Sierra Designs
hasn’t been mentioned. I had a Meteor Lite that I used for 10 years. The first year I camped six out of seven nights, or more. It was still in perfect condition. Then I went to grad school and ruined the tent fly by keeping it packed up too tightly in a hot apartment. SD gave me a warranty upgrade, and I’ll be checking it out for the next 8 nights in Tampa. I set it up in my living room (which in NYC is comical), and there were some great improvements…a window in the fly, 2 doors, a vestibule. They have them at Campmor for under $200, which is less than I paid for mine in the 80s.
Lyn
MSR & NF
I own a walrus terromotto 3, which became the MSR fusion 3. It’s a great tent, MSR gave the tent a larger door and raised the price a bit. I wish it had a bigger vestibule, but if you plan on camping in the rain I would just bring along a sil tarp. The ventilation in the tent is great, and it’s a 3/4 season convertable, so it’s plenty strong enough for high winds.
The VE-25 is probably overkill, I own one as well as a Moss 4 season tent and I really only use them in the winter in New England.
My theory is I want a tent that will stand up to strong winds but I never want to pitch it were it will be tested in 40+ winds.
If I could only own one tent I think it would be the Terromotto (Fusion 3) it’s under 8 lbs, packs small, it’s strong enough for winter use and it has great ventilation.
Not on your list
I have the Marmot Swallow 2 person, and it is a nice convertible tent that can adjust to various environments. The big drawback to this tent is that it is heavier than most, but still lighter than my Marmot Den family tent. Seen Swallows on sale for $250.00 at Altrec.
The Fusion is a great tent. Classic design.
solo
I’ve been thinking about getting a solo tent for quick weekend trips by myself. Maybe just a simple LL Bean tent since it will get pretty light use.
Nordy
Why not just go with a bivy sack??
VE-25
I have a VE-25 that is about 7 or 8 years old. It is a great tent but…It is designed for mountaineering.
Pros: Sturdy. I’ve had this thing set up in some serious wind and snow storms at altitude and it took it all. Absolutely weather proof. Nothing leaks on this tent unless you poke it with your finger and cause it to touch the fly with your finger. There is some sentimental attachment to this tent as I have spent many 40 below nights in it.
Cons: Heavy! Heavy! Heavy! It weighs almost 11 pounds. Not worth it if you aren’t going to need the stormproofness. I am originally from South Carolina and would not suggest this tent if you will spend most of your time in GA, NC, and SC. But if your’e young and strong enough to carry the extra weight it will last you a long time!
P.S. I just slept in this tent last night on a Canoe trip and it was about 25 degrees in the morning. It was nice to have a 4-season tent in weather like that, but one of these days I will replace it with a lighter tent!
Derek
um, no
Because anything that amounts to more than just a sleeping bag cover tends to be expensive and not incredibly lighter or smaller than a solo tent. I’m not a minimalist nut so I’ll carry around another pound or so to have something I can at least sit up in.
I think that the Hammerhead is winning
It looks like the Hammerhead 3 may win. The little devel on my shoulder keeps whispering VE but after laying both of their floor sizes out on the floor I think that the extra length of the Hammerhead is better for me than the width advantage of the VE. They are both very close in size.
The vent options of the Hammerhead is also a plus. The only unanswered question for me is the amont of exposure when opening the doors in the rain.
Thanks for everyones help.
Greg
For even less money…
One of my kayaking friends recommended a Coleman Oryx 2 (formerly the Peak 1 Aries) for solo use. Bought one off of ebay for $65 new, and seen them go for even less. Seems like a nice simple tent that can be closed up in colder weather, and vented in the summer. Weighs a little over five pounds, and at $65 I’m not going to have a heart attack if I see, upon my return to camp, furry rodents running for cover after investigating the tent.
Before you decide
Take a look at Bibler tents, especially the Ahwahnee 2. Expensive, but no flapping flys, no condensation, easy to set up and take down, lots of room with a reasonably small footprint, great views and winter mountaineering stability under load. I’ve owned lots of tents (NF, SD, MRS, etc.) and the Bibler is the best by far.
http://www.biblertents.com/2002/ahwahnee.html
I like the MSR Fusion
but the door is like a little cave opening, you have to get in on your hands and knees. I like to sit down in the opening and take my shoes off. Try some of marmot’s tents too, check em out. The Mtn hardwear hammerhead could be a great tent.
If you do look at marmot, the swallow is one of the nicest tents ever. But this is a convertible tent, and is 3-4 season. If you want 3 season, try the hypno new design and it has 2-doors 2-vestibules. This is the best set-up in my opinion. Extra weight and everything, but it’s worth it.
I’ve also
thought about getting a solo tent check out the msr and marmot solo tents.
XPG 2004
I started a discussion on tents about 10 days ago and received alot of good suggestions.
After many opinions and discussion I bought the
Cabelas XPG 2004 2 man tent. Got it last
Friday. Set it up and I looked great. 7lbs
and very easy to set up.
$130 from Cabelas. Can’t wait to go kayak camping on the Mississippi river.
fyi
conan
Remember you get what you pay for
– Last Updated: Feb-23-04 4:39 PM EST –
I personally would not spend my money on a cabela's tent, but I am a self-professed gear head and gear snob.
the tent shown [XPG...] looks fine, but If I was going to spend 130 or 140 on a tent, I would also spend 150-170 to get one from marmot, MSR, or Mountain Hardwear because I know they know how to make tents. Where as cabelas seems like they know how to sell alot of stuff to alot of people who normally don't backpack, but do carcamping while on hunting and fishing trips. And there is Absolutely nothing wrong with either car camping or hunting and fishing, But, backpacking and back country camping have totally different concerns and mindsets than carcamping and hunting/fishing.
taped or welded seams, large vestibules, good ventilation from multiple points, lots of guyout points on a full coverage rain fly are all things most of these tents do not have. But msr, marmot and Mtn Hardwear do these things as a matter of course.
You don’t like my Coleman?
When Marmot makes a one man tent that weighs about five pounds and has closeable mesh panels, I’ll be one of the first in line. Michigan in Spring and Fall is cold, and a tent with too much open mesh can be unpleasant.
It’s hard to figure out Marmot’s strategy. They no longer make larger tents like the five pole convertible Den, and seems all the smaller tents are mesh and more mesh. Hey, I want to read a book at night in some sort of comfort.
i will take
– Last Updated: Feb-23-04 7:07 PM EST –
dry and safe in the wind over elbow room any day
The marmot eclipse is under 5 lbs. this is the spec listing from the website
forgive the formatting.
I backpack mainly in winter, you don't have to explain closeable mesh panels to me. But in spring or fall it's not as big of a deal as it is in January!
_________________________________________________
Eclipse 1p
A solo tent designed with great headroom and plenty of storage.
Bathtub Floor
967
$169.00 2756
S P E C S
Number of people: 1
Shell material: Fly fabric: 70d Nylon R/S 1500mm
Floor fabric: 70d Nylon 3000mm
Canopy: 70d Nylon Taffeta
Minimum weight: 4lb 4 ozs / 1.9 kg
Maximum weight: 4lb 11 ozs / 2.1 kg
Floor area: 17 sq ft / 1.7 sq m
Vestibule area: 4 sq ft / 0.4 sq m
Packed size: 5 x 18 in / 13 x 46 cm
Number of poles: 3
Type of poles: DAC Press-Fit 8.5mm
Colors:
967 • Pumpkin/ Stone
*Suggested U.S. Retail: $169.00
F E A T U R E S
Free-Standing Design Increase Habitablity allowing a person to sit-up
Optional ground sheet extra protection under your tent or for Bare Bones Setup
D U R A B I L I T Y
DAC Press-Fit poles have press in inserts for increased durability
F U N C T I O N A L I T Y
Vestibule for additional storage
C O M F O R T
Window in fly for increased views
All in favor of Marmot quality
– Last Updated: Feb-23-04 7:53 PM EST –
But I want Marmot to make their mesh closeable. Now bear in mind, I already own a Swallow two person and a Den, and am quite aware of the construction differences between a Marmot and a Coleman. Marmot knows how to do it, but it seems they are targeting the ultralight backpacking crowd with their smaller tents. However, Coleman and Eureka do cater to this niche that I find myself in.
Who knows, maybe this is just an experiment on my part, and I’ll end up giving the Coleman to my niece. Better yet, maybe Marmot will decide to target my expendable income and satisfy my perceived needs, wants and desires.
By the way, have you tried the Swallow in a Michigan winter yet? If so, how was it?
i camped on the north country
trail from Jan 16-19th, it was just fine. During some serious below zero every night. Venting works great for keeping frost off the bag. Very nice tent.
Agreed
I’ve got an Expedition 25, which is similar to the VE 25. It’s not ventilated well enough for use in warm temps, though it’s damn-near bombproof.
Hilleberg
The Hillerg tent fabric kerlon intrigues me. How does this fair with UV degradation as compared to polyester?