tent question

Back to the OP’s question,
I have used a MSR HubbaHubba as a solo tent for years and am quite happy with it. True, now that I love hammock camping it gets less use but I love the roominess (I am a Big Guy) and gear storage room.



I will be doing a cycling trip on the GAP trail from Pgh to Cumberland and back this June, and for the longest time I lusted over a MSR Hubba. But it is essentially a tall bivvy, only 26" wide and I got to thinking how “close” it would feel on a humid and rainy night. The HH is very well ventilated, and I have been happy when it sheltered me from the rain. And it ventilates relatively well to boot. The H would save about 1 lb, but I can do that by losing weight!



Jim

MSR Hubba
This is a great tent for backpacking or kayaking. Very compact and light. My only issue with mine is that you want to leave the rain fly unpacked when not using it. I left mine packed in the bag for about 2 years and when I took it out, it had kind of glued itself together. Took me about 30 minutes to pull it apart. It’s a bit gooey but it still works. (The tent was fine.)

Who solo?
A two-person tent fits perfectly in a kayak and is so much more comfortable. I would never take a solo tent kayak camping. In fact I might even take a compact 3-person tent for the ultimate luxury.



Desirable qualities: two side doors; brow pole (also called a spreader pole—stretches the top out); large vestibules for air flow; simple design with minimum of stakes.



I’ve owned these two-person tents that I can recommend:



Kelty Grand Mesa: light, but front entry and small vestibule.



Kelty Trail Ridge 2: spacious, tall. Defect: no side pullouts on fly. That can be remedied.



REI Camp Dome: cheap, rugged, just 2 stakes hot in summer (not enough mesh).



Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2: My favorite of all. Good headroom; large vestibules for air flow; lots of mesh; rugged and waterproof; simple design (4 stakes); large doors with easy entry; rain doesn’t enter when you open the doors. There are tons of positive reviews for this tent. You can usually find it for $99. It is well worth that price, equal in quality to tents costing much more.

EMS was doomed
They were great in the 1970s, but after that they never developed a corporate image that distinguished them, as REI, LL Bean, Cabela’s, and others did so well. High prices, uninspiring equipment designs (like tents).

Can’t you read ?
The OP is looking for a "lightweight solo tent



Guy

Why get snarky?
Reading all…the tents are good for solo.



Today tents that are marketed as solo tents often are simply a tall bivvy.

Totally agree.
These days when considering tent capacities I summarily remove one person. In my mind two person is tent speak for one person and gear or two persons who don’t mind spooning all night.

in response to why a solo?
Price is part of the factor, and my current tent is as 1 person put it “not much more than a bivy”.But i am okay with that. I am short and still can get a gearbag in with me just fine. So cheaper and little is good for me.

Thanks for all your tips…leaning toward the MRS Hubba solo.

Mgmnt seldom really looks at details…
>They are closing the headquarters in Peterborough,NH and laid off approx. 116 employees. I noticed that the were having great sales unlike anything i had ever seen them do in the store in Concord, NH.

_________________

That’s so mgmnt can party more vacation-style wkends. You might think I’m joking…well go ahead, but I’ve seen my share of US Corporate bozos who don’t know their business…and relish looking to a company’s future plans like our politicians look forward to paying off the national debt.

Similar problem when not packed.
I store all my tents together in a loose condition inside a huge box (no folding, no rolling, no packing of any kind when in storage). All of them have been doing fine for years, but the rain fly of my MSR Hubba has turned gooey and a bit sticky to the touch after just a few years. It started happening after about two years, if I recall. It still works, but I can see how leaving it tightly packed for an extended time would be a disaster. The stuff bag, which is made of the same material as the fly, has had the same thing happen to it.

Solo tents and comfort

– Last Updated: Feb-15-13 8:57 PM EST –

I know what you mean. I use a solo tent quite often, though only in the summer because that's the only season my solo tent is good for. Actually, I use the same tent you are considering and I like it a lot (though you might check out my "very slight complaint" about the tent which I posted in response to an earlier remark in this thread). I find that I can put as much overnight gear and clothes to be needed in the morning as I could ever need, along with my shoes, inside the vestibule, and still have more than enough empty ground leftover on which to walk/crawl in and out. Usually I use a solo tent to reduce the weight and volume of stuff that I carry, because sometimes I simply enjoy having less stuff with me. Other times I don't care as much about gear size and load, or perhaps the weather will help me decide to use a two-person tent instead. It's all a matter of what my priorities are for a given trip.

Anyway, I usually just chuckle when someone is adamant that solo tents are way too small. In most cases when someone says that, my immediate reaction is "okay, here's another guy who became really big on his path toward middle age." That's not an insult to anyone in general or in particular, especially because many of my very good paddling friends fit that description, but of course that's something that colors a person's perception of what size tent is "too small". I didn't become huge in reaching this age, and I also didn't become less flexible as I got older (much the opposite in fact, and that was my choice even more so than not getting bigger), and therefore I can be just as comfortable in a solo tent now as was the case when I was in high school (and even more comfortable for things like changing clothes on account of my greater flexibility). This means I can understand perfectly when a small person says a solo tent is what he/she wants.

Too small is very much psychological
too.



If you are putting a solo tent under a tarp or can run from tent to tarp that is one thing. The tarp gives you “that other view” that we need to keep us sane when the weather turns sour for days.



OTOH if rolling around and having lots of room inside makes you mentally more comfortable during miserable day long downpours in camp you really do have to consider how your head feels as well as how well your body fits.



For some a solo tent is not unlike a coffin mentally.



The newer H tents have a longer fly. When I tried one the H had a short fly and it did indeed soak people.

solo tents
I spent several years camping out of a motorcycle and using a “solo” tent. I understand that it can be done and I did not mind at the time. But the fact is you have more options with a so-called two person tent and there is little or no sacrifice in space or weight for kayaking. YMMV, but it is easier to keep the gear you need dry if it rains and you will have more headroom. So wear a hair shirt if that fits your style. Or make things easier and more comfortable. The cost of doing so is very small.

yeah,
… that’s exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of when I said that the weather can affect my priorities. In summer when I could choose the solo tent, I probably use a two-person tent instead at least half the time.

“Why” solo
Sorry, typo.



One way to think of it is that the terms “one- person,” “two-person,” etc. indicate some general measurements rather than the recommended number of people. A 2P is generally about 50" to 54" wide, for example.



Very few backpackers who backpack alone use a solo tent. I’m guessing that 90% of solo backpackers use a 2P. For a kayak camper, the weight and bulk difference between a 1P and a 2P are insignificant, yet you gain very valuable space with a 2P. For a backpacker saving 2 lbs might make it worth giving up the extra space but most don’t want to make that sacrifice. Kayak campers just don’t have a compelling reason for the sacrifice.

Yes, but I don’t write too well
I meant to say “Why solo?”



The OP wrote that s/he “have not much experience in the different types of tents out there.” So I proposed several tents that are lightweight and compact enough to work well for one person in a kayak.

We 2 just finished 2 weeks of "bliss"
in a 3P tent. I kept wondering how person 3 would have liked all the kicks s/he would have received being in the middle. I love how all the tent diagrams show people lying on their backs with arms at sides and legs extended.

Price and fabric
If you want to reduce the price of a tent, going with a 1P is not the best way to do that because of what you give up. The Hubba is $280. There are many fine 2P’s for less than $200. The REI Half Dome 2 is one of the best tents you can buy. It’s made of rugged materials and can stand up to abusive conditions (like all REI tents). Same for the Alps Zephyr 2.



Be aware of the quality of the materials and the thickness of the waterproof coating. Example: the floor and fly of the Hubba are 40D, compared with 75D on the Zephyr.



If you really want a 1P, consider the Alps Zephyr 1. It has significantly more area than the Hubba (23 sq ft versus 15.5 sq ft) and costs less than half the price.



If price is a concern, MSR and Big Agnes aren’t the best brands for you. Solid, low-cost brands: REI,Alps, Sierra Designs, Kelty, Marmot. Some low-cost Marmots are available at Dick’s Sporting Goods.


Not only that, …

– Last Updated: Feb-16-13 12:38 AM EST –

... back when I paid attention to such things (and I haven't looked at a camping-gear catalog in ages), the diagrams showed the people alternating which direction the head and feet were pointed, JUST LIKE SARDINES IN A CAN. I remember that the diagram for sleeping in a 4-person Timberline showed the people oriented crosswise to the door and alternating like sardines. I have a 4-person Timberline and it's great for two people lying side-by-side with their heads toward the door, especially since the length of the tent is greater than its width. I think three could lie lengthwise if need be, but without alternating like sardines. I sure hope that with four people inside, no one except the one who's blocking the door has to get up in the middle of the night to pee!

I also remember that the diagrams for some large dome tents showed three people side-by-side and alternating like sardines (no other way to fit three in a row like that), and an additional person oriented at 90 degrees at each end of the first three.

Contact MSR
They may just replace your tent for you, GREAT customer service, which is another reason to go with MSR…