Don’t think this has been covered by any recent threads but please point me in that direction if it has ……
With these long summer days (here in northern hemisphere) I would like to try camping overnight near target summits for late evening and early morning activations and am looking for advice and recommendations for a suitable tent including advantages or disadvantages of different types.
Will be used only in high summer and in dry or dry-ish weather
One-man/person – crawl-in is fine (used only for sleeping – not operating)
Lightweight
Small pack volume
P.S. I have a good bothy bag but I can’t sleep sitting upright!
One of the best designs for English weather is the Trailstar:
It can really take a hammering when the wind gets up, but it’s still a very light shelter. There are all kinds of cheap inner tents available.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt
I recall price was about 50 percent less than what they are asking now. Still not bad. Only con is that this is most likely a Chinese knockoff of a some other companies pricier tent. Most of these tents suffer from condensation trubs as well, if not well ventilated…3F UL tents all seem to have good reviews out there. I even looked at the KUIU 1 star tent (which this looks exactly like) here a few weeks back and couldn’t justify the nearly $350 plus asking price…
I’ve been using an REI campdome 2 man tent for a few years now and it works out great, but it weighs in at nearly 4lbs! I also looked at REI’s new 1 man tent earlier this year but couldn’t pull the trigger on that one ($$$) and it seemed a wee bit hard to set up (thinking cold and tired after a long day on the trail)…
Good luck in your search…Curious as to what you’ll settle in on ??
Single skin tents have their limitations that you need to be prepared for, Condensation… you need to carry a lite weight highly absorptive cloth for the mornings… this is my Six Moons Designs Lunar Solo LE which is a great low weight option… This is a photo from our clubs field day this year. Note that Six moons also has a Tarp only version of this that is also a good option for a quick overnight or hiking in inclement weather… when you just need a break from Wind, rain… or both.
I would avoid highly asymmetric designs as the long narrow section will get colder than the rest of the tent and act as a condensation trap. Also, try to avoid low angle roof sections, as they can collect rain:
Just remember, whilst they will probably be sufficiently waterproof (ie. they’ll never leak), the hydrostatic head specs are complete BS, as is also the case with many well known manufacturers.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt
I bought my Vango Banshee some years ago, when I was to make an attempt on Great Cable, Pillar and Kirk Fell. I never did complete a successful expedition to those summits, but my tent has had lots of use.
I have the 2 man Banshee and I wouldn’t want a smaller one, it’s just about right for me and my gear.
I found my Banshee for £44 at an end of season sale.
The Zempire Atom has worked well for me so far, minimum weight is stated as 1.54kg. There is a lighter version with less upper space (Zempire Mono). It’s quite reasonably priced in Oz.
I’ve got a Terra nova laser competition, it’s really lightweight (just under 1kg) but in the lightest winds it flaps and keeps me awake. There is definitely a trade off between light and stability.
I’m now looking at some of the Hilleberg tents or a semi-geodesic like the Terra nova voyager.
Thank you for all your suggestions. After reading the specs and watching the online reviews I felt the one-man tents were probably a bit too claustrophobic.
I decided to go with the Vango Banshee 200 Pro which is big enough to house me, my gear and occasionally my dog, albeit it’s a tad over 2kg and a pack size of 64cm x 16cm.
Am looking forward to an overnight camp soon with an evening and early morning activation
73 Andy G8CPZ
