Question:
I’m looking for recommendations on backpacking tents. I haven’t seen too much discussion lately. I’m looking for a small, 4 lb. or so tent. Good for 2 folks, or real confy for one. REI has one (don’t have the model name in front of me) for $140. Kelty has one called the Microlight for $150, on sale now at REI for $99 (that REI dividend is burning a hole in my pocket!). TNF also has some but they are a little pricey for me. Any insights, testimonials, etc.. I currently have two tents now, one for "pseudo" backpacking, a Timberline 2-man (6.5 lb or so) and a Kelty Quattro 4 (12.7 lb) for car camping. I’m looking for a real light tent just for backpacking. Thanks.. | / | Hewlett Packard Co. Phone: 719-590-2133 | | | / | Colorado Springs, CO. | | | / | | |___| I love animals. They taste delicious. |___|
Response:
I’m looking for recommendations on backpacking tents. I haven’t seen too much discussion lately. I’m looking for a small, 4 lb. or so tent. Good for 2 folks, or real confy for one. REI has one (don’t have the model name in front of me) for $140. Kelty has one called the Microlight for $150, on sale now at REI for $99 (that REI dividend is burning a hole in my pocket!). TNF also has some but they are a little pricey for me. Any insights, testimonials, etc.. I currently have two tents now, one for "pseudo" backpacking, a Timberline 2-man (6.5 lb or so) and a Kelty Quattro 4 (12.7 lb) for car camping. I’m looking for a real light tent just for backpacking.
Here is a pile of emailed responses I got when I posted a similar question a couple months ago. Think of this as the promised summary, which I hadn’t around now gotten around to posting. I’ve removed headers and signatures since nobody told me to go ahead and post them, but I’d like to thank everyone who responded. My current plan is to save up for a Stephenson tent. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi, I’m also interested in an ultra lightweight backpacking tent. I’d mostly be using it by myself but it would be nice if it were big enough for two people in a pinch (doesn’t have to be spacious under such circumstances). I don’t plan to ever use it in cold weather but it should be able to stand up to very heavy rain since I seem to get caught in this whenever I go camping. It should also be quick and convenient to pitch and take down. The three suitable alternatives I know of are: Clip Flashlight North Face Tadpole NHP a fancy bivy sack instead of a tent. Any comparisons between these 3, comments on whether the 3rd is a feasible option at all, or other alternatives are solicited. Post here (other readers are probably also interested) or send mail and I’ll summarize. Thanks!
I have spent a little time in a Flashlight (the sleeve variety, which may be preferable to the clip version, assuming it’s still in production, because the sleeve spreads the stress of supporting the tent over a long seam rather than at a few points, even though it may be marginally harder to set up) and a Tadpole. Owned neither, I’ve been getting along fine with a Eureka Timberline. The Flashlight is a really tight squeeze for two, particularly if you have to stow any gear inside it so that you can stay out of the rain for an extended period. It is also not free standing, which is a pain at times (depends on what kind of terrain you’re camping in). The Tadpole had a good amount of room for two, and pitched very quickly after a little practice. I have never used a bivy, but it seems like a far inferior choice if you have to deal with long periods of rain. Maybe it would work if you could rig a tarp to cover the gear and give you a shelter for cooking. Of course if the conditions are favorable (winds not too high, suitable trees or rocks for tie-points) you could get away with just the tarp, and have the bivy as insurance. But the tarp + bivy weight & bulk won’t be much less than one of the tents you’re considering.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.