Mountain Hardwear Light Wedge 2?

[wteason2]

What are the thoughts on this tent? The local store will have it for $175 during an upcoming sale, and I like it, but haven't stopped searching. I'm going on a SoBo thru-hike this summer and need a new tent.

I'm not too fond of single wall or tarptents and I'm mildly claustrophobic so bivy sacks are out of the question. This tent weighs in around 5lbs, so its on the heavier end, but I like the large vestibule and advertised "waterproof-ness."

That said, what does everybody think? Are there similar tents that would be lighter? Does anybody have experience with this tent? :-? Sorry if these are stupid question, but I haven't had to personally shop for a tent like this before.

A more general question: Do tents with generous amounts of mesh have condensation problems like single wall tents?

Thanks!

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/LightWedge%E2%84%A2-2/OU9604,default,pd.html

[swjohnsey]

Very heavy.

[wteason2]

Yes I know its heavy. Please don't reply unless you have valuable input, especially if what you have to say is something I already acknowledged in the question. I've been searching for a while and was hoping the experienced, insightful hikers on this forum could offer more subjective reviews than the tent's specs.

[swjohnsey]

Yes I know its heavy. Please don't reply unless you have valuable input, especially if what you have to say is something I already acknowledged in the question. I've been searching for a while and was hoping the experienced, insightful hikers on this forum could offer more subjective reviews than the tent's specs.


I consider myself an insightful hiker with about a dozen tents in my storage container. I am carrying a Big Agnes Flycreek UL1 on my thru this year. Actual weight is 888 grams (1' 15") the way it will be carried, six titanium stakes, and only stake bag. Yes, single wall tents have more condensation problems. You will experience some in double walled tents as well. You haven't been looking very hard. Big Agnes makes the Flycreek UL2 that weighs half as much. Even the Eureka Backcountry II is probably better and lighter. On the other hand, never mind. You are young and strong. The lesson one learns the hard way are the most valuable.

[wteason2]

Thank you, I really didn't want to come across as aggressive or aggravated and I definitely appreciate your second post. And I have been looking for a while, but there are a lot of places to look and I don't even know about half of them.

[dillard]

If your budget allows I would advise you to look for something like the fly creek UL2 or copper spur ul2 tents from big agnes like johnsey mentioned.

I started off doing the VA section last year with a Mountain Hardwear Lightpath2 and its about as heavy as the one your looking at. This year I'll be taking a copper spur ul1 instead because its about 1/2 the weight and packs down much better but still have plenty of room for one person and some gear inside. The vestibule is pretty nice on them also. I assume your getting the 2 man tent because of the claustrophobia you mentioned, nothing wrong with that but no reason to carry a heavy tent to get that room.

[flatfeet]

I hiked with something similar. The marmot limelight 2. A great tent. I didn't really want to hike with it. But i ran out of time before I could pick something else up. Not a terrible tent, but man was it inappropriate for even a section hike. The weight came in at almost 6 pounds. It was nice to have the room to spread out. But not worth it for the weight. The other issue was that it was a real pain to set it up in the rain. And there were so many parts to it. Body, rain fly, foot print, poles, tents stakes, stuff sack. It was just so...clumsy. After that I made the switch to a simple one person tarp that offered WAY more room and ZERO condensation. But people are hesitant to make the switch.

Sounds like you want the room and the protection of a tent. Go with the Lightgear Duo. The whole thing comes in at 2 lbs!!! Everything. And if you use trekking poles you won't need tent poles. The other real plus is that the set up is sooo easy. And you can set it up in the rain without having to mess around with the rain fly. Trust me. Carrying a 5 lbs tent is just madness. Take it from someone who's done it. http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12

[ljcsov]

This tent is on sierratradingpost.com now. You can probably get a good deal with a 30-35% off coupon.

[mister krabs]

Start with what you do want, not with what you don't. Until you state your preferred qualities (as opposed to things you don't want) it will be very hard for people to give you advice. The post that you took offense to was dead on, nothing more needed to be said.

What's important to you? What's your budget? How big are you? Are you doing a thru hike, weekends, section? What time of year will you be using it? Will you be solo or bringing a friend? Do you like doghouse doors or side entry? These are the things that matter, the only useful thing you gave us were that you wanted a large vestibule and for it to be waterproof. What kind of answer did you expect?

[Tinker]

I'm assuming that freestanding is important to you. It hasn't been an issue to me in that I've never owned a freestanding tent, and have never been unable to achieve a satisfactory pitch in any terrain. A freestanding tent has a minimum of two poles, usually long, or hubs which use shorter sections of poles to achieve the freestanding shelter desired. These poles add weight - more than extra stakes and lines, and any tent set up in rough weather needs to be staked out to be sturdy enough to handle heavy winds.

Tents with generous amounts of mesh generally have fewer condensation problems than single wall tents, BUT the MOST important factor in tent design for controlling condensation is the placement and size of the vents in the tent's fly, and the height of the fly off of the ground. A fly pitched to the ground with no high mounted vents invites condensation, as does one with too small vents.

Double walled tents also prevent the occupant from wiping condensation off the inner of the fly easily, and a tent with an all mesh ceiling may allow condensation to be knocked back onto the occupants in the form of a light mist if raindrops hitting it from the topside knock off the condensation droplets.

[wteason2]

What's important to you? What's your budget? How big are you? Are you doing a thru hike, weekends, section? What time of year will you be using it? Will you be solo or bringing a friend? Do you like doghouse doors or side entry? These are the things that matter, the only useful thing you gave us were that you wanted a large vestibule and for it to be waterproof. What kind of answer did you expect?

I'm doing a South Bound thru-hike starting mid-June, and will be solo for most of the trip. Mild comforts are going to be important to me when I lay down in my tent after a long day of hiking. I know from experience that falling asleep isn't a problem after a long day, but staying asleep can be. I'd like to minimize internal condensation - I've woken up wet in the woods plenty of times, and I'm not a fan. My tent budget is less than $350, and that's almost more than I'm comfortable with. I'm not that big, about 5' 8" but my ideal tent would be wider than a sleeping pad, unlike many solo tents that I've seen. I'm not sure what a doghouse door is, unfortunately.

I don't plan on using hiking poles, I'm not sure what their purpose is except for stability, but I have no reservations about going to find some limbs when I set up my tent. I've spent several nights under a shelter I made with a sheet of plastic, small pine-cones, 4 pieces of twine, and some sticks - so not having a freestanding tent wouldn't be too foreign to me. Granted, I wouldn't want to set up that shelter in more than a light rain again.

Thanks for all the feedback, I was getting a bit overwhelmed with my unguided tent search. There are SO MANY possibilities, and it really helps me to get the opinions of knowledgeable users instead of reading "customer/product reviews" on retail sites.

Also, should I use a ground tarp even if a tent has a waterproof floor? Or would that be unnecessary weight?

[swjohnsey]

A groundcloth is unnecessary weight.

[wteason2]

If your budget allows I would advise you to look for something like the fly creek UL2 or copper spur ul2 tents from big agnes like johnsey mentioned.

I started off doing the VA section last year with a Mountain Hardwear Lightpath2 and its about as heavy as the one your looking at. This year I'll be taking a copper spur ul1 instead because its about 1/2 the weight and packs down much better but still have plenty of room for one person and some gear inside. The vestibule is pretty nice on them also. I assume your getting the 2 man tent because of the claustrophobia you mentioned, nothing wrong with that but no reason to carry a heavy tent to get that room.

The copper spur looks like a beast to set up!

[swjohnsey]

The copper spur looks like a beast to set up!

Not really. The Copper Spur probably takes a little bit longer than the Fly Creek because of the extra spreader but my Fly Creek goes up and down in about five minutes.

I took a look at the Big Agnes site and they have a new tent called the Fly Creek Platium 2, or somethin'. I is listed as a 2 person tent and has a advertised weight of 1 lb 13 oz. Too bad it has a list price of $500.

[wteason2]

Dang! I can't believe how much companies charge for nylon and aluminum!

[swjohnsey]

It is actually the expensive Chinese labor that runs up the price.

[wteason2]

Just bought a Fly Creek UL2. It looks great, I'll just have to see how it works in March!