well hilleberg just brought out a new 4 season tent aimed at backpackers so its there lightest tent,and for the life of me i cant remember the name of it but just check out there website if you have a spare 500 euro handy.The new Hillebergs are 3 season versions of some of their 4 season tents :
Both the Nallo 2GT and Vango Spirit 200+ have a large vestibule useful in Scotland during bad weather. The inner tent has a fly screen to protect against those midges! Not sure what the Nallo 2GT has.
Here I need to ask a question of those more experienced in stealth camping than I. Do you find the width of a tent a major factor and a hindrance when you look for a spot to sneak some sleep? I don't know, but I imagine that a narrow tent must be a great advantage.Yes; a major reason why I chose a 1-person tent -- narrower profile and less bulk to be noticed. I also chose a tent that is spring-leaf green on all faces but for the head end, which is black. Allows me to rotate the tent for the lowest visibility to passersby. Another reason for choosing a matte black Sherpa!
My Dutch friend chose a Tatonka Alaska 3-person tent for his "luxury item", and won't be without it for solo tours despite a weight of 4.5-5kg. It is large enough to easily house his bicycle in the front vestibule, and I certainly enjoyed using it when we toured together in Europe, and I was able to pitch it quickly alone, as was he. Sleeping soundly at night makes a tremendous difference toward feeling happy and well the next day and all the days to follow on a long tour. Looked at that way, a 5kg tent is a pretty reasonable weight.
...
In the end, "best" is what's best for you. Polling others and asking what works for them greatly shortens the list of what might work for you. Overall quality is one thing, but so is the ease with which it can be pitched, weight, packaged size, and overall volume and livability.
Best,
Dan.
Are there any disadvantages in carrying a 5kg tent other than needing stronger legs?Absolutely not! In fact, there is a compelling advantage to carrying a larger tent -- the interior volume goes up faster than the weight (so long as construction is similar). A larger tent is less weighty for the same volume than, say, a couple 1-person tents, and you have the added convenience of extra space for a pair of people and even for each one.
I would imagine packing it in a dry bag and placing directly on top of the rear rack without any problem<nods> Pretty much, as you can see in the accompanying photos. I probably would have used Arno webbing straps to secure it rather than the x-pattern of bungees my friend used, but it worked well. He has a Tubus Cargo rack on his lovely Avaghon Series 26 bike, and it rode fine.
I feel compelled to ask what is probably a very silly question i.e. does the volume or weight of the packed tent mean compromises in other kit you can carry?Not a silly question, but a very good one! The answer is "yes it can". As with anything extra you carry in either volume or mass, the space and weight require at least a redistribution of the rest of your load and some care in securing it...securely. In the case of using a large tent and traveling as a pair, the problems are minimized -- except for personal items, just split up the shared overall load. I saw a number of paired cyclists in Belgium who did it this way: One person took the big tent atop his rear rack. The other took two sleeping bags atop hers. They each carried their own pads. Pretty much the same individual load as two of me would take, each carrying a 1-person tent. The difference is they could share the space and had greater overall volume to live in and store their stuff.
are there risks of strain on luggage, racks, or even the bicycle?I agree completely with Julian here. Bicycles themselves can carry enormous loads (think: cargo bikes in India); the downside is there is more weight to haul (not very noticeable on the flat once rolling and at speed; you'll be wishing for a winch or windlass on 20%+ grades) and handling can suffer. As for the bike, so long as you have quality kit and overall weight (including youself; you're also cargo to the bike) is secure and not excessive (common sense), the bike will likely do fine. I agree with Andy Blance that rough roads make a difference to parts life, longevity, and handling when carrying enormous loads, but as a practical matter, you'll likely do fine on reasonably smooth roads. In the case of Little Tent versus Big Tent, we're talking a difference of only a couple-three kg, and that's generally not enough to make much difference. Julian's right -- Christmas-season goodies can account for that (me!). :P
1) Is it hard to enter and leave the hammock, especially when wet? Is there a special technique, or is it one of those things that becomes obvious when you have and use a hammock?No not at all. You simply sit down in it and then swing your legs up. It makes a very good seat and allows you to cook etc. whilst sitting down - very comfortable. I have a full tarp over the hammock so it offers much more dry living space when it's raining than a typical low tent (you can stand up). My hammock, a Warbonnet Blackbird (http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php) (highly recommended), has bug netting over the top, which zips up completely to keep out all the creepy crawlies.
2) Do you sleep "flat" inside, or is there a parabolic arc, as with a regular hammock? If it is flat inside...how is that possible? Is there a suspended sub-floor of some sort?Yes you do sleep very flat. The key to it is that you lie diagonally, not lengthways. No sub-floor required. You do need either a foam mat or what is called an under-quilt (a bit like a sleeping bag) to keep your butt/back warm.
I too now love to hammock, I use DD hammock and tarp I was just wondering what tarp you were using and how much weight you total system comes to. Mine is a little heavy
ok great tent but man way to expensive :o :o
I'd forgotten how heavy bicyclists tend to goYep. It is easy -- probably far too easy -- to think of the bicycle as pack-mule for extended back-country solo tours away from resupply. I employ one named "Sherpa" to help me carry stuff. That kinda says something about the mindset. ;)
Hmm... those photos don't do much to convince me, I'm afraid. :^)just watched that vimeo great stuff altogether no idea how that guy or any ul trekker can cope with all nature has to throw at them , but fair play to you guys guess you dont mind hardship 8) me well i need all the creature comforts i can take to keep warn cozy and well fed..ok i'm admit it i'm a fair weather tourer . thanks for all the links on different shelters not that i would ever get one but great to see what you guys are using. ;)
Andrew Skurka walked his 6-month, Alaska-Yukon 4,678 miles unsupported adventure in 2010 using all ultralight gear. His shelter was a Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid.
http://andrewskurka.com/adventures/alaska-yukon-expedition/ (http://andrewskurka.com/adventures/alaska-yukon-expedition/)
http://vimeo.com/14702142 (http://vimeo.com/14702142)
I think you have the 'right' approach kickingcones. I doubt a cyclist needs to take UL to extremes, but carting excess weight just wears on the bike and the bones...the further you go the lighter you want to be...Yeah me too but then again i ride tour on tarmac most of these lads are adventure cyclists, a tarp or your bubble wrap aint going to be much use if you get caught in a violent storm . ;D
I can easily manage to go 10 days with less than 20kg of gear (including spares and tools), food and a bit more than a full days ration of water. Having only to source water gives you a much greater range for your travels and carrying less weight makes your range stretch even further :)
Thinking about why I 'only' have two sleepings bags?Um...four of those here, John.
I have N+ 1 tents!Brilliant!
I have just seen that MSR have launched two cycle touring specific tents called the Tour 1 and Tour 2. They are basically the Hubba with a gear shed and the Hubba Hubba with a gear shed. Interestingly the tent poles are now external to the fly allowing the tent to be put up in bad conditions without getting wet. As a Hubba Hubba fan, this could be even better for poor weather cycle touring.
Details here ...
https://www.msrgear.com/ie/tents/hubba-tour-1
https://www.msrgear.com/ie/tents/hubba-tour-2
And a good review with some photographs here ...
https://www.pannier.cc/journal/introducing-the-msr-hubba-tour-tent
Hi Dan ! tell me.. when you use your solo tent, where do you stock your Ortlieb panniers, i think you don't have enough space for stock them inside.. isn't it ?There's always room in my tent for my helmet at the foot of my sleeping bag, and for my handlebar bag by my head. The vestibule has enough room to hold all four of my panniers. I used it to conceal all my panniers while sightseeing away from the campings owned by friends in Belgium. Photos below.
Julio to me 600 is a lot of money for any tent I don't care what label is on it.I'd safely say if you shopped around you would pick one up at half the price.the hilli nallo 2 is lovely tent I toured with a friend from the uk he uses the nallo I use the mountain hardware.looks a lot like the nallo but bit bulkier not a lot of difference in weight but its a lot less money.keep hunting julio.
great tent but man is it expensive :o
still say no more if your happy thats all that counts. 8)
happy camping.
jags.
great tent but man is it expensive :o
still say no more if your happy thats all that counts. 8)
happy camping.
jags.
Thanks but i bought my tent half price so 321 euros bargain jags ! 😉
for sure best of luck with it.
jags
Danneaux wrote: My Dutch friend chose a Tatonka Alaska 3-person tent for his "luxury item", and won't be without it for solo tours despite a weight of 4.5-5kg. It is large enough to easily house his bicycle in the front vestibule, and I certainly enjoyed using it when we toured together in Europe, and I was able to pitch it quickly alone, as was he. Sleeping soundly at night makes a tremendous difference toward feeling happy and well the next day and all the days to follow on a long tour. Looked at that way, a 5kg tent is a pretty reasonable weight.
I've a question for americans only ..Hi Julien!
How much does it cost for you ? (shipping included)
Julio,
Also bear in mind that with the Rainbow, you have to purchase the alu or carbon support poles. (Or use your own trekking poles.)
John
Goodness! I realize I seem to be at the extremes here...
For over 30 years, my father and I each used Early Winters Pocket Hotel 3-layer single-wall GoreTex bivy-tents...24in/0.6m high at the entry, 19in/0.48m in the middle and the foot section like a sock, weight complete with stakes at 1kg each. ...
Where it was on the first photo ? lovely landscape ;)
Thanks to you
(https://i11.servimg.com/u/f11/19/07/93/69/th/img_2010.jpg) (https://servimg.com/view/19079369/198)
(https://i11.servimg.com/u/f11/19/07/93/69/th/img_2011.jpg) (https://servimg.com/view/19079369/199)
(https://i11.servimg.com/u/f11/19/07/93/69/th/img_2012.jpg) (https://servimg.com/view/19079369/200)
Bag size with footprint inside : 50x16 cm
2.6 kg
(https://i11.servimg.com/u/f11/19/07/93/69/th/img_2013.jpg) (https://servimg.com/view/19079369/201)
After not camping for 22 years I started again three years ago. I've been amazed at how much better tents are now. Even the £80 Coleman I started with was better than the top range stuff from the 80s.http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1951.msg9070#msg9070
After trying a few tents my criteria was;
Two door for organisation
No permanent mesh, the Coleman could get draughty.
Sleep across the door, I find this far better for getting in and out and it gives more accessible porch space.
Less flappy than the tunnel tents I tried (including Hilliberg)
I bought a Terra Nova Solar 2.2, after 26 nights in it I'm well pleased. The flatter roof and steep ends mean there's more usable space than the floor plan would suggest. The two porches are great, I keep all the stuff in one and use the other as the entrance, which means I don't have to bring much into the inner tent.
it's not perfect, rain can form a pool on the flat roof (though that's never been a problem) Pitching inner first takes more planning when done in the rain. I takes careful adjustment to minimise condensation.