Tent - Backpacking

Flat Earth Society said:

Not having a vast budget - to go and buy an ATKO, etc, what do posters
consider as the heaviest weighing tent they would ever consider using
when backpacking?

That would be closely related to the length of a piece of string... How
far are you travelling, what time of year, what else will you carry etc.
etc.

But if you can still find any of the Argos tents then they're a quite
acceptable couple of Kgs and cost basically zip.

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/

"Flat Earth Society" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Not having a vast budget - to go and buy an ATKO, etc, what do posters
consider as the heaviest weighing tent they would ever consider using
when backpacking?

How fit are you?

Before I learnt my lesson and spent money on light gear, I used to carry a
sack when backpacking that most people would have trouble just lifting...
heavy pots, pans, tinned food, fuel, bottles of wine, water, tent, excess of
spare clothes, book, torch, spare batteries etc etc.

The point being, if you plan the rest of your kit wisely, you can get away
with a heavier tent. I didn't do that though, I just decided that if it was
too heavy, I'd better get fitter.

Also, if you're on your own, you can't split the tent between people but if
you're in a group, you can share it out, one person gets the inner, one
outer, one poles, one pegs (lucky one) etc.

Just plan when you're packing, do you really need that extra bottle of red?
Well, of course you do, so leave the sleeping bag behind.
Seriously though, lay you kit infront of you, look at it, pick it up think,
hmm, how could I cut that down. Like a knife, fork and soon set for example.
You don't need a knife, of spoon, you can eat/stir everything with a fork so
ditch the spoon and knife

In article <[email hidden]>, Flat Earth
Society <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Not having a vast budget - to go and buy an ATKO, etc, what do posters
consider as the heaviest weighing tent they would ever consider using
when backpacking?

I have solo backpacked (including some scrambling) with a Vadue Hogan
(about 3kg 2 pers tent) but I wouldn't recommend it.

Two of us backpacked with a friend's Terra Nova Quasar (4.5kg 2 pers)
including a long rock climb the following day and wouldn't recommend it
- especially as her sack was much smaller than mine :-(

A few questions might help with recommending:

What seasons do you want to be out with it?

Solo or with company, how many?

Are you intending to wild camp in high / exposed places or stay in
sheltered valleys / camp sites?

You might want to consider the Terra Nova Laser / Laserlite which are
very much cheaper than an Akto

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/terra/lightweight.shtml

If you are near a Decathlon store (check on their site
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/ukstore/index.asp ) you might want to take a
look at their own brand tents. I saw a 2kg 2 pers tent that looked OK
going for £50 at the Stockport branch in the summer.

--

Dominic Sexton
http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 15:12:45 +0000, Dominic Sexton
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Two of us backpacked with a friend's Terra Nova Quasar (4.5kg 2 pers)
including a long rock climb the following day and wouldn't recommend it
- especially as her sack was much smaller than mine :-(

I once carried a Quasar (and all the rest of it) up to Grisedale Tarn,
alone. My plan was to backpack for about 4 days, but for some
unaccountable reason I stayed at the tarn in the end and just made day
trips...

(When I got home I sold it and bought an Ultra Voyager instead 🙂
Even that felt like a bit of a slog with all the rest of the kit (this
is almost 10 years ago), which is why I bought an Akto as soon as they
became available.)

Others have mentioned some really good tents to you. Another thing is
to keep an eye on eBay, as good second hand kit does come up there on
a fairly regular basis. If you set up a few searches so that you
receive a daily email when things come up then you have a good chance
of finding something there.

Good luck!

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

As has been pointed out, the answer to this varies from individual to
individual. Most of my stuff is very lightweight so I can afford to go
overweight on one or two things and still have a low overall rucksack
weight. Personally, I'd say 3kg if I'm going by myself and 4.5kg split
between two. I'm currently using a 1.3kg Terra Nova Laser but it's not a
tent I'd use in 60mph blizzards so I'm thinking about getting a Macpac
Minaret (2.8kg) for winter stuff. Ideally I'd like a Quasar (circa 4kg) but
since I can't afford the Macpac that's a theoretical excercise.

I have a Saunders Fellpacker for sale. It's the old name for the Saunders
Jetpacker and is the same design. This is the two man version. I wouldn't
call it spacious but the guy I bought it from told me he him and his friend
spent a wet week in Chamonix in it. I'm selling it as I've now bought a
Terra Nova Laser. Weight is 2kg so not heavy at all. Price is £40+p&p

Failing that, how about one of the good old Argos special, Pro Action one
man tents. Loads love for them on here! Brand new, unopened and unused, £20
inc. p&p!

Cheers, Jiffy

"Treefrog" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
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Quoted message said:

"Flat Earth Society" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Not having a vast budget - to go and buy an ATKO, etc, what do posters
consider as the heaviest weighing tent they would ever consider using
when backpacking?

snip

Quoted message said:

Like a knife, fork and soon set for example.
You don't need a knife, of spoon, you can eat/stir everything with a fork
so
ditch the spoon and knife.

You can't eat soup with a fork so ditch the fork and take the spoon. :-)

--
Theo
www.theosphotos.fotopic.net

[email hidden] (Flat Earth Society) wrote :

Quoted message said:

Not having a vast budget - to go and buy an ATKO, etc, what do posters
consider as the heaviest weighing tent they would ever consider using
when backpacking?

Have a browse through the member reviews here -
<URL:http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/review/review.asp?sp=332122698432328862300&v=1>

Don't confuse price with quality. Since there appear to be plenty of decent
quality 2 person tents around 2Kg for less than £100 there seems little point in
going heavier unless you're into extreme conditions. Watch out for last years
best buys in the end of line sales.

I'm happy with my 2Kg, £50 Coleman Viper. I bought it just before the Argos Pro
Action tents came out, otherwise I would have tried one.

Daytona

Thanks for the reply.

To answer your three questions....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What seasons do you want to be out with it?

All, but mainly April-October.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Solo or with company, how many?

Solo.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are you intending to wild camp in high / exposed places or stay in

sheltered valleys / camp sites?

Depends, not really planning to camp in very high places, below 2,000ft if possible.

In article <[email hidden]>, Flat Earth
Society <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the reply.

To answer your three questions....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>What seasons do you want to be out with it?

All, but mainly April-October.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>Solo or with company, how many?

Solo.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>Are you intending to wild camp in high / exposed places or stay in

sheltered valleys / camp sites?

Depends, not really planning to camp in very high places, below 2,000ft
if possible.

Well by the sound of it you do not need a bombproof (= heavy) 4 season
mountain tent. I would check your local Argos to see if they have any of
the 1 man Pro Action tents still on clearance at £5. Failing that I
would try to get to a Decathlon store (but they might not have the tents
on display at this time of year).

The Laser / Laserlite have some fans here but might cost more than you
would like to pay - but are very light.

If none of the above take your fancy have a look round the following
site which has quite a wide range. Some of their prices might be a bit
high but you can get a reasonable idea of what is on offer and they
appear to price match (but not discounted / special offers):

http://www.cheaptents.com/acatalog/index.html

--

Dominic Sexton
http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/