ok-my girlfriend and i are planning a thru hike in the spring of 2004 and we are starting to accumulate our gear and get into shape. right now we are stuck on what tent to buy. after agonizing over tents and pouring over specs for endless hours i have finally narrowed the field to 3:
dana design arja-2 vestibules(one 13sq ft the other 4sq ft), 35sq ft, 6lbs 10 oz
mountain hardwear muir trail -28 sq ft, 10 sq ft vestibule, and only 5lbs 10 oz
sierra designs meteor light cd-6lbs 10 oz, 40 sq ft , and a 14 sq ft vestibule
since i am kinda clueless about tents i was wondering if the board might be able to help me make a final decision. im kinda leaning towards the dana design due to the vestibules and the size but i dont really like tents with pole sleeves. in that respect i like the mountain hardwear muir trail due to the pole clips and the rear zipper so you can adjust the fly without leaving the tent but im not digging the less square footage and the smaller vestibule--where do you cook and store youre gear in crappy weather? finally the only reason im considering the meteor light is the large size of both the tent and the vestibule but i dont like the fact that it has only a mesh door and not one that is ripstop. i know i may come off as a gearhead but i dont really think i am i just want the best tent for the trip. i know all of the tents are a little on the heavy side but we are going to split it up and each carry some to offset the weight. i know this is a long thread but any help wold be greatly appreciated.
harv