Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: spoon boy on May 06, 2009, 11:10:36 AM
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I had the hilleberg nallo 2 gt and thought there is only me so the extra space of a 2 person and a big vestibule would be a bonus.. and for me it turned out it was way to big for my needs
So I sold it then started to look at large single person tents and of course the akto came up but I had read reviews where larger chaps, particulary in hieght had issues so I started to look still at hillebergs but the soulo but I am open to other makes
It needs to be a 2 skin 3-4 season tent but when I'm lying down it needs to be able for a 6ft 3 chap to fit in without head or feet touching cloth so to speak
Do we have any taller members of 6ft plus and any of those had the same problems?
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I have the Nallo but I'm guessing that you're looking to make more than the .5Kg weight saving than on the GT. Whilst possibly a little large for 1 person use, I'm happy with the Nallo simply because it's sufficiently light for my purposes and means that I only need the one tent to accomodate 2 person scenarios. I was deterred by the Atko's coffin like appearance which I assumed might translate by way of experience (despite being only 5' 10' - so when I sighted a Nallo in a closing down sale for £240, I knew I couldn't go too far wrong!
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true if I walked into a shop and they had a knockdown price I'd be in there like a shot
the extra vestabule makes sense for 2 person...
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I am a bit shorter (6ft 1) and also in the market for a 1+ man tent. Top of my list at the moment is the TerraNova Laser Photon which is feather light at 0.8kg it also pack very small. I do a lot of hill walking, I have owned a TerraNova Ultra Quasar for a number of years it is an incredible strong & reliable tent, nothing beats it for high alpine camping, but it is a little heavy (read overkill) for day to day camping, so I am now looking at the opposite end of the scales!
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I must admit the problem I'm having is that the top end tents tend to be mail order.
Trying to find a shop that will let you unravel and set up a tent for you to then lie down in is like finding a forum without an agitator ::)
I see quite often the company's quote the floor space which at first you think..mmm should just about fit, until then you see it and realise that at each end they start to come back towards the middle within a height of a few inches meaning that your feet or head would be touching cloth so to speak
I tried typing in tall people to see if camping and tents were mentioned but got a lot of dating sites for people above 6ft 3... man thier are a lot of female basket players
still the search continues
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Trying to find a shop that will let you unravel and set up a tent for you to then lie down in is like finding a forum without an agitator Roll Eyes
Try Cotswold, they are very good at 'allowing' customers to erect tents to view sizes etc.
John.
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Mornin John ;D
Thanks for the tip chap will start digging, I am also over the weekend emailing the likes of hilleberg/terra nova etc asking for thier input
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+1 for Cotswold, there in shop staff are very helpful. I haven't used there mail order service but I here that this too is good.
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I have as some will be aware a number of tents. I am happy to show them in the garden if anyone should be in my area. Where do I live? Well at present , in limbo as a house move scheduled for end May has collapsed and we are seeking another as we 'speak' so could be Gloucestershire, Dorset or Devon.
John.........
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What about this chappy,
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage.nsf/b43HomePageE?openframeset
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I emailed hilleberg direct on Monday..pointed out the problem is that thier one man tents seem to be for sub 6 footers andcould they help/advise ......todays friday and nothing O well :(
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Try contacting José Sillitoe at Alpenstock (http://www.alpenstock.co.uk/home.htm), e-mail shop@alpenstock.co.uk telephone 0161 480 3660.
José has about the biggest stocks of Hillebergs in the UK and is very very helpful.
My phone calls were answered a lot quicker than e-mails!
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I emailed hilleberg direct on Monday..pointed out the problem is that thier one man tents seem to be for sub 6 footers andcould they help/advise ......todays friday and nothing O well :(
The Hilleberg Akto and Soulo both have inners that are 220cm (7ft 3in) long which should be adequate for anyone of 6ft 3ish? I hope so anyway as I am awaiting delivery on monday of a Soulo and I am 6ft 2in. It is a problem trying to find the Soulo in a shop anywhere near here to have a look at and I ended up making my decision on scouring the web for every photo and video I could find. Neither of these tents will take two people though except in an emergency situation.
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it's at momments like this that I show my age ::)
tempting to edit the original, and now realising my conversion of centimetres into what I know best...inches and feet was a bit errr incorrect
sometimes in my life..homer simpson seems like steven hawkins ;D
the soulo will do for me...thanks for pointing it rualexander ..I can go searching again
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The advice to try before you buy is sound. The floorplans can be deceptive, not taking into account the taper at the end. I find headroom more of a problem than length, again you need to get inside to have a look, I borrowed a tent that theoretically had plenty of headroom, but only if you stayed in one specific position. I'm 6'3" and have no problem with a TN Solar 2.2, the semi geodesic design means the poles cross at the ends so even touching the inner there won't bring it into contact with the outer, the twin porches mean you can touch the sides without problem. The flattish roof means there's lots of usable head room (though it can gather a bit of a puddle on top) It's promoted as a two person tent, I've no idea where the second is supposed to go, maybe in one of the porches! The more I use it the more I like it, always goes up tight, the massive porch space makes it easy to keep organised without having to bring much into the inner. Although at 2.1 kg a decent weight for the size (Same as the Soulo) the TN doesn’t pack very small and the poles are a bit long to fit well on a rack without overhang.
BUT... much as you seem to have discovered cycling is not about the bike, camping is not about the tent. Before the TN I had a Coleman Epsilon, it wasn't as good, it was OK and at 5 times the price I can't say the TN represents better value. If I had the time for more touring I'd have spent the money on the tour rather than the kit.
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If I were you, I will use Eureka Scenic Pass. It is simple back country camping tent that’s easy on your budget. With the floor size of 7' 5" x 4' 11", I' m sure it will fit to your satisfaction.
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I'm sure you've bought your tent by now. What type did you end up getting?
For reference, another great tent in this category that I am using is the Exped Vela 1. It has a long floor and I find the head room very goood (but I am just 5'11"). It is a nice space for 1 person, and in an emergency a second person could use the vestibule, which is big enough to fit 4+ panniers and still have easy access for entry. Its packed weight is 1.8kg.
My mate Rob is about 6" 1" and has big feet. He has some fun with touching the inner, but only because he uses a thick Exped inflatable down mat.
(http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/22938/2656612000074746151S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2656612000074746151waKPUb)