looking for my first backpacking tent

[DatFLhiker]

Im fairly new to backpacking and in search of a fairly light tent (3 1/2 lbs or less) I was looking at the north face stormbreak 1 or eureka spitfire. any suggestions ? keeping in mind im looking for something below $150 as my first tent . also what does "fastpack weight" mean? no rainfly?Im 5`8 and would like ,if possible enough space to store my gear in

[Weather-man]

Fast pack is without the tent body...just the fly and a tent foot print generally.

I've been playing with the Big Agnes Copper Spur tents and like them but they're outside your price range. Here's a suggestion though might be tough to find the older models in stock at this price.

http://www.campsaver.com/clip-flashl...erson-3-season

I have one that I bought in 1988 and still use or more accurately have deeded it to my daughter

[sfdoc]

The Kelty Salida 2 lists for $159.00, but shop around, including Amazon. Backpacker gave it many kudos. It's slightly heavier than what you want, but the price is right.

[CalebJ]

What about this and a tarp? Great weather protection at minimal cost, plus the tarp gives you lots of room to spread your gear out with rain protection. The conduit bivy is designed to zip directly to the bag so you only deal with a single zipper and get in/out as if you were just getting into your sleeping bag.

[bobp]

Well, you can find some astoundingly good deals on Whiteblaze. You will find Tarptents within your price range (and easily under your weight limit). If you have to go new and commercial, the Spitfire seems good. I have experience with the Eureka Gossamer/Solitaire. If you can find a Gossamer, and you can tolerate a tent that won't let you sit up inside it, grab it (it will be used, alas). The poles are a weak point on the Solitaire (the Gossamer comes with aluminum poles, while the Solitaire has somewhat fragile fiberglass poles). You can find Solitaires on the Johnson Outdoors (Eureka's parent company) website for as little as $25 (factory returns). You can get a set of aluminum poles for the Gossamer for around $50. So, for $75 or so, you get a new-ish tent that is under 3 lbs and packs to about the size of a 3-liter soda bottle. But you can't sit in it.

[HooKooDooKu]

I would second the Kelty Salida 2 as a very good starter tent, and it's in your price range (currently <$145 @ www.campmor.com).

Kelty makes quality tents that can stand up to some abuse. Because the material is heavier, the tent itself will be heavier. So you're looking at about 4lbs to 4.5lbs.

As a comparison, the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 has almost the exact same footprint, but only weights about 3lbs, yet it costs $400.

Both tents are what I would call "small" two man tents. You'll have lots of room for one person and gear, and a bit cramped for two persons (pretty much no extra room for gear). If you want a good 2 man starter tent, I would suggest the Kelty Gunnison 2.2. It's a 6lb tent, but it is truly a 2 man tent, with room for gear as well. But the price is $220. However, when hiking with two people, the per-person weight is only about 3lbs.

[rafe]

Im fairly new to backpacking and in search of a fairly light tent (3 1/2 lbs or less) I was looking at the north face stormbreak 1 or eureka spitfire. any suggestions ? keeping in mind im looking for something below $150 as my first tent . also what does "fastpack weight" mean? no rainfly?Im 5`8 and would like ,if possible enough space to store my gear in

Some folks say good things about the Eureka Spitfire, my experience wasn't good. On the other hand I did about half the trail with a Eureka Solitaire, bought in '89 or so. It was small but workable and I never, ever got wet. I'd also have a look at the Sierra Designs Flashlight-1 and Flashlight-2. I've had good luck with a 2005 version of the Flashlight-1. Somewhat roomier than the Solitaire. The "Clip Flashlight 2" was for many years a popular 2-person tent among AT thru-hikers.

[slovakiasteph]

For $125 and 34 oz, check out Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout. It's a hybrid single wall, which means that about 80% of the tent has mesh, so almost double walled. http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html

[DatFLhiker]

For $125 and 34 oz, check out Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout. It's a hybrid single wall, which means that about 80% of the tent has mesh, so almost double walled. http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html

wow!! thanks for the input ,guys didn't expect such quick response. i have looked at the solitaire and the kelty mentioned above. the solitare for its functionality is good but from what ive read the poles provided weren't dependable,comfort was also a factor(bivy-style). the kelty salida 2 as compared to other 1p tents had a good "size:wieght" ratio but now that ive been exposed to the sixmoons scout tent ,thanks to the post above, im interested because the previous trekking pole tents that ive seen were 200 and above.

the only thing im skeptical about is the durability of trekking pole tents holding up in a big thunderstorm/high wind event. any say?

[daddytwosticks]

I had nothing but good experiences with my Spitfire Solo. Great bang for the buck. Cheap and relatively lightweight. Ditch the steel stakes that come with it and the excessive stuff sacks. Three pounds on the nose.

[jeffmeh]

For $125 and 34 oz, check out Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout. It's a hybrid single wall, which means that about 80% of the tent has mesh, so almost double walled. http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html

If it were my choice under that budget, I would go with this one out of all that have been mentioned. SMD makes great gear.

[Ken.davidson]

You might be interested in a Mark 3 from Appytrails at Belew Enterprises It is a 3 man tent made from 185T polyester! PU1000 coated.
Quick set up, light weight and roomy.

1 l b. 3 oz.~ $100.00