Buying a new backpacking tent. Any recommendations?

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi I love my stratospire 2 but I would loove to try out a Hilleberg they look both water tight and roomy.
If money isnt a huge issue, in which in my opinion when it comes to tents you get what you pay for, then I would shoot for either a Hilleberg or a Henry Shire Tarp Tent. Henry makes a "hogback" which comes in at around 5 pouinds and sleeps 5-6 people.

Reason why I say Heck yes to Tarp Tents? Three main reasons
-weight
-engineering
-ruggedness
These tents are compairably light in my opinion, are engineered from trial and error all the way from the beginning when Henry made them in his back yard and as my last trip to Roan Mountain proved: These tents are hosses! I slept the first night on Round Bald directly on the summit, 40 mph wind gust' lasted a good 6 hours through the night till morning and...tent was solid as a rock. Night two? thunderstorm on Big Hump Bald...Completely dry and tent...still solid as a rock!

why buy 2 or 3 times when you can buy good the first time and be done with it, trust me I learned the hard way!

One of the best features of the Hillebergs are their ruggedness although I can't vouch for their new 3 season line. I believe the TarpTents have thin 30 denier floors on most if not all of their models though I could be wrong about their larger tents like the self-supporting Scarp 2 or their Hogback. My Hillebergs have 100 denier floors which is like the difference between a pair of blue jeans and a pair of silk underwear.

As Mags says, here in the Southeast we get some terrible combinations of rain with cold or sleet or fog. Last year I pulled a trip into the Snowbird backcountry and got caught in a 153 hour rainstorm in January/February. My previous record was 96 hours of rain. The problem with many of the ultralight tents are their, of course, thin fabrics and floors. Here's a couple tests---

** Set up in a rainstorm and prepare to get either ground sheeting or Lake Effect---whereby the tentsite fills with a half inch or inch of water. A good tent will keep this crap out. And in a butt hard deluge no campsite will not get water runoff.
** Now, put all your weight on the tent floor and see if water comes up thru the floor like a sponge---due to weight pressure and poor hydrostatic head, a fancy word for thin deniers and water absorbtion. I like to stay dry in all conditions, at least while I'm in my shelter.

[shelb]

just my opinion but someone just starting out should not start out with single wall/tarp style...i think you need a little experience before you go with one...not nearly as forgiving on set up.

I agree! I started with a regular tent (lower weight Sierra Designs), went to a tarp (yes, a blue poly tarp), and now I have invested in a used Tarp Tent.

[88BlueGT]

I think you need to be more specific as to how many people you are trying to hold. If you purchase a tent for 5 people and you are going solo or with one other person. It's a bit overkill and you will feel it, financially and physically as you're carrying it on your back.

[ShaneP]

If you are looking for a tent for more than one person, then weight becomes less of an issue per person. Consider this, if you would like to accommodate five people in a ten pound tent, then that weight distributes (either by tent parts or splitting other parts of the load) in to 2lbs a person. A 2lb tent is expensive, fragile, and finnicky.

[jakedatc]

A 2lb tent is expensive, fragile, and finnicky.

since when? There are dozens of tents that are 2lb or under that are plenty tough and similar priced to heavier tents. Maybe you throw your stuff against rocks all day long but my tent sits in my pack all day and gets set up at night.

[garlic08]

since when? There are dozens of tents that are 2lb or under that are plenty tough and similar priced to heavier tents. Maybe you throw your stuff against rocks all day long but my tent sits in my pack all day and gets set up at night.

I gotta agree with this one, though I admit I was leery of silnylon shelters at first. My Tarptent Contrail, 24 oz and $200, just got retired after over 6000 trail miles and one 4500 mile bicycle tour. I've never had any other shelter last that long. I will be replacing it with another Contrail. Six seasons later and I don't see anything else as rugged and simple and low cost.

[mamamiapdx]

I have a Flycreek UL2 and happy with it.

[marti038]

I'm also in the market, but I've decided to rent on my first couple of trips to try out some different types/sizes. One of the great benefits is the outfitter I'm using will actually apply the cost of the rental toward the purchase of a tent if I decide to buy one that they sell.

You should check with your local outfitter and see if they have a rental program. There are online rental companies, but the shipping costs will kill you. I'm pretty sure that many REI locations rent, but we don't have one in B'ham so I'm not 100% sure.

All of that said, if you put a gun to my head and forced me to buy one today I'd probably go with the Marmot Limelight 3P. Mountain Hardware's Drifter 3 would be second. I'm also intrigued by tarptent's rainshadow 2 (it's a 3 person tent), but I want to see and touch one before I'd buy it. I'll probably have to run into someone on the trail with one to do that.

Good luck.

[markdek]

Better to explain "how to select/buy" a tent, rather than read a random list of specific recommendations.

# if people
Weight
where will it be used (weather/altitude)
etc.

[Sunwolf]

For traditional tents, check out ll bean's microlite series. Inexpensive, durable, relatively light for a true freestanding design, and the best warranty in the biz. That all being said, I'd seriously consider hammocking. hammockforums.net for everything hammock.

[markdek]

For traditional tents, check out ll bean's microlite series. Inexpensive, durable, relatively light for a true freestanding design, and the best warranty in the biz. That all being said, I'd seriously consider hammocking. hammockforums.net for everything hammock.

That looks like a good inexpensive alternative to 2P tents by the majors, like BA.

[HooKooDooKu]

I'm also in the market, but I've decided to rent on my first couple of trips to try out some different types/sizes. One of the great benefits is the outfitter I'm using will actually apply the cost of the rental toward the purchase of a tent if I decide to buy one that they sell...

The only problem is that the local outfitters are very limited in what they stock compared to what is available online through REI, Campmor, Backcountry.com and others.

I know, because I recently went through the process of buying two tents (my first 2-person tent from 15 years ago was in need of replacing, and with two kids now into camping, I also needed a 3-person tent).

Every tent you buy is going to have its plus and minus. So as long as you buy a quality tent (name brands like Mountain Hardware, Marmot, MSR, Kelty, Big Agnes, etc) that has lots of mostly positive reviews online, you're likely to be happy with that tent for years to come so long as it meets your basic needs.

The only real trick can be trying to determine what your basic needs might be. But even then, you might be able to determine that by looking at what tents are available for you to see actually setup, and go online to compare their specifications with the specifications of other tents. If you don't already know it, Alabama Outdoors in Homewood is your best place in Birmingham to see a (small) sample of tents actually setup.

As a personal example, I needed a 3-person tent that could fit one 25" wide sleeping pad and two 20" sleeping pads. I was able to see the Mountain Hardware Drifter 3 at the Homewood store and learned that you could NOT fit those three pads in that tent. Armed with that information and comparing tent specifications online, I was able to determine that the Kelty Gunisson 3 tent would meet my needs, but at the time, no local retailer had it in stock (of course for me personally, the kicker was finding a place with last years Kelty on sale... given its cost, I loved the tent, even though it isn't "perfect", but no tent is going to be.

Even though REI isn't in Birmingham, you can still benefit from their service. If you limit yourself to the tents REI stocks, you'll still have a wider range to chose from compared to what you can find locally. Like I say, if you can find a tent that meets your basic needs, you'll find it to be "good enough" no matter which tent it is going to be. Buying from REI gives you the freedom to buy a tent that "looks good on paper", yet gives you the option to return it (within a year) should you discover that it does not meet your basic needs.

Otherwise, my suggestion is to look online and see what tents you think will meet your basic needs. Write down their specifications (minimum weight, packaged weight, dimensions, cost). Check out what tents you can see locally (that would include the Homewood Alabama Outdoors, plus a few more they might have set up at their Inverness store) and find their specifications for comparison. Weed out "bad" choices base on bad reviews (or simply too few reviews). You will likely be able to whittle your choices down to about 3 different "best options" that seem to fit your basic needs. Read ALL the reviews for these 3 tents that you can find to see if you can spot any negatives that would eliminate a tent from fulfilling your "basic needs'. If you eliminate a tent, replace it with the next "best option" and find all the reviews for that tent as well. Eventually, you will likely find 2 or 3 tents that seem to be your "best option". From there, pick the seemingly 'best one'. It will likely be "good enough" for you.

[1234]

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...uctId=12238099
dick sporting goods Eureka! Apex 3XT 3 person tent. 8 lb 4 oz. Rock solid easy to set up will not blow over. Split between 3 persons you are just under 3 lb each.
$159. I also like the backcountry 4 person and it is 7 lbs but about twice the price.
I do not like poles that go into sleeves I like poles the go up and you clip the tent onto the poles. much easier to set up.

Enjoy. Have fun! hike to a water fall stay there all weekend. No need to go a zillon miles. 4 or 5 miles is fine, just have fun. I think most folks on this site are set on ultralight and big miles. Heavy and short miles can be just as fun for beginners.

[HooKooDooKu]

...Eureka! Apex 3XT 3 person tent. 8 lb 4 oz. Rock solid...

The problems I see with this particular tent is that it's dang heavy (even for a "true" 3 person tent). It also has fiberglass poles... something I understand you don't want if you plan on doing any camping in cold weather.

If the need is for a "true" three person backpacking tent, I would suggest something like the Kelty Gunnison 3.2. It's more than 2 lbs lighter than the Eureka, only 3" narrower, yet 3" longer (more leg room).

And what I mean by "true" three person tent is that three people can comfortably fit inside the Eureka Apex or Kelty Gunnison. The Mountain Hardware Drifter, by contrast, is only a very roomy 2 person tent. Yea, it would be possible for three people to fit in this tent, but only if everyone is using a 20" sleeping pad, and only needs that 20" wide space.

In my case, I use a 25" pad while my two sons use 20" wide pads. The Drifter quotes a width of 66", so you would think I could fit those three sleeping pads inside with 1" to spare. But the reality is that the corners (as it is with most tents) are curved. That means a tent quoted as 66" wide does NOT have 66" of floor space. I got to see a Drifter setup on display. I took a 25" pad and a pair of 20" wide pads. Even though the pads were mummy shaped, no mater how i turned and positioned the pads, it was impossible for all three pads to fit inside the Drifter 3.

BTW, while Dick's has the Apex "on sale" for $40 off retail, the Kelty Gunnison can be found for at least $50 off retail. That makes the Kelty only $40 more.

[marti038]

The only problem is that the local outfitters are very limited in what they stock compared to what is available online through REI, Campmor, Backcountry.com and others.

I didn't necessarily mean that you should buy one of the tents you rent, but any tent will give you an idea of the features you do or do not want.

Also, I recently paid a visit to the REI in Nashville and was a little disappointed in their in stock selection. Especially for three person tents. The bottom line is that it's going to be difficult to get a first hand look at all the tents one may be interested in. Eventually you're going to just have to whittle your list down to what seems like it has the best reviews and features and roll with it. This is especially true in the south where most folks (and by most I mean just about all) car camp and weight isn't a factor.

I'd still recommend renting to the OP first if it's an option, especially if you can apply the cost toward a later purchase. It's better than buying something you'd hate and being stuck with it or trying to resell it for a hefty loss. I wasn't sure if he/she had considered it.

[HooKooDooKu]

I'd still recommend renting to the OP first if it's an option

Keep in mind, the OP posted this question in October of last year. I suspect they've made a tent purchase desicion by now.

You, however, are currently in the market, some my latest advice is actually pointed at you and not the OP.

Also, I recently paid a visit to the REI in Nashville and was a little disappointed in their in stock selection. Especially for three person tents. The bottom line is that it's going to be difficult to get a first hand look at all the tents one may be interested in. Eventually you're going to just have to whittle your list down to what seems like it has the best reviews and features and roll with it.

In part, that was the point I was trying to make.

I would add that the only part you're missing here is the idea to take what information you can learn from seeing a few tents first hand to help give you an idea of specifications vs reality, and use that information to make some inferences about tents you can't see.

My details on the Mountain Hardware Drifter3 above is a good example. While I've only been able to see the Drifter first hand, that gave me enough information to know that the Marmot Limelight wasn't a good choise for me because it has similar dimensions to the Drifter. I was able to even take note of exactly how many inches too small the Drifter was to infer what the minimum size tent I needed in a 3 person tent.

[bear bag hanger]

If you're starting out with several two - three day trips, I'd recommend trying a tarp instead of a tent. You may need to figure out some sort of bug net, but if it works for you, you'll save a whole lot of weight.

[Venchka]

I'm also in the market, but I've decided to rent on my first couple of trips to try out some different types/sizes. One of the great benefits is the outfitter I'm using will actually apply the cost of the rental toward the purchase of a tent if I decide to buy one that they sell.

You should check with your local outfitter and see if they have a rental program. There are online rental companies, but the shipping costs will kill you. I'm pretty sure that many REI locations rent, but we don't have one in B'ham so I'm not 100% sure.

All of that said, if you put a gun to my head and forced me to buy one today I'd probably go with the Marmot Limelight 3P. Mountain Hardware's Drifter 3 would be second. I'm also intrigued by tarptent's rainshadow 2 (it's a 3 person tent), but I want to see and touch one before I'd buy it. I'll probably have to run into someone on the trail with one to do that.

Good luck.

Buy quality once. It will always be less expensive in the long run.

Hilleberg Kaitum 3.

http://www.hilleberg.com/home/produc...um/kaitum3.php

Wayne

[Cherokee Bill]

One of the best features of the Hillebergs are their ruggedness although I can't vouch for their new 3 season line. I believe the TarpTents have thin 30 denier floors on most if not all of their models though I could be wrong about their larger tents like the self-supporting Scarp 2 or their Hogback. My Hillebergs have 100 denier floors which is like the difference between a pair of blue jeans and a pair of silk underwear.

As Mags says, here in the Southeast we get some terrible combinations of rain with cold or sleet or fog. Last year I pulled a trip into the Snowbird backcountry and got caught in a 153 hour rainstorm in January/February. My previous record was 96 hours of rain. The problem with many of the ultralight tents are their, of course, thin fabrics and floors. Here's a couple tests---

** Set up in a rainstorm and prepare to get either ground sheeting or Lake Effect---whereby the tentsite fills with a half inch or inch of water. A good tent will keep this crap out. And in a butt hard deluge no campsite will not get water runoff.
** Now, put all your weight on the tent floor and see if water comes up thru the floor like a sponge---due to weight pressure and poor hydrostatic head, a fancy word for thin deniers and water absorbtion. I like to stay dry in all conditions, at least while I'm in my shelter.

------
Friend, as usual you are spot on!!! Buy the BEST tent you can afford in the beginning and it will serve you well for years to come (with proper care)! Hilleberg is by far one of the BEST quality companies out there! When the SHTF as far as weather goes, you'll be thankful you have a Hilleberg! This brand is finally my next purchase, as I approach 67-yo ;-)

[marti038]

I would add that the only part you're missing here is the idea to take what information you can learn from seeing a few tents first hand to help give you an idea of specifications vs reality, and use that information to make some inferences about tents you can't see.

Actually, I didn't miss that. That's exactly what I was saying. Hence, the recommendation to rent one and try it out without the full investment.

I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I'm good. Thanks anyway.