Tent ideas?

Sorry - clarification. Gusts of above 60 MPH are the point at which
I am prepared to abandon most of my kit and concentrate on getting
out alive. I don't want it to blow away with winds of less than that.
The speeds at which I will pitch or strike are, of course, much
lower :-)

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren said:

It needs to allow for a sleeper of 6'6" (preferably 7'😉, to allow
me to sit up in it and to turn around and store my clutter under
cover. The ability to cook in it in extremis is good (yes,I know
the risks). But I would ALSO like to be able to pitch it outer
first, and to get out to pee in the middle of the night without
letting too much rain in, neither of which my current tent will do.

While neither of us is 6'6", we are looking at similar overall
requirements for a walking/cycling tent with a bit more space to be
comfy in than our current Spacepacker.

Tunnels seem good for providing intelligent quantities of space at
a relatively low weight. The current Benchmark seems to be the
Hilleberg Nallo, also it's extended porch "GT" version. See
http://www.hilleberg.se/default-e.HTM andProducts and Tents. These
have a sitting height at the front of the tent of 100 cm, you can
get another 5 cm by getting the 3 man version which will give you
stacks of space and still comes in at 2.4 Kg. The 3 GT comes in at
2.8 Kg, the 2 GT at 2.6 (weights given include everything,
including pole repair sleeve). The GT porches are huge, and make
cooking in the porch pretty much a non-issue as long as you
remember about CO and don't cook with a flamethrower. All
Hilebergs pitch either all in one or, if you prefer, you can do it
outer first and hang the inner later. You can also detach the
front of the inner to get more porch space for cooking which may be
useful in the non-GT, but because the Nallo slopes to the back you
may be in headroom difficulties there.
If that's a problem, the Nammatj doesn't slope until the back of
the tent, and also has the bonus of better venting and stronger
materials, but it is heavier: 2.8 Kg for the 2, and that's 95 cm
headroom rather than 100. The 105 cm headroom Nammatj 3 is 3.1 Kg,
the GT versions heavier again.
The Kaitum has a porch at each end and a high point of 100cm. That
uses the same lighter weight fabrics as the Nallos (though they're
still impressively strong) rather than the heavier ones in the
Nammatj, and comes in at 2.7 Kg.
All of the above have 220 cm long inners, the Kaitum has
practically vertical ends at both ends, all of the others taper to
the rear.
My bunker tent is a Hilleberg and I've not seen a better made tent:
attention to detail is excellent, and they'll all stand up to a
good blow (they're tested in Arctic Scandanavia for a couple of
years before getting into production), and are easily pitched by
Normal People in abnormal conditions.
Alpenstock in Stockport seem to have the best selection and best
prices for Hillebergs in the country AFAICT. They and The
Climbers' Shop in Ambleside seem to be the sum total of Kaitum
stockists, though the others (esp. the Nallo 2s) are very easy to find.

Other stuff we've looked at (on paper so far) includes Mountain
Equipment's Dragonfly XT series. 3 pole semi-geodesics rather than
tunnels, so will probably be a bit quieter in a real blow. 2 up
the 2 man version looks a bit wee, so we're looking at the 3, and
we're looking at the XT as the basic version's porch is more bijou
than we'd really like. The 3XT is 2.84 Kg
http://www.tauntonleisure.com/categories/backpacking/121/1 has much
better info on the Dragonflies than ME's own web site, which hasn't
yet noticed the 3 model exists and there are no dimensions given,
but Taunton know how big it is even if ME don't!

Terra Nova's LaserLarge also has the 220 cm (tapering) length and
100cm headroom at the front. We rejected it as we decided we
wanted 140 cm inner width, but that may not be an issue for you.
It's lighter than anything else I'm mentioning, but of course the
Gotcha from that is it'll be more fragile, both in terms of
standing up to real blows and just wear and tear longevity.

The Lightwave T2 looked very nice, but pitching is inner first and
a bit of a PITA compared to the Hilleberg. When it's up it's
arguably slightly better laid out than the Nallo, especially as far
as the doors into the extended porch on the XT model goes. But
it's fallen off the shortlist because of the relatively awkard
pitching.

On our "possibles" list we also had Vango's TBS 200, but at a
tapered 205 cm inner that might be less than ideal. But otherwise
it's in the same weight league as the Hillebergs and a good deal
cheaper. We also looked (virtually) at a Hel-Sport tunnel, which
ticks most of the boxes but doesn't have a UK importer, so unless
you're really committed to covering your bases probably easier to
forget that.

Well, hopefully that's a start... FInal decision for us is waiting
until just before we need to use it, since I've no immediate plans
to be anywhere near a Kaitum I can look at in the flesh :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,
Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> writes:
|>
|> While neither of us is 6'6", we are looking at similar overall
|> requirements for a walking/cycling tent with a bit more space to be
|> comfy in than our current Spacepacker.

Age has something to do with it in my case :-)

Actually, I am 6'6 when sleeping - from the bottom of my sleeping bag
to the top of my head! I sleep straight out, on my front. I have
had trouble in the past with my feet pushing against the inner,
causing the condensation to soak the end of the sleeping bag, and
making the bag gradually wetter as each night passes.

Thanks very much for the recommendations. My current one is a Jamet,
and 2.6 Kg. It's not bad, but I have had to repair it in the field
more than once, and it would get seriously wet if I had to pitch or
strike it in rain that won't let up.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Take a look at the Golite Hex 3

"Nick Maclaren" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I go walking for 6 nights in the Scottish Highlands in summer, but
would like to extend that when I retire. That is getting away from
PEOPLE, but I can't handle the peaks. To USA people unfamiliar
with the area: think Washington State, only colder and windier
and with no trees; you can expect 1" of rain overnight and gusts
of 60 MPH; above that, I will give up.

It needs to allow for a sleeper of 6'6" (preferably 7'😉, to allow
me to sit up in it and to turn around and store my clutter under
cover. The ability to cook in it in extremis is good (yes,I know
the risks). But I would ALSO like to be able to pitch it outer
first, and to get out to pee in the middle of the night without
letting too much rain in, neither of which my current tent will do.

Any ideas? Obviously, I will be looking at a 2-man tent.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren said:

Any ideas? Obviously, I will be looking at a 2-man tent.

The 'The North Face' Tadpole is pretty roomy (I'm 6' 4", standing up).
I've got an older one and there's plenty of room for 1 (though you can
only sit up at the big end). There's also enough room in the porch to
cook. The only problem is that it's an 'inner first' tent - though I
prefer that as it gives a much tighter and more rigid tent.

Jim Ford

Jim Ford said:

cook. The only problem is that it's an 'inner first' tent - though I
prefer that as it gives a much tighter and more rigid tent.

Not necessarily so, as anyone who's spent a windy night in one of
Hilleberg's freestanding designs can attest...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,
Jim Ford <[email hidden]> writes:
|>
|> > Any ideas? Obviously, I will be looking at a 2-man tent.
|>
|> The 'The North Face' Tadpole is pretty roomy (I'm 6' 4", standing up).
|> I've got an older one and there's plenty of room for 1 (though you can
|> only sit up at the big end). There's also enough room in the porch to
|> cook. The only problem is that it's an 'inner first' tent - though I
|> prefer that as it gives a much tighter and more rigid tent.

Thanks, but that's the main reason I want to change. My current one
isn't ideal, but works, provided that I can pitch and strike in fairly
dry conditions. What I don't want is to be caught out with continual
heavy rain, and have to pitch inner first in it - that is a recipe
for getting a wet tent, followed by a wet sleeping bag, followed by
getting miserable.

Currently, the Nallo 2 looks the best bet - it is enough bigger to
solve my problems, but is only 25% longer overall than my Jamet (as
distinct from 50% for the GT). And I have had trouble finding
enough space even for my Jamet!

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Nick Maclaren) said:

Quoted message said:

... It needs to allow for a sleeper of 6'6" (preferably 7'😉, to allow

me to sit up in it and to turn around and store my clutter under
cover.

Have you looked into a Hubba Hubba from MSR (assuming you can get it in
the UK)?

See:

http://www.msrcorp.com/tents/hubbahubba.asp

It's light (1.7 kg at this point in time - supposedly) and you can
quickly set up the fly first with the inner-tent lying on the ground
beneath it with it's four corners secured to the four corners of the
fly-sheet (or maybe just two corners on one side initially). Once the
fly is up, you can then just clip the walls and ceiling of the inner
tent to the poles supporting the fly (you can also not even bother
putting up the inner tent if the conditions are to your liking.

It's not clear in the pictures at the above website but one panel of the
fly can be set out away from the tent to create a vestibule/windbreak
that allows you to cook outside the tent when it's pitched properly.

To get some idea of what others have said about this tent, take a look
at:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Shelters/Tents/MSR%20Hubba%20Hubb
a/

Where 3 pretty thorough reviews of the tent are given (one of the
reviewers, James Triplett, is 6' 2"😉.

Keep in mind that the reviews are more then 2 years old. MSR has added
another entry on the opposite side of the tent in response to the
comments regarding the need for more ventilation (although it is not
clear in the photo at their website whether the fly has two entry
points). The need for more ventilation is mentioned by these reviewers -
and by many others apparently.

You can see reviews of other tents - including the Nallo 2 - at this
same website at:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Shelters/Tents/

Hope you find what you are looking for.

Ron

In message <[email hidden]>

(Nick Maclaren) said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Jim Ford <[email hidden]> writes:
|>
|> > Any ideas? Obviously, I will be looking at a 2-man tent.
|>
|> The 'The North Face' Tadpole is pretty roomy (I'm 6' 4", standing up).
|> I've got an older one and there's plenty of room for 1 (though you can
|> only sit up at the big end). There's also enough room in the porch to
|> cook. The only problem is that it's an 'inner first' tent - though I
|> prefer that as it gives a much tighter and more rigid tent.

Thanks, but that's the main reason I want to change. My current one
isn't ideal, but works, provided that I can pitch and strike in fairly
dry conditions. What I don't want is to be caught out with continual
heavy rain, and have to pitch inner first in it - that is a recipe
for getting a wet tent, followed by a wet sleeping bag, followed by
getting miserable.

Currently, the Nallo 2 looks the best bet - it is enough bigger to
solve my problems, but is only 25% longer overall than my Jamet (as
distinct from 50% for the GT). And I have had trouble finding
enough space even for my Jamet!

A Hilleberg Nallo2 GT is currently our main tent for all year round
camping (since the retirement of our Quasar ETC).

We've used it in winter in Wales and the Lake District, and in summer in
the Alps. Our model suffers from condensation in very cold conditions,
e.g. we were camped in Wales over Christmas and the temperatures were
well below freezing and there was little wind. The latest models of
Nallo have improved venting to try to reduce this problem (which occurs
with most tents under extreme conditions).

The lighter weight of the Hilleberg tent fabrics gives some the false
impression that they are less robust. My experience is that they stay up
in pretty serious weather conditions if pitched properly.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

Mike Clark said:

The lighter weight of the Hilleberg tent fabrics gives some the false
impression that they are less robust. My experience is that they stay up
in pretty serious weather conditions if pitched properly.

Even their light ones are stronger than most, in large part as they
use silicone elastomer coatings rather than PU, which substantially
reduces the heat ageing the fabric suffers when the coating is
applied. It also inhibits UV far more than PU coatings, so takes a
lot longer to get useless that way. Not taping the seams (as seam
tape won't stick to the silicone coated nylon) makes the tent
stronger too, as seam taping again heat ages the fabric it's
applied to, ironically at the weakest points, and though you can
seal the seams with goop we've not found the need on our Tarra.
Downside is you get to pay for all that quality! ;-/

For the venting, the Nallo is clearly not as good as the Nammatj,
which it's a lighter and simplified version of.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/