Need some 3 person Tent Ideas

[rickb]

I have a 3-Person Copper Spur (a grey one!) but it cost a small fortune.

Were I in the OP’s situation I would call REI and ask them to set up a Half Dome 2 Plus and at least check it out in the store.

Still not cheap at $200 (keep in mind you get a dividend and they have sales) but even if it turns out not to be “the one” it could well help the OP define what really matter to him. Nothing beats checking a tent out in person.

[HooKooDooKu]

I don't see the Copper Spur on sale right now...

But if you don't mind some extra weight, Steep and Cheap also has the BA Rattlesnake SL3 on sale for only $220.
The Rattlesnake is basically the same thing as the Copper Spur, except it uses heavier weight material. So rather than a 3-1/2lb tent, this one is about a 5lb (and includes the MtnGlo lights...).


And if money means more to you than weight... Steep and Cheap has an ALPS 3 person tent for $126 (but it's 6lbs).

[Venchka]

https://www.tarptent.com/scarp2.html

https://www.tarptent.com/cloudburst3.html

http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/tent/red-...ents/kaitum-2/

Wayne

[scrabbler]

$49 Coleman 3 man tent. Not significantly heavier, and a heck of a lot cheaper.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-S...-Tent/47488674

[HooKooDooKu]

$49 Coleman 3 man tent. Not significantly heavier, and a heck of a lot cheaper.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-S...-Tent/47488674

The Amazon shipping weight is more than 8lbs.

[Hosh]

https://www.tarptent.com/scarp2.html

https://www.tarptent.com/cloudburst3.html

http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/tent/red-...ents/kaitum-2/

Wayne

The OP said price was important, so that eliminates the Hilleberg. If I were to recommend a TarpTent, I've owned and re-sold 2, it would the Double Rainbow for side entry or the Rainshadow 2 for front entry.

If the OP is willing to do a front entry, the BA FC UL3 HV is very comparable to the Rainshadow and 10% less expensive on steepandcheap.com. It also doesn't require trekking poles nor an extra pole purchase.

[Franco]

The OP said price was important, so that eliminates the Hilleberg. If I were to recommend a TarpTent, I've owned and re-sold 2, it would the Double Rainbow for side entry or the Rainshadow 2 for front entry.

If the OP is willing to do a front entry, the BA FC UL3 HV is very comparable to the Rainshadow and 10% less expensive on steepandcheap.com. It also doesn't require trekking poles nor an extra pole purchase.

The Cloudburst 3 can be a very good shelter (for the weight) for two that are not a couple or simply like a bit of space . The two entry points means that you can get in and out without disturbing the other and can have your pack at your end.
There is a liner available for it that makes it pretty much a double wall tent as there is also a third pole for high winds and or some snow loads if that comes up.
As mentioned before, you split the weight by giving something of equal weight (say fuel/food) to your partner.
That way one person remains fully in charge of the full tent (who has the pole?...) less chance to leave bits behind.
Attachment 40477Attachment 40478
[email protected]

[Venchka]

Just expanding the gene pool. You don’t have to buy the Kaitum. It might help to know that there are other shelters on the planet.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bigcranky]

Consider that "splitting the load" doesn't have to mean each taking half the tent. I usually carry the tent and my partner carries the cook kit and the water treatment kit.

The Zpacks Triplex is expensive, but it's darn light for such a huge interior space.

We used a Six Moons Designs Lunar Duo for years before getting the Triplex. The Lunar Duo is a 2-person tent, but it has a *ton* of room inside, just the best 2-person tent we ever used. It's much less expensive than the Triplex and still a reasonable weight at about 42 oz.

[nsherry61]

I still find it baffling that more people don't use tarps being how inexpensive and effective they can be as a shelter. Hell, it takes longer to figure out what tent to buy than it does to learn how to pitch a tarp, so there isn't really even a time cost to the learning curve. As long as it's not bug season, get a tarp and go have fun. If you want more room, get a bigger one. They're super cheap and light and really fast to set up compared to tents in most cases.

[Time Zone]

I still find it baffling that more people don't use tarps being how inexpensive and effective they can be as a shelter. Hell, it takes longer to figure out what tent to buy than it does to learn how to pitch a tarp, so there isn't really even a time cost to the learning curve. As long as it's not bug season, get a tarp and go have fun. If you want more room, get a bigger one. They're super cheap and light and really fast to set up compared to tents in most cases.

Have you ever asked a tenter familiar with tarps why they weren't sold on the idea?

For me it's bugs, esp. ticks and mosquitoes, and other crawling/slithering animals. And for some of us, bug season is nearly year-round. One should keep in mind location when discussing gear choices.
My guess is that you'll find many that give a similar response, and if so, it'll cease to be baffling.

But I have tarps as well, for use with hammock or bivy, and I am fascinated by the many cleverly-configured shelters that can be made with them.

[nsherry61]

Have you ever asked a tenter familiar with tarps why they weren't sold on the idea? . . .

Familiar with tarps, yes, experienced with tarps, no.

And for me, it's not being baffled by people not using tarps, it's that whole threads are written and responded to without tarps being considered when tarps, as you have surely found with hammocks, can be absolutely awesome.

. . . For me it's bugs, esp. ticks and mosquitoes, and other crawling/slithering animals. . .

And, although the OP did ask for "tent" advice, he also suggested that price was an issue for which tarps are unbeatable. He never suggested any concerns about bugs, which, of course, can be, but often are not a big issue for many people in many places.

. . . My guess is that you'll find many that give a similar response, and if so, it'll cease to be baffling. . .

People with actual tarp experience (ground tarps to be specific), are is surprisingly few. And no, I don't think I've ever met a person that was primarily a tenter that had significant tarp experience (except during bug season - so only a seasonal tenter).

Yes, most of the people that I have talked to that tent and don't tarp do so for exactly the reasons you have stated above. However, people that experiment with tarps quickly find that the reasons you state above are quite overblown relative to the real risk vs. comfort that people discover after actually experimenting enough with tarps to get comfortable using them.

My point here isn't that the OP should use a tarp or that anyone should or shouldn't use any particular style of or piece of gear. My point is that, as a supposedly knowledgeable and experienced community, many members of which use tarps extensively, I am surprised that tents are so frequently the unquestioned and exclusively discussed shelter of choice and recommendation, quite specifically because, with very little (but some) practice, a tarp shelter does an outstanding if not a superior job at a fraction the weight and price of a tent.

And no, you're right, I shouldn't be baffled. It is fear of the wild, just like all the bear and snake discussions we have.

[sfdoc]

I agree with ScareBear. What he's shown you is a great deal. I've used the tent and it's pretty good. Don't forget some sort of ground cloth or footprint. Have a great experience.

[HooKooDooKu]

I agree with ScareBear. What he's shown you is a great deal. I've used the tent and it's pretty good. Don't forget some sort of ground cloth or footprint. Have a great experience.

Just make sure you ignore the dumb@$$ "Frequently purchased together" advice the SaC website currently has... because the footprints they have listed are for the UL1 and UL2.

[Hosh]

You don't see the footprints discounted very often. Henry at Tarptent has stated many times that he rarely has to repair floors. BA will replace or repair at a very minimal or perhaps no cost. If you plan to use a "fast fly" set up with a BA tent then it makes sense. Otherwise, polycro, painter's plastic or something else will work or nothing is also fine. I carry a piece of polycro mostly to stage my stuff on prior to repacking, it helps keep it clean.

[Venchka]

Look for tents that permit pitching the fly without the need for the heavy and expensive footprint that BA requires.
My MSR HUBBA HUBBA NX and TarpTent StratoSpire 1 (and most TarpTents I believe) can use just the fly without a factory footprint.
SS 1 fly only in Wyoming:

~ 21 - 22 ounces and full rain protection for me and my gear.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hosh]

And if you don't normally carry trekking poles, add 25+ ounces or add $150 and 16 ounces.

[Venchka]

And if you don't normally carry trekking poles, add 25+ ounces or add $150 and 16 ounces.

I have no idea where those figures came from. TarpTent.com has the correct poles to replace trekking poles for the StratoSpire tents.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sarcasm the elf]

And if you don't normally carry trekking poles, add 25+ ounces or add $150 and 16 ounces.

I think one would more likely add $16 and 4 oz.

https://www.tarptent.com/store/vertical-support-pole

[Venchka]

Thanks. Better to come from a third party.
I looked into those poles in case my trekking poles are aggravating my right shoulder.
Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk