As I slowly wade through my stuff, figuring out what to keep and what to pass on, I'm also upgrading and/or fine-tuning.

For example, my tent. Right now I have a Mountain Hardwear 3-person tent that has served me well over years of car/motorcycle camping. But it IS a pig. Pushing right around 9 pounds with poles, stakes, footprint, etc. So as some of my retirement plans involve bike trails and backpacking, that tent is being passed down to my son and I'm getting something lighter.

Right now the two main contenders are the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 and the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2. Both are in the 3.5-4 pound area. Double walls, decent reputations, seem to be popular with the John Muir Trail crowd on FB. I figure a 2-man tent gives me room to store stuff and move around.

I'm not wanting to go ultra light/ultra minimal and use a bivy sack or tarp.

I've looked at some more expensive stuff...Tarptents Double Rainbow (not sure I'm a big fan of the whole single wall idea, or using trekking poles as part of the assembly), ZPacks Duplex (same as the other plus $600?!?!?) and Big Sky International Chinook 1P+/2P(again, pretty danged expensive!.

So what does the SF Camping Community think? Big Agnes? MSR? Or some other?

The REI half dome or quarter dome are well worth investigating. They are often mentioned as a great value compromise between cost and performance.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I've looked at some more expensive stuff...Tarptents Double Rainbow (not sure I'm a big fan of the whole single wall idea, or using trekking poles as part of the assembly)

I've had a Tarptent tent for years that I've been EXTREMELY pleased with, so I'll speak up for Tarptent.

1. Many of Tarptent's tents are double-wall. It's just that the "rain fly" part is the structural part of the tent, and the inner tent clips to it, rather than the other way around.

This is actually a FANTASTIC idea. You can set the tent up in heavy rain (which I have done more than once) and the inner tent never gets wet. Unless you live in a desert or just never go out when the weather might turn bad, that's huge.

Also, because the inner tent isn't structural, the entire inner tent canopy can be made of extremely lightweight mesh. They do offer actual fabric inner tents for some of their tents, too. They're heavier and less ventilated, so they're pretty much just for cold-weather camping or super sandy/dusty areas.

Also, if you're going super-light, you can leave the inner tent at home and just use the fly. Some of them (but not all) you can also set up the inner tent by itself.

2. If you don't want to use trekking poles for the trekking pole tents, Tarptent sells heavy duty collapsible aluminum tent poles you can use instead for $16 each.

I have a Scarp 2, a two-person tent, which seems to be discontinued. The one-person version, the Scarp 1, is still available, and is extremely roomy for a one-person tent.

Tarptents are also generally very lightweight and easy to set up, which is nice.

The only downside is that the silnylon floors are pretty slippery, but most lightweight tents use silnylon, and you can fix it by painting seam sealer "stripes" on the inside of the floor.

Before I bought my Scarp 2 I spent weeks looking at every lightweight tent available. If someone lit it on fire tomorrow I would order another Tarptent without hesitation.

Big Agnes makes very light weight backpacking tents, the category is called Ultras, that's been their niche. The Copper Spur has been the gold standard in this category for awhile. Just keep in mind with all the weight savings, you sacrifice, interior space, durability and the silicone coating will be thinner than standard so, its ability to endure a downpour is ...did I mention sacrifice?

Out here in the West, particularly for those who are backpacking above the tree line, the BA tents are very common, that elevation helps with moisture management, that you won't find at sea level. Take a look at BA's Tiger Wall, more head room, the Fly Creek I know is popular with cyclists. Slingfin has a few tents that have come on, the guy who founded it, is the former head tent designer who created all the top tents for Sierra Designs and later Mountain Hardware years ago when both brands were at the top of their game. NEMO has a few interesting designs that have filled the ultra light niche category. Don't overlook the other big mountaineering brands, Marmot and The North Face as well as REI.

Big Agnes is one of the most liked in that bunch, but as corsair says, they are super light. To get light you give up some sturdiness, etc.

What is most important to you. If you are biking, maybe super-light isn't the most critical thing?

Well, it'll do double duty. Biking AND hiking. I definitely plan on the JMT...and if that goes well, maybe the AT and Pacific Crest Trail. So weight does play a role.

Maladat, I'll revisit the Tarptent site and see if I can glean more. I only looked at the Double Rainbow. It seemed to me it was a single wall.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Well, it'll do double duty. Biking AND hiking. I definitely plan on the JMT...and if that goes well, maybe the AT and Pacific Crest Trail. So weight does play a role.

Maladat, I'll revisit the Tarptent site and see if I can glean more. I only looked at the Double Rainbow. It seemed to me it was a single wall.

The Double Rainbow as standard comes with the waterproof outer tent (the "rain fly," except it's the structural part) that you can pitch by itself, and a mesh inner tent that you can remove or leave clipped into the outer tent (doesn't have to be removed to pitch the tent, and I think can't be set up by itself without the outer tent).

They also offer a fabric liner that goes in between the waterproof outer tent and the mesh inner tent (it extends over the inner tent but not over the vestibule, it looks like it can be left attached for setup and takedown, and it weighs 4 ounces).

Tarptent calls the first configuration "single wall" but I'd probably call it three-season double wall (there are two layers between the inside and outside, after all!). They call the second configuration "double wall" (even though now there are three layers).

The Double Rainbow is similar to the Scarp 2 except the Double Rainbow has the arch pole lengthwise and the Scarp 2 has the arch pole widthwise.

I would also give the StratoSpire 2 another look, with the addition of collapsible poles if you don't want to use trekking poles. It doesn't have the middle-layer liner option the Double Rainbow does, but DOES have the option of mesh inner tent, solid inner tent, or both.

They aren't kidding about the two minutes from stuff sack to pitched on the Double Rainbow, either. I can get my Scarp 2 up in LESS than two minutes and the process for pitching it and the Double Rainbow are about the same. There's no clipping poles or attaching a fly or anything. Dump it out of the stuff sack, un-collapse the pole, shove the pole through the sleeve, shove six stakes in the ground, tent is up. The Double Rainbow has the extra strut pole, but that would only take a few seconds.

I felt the NX was too light. One step up in weight and 5 steps up in durability is the elixir. I looked at the big agnes, but settled on the MSR. No regrets.

I think the MSR products have dropped off my radar. The Big Agnes is still in there, but only because of the sheer number of reviews, and it's easily in my budget.

Maladat's Tarptent's Double Rainbow is intriguing. A little more expensive than the BA, but lighter and arguably better.

And Big Sky International has two models, the Revolution 2P, which is roughly the same cost as the DR, and the Chinook 2P which is pretty expensive, a smidge heavier, but a 4-season tent. Not that I plan on camping in snow, but I am a believer in overkill. LOL

I have not had a BA but I have had a MSR and it was a quality tent, BA makes good stuff. I also have had two REI Half Domes pleased with both them. I have done a lot of camping off of motorcycles so weight isn't really important but the size is for me. I have a small 1.5 man tent that fits inside of my paneers and that important to me.

On a budget - REI Q and 1/2 Dome.

Have some $ to spend - check out NEMO in Dover NH.

That Big Agnes is going to be about a 1/2 pound less overall. Both make great backpacking tents.

I would look at the REI Quarter Dome. It can hang with those two and will be less expensive. I really like the REI Quarter Dome tents and have many nights in the older 1 person.

Look at all the specs. The MSR is a litter short so if you're tall it may matter. The REI has a little higher peak height.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of those. Big Agnes has a huge following with through-hikers that are not using single-walled tents. Again though I think they are all great tents.

I would likely go with the REI and get it on one of their sales.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
On a budget - REI Q and 1/2 Dome.

Have some $ to spend - check out NEMO in Dover NH.

I have been using a 2 person NEMO for just myself over my REI Quater Dome 1 person for the last two years. They also make a good tent. Less known as they don't appear in the stores like the other.