View Full Version : Tent with vestibule
Hello all,
I am hoping you can help me; I have a bit of a tall order!
I'm looking for a backpackable 2 man, 3-season tent (pref big enough for a blow up double mattress).
I've got to be able to carry it on my back, but it needs to be comfy enough for the better half to want to stay in it too!
I need a tent with a good sized vestibule, as when the weather turns bad, it's nice to have space to cook, sit, spread things out, and really live in!
There's one make (Terra Nova) in England who make some good-looking tents. Hilleberg also comes to mind, but do you have anything stateside that would fit the bill for less?
Thank you!
woolfie and GG
07-26-2004, 18:30
also over here, and looking for 2 man tent, hilleberg nallo2 gt is what I'm looking at here, will be watching for recommendation from state side,
:)
RITBlake
07-26-2004, 18:45
Yo RAZ,
Check out a thread I started a couple days ago. We had a very similar question, hope it helps, the guys had lots of suggestions
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5324
frankcornbread
07-26-2004, 18:54
Hi, Raz.
Try this.
http://store.hermitshut.com/bipite.html
Bibler Pinon. 5#11oz. I owned one of these for awhile and I must say that it was the most "livable" tent I've ever used. They have discontinued them this year so they show up on eBay for the mid $200's. GREAT tent for two people hiking so you can share loads. "ToddTex" is a breathable fabric like the big "G" but has a wicking interior as well. Not to worry re: condensation as this tent has great ventilation. Also the most usable well thought out vestibules. Two, mind you, with a gear pocket in each that is large enough to hold a pack under cover. Check the fit for your air mattress or consider Western Mountaineering's Mighty-Lite w/a summer coupler and some Big Agnes inflatables. Best of luck.
FC
ex-tennesseean
08-31-2006, 00:52
It's an old thread, but I'll add note of the MSR/Walrus Trekker Tarp. I chose it because it's mostly vestibule! I can zip open the long side of the A-frame and prop it on poles for a porch roof about 8'x6', or vip it shut and use either of two triangular, sloped ends as vestibules, all floorless of course. All three "vestibules" and also be the entrances, so you have a 3-1 chance of waking up with the tent door out of the wind. It's 2 pounds plus your hiking poles, and 2 lbs for the Bug Hut/floor Insert. Discontinued now, but still popping up on eBay. The BD Betamid is similar, but much smaller (and lighter). That puts the poles right where you want to sit and sleep, or snuggle.
I've also experimented with adding a catenary tarp to a small tent. My Noah's Tarp drapes nicely over my REI Sub-Alpine and adds shade and shelter outside the door, but it's not as neat and handy as the Trekker.
Emsadida
08-31-2006, 00:59
What about the H. Shires Double Rainbow? It's a 2 person single wall that fits the bill at 2.5 pounds. Considering you're wanting to carry it, 2.5 is damned nice compared to 5+ pounds...
fiddlehead
08-31-2006, 06:30
YOu may want to check out the mega-mid light by black diamond.
Although it has a pole in the middle, it is a great tent for cooking, eating, partying and sleeping inside.
Lots of room and less than 2 lbs. Remember weight is everything (almost)
If i was to hike with another person the whole way, this would be my choice.
We used this tent in the pyrenees in '99 and it was a wet year over there. 2 of us used the megamid and the other guy had a solo tent and we all cooked and ate in our megamid and then he went in his own tent to sleep.
Plenty of room is the advantage of this tent. 9' X 9' or 3 metres by 3 metres to you (almost, a metre is a little bit bigger than 3 feet) but i'm pretty sure you Brits know and understand feet.
here's the link, great tent: http://www.backcountry.com/store/BLD0763/Black-Diamond-Mega-Light-Shelter.html?PID=1692154&AID=10281785
ps, if you use those dreaded hiking poles, you can make a short extension from a piece of aluminum that fits over the tip, that will allow you to leave the black diamond pole at home and save weight.
If you're going to be carrying the weight of a blow up double mattress, I doubt the weight of the tent will be the first priority for you. The best selling tent on the market is the REI Half dome. It has a good sized vestibule for each door and weighs under 5 lbs. (I believe). I tend to travel light, and solo, so I don't need such a tent, but it may work for you.
Footslogger
08-31-2006, 09:03
There are quite a few tents that would meed your needs in terms of sleeping and many of them haved a vestibule ...but it wouldn't be large enough to sit under.
My suggestion would be to carry a separate lightweight tarp and pitch it directly in front of your tent. Then you could pass directly from the tent to your cooking/sitting area.
Probably wouldn't carry one on a distance hike but we've recently started to do that ourselves out here in Wyoming. We hang a small (8' x 8') silnylon tarp between some trees near the tent. It gives us a place to sit and cook if the rain starts falling.
'Slogger
Toolshed
08-31-2006, 09:10
If you're going to be carrying the weight of a blow up double mattress, I doubt the weight of the tent will be the first priority for you. The best selling tent on the market is the REI Half dome. It has a good sized vestibule for each door and weighs under 5 lbs. (I believe). I tend to travel light, and solo, so I don't need such a tent, but it may work for you.
I think the blow-up mattress would probably be used for car camping - She might be looking for flexibility to head to a caravan park or a weekend at Buttermere, as well as backpacking.
headchange4u
08-31-2006, 11:35
I have a Marmot Twilight 2P (http://marmot.com/products/product.php?cat=tents&subcat=1&style_id=I2715) and I love it. It's a little heavy for a 2 person tent but it has a ton of great features:
1. Has 2 doors, one on each side so that you won't have to climb over each other to get out.
2. Each side has it's own HUGE vestible (10.5 square foot per side).
3. Sets up quickly.
4. High ands low vents.
I'm pretty sure that you could fit an air matress in there. It stays super dry. The first night I used it it rained all night long and I got no condensation or leaks even though I have never sealed the seams (they are taped from the factory). Another plus for me is that the top of the tent is bug netting, so on those beautiful clear night you can remove the fly and do a little star gazing.
Edit:
Oh yeah you can just use the fly with the poles and a ground sheet for a 3 lb bare-bones setup.
Although discontinued this would be an ideal tent to meet your needs. Made with bikers in mind you have the ultimate vestibule. MSR Velo (http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/tents/msr_velo.html)
rswanson
08-31-2006, 13:27
FYI, the original request made in this thread is over 2 years old.
I have been noticing a lot of inexpensive, used once or twice, backpacking equip on ebay lately. Currently there are one or more of the following tents for less than $100 (including postage - or atleast postage within the US) Euraka Apex 2, REI Half Dome Plus 2, The North Face Kestral, MSR Vantana 2, Eureka Tetragon 8 (4 person), etc.
By the way, ignore the brands you have never heard of and go for the brands you recognize. I find a lot of these cheap brands have really inadequate rain flys - and for some reason no matter what time of year I go out, it always rains at least once. :rolleyes:
FYI, the original request made in this thread is over 2 years old.
Gotta have something to do when our lazy as editors can't get there stuff in on time!
headchange4u
08-31-2006, 17:51
FYI, the original request made in this thread is over 2 years old.
'bout time he got a new tent then.;)