The Best Light Weight Tent
I AM LOOKING TO GET A LIGHTWEIGHT TENT HERE ARE SOME OF THE ONES I WAS LOOKING AT
1. GOSSAMER GEAR SQAULL
2 GOSSAMER THE ONE
3. RAINBOW
4. LUNAR SOLO
5. REFUGEE x
ANY THOUGHTS ON THESE
Billy Mays Here With An All-uppercase Post
+1 For The Lunar Solo. It's So Roomy, It Can Hold All Of The Text You Flooded Us With!
up over the hills, theres nothing to fear
theres a pub across the way with whisky and beer
its a lengthy journey on the way up to the top
but it ain't so bad if you have a great big bottle o'scotch
# 3 Double Rainbow - made in the USA
It depends on what your priorities are. Mine are the best balance of weight relative to volume/roominess. I love my Lunar Solo, but I may spring for a Gossamer Gear The One someday.
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014
Just Looking To Go Light For Long Distance And Bad Weather
All the tents you mentioned are fine. Really. Some are slightly larger (Squall), some have nice doors on the long side (Rainbow), but they have all been used successfully by gazillions of long distance hikers. Pick one and don't look back.
What about a Tarptent Contrail?
13-16 oz. + use sticks for pegs is an adequate shelter especially if your AT trodin since the shelters are there and the tent is just rarely used. Wild Oasis, six moon designs is an example. Lighter would be the poncho/shelter.
I have a Rainbow (the sigle person version) and am happy with it.
Light weight, plenty of room, high enough to sit up in it, and it does a good job protecting me from the weather and bugs, plus it can be free standing.
The best light weight tent? Hmm . . . .
Squall: It's got fairly good room at around 29 sq feet, but it's length at 81 inches and its sloping, angled foot end could be a problem allowing the sleeping bag foot to touch the often wet fabric. Another problem is the mesh on the sides with no fabric panels, so you would get spindrift snow coming in during a blizzard or windstorm.
THE ONE: At 18 sq feet is it about the size of the Hilleberg Akto, a popular "best light weight tent." This thing is all mesh and has a tiny bathtub floor so ground water could be a problem. The mesh of course won't work in a butt cold blizzard with spindrift. And angled head and foot front and back will wet the foot of a sleeping bag.
LUNAR SOLO: 28 sq feet, good size, but once again it is full mesh so it wouldn't make it "the best" lightweight tent due to extreme winter conditions. Also, it has a steep foot angle and you'll end up with a wet sleeping bag foot, especially if you have an 8 inch lofted down bag on a 2 inch pad.
THE BEST TENT? I'm convinced that the best tent would be one that does not touch the sleeping bag anywhere, with no open mesh, and preferably a double walled shelter for winter condensation and inside ice and wind.
But would that be the best tent for summer? Or for the coast? Or what?Originally Posted by Tipi Walter
Your best tent sounds like a great tent for winter condensation and inside ice and wind, but not so hot, pun intended, for 3 season use where I live.
I think that my best tent would be different from yours, and from the OP too. Like boats, there is no best tent, only a series of compromises that you make to find the best for you and your situation. This is what makes people gearheads. The process of examining and eliminating choices is fun.
To the OP's question, you've got a great dilemma to have. I have no experience on your choices, but like the looks of the tarptent moment.
I use The One. Generally like it, and it has become my "go to" tent for the past couple of years. As Tipi Walter pointed out, it does have steeply sloping walls, that CAN contribute to some condensation problems. On the other hand, the extensive ventilation that he also criticized reduces the condensation difficulties tremendously. The vast majority of nights, even rainy nights, are not a problem.
As Mister Krabs said, there is no "best tent". You just need to find what appeals to and works for you. There will ALWAYS be a compromise or two to make.
The only way to get the absolute best, is to try them all, and keep trying them as new models come out - obviously not financially feasible for most of us, so most of us do some research, consider our experience, and make an informed judgment, then learn to live with it. This last part may be the most important, learn to use whatever equipment you decide on if you want to get the most out of it.
I recently purchased a Gossamer Squall Classic, after seam sealing it weighs 27 oz with six easton stakes and stuff sack. I am 6 ft. and weigh 225 and there is plenty of room for me and all of my gear inside. Ask me next October and I will be able to tell you how it held up.
How recently did you purchase one. Seems they haven't had any in stock for awhile. Did you get one of the seconds?
daryl
check out seedhouse 2 by big agnes used and abused it on my 09 thru hike lite and strong best tent Iever used . YOU can even set it up in the rain under it;s fly
Best tent for you will be a lot different than the best tent for me. So it's an impossible question. My solution was to buy several.
Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell
The better mouse trap.
Here's another tent to consider. I used one on my thru hike and it served me well. 26 ounces for a double wall. Roomy, sets up in about a minute.
Rainfly rolls up over the ridge when not needed.
http://lightheartgear.com/
"Going to the woods is going home" - John Muir
"Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truely get into the heart of the wilderness" - John Muir
dlh62c:
I purchased the Squall Classic about a month ago, I called them to find out if they had a demo of it and "The One" I could see if I came down to Austin because I wanted to see the tent before I made a decision. They did have demos and I made an appointment to see them. When I got there they actually had 1 new Squall they had been holding in case they needed to replace one for someone on the trail but they decided that was very unlikely to happen this late in the season and offered to sell it to me.
Bump for any version of Tarptent....I would recommend that over any SMD tent. I own both and TT has better customer service and a better quality product.
Fast is fine but accurate is final....Wyatt Earp
Here's another tent to consider. I used one on my thru hike and it served me well. 26 ounces for a double wall. Roomy, sets up in about a minute.
Rainfly rolls up over the ridge when not needed.
http://lightheartgear.com/
They should use this photo on their website. I dismissed this tent because I thought it would be cramped. Your photo puts that concern to rest. I wish the gear manufacturers would use photos like this more often, instead of showing their empty tents.
Looks real nice.
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