Check out this tent... $1500 (but free shipping with Amazon Prime!)

[10-K]

http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Designs...ds=cuben+fiber

[Rasty]

I'll take two of them. Can I get 48 months financing?

[10-K]

I wonder how many of these they've sold??

[WingedMonkey]

$46.45 an ounce.

[Del Q]

I saw this. Now seriously, does anyone in that company have an Internet connection?

Like,free market research. Lightheart, etc, etc

[Kookork]

I'll take two of them. Can I get 48 months financing?

Tell them you are Rasty from WhiteBlaze and mention my name. They will give you 0.100 percent discount. Good enough?

[Malto]

$46.45 an ounce.

The sobering thing is that most of the weight isn't even cuben fiber. If you were to subtract the weight and cost of the poles the cuben portion would be well over $100/oz. I like lightweight as much as anyone but this is crazy. I would be afraid to use it in high wind. You get out and the wind might blow it into the next county.

[10-K]

At least it's "semi-freestanding"...

[johnnybgood]

At $1500 it better come equipped with a tiki bar and tropical island hula girl.

[Kookork]

This is the tent that suits the person who pays the guy on ebay to be his/her partner. Two person it is!!!!

[Slo-go'en]

I wonder how many of these they've sold??

Only 3 left! Oh, they only made 3...

[Dogwood]

http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Design-...ef=pd_sbs_sg_2

From the same company, the same 2 person tent, but in this heavier version costs $399.90, before tax I assume(3 lbs verse 1 lb 11 oz or so the accurate wt comparison seems!, it's $1439.96 in the lighter version 10-K posted). That's about $1040.06 more to save 1 lb 5 oz. Put another way, you are paying about $49.53 PER OUNCE EXTRA to save EACH ONE of those 21 ounces of wt saved. Ooh la la. BTW, the sight says 6 month SPECIAL financing on orders over $149. Some of us might need the special financing. EEK. Sticker shock

PEEERFECT example of the EXTRA do re mi sometimes involved with squeezing out wt, particularly those last few ozs or a lb out of your hiking kit. It's where I feel I'm currently at. I've asked myself these questions - what are my goals? to be a gear wonk gram weenie seeking UL, SUL, XUL "Holy Grail" nirvana or to go(AND ENJOY) long distance backpacking WITHOUT FEELING THE NEED to have the absolutely lightest wt kit? I've come to a place IN MY HIKING and PARING DOWN THE KIT WT. PROCESS where I've chosen to hop off the UL merry-go-round searching for THE CURRENT IDEA of what the UL Holy Grail kit might be defined as and instead just go long distance hiking with the kit I CURRENTLY HAVE. A forgotten/lost freedom comes when you find you have the key to the UL handcuffs we sometimes let are ourselves be chained up in.

Ever see the costs or potential costs of tricked out Cilo or customized McHale packpacks?

Here's a $1500 backpack from Cilo.
http://www.cilogear.com/wdywo.html

I've seen a small handful of *thru-hikers with $4000-5000 of HIGH HIGH END UL gear on their backs with the BIG 4. Made me cry. I once paid close to $40 for one small eVent stuff sack so I could save 1/3 of 1 oz compared to just going with the MASSIVELY HEAVIER , BY 1/3 of 1 oz, UL Sea To Summit same size stuff sack costing $10 that I already had which was perfectly usable, except of course for the wt of it! Idiot(that's directed at me!). How about you? What extremes have you gone to save wt on your kit? This should bring out the UL gram weenies.

[Dogwood]

Take it 180* in the other direction. Here's a 3.5 oz frame sheet tagged as the Air Beam Frame Sheet which is a joint release by CiloGear and Klymit that could possibly be used as a torso length inflatable sleep pad. Currently on sale for $40. MAYBE, MAYBE could be a money saving wt saving alternative to costlier and heavier torso length Neo Airs?

http://www.cilogear.com/aifrsh.html

[10-K]

Take it 180* in the other direction. Here's a 3.5 oz frame sheet tagged as the Air Beam Frame Sheet which is a joint release by CiloGear and Klymit that could possibly be used as a torso length inflatable sleep pad. Currently on sale for $40. MAYBE, MAYBE could be a money saving wt saving alternative to costlier and heavier torso length Neo Airs?

http://www.cilogear.com/aifrsh.html

I'm tempted to buy one of those for the heck of it just to see..... I use a Neoair short now.

[Dogwood]

Hi, my name is Dogwood. I've been an UL addict for many yrs now. I'm now in recovery. Second yr of UL sobriety. Still have to stay away from UL websites and UL co-dependents, LIKE YOU 10-K. They are triggers for me that lead me back to my UL addictive ways.........

[canoe]

HHMMMM maybe.... Does anyone know how well these tents hold up?

[Mags]

This tent reminds me of the Kelty Whitecloud released about a 15 yrs ago.

A mainstream gear manufacturer decides to REALLY get on the ultralight bandwagon and release an uber-light (1 lb for an ~5000 ci pack), very durable, iconic looking and expensive piece of gear.

http://www.weasel.com/gear_kelty_spectra.html

$500 in 2000 money...or about $650 today.

This tent, however, takes the cake.

As an aside, Kelty and Sierra Designs are owned by the same company. Hmmm...

(And this type of gear is why I call myself a minimalist and not an ultra-lighter. :O )

[Rasty]

Hi, my name is Dogwood. I've been an UL addict for many yrs now. I'm now in recovery. Second yr of UL sobriety. Still have to stay away from UL websites and UL co-dependents, LIKE YOU 10-K. They are triggers for me that lead me back to my UL addictive ways.........

I got a free UL titanium spork just for you.

[Dogwood]

Rasty, is it foldable? I can't go to sleep now. Been looking for that foldable TI spork REI makes/used to make for a yr now to replace my old one that was stolen.
HEY, wait a minute, RASTY where did you get that spork?

[Dogwood]

To put things into perspective the total costs for my last thru-hike was less than $1000. Hmm? Door # 1 - Do my last thru-hke. Door # 2 - Be part way to affording a $1500 tent I'll take Door # 1!!!