Bergans v. Big Agnes tents

[Blackett]

My brother has been trying to convince me to get a 4-season Bergans 2-person tunnel tent for my 2013 NOBO. He used one on a NOLS trip this summer and thinks they're great--the most durable thing I could get, and easy to set up. My main worry is that they weigh 5 lbs 11 oz.

I was leaning towards a 3-season, apparently flimsier tent. I was thinking of Big Agnes, either fly creek or copper spur, because they're lighter and it sounds like lots of people use them and are happy.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Blackett

[Rocket Jones]

No need for a 4-season tent. Almost 6 lbs for shelter is stupid heavy.

[johnnybgood]

No need for a 4-season tent. Almost 6 lbs for shelter is stupid heavy.

Agree with Rocket, too heavy. Lots of really good 3 season tents . MSR makes sturdy lightweight tents that are popular on the trail. Many options out there, just do a little research here before spending the money.

[schnikel]

Yep. no reason for a 4 seasons tent for a NOBO AT hike. I have a Big Agnes and my wife and I have used it for about 6 years now. Good room and light weight. Customer service is also good. We used ours on our JMT thru hike as well as section hikes on the AT. I think it would be a good tent to thru the AT with.
Schnikel

[Franco]

Here is a slightly different way of looking at this.
tent-Weight-and-size.jpg



The tent at the top is close to the size of the Bergan . The weight of the water inside those bottles is the weight of that tent.
Below is the size and weight of a typical tent used by through hikers.
This particular one is about 25 oz but some have shelters that are well under that.
Hard to tell but the top one is a bit over twice the volume of the other.
As you can see it isn't just about weight but also size.
The heavier and the bigger the tent , the heavier and bigger your pack needs to be.
A bigger and heavier pack may just push you to have heavier boots.
The more weight you carry the more you need to eat and drink, so extra weight again....

[fireneck]

Granted I have never been on a NOLS trip but am familiar with their curriculum, I studied it in school. Their philosophies on gear, don't seem to be light and usually over prepare their participants.

There is no reason to take a 4 season tent on a traditional thru of the AT (starting March-ish for NoBo or June-ish for SoBo). Hell you are not gonna set it up as often as you'd think. The shelters tend to get a lot of traffic. I thought I was going to be sleeping in my tent (BA FlyCreek 1) almost every night on trail during my hike, but ended up being in the shelters four or five nights a week.

Check out Tarptent or Six Moon Designs for some light weight shelters. When I thru the AT again I will be bringing some from either of those to companies.

You'd be shocked how great a well pitched 8x10 tarp sheds the elements!

As Franco pointed out (visually -- nice!) it's not just weight, volume is important too.

Best of Luck with your brother!