View Full Version : Lightest, best free standing tent?
I'm thinking of getting rid of my Six Moon Designs tent, really want a freestanding, anybody have opinions on the best, lightest freestanding - I just dread upping my tent weight, but think it might be a better choice.
Tarptent Rainbow is freestanding, sort of. As long as you're carrying trekking poles. Check out the website to get an idea. You'd still want two stakes to guy out the side and the vestibule...
Earl Grey
04-01-2007, 23:51
MSR Hubba is what you seek.
rusty075
04-02-2007, 01:05
MSR Hubba is what you seek.
I disagree. The Big Agnes SL1 is both 25% bigger (22sf vs. 17sf), and 15% lighter (2lb 6oz vs 2lb 13oz). BA lists the trail weight as 2lb 6oz, but on my particular tent its in-pack weight works out to 2lbs even once I switched out the stuff sack for the main tent, dumped the stuff sacks for the poles and stakes, and left behind the superfluous extra stakes and guy-out lines. (If the poo ever really hits the fan I use chunks of bearbag line for guy-outs and handy rocks as deadmen)
I tried out both before buying the SL1. The big difference is in the width. The Hubba is only 26" wide at the shoulder point. I kept hitting the sides whenever I would roll over during the night. The SL1 is more than a foot wider at the shoulder point, something like 40"...lots more wiggle room.
The Hubba does have a bigger vestibule though, although the SL1's is big enough to stash a pack and a pair of boots, which is all I really need for a solo tent.
They're both about the same price...I would try to find a retailer near you that carries them brands and do your own comparison.
Why freestanding? Camping on concrete?
They're both about the same price...I would try to find a retailer near you that carries them brands and do your own comparison.
I compared the two and went with the Hubba. I felt like it was a better made tent than the BA one.
icemanat95
04-02-2007, 11:25
I agree, a freestanding tent is un-necessary on the AT outside of camping in the windiest, most exposed conditions. Mountaineering tents are one thing, but for basic three-season hiking, save the weight of the extra poles and learn how to effectively stake out your tent properly.
Footslogger
04-02-2007, 11:29
About the only place on the AT where a free-standing tent has a clear advantage is where tent platforms are used rather than level earthen tent sites. Even then with a little effort most non free-standing tents can be made to work.
'Slogger
whitefoot_hp
04-02-2007, 11:47
what if your just lazy and dont want to fiddle with the stakes... lol
LostInSpace
04-02-2007, 12:07
I always stake my free standing tents, whether they need it or not. Just habit, maybe hardheadedness, I suppose.
I used the 6moons last year, and it would never set up right, one of the sides measured longer than the other, (was told this was not the case, but it was and is) thus a 'sag' on one corner, this made ice on my head one night, and I just wasn't really happy with the set up, light yes, but I had to make so many adjustments to it to make it work for me....
1) sew in a little roll down piece of silnylon to cover the opening at the top of the pole where rain could come right in.
2) They were nice enough to send me a free zipper that I sewed in myself, but it was a hassle to keep the zipper "shut" closest to the ground, needed to add more velcro for that.
3) If not on really even ground I would slide downhill, so after doing about 10 shakedowns, decided to sew in a 'holder' at each end of my sleeping pad to hold it in place - which was great, but then I rolled downhill without my pad.
4) I wasn't dry one night - so much silnylon ceiling sweating - either damp, icy (I even took along a jagbag to cover my down bag for extra protection.)
5) Had to always face away from the wind - not that you shouldn't in any tent, but a must in this one.
6) had to keep the sides super low in colder weather to keep out a vicious draft all night.
7) after one rough storm that sent me hauling it to weather out the rest in the shelter, my tent was completely squashed and wet inside, even though set up as near perfect as I could imagine, on a rather flat 'cap pad'. Glad I didn't stay in there, my bag would've been useless!
Otherwise a great superlight tent, but just not what I was looking for. The freestanding seem to be so much easier, and I use one when hiking with my husband, a Mtn. Hardware Room with a view ( which they no longer make unfortunately). Heavy, but we split the load.
Just thinking back to seeing so many freestanding tents out there, small, compact and I wanted to give a solo one a try, but ease/speed of set up is important too.
Thanks for listening to my rant ;)
Jester2000
04-02-2007, 18:14
Why freestanding? Camping on concrete?
Freestanding gives you the freedom to camp on concrete if you so choose, or for example, right on the NJ-NY state line, which is a big slab of rock.
Freestanding also allows you to not think at the end of a long, hot hiking day in VA, or a wet, blustery one in GA.
Freestanding allows you to change your mind about placement after discovering that there's a rock right where your back goes by picking the tent up and moving it over two feet.
Freestanding allows you to clean out your tent by picking it up while still assembled, turning it upside down, and shaking it.
Freestanding allows you to use just one stake if you're worried about weight, just one to hold it down if it's windy and you're not in it.
In short, freestanding allows you to, while on a hike, sit in your tent while enjoying the fact that those who mocked you for bringing too much weight are still trying to figure out what to tie their guy line to and which way the wind is blowing in the dark while it's raining and what they're going to do now that their hiking pole is bent.
I'm with Jester. It's a useful feature, but I wouldn't "pay" much for it, in terms of ounces and pounds. There are times when the protection you seek is from bugs more than anything else.
Jester2000
04-02-2007, 18:29
All I'm saying is that for some people, the last thing they want to do is fiddle with a tent at the end of the day, and ultimately, hardly anyone quits a thru hike because a mountain was too tough to climb. Many quit because they're simply unhappy out there, so if what makes you happy is having a freestanding tent, then it's absolutely necessary.
When someone posts something like this:
. . .a freestanding tent is un-necessary on the AT outside of camping in the windiest, most exposed conditions. . . learn how to effectively stake out your tent properly.
they seems to think only in terms of weather and miss my fundamental point. And the last bit comes across as vaguely insulting.
For full disclosure, my tent was NOT freestanding when I hiked the AT. When I did the Long Trail I switched to a freestanding and was much happier.
Footslogger
04-02-2007, 18:30
Free-standing is nice ...used several of them over the years. But I use a non free-standing tent now (Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo-e) and I would say that some of the comparative statements are exaggerated.
For instance ..."sit in your tent while enjoying the fact that those who mocked you for bringing too much weight are still trying to figure out what to tie their guy line to and which way the wind is blowing in the dark while it's raining and what they're going to do now that their hiking pole is bent"
Might apply to some, but personally I've never had that problem.
'Slogger
Jester2000
04-02-2007, 18:58
Free-standing is nice ...used several of them over the years. But I use a non free-standing tent now (Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo-e) and I would say that some of the comparative statements are exaggerated.. . . Might apply to some, but personally I've never had that problem.
'Slogger
Of course it's exaggerated. It's hyperbole, a device involving intentional overstatement used for emphasis.
I'm sure you've had some of those problems, though. Just not all at once. And you figured those problems out, as most of us would.
So again, what I'm saying is that when balancing "being happy when walking" and "being happy in camp," some folks decide to carry the extra weight to have a freestanding tent. And perhaps those people don't deserve a snide "camping on concrete?" thrown their way, or advice on why they "don't need one."
You'll notice that the person who started the thread asked for advice on which tent to get, not on whether a freestanding tent was "necessary" for them or not.
Footslogger
04-02-2007, 19:12
You'll notice that the person who started the thread asked for advice on which tent to get, not on whether a freestanding tent was "necessary" for them or not.
===============================
Right on ...I'm as guilty as the next for dragging the thread off course.
'Slogger
I went with the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1...I can't speak to how well it performs. I leave for my thru tomorrow but will report back on it when I know. I looked at the Hubba but wanted a little more side to side room.
i love my REI quarterdome but not the best choice for a long hike. I will be saving it for my shorter lazier hikes.
Good luck on making a decision. I know it's a tough one.
jasonklass
04-02-2007, 20:14
I second Rusty's post about the Big Agnes. Less stakes means less you have to carry and means you can pitch on solid rock if you have to.
Worth noting that the BA SL1 is no more or less free-standing than the Tarptent Rainbow. In both cases the full volume of the tent isn't realized until you guy out the sides.
if you don't use hikin poles the tt rainbow aint freestanding. the hiking poles also make setup with the tt a little more cumbersome and fiddly that a "true" freestanding tent.
Not worth arguing over. The BA SL1 would have been my next choice after the Rainbow. I was very tempted. It's a nice little tent.
Skidsteer
04-02-2007, 20:46
Worth noting that the BA SL1 is no more or less free-standing than the Tarptent Rainbow. In both cases the full volume of the tent isn't realized until you guy out the sides.
Exactly. And by my count(for the SL1) it takes at least five, and most probably six stakes unless one enjoys suffocating in warm weather and/or watching your tent fly shred itself in high wind.
i looked at the rainbow and other tarptents, but because i don't use hiking poles or whatever, the tents are essentially useless to me.
Hold on. The Rainbow only needs hiking poles to be freestanding. It can be set up with 6 stakes in non-freestanding mode. Four stakes for the main floor area, two to guy out the side and vestibule. One long arch pole forms the roof.
... and many believe, myself included that they are overrated and a bunch of hooey.
Umm, okay. :rolleyes:
Smile,
Get a Rei Half Dome rainfly( gear sale- $8) and make both poles( 149.75"- Actual) that's a 8" clearance around the rainfly. I maded mine to 143" with a 3" clearance then add a tub floor( also a bug net if needed) . Should come out to 3lbs (+/- 4oz) and sleeps 2
Mike
Black Diamond Firstlight. What's $300 for perfection?
I have read really poor reviews about the firstlight, granted it IT is a really light tent!
All great suggestions, I will probably list my Lunar Solo-E on ebay in a few days, I have a bunch of compression sacks too that I never use anymore so...
Weldman, what would you do for a 1 perseon? Tarps seem just as problematic as any stake out tent, no?
Boston....the ba sl1, will check it out too. Sure I will find a happy medium, most of my hiking buddies use the hs tarptents, I've used one on a hike or two, but don't like the front coverage in storms.
I'm thinking of getting rid of my Six Moon Designs tent, really want a freestanding, anybody have opinions on the best, lightest freestanding - I just dread upping my tent weight, but think it might be a better choice.
There's no such thing as a "freestanding" tent, though some tents are easier to put up than others. Some easy to erect tents are "free standing." Some aren't. All require at least some staking, especially in a windy rain.
And I doubt if any tent can be both best and lightest. Light weight requires compromises -- lighter, less sturdy fabric, lighter, more fragile poles.
The "best tent" I've ever owned is a two-person Moss. It survived a month of me and a nine-year-old on the trail in Maine, a walk home from Georgia, many shorter hikes, and numerous scout trips by assorted grandkids. It is also what they call "free standing." And weighs six pounds.
Moss is out of the backpacking tent market, but for awhile REI used the Moss design and maybe still does.
Weary
I define a freestanding tent as one I can pick up and move, and shake out.
So many great opinions, good options. Just want to make a good choice, but I am so into superlight that it may be one of the heaviest things I carry, darn - do I really need food bag?? :)
All I'm saying is that for some people, the last thing they want to do is fiddle with a tent at the end of the day, and ultimately, hardly anyone quits a thru hike because a mountain was too tough to climb. Many quit because they're simply unhappy out there, so if what makes you happy is having a freestanding tent, then it's absolutely necessary.
When someone posts something like this:
they seems to think only in terms of weather and miss my fundamental point. And the last bit comes across as vaguely insulting.
For full disclosure, my tent was NOT freestanding when I hiked the AT. When I did the Long Trail I switched to a freestanding and was much happier.
You know your a hard core gear junkie when you can be insulted over your choice of freestanding vs tarptent. GO Jester I have the Seedhouse 2SL. I never used stakes. Just leave your pack or some rocks inside. It never has blown away.
There's no such thing as a "freestanding" tent, though some tents are easier to put up than others. Some easy to erect tents are "free standing." Some aren't. All require at least some staking, especially in a windy rain.
And I doubt if any tent can be both best and lightest. Light weight requires compromises -- lighter, less sturdy fabric, lighter, more fragile poles.
The "best tent" I've ever owned is a two-person Moss. It survived a month of me and a nine-year-old on the trail in Maine, a walk home from Georgia, many shorter hikes, and numerous scout trips by assorted grandkids. It is also what they call "free standing." And weighs six pounds.
Moss is out of the backpacking tent market, but for awhile REI used the Moss design and maybe still does.
Weary
Lotsa new tents out there. I saw a few true freestanding tents on this site.
http://moontrail.com/tents/tent_overview.html
http://moontrail.com/tents/tent_overview.html
Smile,
I read that you do sew, have you done any big projects? If so, why not make a 45" wide dome tent. Just use one strip of silnylon for the middle and add to the side( pole straps at each corner) and add ties along the corners & top inside. Add a tub floor w/ bug net along the side and on one side have a awning run along the side open at the end ( leeward side of coarse) You may be able to use the flooring of your old tent.
I have the EuroTent, but I have no idea how much it weighs. A friend brought over 3 of the latest-and-greatest "lightweight" tents, and mine was still lighter. It sets up and breaks down great. It has all the qualities of a great backpacking, 3-season tent, but the condensation is terrible, even with the door open.
Not the lightest...but the cheapest....i like it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mountainsmith-Boundary-2-person-Backpacking-Tent-New_W0QQitemZ130096845709QQihZ003QQcategoryZ36119Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Not cheap but fairly light. (http://www.mountainhardware.com/Product.aspx?top=3&prod=443&cat=25&viewAll=False) It sounds indestructable but I cant find anywhere in my area that carries one that I can look at.
I'm in a conundrum. I just can't spend over 200 bucks for a tent, even though i agree that the BA SL1 appears to be the best all round loadout on the market.
does anyone have experience with Eureka tents? How about the Eureka Solitaire (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39168684&memberId=12500226) or other Eurekas?
How about the Montbell Diamond ... .$220 bucks and about 2 and a half pounds?
I think I found a good value price/weight wise on a free standing....
Eureka zeus at 99.99. It's over 3 pounds...though...
I'm in a conundrum. I just can't spend over 200 bucks for a tent, even though i agree that the BA SL1 appears to be the best all round loadout on the market.
does anyone have experience with Eureka tents? How about the Eureka Solitaire (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39168684&memberId=12500226) or other Eurekas?
Eureka (historically) has made excellent tents. I was disappointed with the Spitfire UL, however. The Solitaire looks a bit like the ancient Eureka Gossamer that I acquired in 1989... and which is still going strong. It's kept me dry and comfy in all kinds of ugly weather, but it's tiny. I upgraded to a TT Rainbow to save weight -- about 1 lb. worth.
superman
04-12-2007, 16:03
Wal-mart 2 lbs, $20 sold in 2000. Free standing and vented...what more could you want.
rswanson
04-12-2007, 16:11
I think I found a good value price/weight wise on a free standing....
Eureka zeus at 99.99. It's over 3 pounds...though...
A friend of mine had the Eureka Zues Exo1...we dubbed it the condensation station. The venting options for the tent were very poorly designed. There are better options out there, even at $100.
Best 100 % freestanding 3 pole, 4 season, 1 person tent could be the new one from Hilleberg comming out later this year ! ? It's sayed to be an improved Unna, with indoor real vestibule. Anyway, I'll take one for winter, where no tarps of my knowledge, is of any serious use.
Best 100 % freestanding 3 pole, 4 season, 1 person tent could be the new one from Hilleberg comming out later this year ! ? It's sayed to be an improved Unna, with indoor real vestibule. Anyway, I'll take one for winter, where no tarps of my knowledge, is of any serious use.
In case anyone should be interested at all, I mean it's an old thread, the Soulo is the new Hilleberg tent I talked about earlier this spring.
Looks great for someone with needs of cold and windy camping. Someone who doesn't want to blow away in a so called "tarp-tent-thing" :D Don't worry, it comes in GREEN too, for non-mountaineering stealth seeking people ;)
http://www.hilleberg.se/nyheter%202008.htm
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-05-2007, 19:47
Great looking tent, Madmax, but not light by any means at 2.1K (about 4.5 lbs)
Great looking tent, Madmax, but not light by any means at 2.1K (about 4.5 lbs)
Depend much on where/what/when it's used. Of course I wouldn't carry it 3000 miles in a pure summer landscape hike. But for winterskiing or bad-weather trips it's a compleately other story.
My 3½ seasons setup is 25 oz everything included. But 4 season nothern Scandinavia is like in Alaska, it's nothing for any "tarp" - then I want a little security and comfort :)
Jim Adams
08-05-2007, 20:30
As anyone out there that has ever met me can testify, I am about as square dimensions as they come meaning as wide as tall! LOL.:banana
I used a Hubba this year for 1,000 miles of the PCT and loved it. Yes I am as wide as the tent but it never became a problem. I am short enough that I could lay my pack across the bottom of the tent and elevate my feet on the pack as I slept. Most of the time, being in a dry climate, I didn't stake the tent at all. I enjoyed the fact that I could sit up in my tent while almost all the other hikers were using H.S. Tarptents and had to lay in their tents the entire time "indoors". I had no condensation problems, no wind problems and the few storms that I was in presented no rain or snow problems.
This was the first time that I used a tent for long distance hiking but I think that the Hubba was a very wise purchase.
geek
ps. most of the tarp tents were harder to set up and required more "tightness" maintenance than my tarps ever do.
About the only place on the AT where a free-standing tent has a clear advantage is where tent platforms are used rather than level earthen tent sites. Even then with a little effort most non free-standing tents can be made to work.'Slogger
Absolutely true. A couple of weeks ago my wife and I returned from Alaska to Washinton State on the ferry.
We had sent our backpacking tents home because we thought we had ordered cabins for our days on the ferry. We hadn't. So we slept in lounge chairs on the deck -- surrounded by a dozen tents. A few free standing. Most tied down to deck gear, or in some cases taped down with duct tape.
Weary
I always stake my free standing tents, whether they need it or not. Just habit, maybe hardheadedness, I suppose.
Keep up the practice. There are no free-standing tents in a storm -- or even in a sprightly windy rain. All tents in my experience require staking.
Weary
All I'm saying is that for some people, the last thing they want to do is fiddle with a tent at the end of the day, and ultimately, hardly anyone quits a thru hike because a mountain was too tough to climb. Many quit because they're simply unhappy out there, so if what makes you happy is having a freestanding tent, then it's absolutely necessary.
For full disclosure, my tent was NOT freestanding when I hiked the AT. When I did the Long Trail I switched to a freestanding and was much happier.
well, since we are being honest. (when did that strange concept intrude?) My tent in '93 was "free" standing. It's still my favorite tent -- a 6-pound Moss, two-person.
But if I'm able to do another long distance hike, I'm looking for something lighter.
Weary
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-05-2007, 21:23
The dinos used to carry a 5# 2oz three-man tent (http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=243872) back in the day.... we used it recently at the beach because it is freestanding
That Hilleberg Soulo is 1.7k without pegs. Hilleberg include 12 pegs plus the repair kit with their "packed weight" of 2.1 kg. Still not that light but having used a similar design, I think that it will be a great success for the weight conscious mountaineer.
BTW Soulo is the Suomi word for island.
Franco
That Hilleberg Soulo is 1.7k without pegs. Hilleberg include 12 pegs plus the repair kit with their "packed weight" of 2.1 kg. Still not that light but having used a similar design, I think that it will be a great success for the weight conscious mountaineer.
BTW Soulo is the Suomi word for island.
Franco
I don't think I have seen this model in the U.S. It looks a lot like the Staika.
Sorry, I should have made that clear. The Soulo is one of three new products from Hilleberg for 2008. The other ones are the 2 person version , the Allak with two vestibules, and the Kaitum 3.
Franco
NICKTHEGREEK
08-06-2007, 06:33
I used the 6moons last year, and it would never set up right, one of the sides measured longer than the other, (was told this was not the case, but it was and is) thus a 'sag' on one corner, this made ice on my head one night, and I just wasn't really happy with the set up, light yes, but I had to make so many adjustments to it to make it work for me....
1) sew in a little roll down piece of silnylon to cover the opening at the top of the pole where rain could come right in.
2) They were nice enough to send me a free zipper that I sewed in myself, but it was a hassle to keep the zipper "shut" closest to the ground, needed to add more velcro for that.
3) If not on really even ground I would slide downhill, so after doing about 10 shakedowns, decided to sew in a 'holder' at each end of my sleeping pad to hold it in place - which was great, but then I rolled downhill without my pad.
4) I wasn't dry one night - so much silnylon ceiling sweating - either damp, icy (I even took along a jagbag to cover my down bag for extra protection.)
5) Had to always face away from the wind - not that you shouldn't in any tent, but a must in this one.
6) had to keep the sides super low in colder weather to keep out a vicious draft all night.
7) after one rough storm that sent me hauling it to weather out the rest in the shelter, my tent was completely squashed and wet inside, even though set up as near perfect as I could imagine, on a rather flat 'cap pad'. Glad I didn't stay in there, my bag would've been useless!
Otherwise a great superlight tent, but just not what I was looking for. The freestanding seem to be so much easier, and I use one when hiking with my husband, a Mtn. Hardware Room with a view ( which they no longer make unfortunately). Heavy, but we split the load.
Just thinking back to seeing so many freestanding tents out there, small, compact and I wanted to give a solo one a try, but ease/speed of set up is important too.
Thanks for listening to my rant ;)
It was refreshing to read a post that didn't proclaim that the poster's choice in gear or technique wasn't the wisest decision since Solomon. Item # 3 and # 7 are enough to warrant pitching (no pun intended) the tent and looking for something new. No tent should ever drive you into a shelter!
Sorry, I should have made that clear. The Soulo is one of three new products from Hilleberg for 2008. The other ones are the 2 person version , the Allak with two vestibules, and the Kaitum 3.
Franco
I have been close to getting an Unna for a while. At 1.7 kg (3.74 lbs.) it would be the same weight a the Unna. I'll glady wait for the Soulo. I think it will be a great Winter tent.
:D
Has anyone else tried the REI QuarterDome? I am currently using that myself. It sets up pretty fast and is around 4 lbs. I have never staked any of my free standing tents and I suppose this will bite me in the butt at some point but I've never had a problem. I do carry 4 stakes tho'.
I am 6'1", 260 lbs and I have a darn wide shoulder girth. It is a wee bit tight but, as stated previously regarding the Hubba, I use my pack either at my feet or my head and I have no problems fitting my bulk in there. It's cut for 2 people (HA!)....reality...1 with room to spare.
Most folks won't have the shoulder problem. I use a BA bag, supposedly one of the widest available on the market and I still have to use a "wedge" to get a good fit.
And there's always that REI return policy if you're not happy.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-06-2007, 13:52
My 6'4' and well over 200lb brother uses this tent and loves it. Says it is the first tent he has found that meets his space requirements. He doesn't like single-wall tents as it is nearly impossible for a guy his size to avoid touching the walls and getting rained on with condensation.
Has anyone else tried the REI QuarterDome? I am currently using that myself. It sets up pretty fast and is around 4 lbs. I have never staked any of my free standing tents and I suppose this will bite me in the butt at some point but I've never had a problem. I do carry 4 stakes tho'.
I am 6'1", 260 lbs and I have a darn wide shoulder girth. It is a wee bit tight but, as stated previously regarding the Hubba, I use my pack either at my feet or my head and I have no problems fitting my bulk in there. It's cut for 2 people (HA!)....reality...1 with room to spare.
Most folks won't have the shoulder problem. I use a BA bag, supposedly one of the widest available on the market and I still have to use a "wedge" to get a good fit.
And there's always that REI return policy if you're not happy.
cutman11
08-06-2007, 18:08
Although not currently commercially available, I have the Wanderlust 2-4-2. Its not free standing but weighs less than 2lb and can fit me, my pack, and my boots with room to spare. Uses hiking poles for support, or can be hung by loop at center of ceiling. I paid $150, as I recall, for a second hand one. Just like the ULA packs, something hand made by someone who cares sometimes ends up better than the commercially made stuff. Unfortunately, Kurt Russell, who made the tents is/was too inaccessible to get reliable order filling. I still love the tent, though
Lightest Freestanding?
Not sure if it's the elightest but I use a Black Diamond Firstlight... with poles, stakes, stuff bags (everything) weighs 3 lbs 0 oz's on my electronic sacle... 3 lbs 8.0 oz's with a Tyvek ground cloth.
Light and strong.
I've got a Tarptent Rainbow that I'm very happy with. At 2 pounds it's light, has plenty of room and after seam sealing it stays dry.
boarstone
08-12-2007, 08:29
I'm thinking of getting rid of my Six Moon Designs tent, really want a freestanding, anybody have opinions on the best, lightest freestanding - I just dread upping my tent weight, but think it might be a better choice.
Leave the tents...HAMMOCK! Go over to the hammock site and read on! You'll not miss your tent....
:)
I consider the MSR Hubba the finest lightweight tent on the market today in that price range. Freestanding and user friendly, I've put mine up at night several times, well ventilated and the white top panel difuses the light well after dark for chores. The unique one piece pole means I'll never misplace a section of aluminum. A large vestbule suitable for cooking because the tents long length allows me to bring my pack inside. When my wife is hiking with me we use the Hubba-Hubba and each enjoy our own entrance and vestibule. No more climbing over each other for night watering. Check it out.