Thorn Cycles Forum
Technical => General Technical => Topic started by: jags on April 24, 2014, 05:25:02 pm
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fHp6WyNOP0.
i'm always hunting around utube looking at light weigh tnts some i like most i hate,
as i'm not a tent dweller if you get my drift ;D
anyway my mountain hardware spear gt2 is a great tent loads of room pretty storm proof not that i've ever been out in a storm ::) but i find it hard enough to pitch lack of practice i suppose,but heres the question its 2.5kg or 7lb would you lads reckon thats a heavy tent.
the tents in the utube link are not that much lighter ::)
anyone ever come across a pitching video on my tent.just asking.
anto.
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1.5 Kilo is about right - but it costs - see Hilliberg Akto
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i had the akto hated it like sleeping in a coffin but must admit it was super light and well put together, but not for me. :(
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Hi Jags,
Most tents in the 1.5kg mark will only be 1 man with not a lot of room. You have to be slightly over the 2kg for the 2 man tents to come into their own. I have a Terra Nova Voyager, that I managed to pick up 2nd hand and that is a great little 2 man tent and very solid weighing in at 2.1kg. I then have the Vango Spirit 200 and 200+, the only difference being the size of the porch with the 200+ having a huge porch (similar to the Hilleberg Nallo GT) and the 1 I favoured with my motorcycle touring. However it weighs 2.7kg.
Both the Vangos are tunnel tents and easy to put up by pegging down the 2 pegs at the rear of the tent and just pulling whole tent forward and then pegging down the 2 front pegs, then finish off with all other pegs. It is all pitched inner and outer together so no getting inner tent wet. Very stable in the wind and I can put it up in about 7 minutes all told.
Terra Nova is inner first , so free standing or could use without fly sheet and even though its a 2 step pitching process, the fly easily clips to poles and again very quick to pitch. It also packs away much easier into bag in 2 separate parts. I do find the poles a little long though and they don't fit into panniers so easily as the Vango tents. I would willingly cook in the Vango 200+ porch too, but not the others.
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Weight is relative, me and my brother used to hike with a Vango force 10. Even split between 2 of us it was close to 3kg each. I think anything under 3kg on a bike is doing well and my personal preference would be better construction and more space than ultimate weight saving. In fact to me the van go spirit 200+ stones pretty much the perfect balance between weight, space, and price.
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i much prefair the bigger tent, i would cook in the MH tent looks exactly like the nallo gt2 so plenty of room.
i know i know i shouldn't cook in a tent but lads it was fecking lashing it down and when you drink as much tea and coffee as me well what choice does a fella have. ::)
i thought when i first started cycle touring that camping under the stars would be my favourate part of touring WRONG :'(i find going to bed when its still bright weird, i was always a late bird hard to adjust to a lifetime of going to bed early hours of the morning. then the feckin noises, where did they all come from you can hear too rats nattering away 2 fields away very unnerving :o
i used to tour with a guy and as soon as his head would hit the pillow he was dead to the world the fecker would snore all night long,and next morning he would always say good morning anto you certainly were snoring well last night, ??? he was to big to punch his lights out Xcop .
yeah so basically i need a sound proof tent that weighs nothing and costs even less am i dreaming or just talking through my bottom bracket.
sure a fella has to ramble every now and again you guys are to brainy for this uneducated fool ;D ;D
anto.
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Well if you have to money (its 500 quid!) The Van go force 10 nitro lite 200+ would be choice as its bloody massive and weighs 1.7kg... I do think though anyone who used lite instead of light in a product should be flayed alive
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thats a lot of money but the hillies are fierce expensive as well.ill check that out on utube for the craic you understand .
no does nothing for me sorry.just looked at it on utube.
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i thought when i first started cycle touring that camping under the stars would be my favourate part of touring WRONG :'(i find going to bed when its still bright weird, i was always a late bird hard to adjust to a lifetime of going to bed early hours of the morning. then the feckin noises, where did they all come from you can hear too rats nattering away 2 fields away very unnerving :o
<snip>
yeah so basically i need a sound proof tent that weighs nothing and costs even less am i dreaming or just talking through my bottom bracket.
Anto, you crack me up sometimes!! :D ;D
I'm a late night person too, so I'm usually the last one hanging around the campfire, talking into my whisky. But I didn't figure you one for being scared of things that go bump in the night. Better make that tent lockable and bullet-proof, as well! ;)
Sam
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Sam born coward ;D ;D no not really fisty little fecker in me day.
but honest i remember the first night in france i kept tripping over those stupid guy lines,so i came up with a plan i would put used Tbags on each of the guys so as i could spot them more easly.,yeah so anyway there i was lying in my coffin (AKTO)tossing and turning all night when all of a sudden the fecking tent started to shake i lay there in a state of panic ,what the hell is going on, so no choice but to sneak out and take a look.
fully armed ready for war, what was it only 2 fecking crows munching away on the t bags they fairly frightened the bejasus out of me thats the truth. ;D ;D
jags
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Hilleberg Anjan 2 a 2 person tent weight 1.6 k
http://www.pbase.com/leftpoole/campingtrips
OR
http://www.pbase.com/leftpoole/terranova
at 1.2 kg
John
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way to expensive for me john. ::)
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way to expensive for me john. ::)
And for me too, but I always buy the best. I figure at our age and with my health that the use will keep me happy, when I turn my toes up the bill will not be paid!
John
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Exped Vela 1 is my choice - one-person - but I find it has a good roomy feel inside as it has the transverse pole - much better than longitudinal pole designs like the Macpac Microlight that feel like a coffin. The vestibule is really roomy, able to fit all my panniers and still have room to get in and out easily. Internal length is excellent too at 2.45m. And the fly has no zips (nothing to leak/break) as you just slide it up on the main pole.
It weighs 1.8kgs and is extremely easy to pitch with the integral-pitch design. It can be put up with the minimum two pegs in as little as two minutes.
Video of the pitching here - http://youtu.be/BViEhVoNMDo
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John if i had the money i would buy the nallo gt2 it's very like the one i'm using but much lighter and easier to pitch and the fly goes all the way to the ground ;)
but man is it expensive no big deal if i could afford it as you say long time pushing up daisys.
jags
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I have been using two different solo tents, each about 4 pounds (about 1.8 kg) but they are really not much more than oversized bivvy sacks. These tents work ok in camping areas where I have enough privacy to change clothes outside, and where it is dry enough to spend almost all time outside. But, I can't get all my gear inside it at night and they are quite crowded for changing clothes. See photo, sorry I cut of a tiny bit of the tent in the photo.
For my next trip I might bring a 7 pound (about 3.1 kg) tent for more interior room, that trip will be about 5 weeks and will be an in area known for wet weather where I might be stuck in the tent trying to stay dry.
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Wow what a place to pitch a tent class.
but yeah it make perfect sense to me to have loads of room in a tent even with the weight penalty.
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mickeyg, how were you carrying the gear on that bike? No racks, so did you run a BOB trailer?
Re. space in the tent vestibule for gear, here is my Exped Vela 1. The vestibule is under the zip-free fly, drawn up for access here. As you can see there are panniers in the vestibule and two on the bike - I carried six on this tour in the outback. When the camp is set I have two rear bags pretty much empty - sleeping and cooking gear in use, clothing bags in the tent. These empty panniers plus the four other panniers could easily fit in the vestibule without blocking my access.
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u666/petesig26/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010882_zps0e63b232.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/petesig26/media/Red%20Centre%20Way%20and%20the%20road%20to%20Old%20Andado/P1010882_zps0e63b232.jpg.html)
Here's a view of the Vela 1 from the head-end. You can see how it gives good room around your head.
(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/LOr5vTpxn9w/maxresdefault.jpg)
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Fine contrast in those photos, Padrone!
Jags, I use a different approach to the problem of shelter-in-the-rain-and-wind: Learned from my canoeing trips that a good tarp is a very handy way of cooking outside the tent and staying dry. See the foto below -- tarp pitched between a couple of trees, and my 2-man tent, fly only, just below. The tarp is very light, about 400 gms. Best pitched Where There Are Trees, of which we have lots :-)
This foto was taken near the Rhine in NW Germany in late Sept., so no bugs. You can adjust the corners, of course, bef settling in the for night, bringing the tarp lower to shield from any rain. Cycling in eastern Canada in the summer months, I use inner tent + fly, and the tarp. (Sometimes the rain comes in horizontal.) In Southern Africa in the dry season, or in the Oz outback, one wouldn't need the tarp.
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Thanks lads for the Photos fantastic to see how you experts do it, i'm a total fred when it comes to all things camping :-[
i kinda know what i like in a tent but it would cost a fortune to make it.
please post more photos of your camping trips.
thanks
anto.
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mickeyg, how were you carrying the gear on that bike? No racks, so did you run a BOB trailer?
Vehicle supported trip. Ten of us, the driver/cook hauled our luggage, food and water in a four wheel drive pickup truck.
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Another photo of the truck.
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thats one hell of a stake . ;)
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Really glad the trip went well, mickeg; you ate well, if nothing else, and the Nomad looks great!
Best,
Dan. (...who always uses a 1-person tent but only for sleeping 'cos he rides and cooks in the rain and there's enough room under the fly or inside for himself and four panniers and a handlebar bag and helmet and he can change clothes inside -- whew!)
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'cos he ... cooks in the rain
Dan, Dan, it doesn't have to be like this. - J. :-)
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Dan, Dan, it doesn't have to be like this.
;D ;D ;D
All the best,
Dan. (...who can't wait 'til Tuesday for word on your new bike)
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I'd like a ultralight, less that one killo, three man Hilleberg Keron. Then I found out that I can't have it all!
When I recovered from the shock, I started to think that the one place I don't want to compromise on is the integrity and comfort of my nighttime rest. Thinking further, that I don't have to carry the gear as hikers do I decided to pare down weight in other sensible areas such as the tags on my underwear - but I shall be happy to carry six to seven pounds extra in the best possible tent and and a comfortable mat. Besides, after a week or two riding with the extra weight ... it expect to lose a commensurate weight, off of my beer belly and I will be back to a weight "square one", I figure. :)
sleeping in comfort is so marvelous, I consider it as much fun as any of the rest of cycling. In fact now that I can't likely ever cycle again, I'm hoping to be able to get a motorcycle and continue the idea of exploration and camping that up to now has been such a marvelous aspect of cycling. Second best, compared to cycling, I know ... but it gives me a bit of hope. Funny thing is, I've noticed that even motorcyclists are concerned with weight, to an unnatural degree, by my thinking, seeing as the don't have to strain up those hills. But they still go on and on about lightweight ... much like the hikers. I don't quite get it. ???
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Pavel i'm also thinking about will the tent i have take the weight all my other gear is lightweight.
but being honest i'm kinda gone off the idea of cycle touring ,if i had a good cycling companion i would do any amount of it, but i just dont like touring on my own but worse still is touring with a complete dick who like to call the shots on every pedal stroke.
but thats for another thread me thinks. ;D ;D
anto.
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I've soured on it a bit too, but the part that I have gotten tired of is the cycling in traffic. I found that here in North Carolina, everything is located near either primary or secondary highways. Not much anymore near the picturesque off the main traffic routes. So that means carrying a lot of water - and still constantly running out. Most car riders I have found to be more that nice, but still it is not my idea of touring. I wonder about shorter trips that are mostly off road or on almost untraveled gravel roads, but here in NC I have not found any way to go any distance that way. I wonder if it is better that way out West?
I know what you mean about partners. With my daughter it worked out perfectly. We both like to get up at the crack of noon and go slow, or slower. But almost everyone I met along the way on any trip, although nice guys, were all to much concerned with times and mileage for me to be able to cycle with any length of time.
I do enjoy going all by myself fortunately. Just me, a nice comfy tent and mat, food for days and the same two smelly changes of clothes. Add nice weather and I can enjoy that at eight miles an hour for days and days. There is something about the simple cycle of peddling, eating and sleeping that is marvelous for the spirit.
And the d*ckheads always fly past me on their own imaginary record runs. At their pace all I'd get to see of the country is the patch of asphalt twenty feet in front of me as I gasp for air. :)
Yeah, I think motorcycle camping may be able to satisfy all that I crave. Maybe one day. Anyone need a good Nomad mkII? :(
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Pavel, I can understand your desire to avoid the traffic: I rode my '86 BMW airhead from Ottawa to the Carolinas & back in the fall of 2011 -- the traffic in many parts (not all) of the Carolinas scared the bejesus out of me on my motorcycle.
Before that trip, I had been thinking about a cycling trip in S/Carolina -- but when I was there, I saw very few roads that I'd want to cycle on. Some of the roads closer to the Blue Ridge Pkway in the virginias seemed more manageable (tho' hilly!)
It's interesting -- I've covered a couple of routes by both bicycle and m/cycle, and I see and remember a whole lot more by bicycle. For m/cycle camping, you can cheat a bit on the weight, such as your 6 - 7-lb tent. Aerostich (in Duluth, Minnesota) is a great source of supplies for touring on two motorized wheels.
(BTW - I have a vgc Sierra Designs 2 - 3 person tent, surplus to requirements. You can have it free if you'll pay the postage, Ottawa to the Carolinas -- send me a PM if you're interested.)
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i've been cycling most days this week from 20 to 50 miles spins probably done over 200 miles this week the weather is fantastic so i'm making the most of it.
but yeah i could count on one hand the amound of cars i met on my back road routes.i stay well away from main roads so traffic aint a problem.
my son is living in Indianapolis, he sent me a video yesterday on his trip into town.6 lanes of traffic all going at breakneck speed he reckoned i would love driving there ::).
lads you guys would love cycling in ireland especally this week with all this sun we are getting
CLASS.
anto.
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Pavel, I can understand your desire to avoid the traffic: I rode my '86 BMW airhead from Ottawa to the Carolinas & back in the fall of 2011 -- the traffic in many parts (not all) of the Carolinas scared the bejesus out of me on my motorcycle.
Before that trip, I had been thinking about a cycling trip in S/Carolina -- but when I was there, I saw very few roads that I'd want to cycle on. Some of the roads closer to the Blue Ridge Pkway in the virginias seemed more manageable (tho' hilly!)
It's interesting -- I've covered a couple of routes by both bicycle and m/cycle, and I see and remember a whole lot more by bicycle. For m/cycle camping, you can cheat a bit on the weight, such as your 6 - 7-lb tent. Aerostich (in Duluth, Minnesota) is a great source of supplies for touring on two motorized wheels.
(BTW - I have a vgc Sierra Designs 2 - 3 person tent, surplus to requirements. You can have it free if you'll pay the postage, Ottawa to the Carolinas -- send me a PM if you're interested.)
Thanks for the very generous offer. I'm afraid that my health is now such that I can only sit here and dream of the adventures of yesterday and on better days entertain myself with l just like looking at the Nomad, even if I can't take it anywhere! :D
I'm trying to get my daughter to grow one more inch and then she will be able to fit the 690M well enough. It's a stretch but doable on her 5'5" frame, and barring any further growth I'll have to explain how cycling in platform shoes is actually cool - before it ever goes for sale. :) Maybe one days she will go on adventures of her own to all the places I was "going" to get around to.
You know, I lived in Canada for many years and cycle toured quite a bit in southern Ontario. The heat and humidity weren't a problem at all. ;D
Ahhh the good ol' days.
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Take care, Pavel, and I hope you return to health before too long. The tent has been sitting in my basement for a while now, and probably will for a while longer ...
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Back to the topic of tents, on my last trip instead of bringing a solo tent, I brought a 2 person tent of the hoop type design. It added a couple more pounds to my pack compared to my past trips with a solo tent, but I was concerned that packing up in the morning in the rain would be much easier to do in a more roomy tent. I was going somewhere that long term averages suggested that we would have a 30 percent chance of rain every day when our trip started.
Had almost no rain, but the extra room was very nice to have. On past trips, most of my stuff was stored in the vestibule which made entry and exit less than convenient, but the two person tent was big enough that all gear was easily stored inside the tent.
Regarding packing up in the rain (which fortunately we did not have to do on this trip), my tent (excluding poles) and air mattress went in one front pannier. Thus, I could have packed up all gear into all but one Ortlieb pannier while I was inside the tent, then only had to pack the last pannier out in the rain. We were lucky that I did not have to test this procedure.
On this most recent trip, the friend I toured with bought a new solo tent for the trip, he was very happy with it. In the photo, my tent is on the left.
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I noticed that my editor (the cat on my lap) completely destroyed half my post. Serves me right for veering off topic.
Yeah, back to the tents. Here it is often humid enough that the tent does not dry out at all over the course of a day. I bought a mesh bag from Alpkit (in the U.K.) and when I take the tent down I put all in the side rear pannier except the outer fly which I put in the mesh bag. Sometimes it dries but often it doesn't ... but it does keep the mildew away, so perhaps others may find such a thing useful.
It is rain that makes me a believer in the Hilleberg line of tents, well, along with the bulletproof construction. Being able to put a tent up in one piece and have it dry in the pouring rain is wonderful.
I've had five tent thus far, mostly the Big Agnes brand. I started out with a two man (two real skinny men? :D ) and liked it but found it was with no virtues. Too small for comfort and too heavy to not be lured by ultra-light. So I got a one man. That made me realize I fall into the comfort end of the scale. So I bought a three man and a four man Big Agness. Loved the four man and liked the three man. Putting any of them up in the rain was horrible and while they were quite light I found that the claims of quality were seriously exaggerated. The three man was basically full of little holes and stitching starting to come apart. That turned me off lightweight. I wish I had just bought the hilleberg right a the get go. Would have saved grief and money. Oh well, that's how it goes! :D
I only find one problem with my preferred kind of tent, a larger three man. That is the width. Even in a tunnel design, which I now favor for this very reason, many of the places I've had to sneak to for a night of slumber have been so narrow between the trees and brambles that a two man was a challenge to fit.
For those who travel by bike rather than hike, and say "weight be damned" like I do, I wonder if a two tent strategy could be doable. A hammock for where that is convenient and a regular, more spacious two or three man tent. All under ~ 6 killos ( 13-14 pounds)? Could work for me. Weight be damned. I need my beauty sleep! 8)
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I've soured on it a bit too, but the part that I have gotten tired of is the cycling in traffic. I found that here in North Carolina, everything is located near either primary or secondary highways.
Reminds me of Bill Bryson's descriptions of the attitudes to walking in his book "A Walk in the Woods". He walked through North Carolina on the Appalachian Trail, and it seemed like town footpaths were more a challenge than the bears in the woods.
“Four times I was honked at for having the temerity to proceed through town without the benefit of metal.”
“I know a man who drives 600 yards to work. I know a woman who gets in her car to go a quarter of a mile to a college gymnasium to walk on a treadmill, then complains passionately about the difficulty of finding a parking space. When I asked her once why she didn't walk to the gym and do five minutes less on the treadmill, she looked at me as if I were being willfully provocative. 'Because I have a program for the treadmill,' she explained. 'It records my distance and speed, and I can adjust it for degree of difficulty.' It hadn't occurred to me how thoughtlessly deficient nature is in this regard.”