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I know this has been covered before, and some recommendations made, but I'd appreciate the thoughts of the STW expert committee.
I want to climb up a mountain (or hill) in the UK, take photos of sunset, camp out overnight, take photos of the sunrise, and either walk down again and go home or (less likely) walk somewhere else and repeat the procedure. As I'll be carrying photo stuff and food and water, weight is a primary consideration. I want enough space for me and also for my kit, and I don't want to end up with my camera in a puddle. On the other hand, if there is a storm brewing I'll probably abort the mission. I know some the Hard Corps will say "for that you could just sleep in a bin bag" and it's probably true but I am a softie and appreciate some level of comfort and protection from the elements.
I don't want to spend money unnecessarily but I don't want to spend the night trying to pitch the thing properly, or cling on to wayward poles etc.
What do you recommend?
Budget? Strong, light cheap pick two applies
I like Lightwave tents. Very robust. Not too heavy but expensive. Hilleberg top quality at a high price. Wild Country do some decent tents that are inexpensive
an ebike with everything strapped to it would make weight less of a consideration. Sounds like what ever tent you use the combined weight of all the things you will be taking willl mount up, so a half a kilo on a tent isn't really going to make all that much difference, you'll probably be fairly heavy regardless.
The consideration then becomes what can you get the bike up mind with that approach, and even how to make all the stuff walkable for the last bits of whatever journey you make(ie chain the bike up and do the last bit on foot will get you to better camping spots.).
just a thought.
Vango F10 Helium can be had for £200 regularly, and it's a 1kg tent. "Compact and bijoux" but works.
Wild Country Zephros 1 is also about 1.3kg and usually about £130. Not for tall people though.
Default answer is a Lunar Solo.
Single skin with excellent venting. Very open design giving great views (almost as good as a bivvy/tarp). It's the tent I'd designed in my head before I found someone made it.
Not exactly a "mountain " tent as regards winds but sounds like you don't need that.
I like Lightwave tents.
I had a dreadful experience with them, both in the quality of the tent and their nonexistent customer service. Hands down the worst tent I've ever owned, impossible to pitch right, leaky pretty much from the word go and falling apart at the end of a 3 week tour.
Of course you can find someone who's had a bad experience with any brand and your experience is obviously different.
IMHO more important to your comfort, weight, and carriage headaches will be the groundmat you take.
presumably if you’re expecting sunsets/rises there is relatively little cloud cover; so the tent doesn’t need to be storm proof but no cloud = cold and so good insulation matters.
is this on the bike or are you walking? (The op refers to “walking down”). Are you riding to the bottom of the hill?
Something with an upright pole.
Then use yourtripod.
Boom! grams of saving right there.
Last time I recommended a Wild Country tent on here, based OME with an original Terra Nova version, there was a number of people who came along and told of their bad experiences with Wild Country.
Apparently they are not what they used to be.
Apparently they are not what they used to be.
They've gone right downhill. Poor quality and poor customer service from what I can gather.
Our hoolie 2 etc was a joke of a tent.
Their customer service was modelled very closely to on-ones.
I won't buy or recommend them again.
Lasted 3 pitches the first time before the poles shattered and lasted
They repaired it at my cost and it lasted a further 3 pitches before cracks started to propagate from poor manufacturing choices...... Crimped spigots instead of bonded. Managed to patch it together with duct tape for the rest of the 3 weeks but it's in the bin now. Shortest lived tent I ever had.
Our hoolie 2 etc was a joke of a tent.
What a shame. I still have a Terra Nova Trisar I bought about 20 years ago. Still going strong, although I admit I haven't used it for a few years.
If you typically abandon the possibility of camping at the sign of rain then the Snugpak Ionosphere may be worth a look depending on how much kit you have? Never used one myself as was put off by inner-first pitching. That said, my trusty old Proaction Hike Lite pitches inner first, but I've yet to pitch in mad rain and favour the headspace, so as a (low level multi-night) tent it's the bees-knees and would be improved by being better quality, and green instead of bright orange. Which would basically make it a Nordisk Svalbard 1Sl. Maybe check those out? 1.7kg but all that space and hurricane-proofing is ideal for comfort.
For more adventurous overnight stops at altitude I'm slightly interested in the Ionosphere, anyone here have experience of one?
I recently bought an MSR Hubba 1 Tour. The tour bit is important. It is really intended for cycle touring - it has the same amount of space as the standard hubba 1 in the inner but a very large porch. Large enough that you can sit in it under cover and cook or read or fiddle with your kit and at night is big enough for a (wheels off) bike. It is brilliant for me - I do actually use it for touring but like you do some photography related mountain walking. Enough covered space to get out your kit, dry it or just generally faff. Also use it when group leading with kids - enough space to sort stuff out, plan the next day or just brew a drink and keep an eye out for shenanigans once the kids are in their tents but without having to get into the sanctum of the inner but still keep out of the rain/midge. When you are doing a bit of semi serious photography with a tripod a reasonable slr, a couple of lenses and filters etc it's a big bag of kit, you don't want it all in the inner of a one man with you but don't want to leave it outside. This has been a great compromise for this specific task.
It was a bit spendy but kept an eye out and got it £100+ off for £299 in an offer a few months back.
I’ve got a force ten helium, brilliant little tent for the money. £200 ish normally. The cheaper vango option isn’t bad either for £80, but the f10 is a bit lighter and a bit roomier at the foot end.
Thanks for the replies. To clarify, I will be walking. I like Hilleberg stuff - it's what me an the missus use on our expeditions - but it's out of budget for limited use. I'm thinking about 200 quid and hopefully 1.5kg or less.
Speaking of "out of budget" - has anyone splashed out on a Crux tent?
I'll just recommend what I have...
Trekkertent Stealth 1.5. Light, weatherproof, made in Scotland and superb vfm.
Yep. TT Stealth is a good shout. I just prefer a side/long door.
Second hand laser comp off eBay. I got one for £100 or so last yr in mint condition.
Speaking of “out of budget” – has anyone splashed out on a Crux tent?
The person I know who spends more time outdoor than anyone else had a crux a while ago, little geodesic thing.
I never heard him say a good word about it and he has 2 Hillebergs now.
I’m thinking about 200 quid and hopefully 1.5kg or less.
As above, f10 helium
I would normally recommend a tent for wild camping over a bivvy setup for all circumstances except overnighters on summits in good weather. Its easier finding a suitable spot last minute to setup. Generally less midgies at that height, normally a breeze as well to keep them away which is half the reason I would normally go for a tent over bivvy.
I've had a Vango Banshee 200 for the past 3 years and it's been excellent. It's not ultralight, but it is still lightweight and perfect for solo wild camping. It's cheap too for such a good and light tent. I can definitely recommend that. Used it up in the Highlands, Lakes, Cornwall, Wales and Exmoor.
I have a Terra Nova Laser Comp, and a Northface Tadpole.
The Tadpole is twice the weight of the Laser Comp, but makes up for it in spaciousness, ease of pitching and ruggedness. It's the tent I use most often unless I'm hiking over multiple summits/several days.
Pitched it on the side of a slope on Skye once with only a thermarest's width of flat ground for me to lie on. Exposed and windy but it shrugged it off no bother. Would be entertaining to see what it could cope with if I ever bothered to use the guylines...
P.s. Definitely consider Ben Nevis for your summit camp, handy shelter (unfortunately used as a bit of a bin in summer...) great views, friendly local snow bunting, and over course all the other summits in the area are downhill for you the next morning! 😉
Bombproof and will be outer up first (actually,all as one) and very quick to pitch, you'll also probably be able to just use the outer without the inner as some sort of bivi/tarp, as well (if you want to save weight). groundsheet will be bombproof neoprene injected so your photo gear will be safe. They're not the lightest at 1.5kg but will probably out live you.
I have had my fair share of expensive lightweight tents as I used to be into wild camping. I could tell you a bit about camping stoves as well!
I currently have a Hilleberg Soulo and a TN Voyager. I wouldn't put weight ahead of space as there is nothing worse than being 'stuck' in a very small tent when the weather turns. I have sold a TN Laser Comp and a Hilleberg Akto for this reason (very cramped). I like the space of the voyager, its bigger than the Soulo, but the Soulo will take more of a battering. I used to have the TN Voyager Superlite, but again, to me it was too flimsy for the 500g odd weight saving over the more robust standard TN Voyager.
Interesting Spin. When my lightwave had a small leak after days of rain and a got a small tear it was repaired at 3 years old free of charge no questions asked.
I too prefer 500g extra for a lot of space and robustness having been camping with pals when a terra nova lazer comp collapsed and broke poles in a gale my lightwave was fine
I do go out for multiple days at a time tho. Not just one nighters
Every tent is a compromise of some kind, the trick is working out what kind of compromise suits you.
For £200 I’d look on ebay for a TN Voyager (normal) version. You may have to pay a bit over £200. It weighs about 2kg, wouldn’t bother me about the extra 500g over your 1.5kg limit. The only disadvantage is that it pitches inner first, but with practice in wet weather you can get it up very quick.
The hilleberg pitches outer and inner together.
As the poster above mentioned, I have heard good things about lightwave tents as well, but have never owned one.
I’m a bit of a tent collector and my current favourite is a Khufu from:
https://locusgear.com/?lang=en
Beautifully handmade in Japan. Definitely not cheap, but worth it in the long term. Very light and compact for the space.
I use it for the same thing you are looking to do:
Have a look here https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/tents-shelters-c25/one-person-tents-c74 but be prepared for some eye-watering prices.
As @tjagain says: strong, light, cheap - pick two.
We've a few tents: Terra Nova LaserComp - very small especially if you use inflatable sleeping mats rather than something like a Karrimat. I got mine in a sale at Needlesports in Keswick a few years ago so before the decline in quality. (Wild Country took over TN)
Next up is a Vango Spirit 200+, a two man tunnel tent with a large vestibule, almost as large as the sleeping area. Semi-freestanding in that it just needs a peg at either end but more pegs help pin it down in wild weather. It's stood up to Hebridean storms. No longer available but there are several models with 200 in their name in their current range which are very similar. The big problem is that it weighs 3kg.
Our latest tent is a Big Agnes Copper Spur. Very light, 1.6kg with the extra groundsheet, but it's very expensive, the one man version is just under 1kg. Very much a 3 season tent as there's a lot of mesh on the inner. There's a lot of room including head room - I can sit up without touching my head on the ceiling - much more than the Vango, a door either side (on the two man version) so you don't have to climb over your partner for those inevitable nighttime excursions. Pitches inner first which hasn't been a problem so far but an indication of its US midwest roots. We've not used it in rough weather yet so don't know how it would stand up but it doesn't feel as robust as the Vango.
That's a quick look at what we've got. For your usage I'd second @scotroutes' suggestion of the Lunar Solo or alternatively an BearPaw Lair which is closer to a tarp. There's nothing wrong with tarps but there's a bit of a learning curve in setting them up. The Lair is a "shaped" tarp rather than a flat sheet of material that you have to configure yourself. My "race" tarp with poles and pegs weighs 300g, add a bivy bag and I'm covered for all eventualities.
Sorry about the huge link.
ive used this one for mountain marathons in crappy weather and it’s been superb, plus it’s sub 2kg for a two man tent and £110. Strong, light, cheap.... pick three! 😉
That looks really good for what the OP wants but slightly overoptimistic blurb IMO - two person for multiday - its tiny!
That Decathlon tent looks good. Tempted myself.
That looks really good for what the OP wants but slightly overoptimistic blurb IMO – two person for multiday – its tiny!
its snug for two but liveable. The side awning is just big enough for your boots and a bit of cooking and you can get your bags inside.
ETA: as it’s decathlon they tend to go out of stock for long periods
My two solo backpacking tents (both since sold on here) were:
Macpac Minaret (2 man but light enough for 1 to carry). Cougar now has it and don't think he's used it. Was a proper 3-4 season tent, used it in winter a few times.
Macpac Microlight (proper 1-2 man mountain marathon tent). Not as sturdy but fine for KIMMs etc. Can't recall who, on STW, bought it...
I like s****y stuff as much as the next STW gearoholic but I'm wondering if that Decathlon tent is actually all I need for now. Those Locusgear tents look amazing (awesome photo too!) but it's more than I can justify just now!!
We have a Vango zeneth that looks like that decathlon tent.
I wouldn't want to be caught in bad weather atop a hill in it.
I know it was said that Hilleberg were out of price range, but I have nothing but good things to say about the products and the customer service. The Akto is a cracking little tent, with enough space for gear. The Nallo I've made work with two blokes and a dog! Used a few times this year, dartmoor and lakes. I think they are all well engineered. Is second hand an option?
A thumbs up for the Alpkit Ordos 2 from me.
This was yesterday morning, waking up to a great view of Snowdon:
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4850/45920457881_7d4f00fa70_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4850/45920457881_7d4f00fa70_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2cXQmhr ]20181117_074118[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/150809418@N08/ ]Jeff Price[/url], on Flickr
Is second hand an option?
Sure - just having a look on eBay now ...
Whitestone - interested in what you say about the Big Agnes Copper Spur. I was looking at one of them but came to the conclusion it would struggle in cold or stormy weather. It would be nice if you would let us know how you go on with it after a bit more use.
I am looking for a new tent but cannot find anything that ticks all my boxes or is enough of an improvement over my lightwave for the money it would cost
I've got the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. It's end entry rather than side so no climbing over your mate for a midnight wee. It's big enough for two backpacking, luxurious for one. Weighs ~1.5kg. Downsides? It's Yankee so pitches mesh inner first, could be bit chilly in 4 season use but it doesn't sound like that's in the Dr's plans.
I use a Laser Comp (my second, I wore the first out) for solo backpacking/cycle camping which is small and light but won't withstand much of a hooly and a venerable Quasar for proper winter use and valley camping.
I do like Terra Nova, shame if they've gone a bit dog shit 🙁
Robens Starlight 2 for me, have backpacked for a week with it, 2.2kgs but it's stupidly quick to erect, space for 2 with a small side porch for gear, lots of little useful extras like inner pockets, light loops, inside washing line, external vents open from inside etc.
alpkit ordos 2 here.
light, roomy for 1, cheapish, from the best outdoor folk. proper nice to deal with.
Nothing useful to contribute..............
Behold the meat tent
Don't know enough about what's on the market to make a solid recommendation, but have had some experience of high (UK) altitude camping. I found that tents that required tension to stay upright (tunnel tents or single-hoop ones) were a bit of a pain to pitch well in the rockier hills. I'd seriously think about something that can be free-standing. The TNF tadpole springs to mind as a good example, as does the MSR hubba range.
I found that tents that required tension to stay upright (tunnel tents or single-hoop ones) were a bit of a pain to pitch well in the rockier hills. I’d seriously think about something that can be free-standing.
Cobblers or something is lost in translation. A macpac tunnel tent is probably the easiest and fastest to pitch out of all the full on 4 season expedition tents. Geodistic tents are more of a pain to thread together than simple hoop IME. If you mean "siting" them, then fair enough, but i never found it any more of an issue than the flysheet being a bit flappy during the night.
I think the point was that on rocky ground like you get on the top of mountains pegs can be tricky to put in so a self supporting tent might be better.
I reckon it's about the need to have pegging points exactly where you need them when it's rocky. A geodesic tent can have minimal pegging and be upright. A tunnel or single pole design needs pegs to do so - at the right places. It just depends on how rocky your pitch is.
Of course, a bivvy bag needs no pegs at all.....
I'd have given my left foot for a geodesic in Canada.
The tunnel tent was hopeless for the reasons above. I think we pitched on a surface that took pegs about 3 times in 3 weeks
Mostly it was rocks/hrdcore/gravel pits in the campgrounds i
Here's our Akto Hilleberg and TN Laser Competition 1 tents up on Dartmoor last weekend.
Both are considered light, but the Laser is on another level compared to the Akto, and packs down a lot smaller too. It's certainly noticeable.
Both have enough space for kit and a bit of cooking.
The Akto is meant to be more durable, but I've not had any issues with the Laser.
Both suffer from some condensation depending on weather, but the newer Laser has some features which help this. You can see the the large option section on the Akto at the front - this can actually be shut right down (so it's flat) which is pretty cool.
Setup / teardown time is about the same.
I'm 6'2 and can sleep in the Laser without any issues (flat). I can't quite sit up straight without my head touching the top. The head and foot sections are quite small - not much room for movement, and in windy weather the inner might touch your sleeping bag.
The most annoying part of the Laser (at least last weekend) was the wind pushing the wet outer onto the inner - it wasn't dripping through, but became a little wet to touch.
Now I'm just confused again 🙁
Doesn’t look like the outer on that Laser is tensioned very well which can’t help 😀
I have the F10 Helium UL 2, super roomy for 1, very pleased with it for the money (got a good price match deal @ go outdoors). The only negative for me is that the poles for the front/back vents are quite long so I have to Velcro them to my top tube rather than stick them in my bar bag with the others. Not the end of the world though!
@trail_rat - in Iceland we had the same problem. At Landmannalaugar the campsite might as well have been a floor of concrete! There were lots of stones and boulders around so you used those rather than pegs - simply slide the tensioner on the guy-line back until you could put a rock in to it, tension as normal then pile a bigger rock or two on top of it and hope that the weight of them all was enough!
we did the same - including using the bikes and nearby picnic benches/BBQ/Firepits/trees I was glad i packed a ball of thin cord for such occasions to extend lines as i did not fancy a windy night with the tent held up solely by rocks as rarely was there sufficient quantities of movable but heavy rocks near by.
it just showed me why many USA designed tents are Geodesic or at least semi geodesic by design.
Looking for a tent for few trips in New Year but inner pitch first seems a bit silly as the weather in UK especially Scotland not being super dry. If it’s lashing down on your first night the inners wet and that’s it. Am I missing something as I’d see this as a bit of a problem.
Not missing anything. Inner first pitching isn't ideal for a UK tent, but plenty of people manage. if you're quick/efficient you can be OK
I think inner first tents often come up a bit lighter or cheaper, not sure why. I have no evidence to base that statement on either!
I like tents that pitch inner and outer together, but can be outer first too.
The MSR hubba NX is a great light tent that is freestanding but it's inner first which I don't like as much
Not missing anything. Inner first pitching isn’t ideal for a UK tent, but plenty of people manage. if you’re quick/efficient you can be OK
I think inner first tents often come up a bit lighter or cheaper, not sure why. I have no evidence to base that statement on either!
I like tents that pitch inner and outer together, but can be outer first too.
The MSR hubba NX is a great light tent that is freestanding but it’s inner first which I don’t like as much
Whilst is it a couple of minutes faster to pitch inner first hubbas can be pitched outer first if you wish. The tour variant I recommended on the first page is a outer first tent (where you can leave the inner clipped to the outer for faster pitching if you wish).
Now I’m just confused again
That's because there is no one simple answer (currently owner of 5 tents and 3 tarps. .)
Inner first tends to be better at resisting wind as well I think. Mine is inner first but if its raining I simply lay the outer over it loosely while pitching it to protect the inner. The inner on mine is also water repellent so does not soak thru easily
Its again about what compromises you prefer. Not something I feel strongly about either way but having seen tents collapse in the wind I want as robust a tent as possible
Macpac tents pitch outer first and you then clip the inner to the outer - so work well with UK weather. You can pitch all in one if you de-pitch it without separating the inner first.
waking up to a great view of Snowdon:
That's the objective 🙂
I have a TN Laser Competition 1 - it's *extraordinarily* lightweight. Truly amazing how little it weighs and how little space it takes up in the bag. It's fairly strong, too. I would be happy out in some pretty miserable UK weather in it.
Would I want to spend many days in it, though? No. It's just too cramped. It's not a pleasant place to hang out. For that, I still have my old Mountain Hardwear Nightview. Weighs a lot more but I know which one I'd take on a RTW trip on the motorbike...
Rachel
The old Wild Country quality tents are now branded as Terra Nova. They are still good but no idea about customer service.
The current Wild Country tents are similar designs to some of the TN ones but made to a price with much cheaper materials.
I’d look at Alpkit for decent quality and good value tents. Good customer service too