safe) all of the time (hopefully :D).

I use a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 (lightest freestanding tent I could find). Very good tent.

I have the Hubba it's free standing and very light weight for 09 I have the o7 model and it's just over 3 pounds I also have a tarp tent the Squall it is in a long tube kind of hard to pack neatly unless it's standing up in my pack it only weighs around 2 pounds it's single wall and not free standing and you need trekking poles to pitch it.

If I had to pick a tent for a thru it would be the double wall Hubba it has room for your pack and you not much more I love to room my tarptent has but not durable enough for a thru IMO.

It would be more correct to state that in your opinion there are better shelters than the Squall to do a thru , can't argue with that, but it is a fact that many have finished the AT and various other long distance trails using Tarptents including the Squall.
Franco

My Hubba has never gotten as wet during set-up in the rain as any single wall that I have used due to condensation. Once the Hubba was up, I didn't have to constantly go out in the rain to re-tension like I did with the single wall. The Hubba vents great. I'll never go back to a single wall until all of the problems are solved.

geek

In the end each one of us should use what works for us not what someone recommends.
Some will finish the AT using a 10oz tarp, others need/want a 6 lbs "bombproof" tent...

All too often people speak of single wall vs double as if all single wall performed in exactly the same way and the same for the double. There are good and bad designs in both camps. Backpackinglight has just published a fairly lengthy report on single wall tents, it would have been a waste of time testing 24 shelters if they all performed in the same way. Not surprisingly ( to me) not a single shelter performed better than all the others in every single test (wind stability/rain protection/ventilation/insect protection and so on) . The test is still subjective, the idea is to pick the one that more closely resemble your ideal shelter.
Again the Hubba has had many good reviews but like every other shelter on the market some did not like it , others hated it.

Silnylon does stretch and shrinks according to the temperature and humidity level. However to state that one has to continually adjust a silnylon shelter is just plain wrong *. Once it relaxes it stops stretching , so you might have to re-tension the shelter before you go to bed and occasionally once more during the night , but that is it.
Now (for example) with my Contrail I can just lift the pole up (from the inside of the tent) and that is it. With other shelters you may have to go outside and with some you may need to re-stake, but not shelters are the same.
And BTW, you need to re-stake shelters like the Hilleberg double skin tents also, because they are also made of silnylon.
It may not have happened to you, but some Hubba owners have reported that the fly was sagging to the point of touching the inner and then dripping onto them. In fact a tent designer that I know came up with this "solution" for his version of the Hubba design. See pic.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/odds/extrasupport.jpg
Franco
* If you pardon the slight bad taste, there is a very old joke about perceptions.
Husband and wife are having marital problems, so they see a counsellor. They talk to the counsellor separately.
What is the problem ?
Husband : we have lost the spark , we almost never have sex, maximum once a week.
Wife : my husband is a sex maniac, sex is all he thinks about. He wants it virtually every week.

I like my Hubba. Not sure why kayakbrooklyn has trouble with its ventilation, I think it is about as good as you can get. As far as setting it up in the rain, it can be done if you use the footprint. Set up the foot print the pole and then the fly. Once the fly is attached, you can put the tent body in there and then attatch one corner at a time followed by the cross pole then reach thru the flaps to atttach the clips. tent body stays dry.

Sorry, I think my post was a bit of an alcohol influenced rant. I have to remember to not post until the next morning:-)

I did generalize a bit and made it sound like a single wall versus double wall discussion.

That sounds like a good system and makes sense now that I think about it. I know others that are happy with the MSR tents.

My post came from some experiences that I had with other double walled tents.

I had a 3 person single wall dome that I had liked a lot, but it was too big for anything but car camping. I was looking into something lighter and packed smaller. A few people had recommended a certain popular smallish two person Sierra Designs tent(I think). I got it on sale, but when it arrived, I was disappointed to find that it didn't pack much smaller than my 3 person and that it was heavier than they claimed so wasn't that much lighter.

I read the instructions on installing and had set it up at home a few times. I thought it odd that the instructions showed that you put up the tent body, with all it's exposed mesh, first and then install the fly. There was no mention of how to set it up in the rain:mad:
Sure enough, the first time I went to put up the tent for real was on a dark night in pouring rain.

So, not only did I have a tent full of water, but the ventilation sucked with the fly fully on so it was muggy, wet and stuffy.

The next day was sunny so I took the fly mostly off to air out and slept fairly comfy during the first part of the next night until it started raining again.
In my previous tents, you could close off the fly(s) while still in the tent and in your bag. In this tent you have to get out of your bag, put your shoes on and get soaked re-attaching the fly.
And after, when the fly was attached well enough to block the rain, there was little ventilation. I felt like I was going suffocate.

Another night, in gail force winds, I thought it was not going to not make it through the night. It was fully guyed out, but twisted and turned and made a noise like a kettle drum. I think any tent with steep walls is going to suffer form this though.

I have seen these issues with many double wall tents, mostly the common US companies.
I know that companies like Hilliberg don't suffer from the lame fly issue, but Hilliberg's just plain don't have enough ventilation, especially for summer camping.

Mind you, I sold my double wall 2 person to a friend who only car camps and replaced it with, in my opinion, a far superior Monbell Crescent 2.
I now have full ventilation in the rain, a fly that can partially be opened and closed from within the tent. Partially is good enough as the ventialion is so good even fully closed.

It also doesn't go crazy in gail force winds. I'm amazed by how calm and quite it is inside, I would think it was nice and calm outside, but then look out to see all hell breaking loose.
It does have sloping walls so that is probably the reason it does so well in wind. The sloping walls do take away from headroom so there is a price to pay.

It only weighs 3 lbs, not as light as tarp tents, but easier to deal with.

As far as condensation goes in this and any of my other single wall tents?
Condensation is only a problem if vents get closed. As long as the ventilation is there, the condensation isn't an issue.

I have never had to re-adjust any of my tents after they are staked out, I know this can be an issue with some of the silnylon type tarps or tarp tents, but I haven't had that issue.

I have camped with many other campers with double wall tents and they always seem to have puddles of water in their tent after a rain, some to the point of wet sleeping bags. To me this is a bigger issue and the reason why people really need to shop around.

stevie

I used the Contrail on a section hike in ME and I love that tent. 1.5# including stakes & groundsheet, easy to set up, roomy, performs very well in the rain. I think it's $200.

Just recently picked up a Mountain Hardware Sprite 1 at REI for $109 during their sale...great value for the $...

Hi i have the Eureka Spitfire tent really great tent set it up in the pouring rain to check for leak not a drop. pack weight is just 3lbs. 4oz. and it only and right now campmor has it on sale for $99.97. it is 9ft long & 3ft 6' wide front is 3ft 4" back is 2ft 2" good luck on fining a tent you like oh yet here is a picture of the tent
http://www.campmor.com/images/tents/larger/23889_l.jpg

I have both a Tarptent Contrail and a Spitfire solo (like above). Both are great tents...remember, different tools for different jobs! This is what I tell my wife since I have about three or four of each major gear item. :)

Weight Weight Weight
I have a Big Agnes SL1 - great tent, too heavy. Ran into a thru hiker in March, changed a lot of my gear, including going to a 34 ounce Tarptent. Worked great. Pack weight was about 32 pounds with 4 days of food and a full bag of water. MUCH BETTER way to go. I would back into the decision based on weight. FYI - Big Agnes is coming out with a new tent in the Spring under 30 ounces I think.

Another vote for Henry Shires' products. I have an older Squall, very versatile and does the job well. Luxurious for one person, and less than 2 pounds. Can knock off another ounce or two if you carry trekking poles. Good quality stuff.

I used a Eureka Zeus - small, light tent. Lots of condensation! I just bought an REI UL T. on sale. It is kinda small. Fits me - 5'7" with room for my pack.

I used a Eureka Zeus - small, light tent. Lots of condensation! I just bought an REI UL T. on sale. It is kinda small. Fits me - 5'7" with room for my pack.

I have the Zeus I and found that if I was careful to make sure all the tent flaps and fly were staked high enough, condensation wasn't a problem even in the muggiest weather. Good ventilation is a must on such a low volume single wall tent.

It doesn't handle horizontal rain very well because of the short vent flaps. Rain can splash in, but not that bad.

I'm thinking of modifying mine and adding another couple inches to the vent flaps.

It isn't much lighter than my Montbell Crescent 2, 2 person tent and weighs more than a 2 person tarp tent.

It does set up super quick and the small footprint did come in handy a few times when I had very limited room to pitch a tent.

stevie

I think Franko misunderstood my post ,I love my tarptent squall it has lots of room very lightweight it got a lil water in on a blinding rainstorm but not enough to worry about the owner Henry was very friendly in helping me when I wanted to seam seal the tent myself so great service as well but on a thru hike I think I would opt for the new super light MSR Hubba HP well under 3 pounds and is double wall and sets up really quick thats just my 2 cents but bottom line you need to take what you think will work best for you not what others say they like best.

The MSR is a very small tent the Squall is very roomy and has room for 2 or one and plenty of gear I like to put my pack in my tent at night.

Hi all,

Not exactly on topic, but I was wondering what y'all thought about shelter options for a guy who has minimal experience camping. I've been leaning towards the Hubba HP simply because I got my hands on one in an outfitter and realized a monkey could set it up. On the other hand, I've seen some tarptents that weigh less and I've seen some hammocks that are just cool looking. Do you guys (and gals) think that someone with less experience should stick to a nice idiot-proof tent or is the learning curve not all that steep for the other options. Also (possibly) relevant: my plan is to NOBO starting Feb 1.

Petr

The Hubba HP is a great tent - keep it and enjoy it. Staked and fully guyed it will be more stable than any of the Tarptents (yes, even the Rainbow). Plus being double walled will be much better when faced with the dreaded condensation.

think that someone with less experience should stick to a nice idiot-proof tent or is the learning curve not all that steep for the other options.
Petr

I have never found a tent that was so complicated that you couldn't figure it out. The first time setting it up in the backyard or public park may take longer, but a few trials, you'll be an expert.

The three most common mistakes that people make and many on this forum continue to make:)

1) Always stake it down like a storm was about to strike. You'll be surprised how often it will.

2) Don't cook, eat or store food in or near your tent. Because of their superior sense of smell, the critters will chew holes in your tent, or pester you all night trying to get at the food, or worse rip your tent apart and eat you.

3) If the manufacturer has flaps that need to be staked out for ventilation, do so, even in cool weather. You gotz to breath air and condensation could be a problem if you don't.

stevie

Hi all,

Not exactly on topic, but I was wondering what y'all thought about shelter options for a guy who has minimal experience camping. I've been leaning towards the Hubba HP simply because I got my hands on one in an outfitter and realized a monkey could set it up. On the other hand, I've seen some tarptents that weigh less and I've seen some hammocks that are just cool looking. Do you guys (and gals) think that someone with less experience should stick to a nice idiot-proof tent or is the learning curve not all that steep for the other options. Also (possibly) relevant: my plan is to NOBO starting Feb 1.

Petr

If you are happy with it, get it. Being new to backpacking, you need to gain some practical experience before attempting to become an ultralight hiker. The Hubba, from what I've heard, is a very solid first tent. One that will serve you well, without breaking your back until you decide what you really want (in my experience, and many other's, you will not ever decide on the ultimate). The most important thing at this stage for you is to get adequate gear (the Hubba is very, very adequate), and get out there.

I like the cloudburst from HS.

Good ventilation, good room. Just make sure to position it right in the wind or else that mid section will start to "thwap" you (at least it did to me in 50MPH winds when I couldn't find a sheltered spot.

As far as condensation, I've never had a problem with it in the tarptent, I keep it well ventilated though.

I'd also consider looking at the MH tents. I like my hammerhead for foul weather that can either be rain or snow (think 30* weather). Its strong enough that it can hold a lot of snow if need be, and breathable if you need to unzip for better ventilation. Its also 7+lbs...

Lastly, if its not buggy, I prefer my tarp. I can set it up almost anywhere, I can very configurations for wind, snow, rain, or warm weather. Its my cheapest and most variable shelter. Throw in some no-see-um netting, and you've got a bug resistant lightweight shelter (or a bug bivy). If it gets real cold, or real wild, you could throw in a regular bivy to supplement it.

I use a Eureka Zeus LE (2man tent) because I like the extra room. It has never leaked and condensation has never been as issue. However it weighs in at almost 6lbs. My wife just bought me a Big Agnes Seedhouse 1 SL, but won't let me open it until Christmas. It was under $200 and weighs under 3lbs.

I wonder what the Terra Nova Laser Photon is like? 1 lb 11oz would be great for a double wall tent. I'll never get to find out unless I hit a lottery. Its $499. ouch!

I just saved you $140....

here...http://www.moontrail.com/terra-nova-laser-photon.php
:sun

How about a Tarptent Scarp 1? http://www.tarptent.com/scarp1.html Although it's a lot more fun to just buy one of every kind of tent made. From every manufacturer.