Hey All,
I'm a light weight gear guy edging toward ultralight sometimes but not quite at the cuben fiber level yet. Mostly just tarps and bivys and keeping things under 1.5 lbs. Recently my girlfriend has been getting more interested in backpacking with our two medium sized dogs so I ended up picking up the REI Half Dome 2 plus and for this purpose it is great. A little heavier with thicker flooring and other materials which is welcomed weight when bringing dogs. Less than 3lbs each on short girlfriend and puppy friendly hikes is no problem. After spending a couple nights in it, it made me realize I likely find some aspects of tenting worth the added weight in certain conditions. I could very much see myself taking a good one man tent on a 3-5 day trip in a buggy area where rain is expected some of the time as the overall process is easier and more comfy in a tent with those conditions.
I ran across the REI Quarterdome 1 and overall I like a lot about it. Given the specs there are lighter 1 man tents out there, but it is competitive, especially at the price. I was surprised to see that it didn't come up in any search here or at BPL so I wanted to ask if anyone had one or had any relevant thoughts on it?
http://www.rei.com/product/862421/re...nt#tab-reviews
At 2lbs 10 ounces packaged weight, I figure by replacing the stakes, guy, and stuff sacks with my lighter and better stuff I could drop that down to 2 lbs 5-7 ounces quite easily. The size seems to be pretty spacious based on REI and youtube reviews. At 6ft 2 in I really appreciate that. I'm also interested in the Tarptent contrail but the edge is leaning toward REI QD 1 due to the semi free standing design and that I can't actually sit up in the contrail. I would prefer a full free standing tent while going this direction, but the semi seems to be adequate and not a ton of staking is required to get this thing sturdy. I don't have serious reservations about using alternative staking methods for a small amount of stakes, would just hate trying to set up an 8-10 stake tarp on granite or some other difficult to stake surface.
So basically I'd be looking to take this along on some longer trips where both wet weather and bugs are a potential concern and I'd be willing to add a little weigh to my set up (This tent would bring my base weight (for me everything but food and water) to a couple ounces over 12lbs, so it isn't killing me there. I like trying to shave every ounce I can for some load outs, I think its fun. But my general rule is I can do anything as long as my base weight is under 15lbs.
My biggest concern is by specs and and price I would think this tent would be popular among this crowd, considering it isn't and I haven't even seen it talked about, I'm figuring there is a reason why that I'm missing.
Thank you in advance for any input or alternative suggestions you may have. Also just an fyi, as this is far from a necessity for me and more of a luxury add on to my arsenal of shelters, price is a bigger driving point than normal for me. Being able to try out a solo tent for 200 bucks and being able to take it back if I decide it isn't for me is one of the below the surface perks that also has me leaning toward the QD1.
Thanks again!