What lightweight 2 person tent to buy??

[mhussey]

I am in the process of picking out a backpacking tent that will be used for backpacking trips and hikes along the AT in Maine by my gf and I. I originally was set on the North Face Tadepole 23 until they changed the specs in '05 (gained weight and increase stuff size from 14x7 to 21x7). I have used LLBeans Light Stuff and enjoyed it, even though I wouldnt go any shorter because then I could not cook inside it during winter time trips. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like under 5lbs, a vestibule, free standing and small pack size. Anyone have any info on this Mountain Hardwear tent? :http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...ail.cfm/MTH130

[JoeHiker]

Have you checked out tarptents at http://www.tarptent.com ?

A TarpTent Squall is about 2 pounds and gets nothing but praise from most on this board. Check it out

http://www.backpackgeartest.org has a lot of tent reviews

[mhussey]

Hubba Hubba? Anyone, what do you guys use??

[Brock]

Everyone here raves about Tarptent. www.tarptent.com

I can vouch that Henry provides great customer service and the tent is very lightweight.

[SGT Rock]

If you want one I think you need to order it way out. As I remember he stays in backorder status - shich says good things about the tent.

[Footslogger]

Comment on the Tarptent backorder topic ...

I just spoke with Henry Shires yesterday. He just returned my Squall after doing the bathtup floor upgrade on it. I asked him specifically about the stories I had heard here at Whiteblaze regarding delivery delays. He said that there was a little back-up a month or so ago but he's added another production line and all the Tarptent models should be flowing out to the customers now.

'Slogger

...and for what it's worth, I second the motion regarding considering a Tarptent. As indicated above, we own the Squall and find it to be an excellent tent for 2 and a generous tent for a solo hiker at under 2 lbs. Good company and good product

[mhussey]

Thanks guys, that tarp tent looks like a great setup! Unfortunately, I want a free standing tent to be able to use in high winds and snow/frozen ground where I think guy lines could be cumbersome.

[Granger]

Here are a couple of suggestions, all are free standing and under 5 lbs

REI Quarter Dome UL Tent $219, 4lbs 4ozs packaged weight
Sierra Designs Lightning Tent $250, 4lbs 9ozs packaged
Big Agnes Seedhouse Superlight 2, $300, 3lbs 11 ozs packaged
MSR Hubba Hubba, $290, 4lbs 10 ozs packaged

Make sure you can fit inside these tents first as some of them are not really built for people over 6' (the Qtr Dome for example)

Also, I have the older tadpole, and the Big Agnes is about the same size but over a pound lighter.

Good Luck,
Granger

[mhussey]

Thanks Granger, do you like your tadepole 23??

I have it down to LLBean LightStuff #2, REI Quarter Dome, Mountain Hardware Approach, Mountain Hardwear AirJet 2 (if it has an enclosed Vestibule ), and NorthFace Tadepole 23. As far as I can tell, Beans Lightstuff is the cheapest ($175 for 5.8lbs and 7x21") but I will be able to get the Tadepole 20% off this month from EMS=$167 (5.1lbs and 6x22").

I think it will be a toss up between the REI 1/4 dome, Lightstuff, and tadepole23. I really like what i see and hear about Mountain Hardwear gear, not sure if the extra money would be worth it?

I am very interested to hear what fellow hikers have to say, or have heard about these models! Thanks again. Anyone pack there tent and poles seperately instead of in one stuff sack??

[Granger]

I am happy with the tadpole 23, and like you I picked that tent based on the stuff size. After about my second trip with it I started putting the poles on the outside of the pack which made the stuff size issue a moot point. Any of these tents can get small if you put the poles on the outside of your pack. The tent has served me well, never gotten even a little wet in it and have been through some major storms with no problems. That being said, if I had it to do over again I would have gotten the Big Agnes becuase of its weight or the Quarter Dome because of the dual doors and vestibules and weight.

On a trip last year we had two tadpoles in our group. One was mine, which held myself and my wife. Plenty of room for the two of us and all of our gear either fit in the tent or in the vestibule. The other tadpole was used by two friends of mine. One guy is 5'7 160lbs and the other is 5'9 and 220llbs. All of their gear fit in the vestibule but the tent isself was a little tight for the two of them. They were still dry and comfortable but to quote one of those two when asked how the tent slept during a storm the night before:

"It held up fine, but we were packed nuts to butts in there...."

-Granger

[Peaks]

Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight is a tried and true 2 person tent at 3 pounds 11 ounces.

[Whiz Kid]

If you got the cash to spend the Black Diamond Firstlight is the choice.

[hiknthru]

Anyone checked out the Teton Tents from www.bigskyproducts.com ?

[mhussey]

Wow, just checked them out. The evolution looks like an awesome tent, might have to add that to the prospects! Lighter,taller, and packs smaller than most! Im curious if anyone has used their products too??

[Clark Fork]

Anyone checked out the Teton Tents from www.bigskyproducts.com ?

This is the other Teton Tent. Just the accommodation for two and only 47 lbs. Actually I would like to hear if there are any reviews out there for Big Sky products. I used to live in Jackson Hole. There have been some good products come from there. Croakies started there, for instance.

http://www.forevermontana.com/camping.htm


Best Regards,

Clark Fork in Western Montana.

[bigsky]

mhussey,

Thanks for your interest in our Teton Tents... the 2005 products are just being released with the first public showing of our 2005 line at this month's PCT kickoff. The Teton Tents Evolution tent line is an "evolution" of earlier tents we produced and has been tested by some of the industry's best experts... expect to see reviews of Teton Tents published in the near future.

Teton Tents use the best materials available - YKK zippers, silnylon and Epic fabric, Easton and Fibraplex poles, etc.

If there are any questions I can answer, please let me know.

Thanks again,
bob

bob.molen@bigskyproducts.com
www.bigskyproducts.com

[mhussey]

Thanks so much Bob for the informative post! I am seriously considering the evolution over the REI 1/4 dome or NorthFace Tadepole 23 due to weight, packed size, two vestibules, and 42" peak height. How will the Evolution compare to the Tadepole and 1/4 dome as far as reliability and performance? My main concern is reliability/customer service area...I know if I buy either of the mentioned tents and have an issue, there is a 100% garuntee on the goods. If this is the same for BigSky products, Im sold on the Evolution 2P tent!

[Happypappy]

I just checked out the bigsky webpage myself, and am very interested in the revolution 1P. My only concern is the heavy storms I often encounter during the shoulder seasons. How well will this stop the downpours? Either way, I may be looking to buy one of these soon as I can spare the money.

[Tramper Al]

Please don't be fooled by your comparison of manufacturer's stuff sizes.

I went through this when I was trying to decide which TNF synthetic winter sleeping back I ought to get. Between two models there was a modest difference in loft and weight and a HUGE difference in stuffed volume (as I calculated from their dimensions). I eventually realized that TNF, at least, had just a few sizes of stuff sacks going out with their sleeping bags, so that a very small change in sleeping bag volume was moving me up by one stuff sack, and the difference was giant. All irrelevant, of course, when it came to actually stuffing (and compressing) the bag to get it in my pack (I got the warmer, larger model).

Anyway, long story short, don't go to the bank on these reported stuff sizes, as they may reflect just the way the tent is packaged for sale. Get a look at it and see how its stuffs, if at all possible.

[bigsky]

Teton Tents stuff sacks:

Every Revolution and Evolution series tent comes with a silnylon tubular compression sack. While our tents require small storage sacks, the compression straps make the sack size even smaller. (The sack dimensions given are for the compressed size.)

A picture of our silnylon tubular compression sacks can be seen in the right hand column of the following web page:
http://www.bigskyproducts.com/tetontents/TetonTents.htm

Heavier tents usually require larger stuff sacks than lighter tents. Since Teton Tents are some of the lightest available it seems reasonable that the tents will require smaller stuff sacks than other heavier tents.

Thanks for your interest!