Wind vs Tents

[TurboPants]

I have purchased pretty much all the big items for a thru hike, just not the tent because there are too many options! I want to stay under 3.5 lbs for sure, the lighter the better and hopefully under $250. I'm pretty sure I want side entry which narrowed my search down to the MSR Hubba, BA Copper Spur or Marmot EOS1. All are very similar with slight variations. The problem I'm seeing is 2-wall tents this light have virtually all mesh inner walls with flies that leave a 4" gap off the dirt. On a windy night in April where temps are 25-40* I would think the breeze would blow right through the inside. Am I wrong, do they block a lot of wind?? I have a decent 20* down bag but I never considered wind chills at night being a factor. More mesh = less weight, but for a March start can it be too much mesh to stay warm? You can obviously pitch it the right direction to avoid some wind but being all mesh it just seems like it would release all heat from inside the tent. I don't want condensation either so I guess my question is 2 fold, how much mesh is needed to avoid condensation and can these open air style double wall tents block wind?

I'll gladly take suggestions if you have any on specific tent models. But my main concern is to narrow down how much mesh it should have to vent but keep the wind off me and allow for tolerable winter nights when it's cold out. Since I have no experience with these double wall style mesh tents I'm just curious to hear your stories about wind and how well they work. Thanks in advance!

[HooKooDooKu]

Campsaver still has 2013 model Copper Spur UL1 at 30% off (http://www.campsaver.com/copper-spur-ul-1-tent-1-person-3-season-clearance). You might even find a 10% or 20% coupon on top of that that might work.
Last I saw, someone in the Gear For Sale section had an unused UL1 they were trying to sell for about the same price WITH a ground cloth.

You can see that the Copper Spur has some solid wall at the ground level to help keep the wind off you.

[UPDATE]
With their President's day sale and 20% off coupon on even clearance gear... the old model copper spurs are now gone from Campsaver. Only the new 2014 models are now available.

[w00dchuck]

I purchased a copper spur last year and have only used it a few times in warm conditions. I'm sure it would be plenty warm even in wind since I had to open every vent to be cool enough. Its very well designed and sturdy. Set up is a little fussy at first but after a few times it only takes minutes. Getting one for 250 or less would be a long shot especially new. Mine cost almost 400 bux.

[rocketsocks]

I have the copper spur Ul1 the material that makes up the inner wall comes up pretty high, about half way on the leeward side, and less on the windward side. On a recent trip I did have a little frosting on the inner fly, but not that much, it didn't shower me all night, and next morning one good shake-off...gone. I think it vents pretty well, and is not what I would call a drafty tent at all. I'm quite pleased with it, would buy another and have no problem recommending it.


WB member "Goody5534" may still have one for sale.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?99393-BA-Copper-Spur-UL1

well it looks as though it may have been sold. Pretty popular tent though, prolly find another at some point. many up grade to the double for more room.

[rocketsocks]

duplicate post




that I've since decided to re-purpose with a follow up post/thought.

...the only reason I went with the one I did was because it was truly free standing, a feature that was important to me at the time. Those tent option listed below are fine tents, and I believe still American made.

[Sierra2015]

This is the tent I think I'll buy: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents/LunarSolo.html

Or this one: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents/outfitter.html

It's on sale! :)

Or this one: http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=15

[BuckeyeBill]

Have you considered the Tarptent Notch (http://www.tarptent.com/notch.html) ? 26 oz $275 Double side entry.



Sent from my Apple II using a keyboard

[SCRUB HIKER]

In the rare instances that I was concerned about wind chill on a NOBO thru-hike of the AT (I started April 3, 2011, last experienced the threat of snow on May 5 around Roan Mtn. in Tennessee and then again around Sept. 17 in Maine), I just angled the rain fly of my tent (an MSR Carbon Reflex 1, very similar to the Hubba) down a little on what I anticipated to be the windward side of my tent. It was almost touching the ground on the windward side and up a few inches more on the other, sort of like a one-sided tarp setup. No one says you have to set your tent up like you see in the promo pictures. That was always enough to keep me dry and blocked from the wind.

I think with a 20-degree bag and any one of the tents you mention, you will be fine in the long haul on an AT thru. MAYBE one night or two the wind and cold would be enough to cause you to lose sleep, but you'd survive. I am all for tents with lots of mesh, like the Hubba or Copper Spur--in warm weather, which occurs WAY more often than cold weather on an AT thru-hike, it is such a blessing to have that breathability and the chance to essentially sleep in the open but be bugproof. The con of having a little wind blowing through on cold nights can be dealt with, for the most part, by positioning the rain fly against the wind or just a little breeze for one night on the faith that it will be better the next.

[Damn Yankee]

I don't know if you are set on a single/double wall tent or whether you use trekking poles but, I'm a Nemo fan and have used the Meta 1P tent and really liked it plus, customer service is awesome. I contacted them directly and got a Meta 2p w/ footprint for $170 which was about 1/2 of list price. It was a demo but it does have the 4"or so tub wall and double side entry and weighs 3.9lbs. The 1P is also a side entry with very large vestibule area and weighs just over 2lbs.

[TurboPants]

I can't tell you how many hiking poles I've broke! For that reason I am not really interested in the tents that require hiking poles. It's only a handful of ounces more for tent that uses poles to erect the canopy. But I'm a big fan of free standing tents so that's what I focus on, specifically with side entry. The rainbow lunar is always a great product for that price, it's just not my preferred design.

I checked out both the hubba and copper spur at a local store today and was ready to buy one BUT their price was $130 more than online. That was "on sale" lol. I'd support local businesses but not for that much money! Rock and Scrub, thanks for those reviews. That eases my mind a lot about the wind.

[Trail Ponderer]

I wouldn't worry too much about wind chill. You can pitch your fly down low to cut down the wind from blowing in like Scrub mentioned above. You could also pitch your tent out of the wind if it is a issue behind trees, large rock, opposite side of the mountain, lower in the valley.
The Tarptent Moment will fit the bill for most of your requirements. A little bit higher than the $250 price tag you mentioned.

[daddytwosticks]

Eureka solo Spitfire. Double-wall. Side entry. Mostly mesh inner. Relatively lightweight. Durable. Way inexpensive. :)

[TurboPants]

The spitfire was actually one of the very first tents I had my eye on but I decided I wanted something free standing. It's pretty tight quarters too. I'd almost have to get the spitfire 2P version, which is a tad heavier than the other options.

I was doing some comparisons at REI and noticed they have a new REI brand quarter dome T1 that's $219. Of course, no reviews of course! And the only reviews I can find on the copper spur are with people that weren't real happy with it saying it leaked water. So I'm still not positive which direction I want to go.

[Slo-go'en]

I wouldn't worry about any draft. You need some ventilation to keep the condensation down anyway. Of bigger concern is not having the wind blow it down if you pitch it in the wrong spot - which is why the top of balds is really not a good place to tent, regardless of the tempetation to do so. It might look calm when you set up, but storms have a way of coming out of nowhere, really quickly.

I set up my tent in the wrong spot one night and had a violent thunderstorm roll through about midnight. The wind pulled the stake holding up my tent out of the ground and tent fell over me. I spent the next hour or two (seemed like forever) holding my hiking pole up to keep the tent off me while lighting flashed all around. In 30 years of hiking, that was about the scariest night I ever spent in a tent! BTW, the tent was a SMD Lunar solo.

[JansportD2]

I wouldn't worry too much about the gap at the bottom of the tent. I camped this weekend in Wharton State Forest (NJ) in a Mountainsmith Mountain Shelter LT which is a single-wall tarp/tent with a 1 - 2" gap all around the bottom. There was 2" of sleet and snow Saturday night with sustained winds of 18 mph and a low of 17 F. Wind and snow under the gaps wasn't an issue - except that the ventilation helped with condensation. I have a 20 degree rated bag with a Sea to Summit Reactor liner - the liner, although very thin, seems to help a little. A mesh inner wall would cut down even more on any drafts.

Here's a pic from Saturday at about dusk - more snow fell overnight. The snow tends to pile up and cover the gap between the ground and the tent walls.25975

[TurboPants]

Slo-goen that's kinda funny, but scary. Holing up your tent in a lightning storm with a metal rod... what could possibly go wrong!? :)

Jansport, thanks for the advice. Is your liner pretty restrictive? For example, would it take a lot of effort to turn over? I turn a bit at night due to my neck/back issues. I was considering getting that same liner but if I can't move in it I don't think I'd like it. But my thinking was it may keep the bag cleaner and could work for using as a blanket and sleeping on top of the bag in summer.