View Full Version : Check out this tent... $1500 (but free shipping with Amazon Prime!)
http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Designs-Ultralight-Backpacking-2-Person/dp/B00AAUMWXS/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1364429533&sr=1-6&keywords=cuben+fiber
I'll take two of them. Can I get 48 months financing?
I wonder how many of these they've sold??
WingedMonkey
03-27-2013, 20:33
$46.45 an ounce.
I saw this. Now seriously, does anyone in that company have an Internet connection?
Like,free market research. Lightheart, etc, etc
I'll take two of them. Can I get 48 months financing?
Tell them you are Rasty from WhiteBlaze and mention my name. They will give you 0.100 percent discount. Good enough?
$46.45 an ounce.
The sobering thing is that most of the weight isn't even cuben fiber. If you were to subtract the weight and cost of the poles the cuben portion would be well over $100/oz. I like lightweight as much as anyone but this is crazy. I would be afraid to use it in high wind. You get out and the wind might blow it into the next county.
At least it's "semi-freestanding"... :)
johnnybgood
03-27-2013, 20:45
At $1500 it better come equipped with a tiki bar and tropical island hula girl.
This is the tent that suits the person who pays the guy on ebay to be his/her partner. Two person it is!!!!
Slo-go'en
03-27-2013, 21:36
I wonder how many of these they've sold??
Only 3 left! Oh, they only made 3...
http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Design-Mojo-2-Person-Ultralight/dp/B007D1SFME/ref=pd_sbs_sg_2
From the same company, the same 2 person tent, but in this heavier version costs $399.90, before tax I assume(3 lbs verse 1 lb 11 oz or so the accurate wt comparison seems!, it's $1439.96 in the lighter version 10-K posted). That's about $1040.06 more to save 1 lb 5 oz. Put another way, you are paying about $49.53 PER OUNCE EXTRA to save EACH ONE of those 21 ounces of wt saved. Ooh la la. BTW, the sight says 6 month SPECIAL financing on orders over $149. Some of us might need the special financing. EEK. Sticker shock
PEEERFECT example of the EXTRA do re mi sometimes involved with squeezing out wt, particularly those last few ozs or a lb out of your hiking kit. It's where I feel I'm currently at. I've asked myself these questions - what are my goals? to be a gear wonk gram weenie seeking UL, SUL, XUL "Holy Grail" nirvana or to go(AND ENJOY) long distance backpacking WITHOUT FEELING THE NEED to have the absolutely lightest wt kit? I've come to a place IN MY HIKING and PARING DOWN THE KIT WT. PROCESS where I've chosen to hop off the UL merry-go-round searching for THE CURRENT IDEA of what the UL Holy Grail kit might be defined as and instead just go long distance hiking with the kit I CURRENTLY HAVE. A forgotten/lost freedom comes when you find you have the key to the UL handcuffs we sometimes let are ourselves be chained up in.
Ever see the costs or potential costs of tricked out Cilo or customized McHale packpacks?
Here's a $1500 backpack from Cilo.
http://www.cilogear.com/wdywo.html
I've seen a small handful of *thru-hikers with $4000-5000 of HIGH HIGH END UL gear on their backs with the BIG 4. Made me cry. :) I once paid close to $40 for one small eVent stuff sack so I could save 1/3 of 1 oz compared to just going with the MASSIVELY HEAVIER :), BY 1/3 of 1 oz, UL Sea To Summit same size stuff sack costing $10 that I already had which was perfectly usable, except of course for the wt of it! Idiot(that's directed at me!). How about you? What extremes have you gone to save wt on your kit? This should bring out the UL gram weenies.
Take it 180* in the other direction. Here's a 3.5 oz frame sheet tagged as the Air Beam Frame Sheet which is a joint release by CiloGear and Klymit that could possibly be used as a torso length inflatable sleep pad. Currently on sale for $40. MAYBE, MAYBE could be a money saving wt saving alternative to costlier and heavier torso length Neo Airs?
http://www.cilogear.com/aifrsh.html
Take it 180* in the other direction. Here's a 3.5 oz frame sheet tagged as the Air Beam Frame Sheet which is a joint release by CiloGear and Klymit that could possibly be used as a torso length inflatable sleep pad. Currently on sale for $40. MAYBE, MAYBE could be a money saving wt saving alternative to costlier and heavier torso length Neo Airs?
http://www.cilogear.com/aifrsh.html
I'm tempted to buy one of those for the heck of it just to see..... I use a Neoair short now.
Hi, my name is Dogwood. I've been an UL addict for many yrs now.:) I'm now in recovery. Second yr of UL sobriety. Still have to stay away from UL websites and UL co-dependents, LIKE YOU 10-K. :)They are triggers for me that lead me back to my UL addictive ways.:)........
HHMMMM maybe.... Does anyone know how well these tents hold up?
This tent reminds me of the Kelty Whitecloud released about a 15 yrs ago.
A mainstream gear manufacturer decides to REALLY get on the ultralight bandwagon and release an uber-light (1 lb for an ~5000 ci pack), very durable, iconic looking and expensive piece of gear.
http://www.weasel.com/gear_kelty_spectra.html
$500 in 2000 money...or about $650 today.
This tent, however, takes the cake.
As an aside, Kelty and Sierra Designs are owned by the same company. Hmmm... :)
(And this type of gear is why I call myself a minimalist and not an ultra-lighter. :O )
Hi, my name is Dogwood. I've been an UL addict for many yrs now.:) I'm now in recovery. Second yr of UL sobriety. Still have to stay away from UL websites and UL co-dependents, LIKE YOU 10-K. :)They are triggers for me that lead me back to my UL addictive ways.:)........
I got a free UL titanium spork just for you.:D
Rasty, is it foldable? I can't go to sleep now. Been looking for that foldable TI spork REI makes/used to make for a yr now to replace my old one that was stolen.
HEY, wait a minute, RASTY where did you get that spork?:D
To put things into perspective the total costs for my last thru-hike was less than $1000. Hmm? Door # 1 - Do my last thru-hke. Door # 2 - Be part way to affording a $1500 tent I'll take Door # 1!!!
I mentioned that tent in another thread. Amazon is a few hundred bucks cheaper than where I looked.
Here's what I posted in another thread. There's a lighter free standing alternative if you're willing to deal with a 1 person tent.
I should give some examples.
Sierra Designs Mojo 2, 2 lbs, 11 oz
Sierra Designs Mojo UFO, 1 lb, 11 oz
Tarptent Rainbow, 1 lb, 14 oz
Tarptent Double Rainbow, 2 lbs, 9 oz
Big Sky Revolution 1P, 2 lbs, 1.3 oz+
The SD Mojo UFO is crazy expensive. The Big Sky tent is only that light with certain options, and they have a reputation for long delivery times and poor communication.
I told you it was crazy! Big Sky makes a cuben fiber version of their Evolution tent. It is around $700 with carbon fiber poles. That is my dream tent.
I forgot one more tent. The Big Sky Mirage 1P, 1 pound, 5.7 ounces with carbon fiber poles and cuben fiber fly.
The tents I listed don't expose the interior to rain while setting them up because the poles are attached to the exterior of the fly.
Just look at this thing. There'd be no issues with setting this thing up in the rain.
20680
I saw the cuben fiber Mirage in person a few years ago.
rocketsocks
03-28-2013, 02:34
and @ 27sq. feet and a 7 sq. foot vestibule it's not that big...ridiculous price, tho it may cause the market to actually be flooded with cubin stuffs and there by bring prices down on this stuff, now i'm no economist...i just play one on wb. doesn't bode well for the cottage Companies as they may not be able to compete with lager companies that could buy the cubin fabric by the train load.
ok clearly it's late...early, nevermind
Surplusman
03-28-2013, 05:37
Wow...just what I've been looking for; the perfect chic camping doo-dad to display in my Bugatti Veyron!
T.S.Kobzol
03-28-2013, 05:48
the one review of this tent on Amazon is pretty funny too: I bought this. Weight has always been a problem for me so it's nice that there is a product I can use at the rifle range, the in-laws or at bonnaroo
Mrs Baggins
03-28-2013, 05:51
Not even to save the weight. For $1500 each, airfare included, hubby and I are going to Peru for 9 days in June. I'll take the travel experience over the tent, thank you.
stranger
03-28-2013, 08:34
The Kelty White Cloud haha...what a disaster that was : )
max patch
03-28-2013, 10:18
At least it's "semi-freestanding"... :)
I noticed that too...WTH is "semi-freestanding"? It either is or it isnt. Is it like being "semi-pregnant?"
max patch
03-28-2013, 10:22
Going in the other direction...remember the "thru-hiker" tent (that was its name) that came out maybe 10 years ago. Mountain Hardware I think. Thing weighed close to 7 lbs. Got a lot of attention on message boards because of its name.
That might be a reference to freestanding tents needing stakes to come close to being set up correctly.
The SD Mojo has a vestibule that requires stakes. A couple more stakes are required to keep the side fabric hoisted away from the netting.
The Big Sky Evolution I posted about also has a vestibule that requires staking.
The only tents that don't require a staked vestibule either have a "porch" instead of a vestibule, or has another full length pole that reaches the ends of the vestibules, like the 4 1/2 pound one person Hilleberg Soulo (http://www.hilleberg.com/home/products/soulo/soulo.php). What's kind of funny is that Black Diamond has tents with the tiny porch, but they still make optional vestibules that require stakes even if it adds another pole.
I still haven't seen a tent that will really set up right without stakes. They get about 80% there while losing quite a bit of interior space and virtually all of its structural integrity.
Going in the other direction...remember the "thru-hiker" tent (that was its name) that came out maybe 10 years ago. Mountain Hardware I think. Thing weighed close to 7 lbs. Got a lot of attention on message boards because of its name.
Ouch. That tent is a good example of the Mountain Hardwear I hate. Pic for reference.
http://i.imgur.com/uUuFHOV.jpg
The top few inches of head room is so narrow and inaccessible that it's worthless. It's designed to look good for the spec sheet...part of it anyway.
At $1500 it better come equipped with a tiki bar and tropical island hula girl.
Or hot and cold running chamber maids?
The Kelty White Cloud haha...what a disaster that was : )
Yep! As I said, the same parent company too! :)
I don't think I'm alone in hoping this tent sells well enough for the big boys to expand their use of cuben fiber.
" still haven't seen a tent that will really set up right without stakes"
I have one of those..
Fully freestanding including the two vestibules, looks the same staked down or not.
it is the long discontinued Bibler Pinon
Of course at 6 lbs and about half the size of my pack I haven't used that for more than 10 years.
It can be made a lot lighter with silnylon or Cuben (the Pinon is PTFE for the sleeping area and nylon for the vestibule, basically an Awanee with added vestibules) and CF poles, possibly down to 4 lbs .
Still the problem is that the poles are very long causing a few sections to remain permanently bent.
Tipi Walter
03-28-2013, 19:22
Ouch. That tent is a good example of the Mountain Hardwear I hate. Pic for reference.
http://i.imgur.com/uUuFHOV.jpg
The top few inches of head room is so narrow and inaccessible that it's worthless. It's designed to look good for the spec sheet...part of it anyway.
It's nearly identical bigger brother Muir Trail was my go-to 4 season tent for years---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2002-2004/13-Backpacking-Trips-Of-2003/i-s73mQDC/0/L/Scan11-0001-L.jpg
It's nearly identical bigger brother Muir Trail was my go-to 4 season tent for years---
I never said it wasn't winter worthy. My opinion would be much worse if they only provided the exterior height and failed to publish the interior height. While it's the interior height that I've taken issue with, at least MH is currently publishing that, and probably always did.
They still design for the spec sheet though. Take a look at their Lightpath 2. Even though the corners are unusable, and much more unusable than tent corners usually are, they still include it in their spec sheet. While that tent gets favorable reviews, sometimes designing for the spec sheet really infuriates customers. The EMS Kilo is a good example of that. The spec sheet says it has a really long floor, and it does, but not enough of it is usable.
Teacher & Snacktime
03-28-2013, 21:59
HHMMMM maybe.... Does anyone know how well these tents hold up?
Think Hefty
freestanding can also mean free to blow away in the wind like a tumbleweed - stake it out, guy it out, tie it off, weigh it down, etc
"Hey where'd me tent go. I taut it wat white here?" was the AT thru-hiker's question to himself and me in Shenandoah NP. We eventually found it at the bottom of an escarpment shredded like the Hindenberg.
1,500 bucks for a TENT! good god. No true hiker would go for this.. or could. This screams super rich yuppie weekend backpacker! NO tent on earth is worth 1500 bucks!
It is typical of Amazon's 3rd party vendors to offer products at inflated prices. I've seen books for sale, anywhere from $700 down to $0.01. Really strange.
It is typical of Amazon's 3rd party vendors to offer products at inflated prices. I've seen books for sale, anywhere from $700 down to $0.01. Really strange.
The manufacturer is calling it an $1800 tent. There's no inflation going on. Maybe the discounts could be deeper though. I bet this thing would get snapped up at just under $1000. Look at how much cuben fiber tents cost, and weigh, and this SD tent doesn't look that bad.
One person shelters
$487, 14.2 oz, Zpacks Hexamid Solo w/beak, solo plus floor and pole
$550 SMD Skyscape X
$532 Lightheart Gear Solo - Cuben Fiber
$574.90 Big Sky Evolution 1P, cuben fly, carbon poles
$699.85 Big Sky Mirage 1P, 1 door, cuben fly, carbon poles
Two person shelters
$547, 19.3 oz, Zpacks Hexamid Twin w/beak, floor and pole
$999.95, 31.4 oz, Big Sky Mirage 2P, cuben fly, cuben floor, carbon poles
$1439.96, 27 oz, Sierra Designs Mojo UFO
Tuckahoe
03-29-2013, 07:40
I guess I just dont see the point. Weight savings compared to cost just isnt there for me and is getting pretty close to just plain silly.
ETA-- nah I changed my mind, IT IS silly.
I guess I just dont see the point. Weight savings compared to cost just isnt there for me and is getting pretty close to just plain silly.
ETA-- nah I changed my mind, IT IS silly.
Considering you can get a TT that weighs just a few more ounces for a couple hundred bucks it's beyond silly.
rocketsocks
03-29-2013, 07:47
I'm liking the Notch these days, it's on my list.
Seeing as we have some members here with $500 solo tents, I don't see how the math for a $1000 two person tent is all that silly. And you can bet there's many people on that forum for backpacking with light packs that would justify it to the point of ordering it.
I guess I'm one of those people. I have a fully decked out Hexamid Solo, although I bought it before the beak was an option. If I had to spend another $500 to shelter a hiking partner, I'd seriously consider getting a two person version even if it cost the same. For good or bad, I don't have to make that decision right now.
rocketsocks
03-29-2013, 08:06
Yep, just can't afford it, but 10 years from now, Cubin fiber tents just may be the norm, like the sil-nylon bags of the 80's...hopefully the prices will come down.
magic_game03
03-29-2013, 08:10
The 0 oz tent.
I know there are some young 'uns out there that can do the trail on about $1500. I have no doubt If I put an offer on WB that I would pay $1500 if you will sherpa my tent (just my 3 lb tent) from Springer to Mt. K my mail box would reach it's limit by lunch time. Heck, I bet if I put an offer for $2K I could get most of my pack sherpa'ed the whole way.
The 0 oz tent.
I know there are some young 'uns out there that can do the trail on about $1500. I have no doubt If I put an offer on WB that I would pay $1500 if you will sherpa my tent (just my 3 lb tent) from Springer to Mt. K my mail box would reach it's limit by lunch time. Heck, I bet if I put an offer for $2K I could get most of my pack sherpa'ed the whole way.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Appalachian-Trail-Partner-/230952529554
magic_game03
03-29-2013, 08:55
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Appalachian-Trail-Partner-/230952529554
Yea, I saw that post. Dude has no experience and he's not going to carry anything. I'm sure you could get a repeat offender to do it for a 1/3 the price.
Yea, I saw that post. Dude has no experience and he's not going to carry anything. I'm sure you could get a repeat offender to do it for a 1/3 the price.
I'm not very surprised you've seen that. It means you're probably right. Heck, if I hiked with someone and our gear was light enough, I'd consider carrying it for a free hike. I wouldn't cook though, not unless it's the same meals I get. How do you feel about a liquid meal and a bag of trail mix? :D
magic_game03
03-29-2013, 09:38
How do you feel about a liquid meal and a bag of trail mix? :D
Sounds disgusting but I sure by the third day I will be asking for seconds. Why do you ask? Are you thinking of propositioning me to my carrying my stuff for $1500? :)
Sounds disgusting but I sure by the third day I will be asking for seconds. Why do you ask? Are you thinking of propositioning me to my carrying my stuff for $1500? :)
Hell no, but the #1 reason is because I need to get the PCT out of my system before I mess with the AT. http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/embeer.gif
Seeing as we have some members here with $500 solo tents, I don't see how the math for a $1000 two person tent is all that silly.
You live in a different world from most of us it seems. :)
$500 for a solo tent is another story, too. ;)
You live in a different world from most of us it seems. :)
$500 for a solo tent is another story, too. ;)
I'll grant you "most". It's not like $500 solo shelters are uncommon. I know there are a couple folks here with Hexamid's, and I think there are a couple with a cuben Skyscape or Lightheart. There were more on that other website. I might be getting members mixed up.
Hammocks are another shelter than gets expensive. Even the used prices for them on HF are shocking.
wiiawiwb
04-05-2013, 08:04
A $1,500 price tag seems silly to me unless you have money to burn. If you do, petal to the metal.
Having said that I can see the attraction of a $700 2-person cuben tent. For one, it is feather light and you'll need only one tent. Whether you BP by yourself, or with someone else, all you need is that tent. Many of us have two tents. You can easily spend $225 on a one person and $275 on a two persoon which brings you closer to a $700 price tag.
The other feature for me is that a cuben tent is waterproof. In a rainy climate like mine, that is important.
I am currently in the market for a tent and am conflicted whether to go the cuben tent route.
mother goose
04-05-2013, 09:20
D
It looks like e big Agnes fly creek UL1 to me and weights about the same. And BA is much cheaper????
At that price you should be able to tie a string to it and have it float along with you like a Mylar balloon! That's an idea.. How many helium balloons would it take to float a whole backpack? That would truly be ultra lite. Ha.