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View Full Version : carbonfiber poles vs new tent???



Class2010AT
03-16-2010, 00:10
So i already have a eureka backcountry solo tent weighing 3lbs 4oz, I could go and get carbon fiber poles for it for about 150 bucks, or i could just get a new tent. Im really just tryin to save weight here. The new poles save bout 12oz. does anyone have any suggestions for a new tent under 2.5 lbs? anyone ever used carbon fiber poles??

skinewmexico
03-16-2010, 00:23
For $215, you can get the new Tarptent Moment, or the redesigned Rainbow for $225. Never had carbon poles, but I've seen a lot of anecdotal evidence on them, so I'm not sure if I believe it.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 00:27
The lightheart solo tent weighs in at 1 lb. 10 ounces for $235.00
http://www.lightheartgear.com/solo.html
Trekking poles or optional tent poles required.

Henry Shires Tarptents are good options as well starting at $179.00 and 1 lb. 3 3/4 ounces for the Sublite.
http://www.tarptent.com/products.html

And the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo is $235.00 and 1 lb. 7 ounces.

All need Trekking or Optional Tent Poles and all are excellent tents.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 00:28
Lunar Solo Tent, Forgot to attach Link.
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 00:29
I will be buying the LightHeart Tent soon.

Class2010AT
03-16-2010, 00:52
I should have mentioned I dont use treking poles(totally useless just IMO). And im 6'5 also must be fully enclosed, cuz i hate mosquitos!!!

leaftye
03-16-2010, 00:54
Zpack Hexamid if you choose to veer towards a tarp.

leaftye
03-16-2010, 00:54
Oops, nvm if you aren't going to bring trekking poles. I suppose you could use a stick, but I wouldn't.

srestrepo
03-16-2010, 01:02
from what i've been able to read: i'd explore as many other options as possible before investing in carbon poles especially if you camp in colder temperatures.

either way, the lightheart tent is what i'd like to get if and when my ship comes in. either that or a contrail. with the optional carbon poles.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 01:04
The 3 tents I mentioned all have the availability of tent poles from the supplier so you don't need Trekking Poles. The tent pole options add a few ounces.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 01:06
The Lightheart Solo, SMD Lunar Solo and Tarptents are all fully enclosed once zipped up with the Silnylon and No-see-um mesh.
Impervious to creepy crawlies and flying buzzers!!!

bigcranky
03-16-2010, 07:34
The Tarptent Rainbow and Moment don't require trekking poles, are fully enclosed, and provide good weather protection. The Moment will probably fit you, the Rainbow definitely will. (I'm 6-2 and the Moment is plenty large enough.)

bulldog49
03-16-2010, 08:53
I have a Lunar Solo and purchased the optional carbon fiber pole. I find the carbon pole to be too flimsy to get a taught set-up, so I always use a trekking pole for support.

garlic08
03-16-2010, 09:41
My friend, "The Two-Meter Man" (6'-7"), likes his Tarptent Contrail just fine--plenty of room for him and his pack. The extra pole sold with the Contrail works great, too. I use mine while bike touring.

If you haven't used a single-wall silnylon shelter before, be advised that it will act differently than a two-wall coated nylon tent. Condensation becomes a larger issue in many sites and there's a learning curve associated with that. Silnylon is waterproof enough for most falling rain, but in extremely heavy rainfall, and in standing water, you can get some seepage But on longer hikes, the lighter weight pays off many times over.

Just a caution that if your style is one of walking a couple of miles and setting up a base camp and staying there for weeks in the worst weather imaginable, a silnylon shelter may not be for you. But for a thru hiker who only uses it to sleep when too tired to walk, and may not even pitch it every night, it's perfect.

mountainman
03-16-2010, 20:21
I will be buying the LightHeart Tent soon.
I use the lightheart tent . it goes up fast, uses your hiking poles , and is really large. all for 1lb.10oz

SGT Rock
03-16-2010, 20:28
Lightheart tent looks like a good one. I saw them at the Bash last year. 26 ounces I think.

I'd skip carbon fiber poles. A guy in the know told me to stick with my aluminum poles.

10-K
03-16-2010, 20:36
The Lightheart Solo, SMD Lunar Solo and Tarptents are all fully enclosed once zipped up with the Silnylon and No-see-um mesh.
Impervious to creepy crawlies and flying buzzers!!!


Don't know about the Lightheart or the various tarptents, but I have a lunar solo and am 6'3" tall and I can't stretch out in it. I wouldn't recommend the solo for someone 6'5"....

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 20:38
I use the lightheart tent . it goes up fast, uses your hiking poles , and is really large. all for 1lb.10oz

I also like that my hiking poles will be inside the tent instead of out in the dirt.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 20:40
Don't know about the Lightheart or the various tarptents, but I have a lunar solo and am 6'3" tall and I can't stretch out in it. I wouldn't recommend the solo for someone 6'5"....

I answered the original post, height was in a later post.
6' 5" is taller than I!!

SGT Rock
03-16-2010, 20:40
If I were going out to the PCT or CDT I would probably get a Lightheart Solo.

And the guy in the know is someone that works for a company that makes both types of poles which shall remain nameless.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 20:41
The lightheart is 133 inches long. Should be plenty of room.
My 25 X 77 NeoAir will fit as well.

Class2010AT
03-16-2010, 21:16
thanks for the suggestions guys but i doubt i would ever buy one any of those tents. They all really look like P.O.S.'s. Maybe if i saw one in person i might change my mind. They all just look like the would rip very easly, or the seams would fall apart. There is know way i could fit in the lightheart solo same wit the sublite same with the moment. plus most of the tarptents look like they would be horrable in the wind. I really dont like the fact that the single wall tents rains on your from the inside w condensation. I have borrowed a single wall before an i woke up soaked n the morning and it was totall dry outside. I do live in very humid climate. I think i might just save my money get the carbon poles(use my alum in winter) and have just a better tent. this is all just IMO, if anyone has anything else i would be glad to tke a look. I know i sound like an ass but i don't mean to. I think the one i like the best is the lighthert duo really i can fit in it, most of it is double walled but it still looks to be poorly made.

Class2010AT
03-16-2010, 21:18
The lightheart is 133 inches long. Should be plenty of room.
My 25 X 77 NeoAir will fit as well.
I have the same neoair and i hang off the end of it. lol it really sucks being tall

skinewmexico
03-16-2010, 21:22
I know i sound like an ass but i don't mean to.

Swing and a miss there. Next time, just tell everyone the answer you want to hear in your OP. Easier to just say "I've made up my mind, help me rationalize it". To say that the tents used by numerous Triple Crowners are POS's is pretty amazing, especially considering you haven't seen one.

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:24
a hundred and fifty is so far along twords the price of a new home,....and my carbon fiber pole in my megamid replaced the mosert aluminum original. so ive got 25 years of data. carbon fiber even if it wasnt lighter and stronger, simply dont stick in cold witch aluminum simply can. also , the touching of aluminum witch has been grinding dust from being uses as a pole for a tent with sections, is wrong to touch and causes "nickel hypersensitivity". live it love it learn it. aluminum is not good to touch when degrading by use.yo. your talking to a guy who touches bad crap for a liveing.

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:26
green your packs my people.

Mountain Wildman
03-16-2010, 21:26
I have the same neoair and i hang off the end of it. lol it really sucks being tall

Yes, But you can reach all of the cobwebs on the ceiling. :-)

10-K
03-16-2010, 21:31
thanks for the suggestions guys but i doubt i would ever buy one any of those tents. .

Well there's your answer. :)

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:32
the saudi medical journel archives containe a good artical on nickle hypersensitivity. it states that our daily use of metles in this order , affects peoples health. belt buckles were number one. change in a pocket.railings,and so on. side note,i have been receiveing a saudi med journel and other stuff for some dr for years. dont know why. maby the post office has a crossed connection. maby my real father is an arab. would this mean im oil rich?!

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:34
and further, not to hyjack the thread, could all my problems being weird and hiker trash be cause im the result of a top secret black ops surgery gone wrong? maby they tryed to create a star child?i pooped a star once.

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:38
my carb fi pole has a hole in the top cap i made with a leader of fly line about a foot long. i hang my american flag their jack gave me but i mean to fish with it. i bought a dank fly reel and need a way to secure the joints in the sections and attatch guides and reel.im thinking of useing shrink seals as for wine botteling and being able to do it on trail in my cookpot with boiling water. then i could carry sets of fatener seals and fish or pitch!

mweinstone
03-16-2010, 21:41
at night in my mid, the line holds a twig with a prusix knot and my food bag hangs there. the pole has survived 70 mile an hour winds in the smokeys and can hold my weight.

leaftye
03-16-2010, 22:16
So you want a tent that looks tough, is tough, yet is ultralight and dirt cheap. Yeah bud, that's what we all want. If it existed, most of us would probably already have one in our gear closets. You can't have it all.

SGT Rock
03-16-2010, 22:21
Sil nylon is a lot tougher than it looks.

Tinker
03-16-2010, 22:27
I tested a Lightheart Tent and then sold it because I'm a diehard hammocker, but I liked it for the reasons I stated here: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52867&highlight=lightheart+tent
I made up my mind a while ago when looking for a solo tent that it had to
A) Have a side entrance,
B) Big vestibule, and
C) Have the center be the highest point.
When you enter, you want to enter at the highest point to limit crawling, and when you sit up, you don't want to always have to slide your butt up towards the entrance to do so.
Since I was looking for a winter use tent, I chose a Hilleberg Akto (they now make a mosquito mesh inner tent).
The Moment is probably inspired by the Akto, but should be much cooler in hot weather.
The Lightheart tent, being ALL mesh covered by a fly, should be even cooler.
If you sleep hot, keep that in mind.
At my suggestion, the manufacturer of Lightheart tents began sewing on additional pullouts to make the tent roomier and more wind-worthy. I am impressed by the simple design and easy setup.

thelowend
03-17-2010, 03:22
mweinstone, please take a spelling class or ease up on the booze

RayBan
03-17-2010, 03:26
The Moment is probably inspired by the Akto


Wasn't the Atko itself inspired by the Helsport Ringstind 1/2 ?


http://www.helsport.no/helsport/producthandler.aspx?t=ringstind%2blight&containerid=24209&parentid=23391&entrypage=true&guid=1&lnodeid=1&pageid=5010

leaftye
03-17-2010, 10:13
Sil nylon is a lot tougher than it looks.

Not as tough as 1000 denier cordura though. No deal.

SGT Rock
03-17-2010, 10:14
Not as tough as 1000 denier cordura though. No deal.

You plan on dragging it up the trail?:rolleyes:

leaftye
03-17-2010, 10:19
You plan on dragging it up the trail?:rolleyes:

It still has to be lighter than 2.5 lbs. He didn't say the tent had to be big did he?

SGT Rock
03-17-2010, 10:20
Roger that.

Class2010AT
03-17-2010, 10:56
Swing and a miss there. Next time, just tell everyone the answer you want to hear in your OP. Easier to just say "I've made up my mind, help me rationalize it". To say that the tents used by numerous Triple Crowners are POS's is pretty amazing, especially considering you haven't seen one.
ok i was trying to be constructive pointing out the flaws with them in my mind. I havent made up my mind yet still. I never used nor seen one like i said, you could have told be that sil nylon is tougher than it looks, like other people, or you could have told me a review site to check out with one of these tents on it, but no. Thats the whole reason i go hikeing is to get away from the people like you in the world. And who really cares what a triple crowner uses??

leaftye
03-17-2010, 11:01
Unsubscribing now

SGT Rock
03-17-2010, 11:02
ok i was trying to be constructive pointing out the flaws with them in my mind. I havent made up my mind yet still. I never used nor seen one like i said, you could have told be that sil nylon is tougher than it looks, like other people, or you could have told me a review site to check out with one of these tents on it, but no. Thats the whole reason i go hikeing is to get away from the people like you in the world. And who really cares what a triple crowner uses??

That sort of thing happens a lot around the end of winter. Everyone needs to go hiking.

skinewmexico
03-17-2010, 13:28
ok i was trying to be constructive pointing out the flaws with them in my mind. I havent made up my mind yet still. I never used nor seen one like i said, you could have told be that sil nylon is tougher than it looks, like other people, or you could have told me a review site to check out with one of these tents on it, but no. Thats the whole reason i go hikeing is to get away from the people like you in the world. And who really cares what a triple crowner uses??

Nevermind. Get your carbon poles. Take a spare though.

Mountain Wildman
03-17-2010, 13:52
That sort of thing happens a lot around the end of winter. Everyone needs to go hiking.

I have found that this site is amazingly informative.
Thanks to everybody on it.
I have also found that you cannot have "Thin Skin" on this site.
But no matter what, I sign on as soon as I boot up my Laptop each day, I am a little concerned that WhiteBlaze might be an addiction!!
Seriously considering seeing a doctor.

SGT Rock
03-17-2010, 13:57
I have found that this site is amazingly informative.
Thanks to everybody on it.
I have also found that you cannot have "Thin Skin" on this site.
But no matter what, I sign on as soon as I boot up my Laptop each day, I am a little concerned that WhiteBlaze might be an addiction!!
Seriously considering seeing a doctor.

You are right about thin skins.:cool:

Red Beard
03-17-2010, 13:57
After using my TT Moment for about a month now, I'm convinced that I like bugnetting and a tarp best. The weight is about the same, and there's much more versatility.

FamilyGuy
03-18-2010, 15:55
Wasn't the Atko itself inspired by the Helsport Ringstind 1/2 ?


http://www.helsport.no/helsport/producthandler.aspx?t=ringstind%2blight&containerid=24209&parentid=23391&entrypage=true&guid=1&lnodeid=1&pageid=5010

No. The Akto made it's first debut in Europe in 1994.

mweinstone
03-18-2010, 17:58
black diamont tents rule supreem. all of them. then mountain hardwear and marmot and then nobody. this is the law of tents.

mweinstone
03-18-2010, 17:59
sorry, forgot my beloved msr.

Toolshed
03-18-2010, 19:11
$150 invested in Ford a year ago would be worth over $1200 now..Just sayin' I'll carry the 12 ozs and keep investing...

Tinker
03-18-2010, 20:02
Wasn't the Atko itself inspired by the Helsport Ringstind 1/2 ?


http://www.helsport.no/helsport/producthandler.aspx?t=ringstind%2blight&containerid=24209&parentid=23391&entrypage=true&guid=1&lnodeid=1&pageid=5010

I don't know how old that pic is, but it says "new". The Akto design dates back at least 8 years.

Tinker
03-18-2010, 20:07
Unsubscribing now
Your last post was 3/18/10 at 3:something.
I'm glad you decided to stick around and talk about ul tarps and 'mids.:)

Franco
03-19-2010, 00:56
I would like to address various comments (at random..) from this thread.
Trekking poles do indeed work better than the standard 'replacement" pole sold with tents like the Lunar Solo or the Contrail, however if you lash two of them together you get a much better support for still not much weight, $10 for the two at TT. (you would need to make a cap so that it does not perforate the fly, or cut one 1/2" short and insert the other one into the grommet...)

Silnylon may look cheap and weak but it is in fact a lot more expensive than polyester and taffeta nylon. It also has a greater tensile strength.
This is not only from the fabric manufacturers but from tent makers too.
Both Macpac (NZ) and Lightwave (France/UK) make or have made the same shelter with both materials. The silnylon version is more expensive but about 20% lighter.
Both the Managing Director of Macpac (in a forum) and the designer of Lightwave (private correspondence) have confirmed the above.

Silnylon cannot wet out. Taffeta nylon and polyester does.
On some tests I have done , on a worst case scenario (having to pack the tent in the rain after many hours under it ...) a couple of TT shelters gained about 25% of their weight (some water that settled after shaking the tent as well as wet guylines), the taffeta and polyester gained between 40% and 60 %.

Very rarely fabric fails before poles. What usually happens is that a pole snaps and that punctures the fabric.

Not sure how one can tell the quality of stitching by looking at some product pictures.

The very much maligned waterhead of the silnylon used by the cottage industry is about 1200mm.
The waterhead quoted for the Eureka Backcountry tent is...1200mm.
Of course the Eureka has a fly on top (also 1200mm w/h) but that does not cover the sides for wind driven rains .

As I have stated many times , the best shelter is the one that you like.
Franco