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A few times lately I've heard people referring to tents/shelters like this as 'single skin' and suggesting they are worse for condensation than regular tents. But I can't see why they are that different from a normal tent- most of them seem to basically consist of a fly and an inner, just with a central (trekking) pole rather than normal tent poles. Am I missing something?
I've got a Terra Nova Solar that must be about 23 years old and while it's still perfectly usable, it weighs about 1.9kg so I'm idly looking at lighter options.
At the cheaper end of the scale check out the Lanshan 1 on AliExpress it's a copy of a Six Moons design, available as single skin (Pro) or with inner which is available in two options of fully netted or a winter version as partial netting. Mine weighs in at 1kg with fly, inner, pegs & a carbon pole.
https://www.3fultralight.com/product/3f-ul-gear-lanshan-1-pro-tent-1-person-ultralight-20d-tent/
Funnily enough it's a Six Moons number I was looking at. 'Single skin' here just means fly only option though, right? I know a few years ago some people did single-skin tents made from Gore-Tex type materials which did indeed have a reputation for condensation.
Still not sure why something like the Six Moons/Lanshan would be worse for condensation than my Solar, if I were to set it up without the inner.
I do wonder though if I'd find the pole position on these tents a bit annoying - or does it not really matter in practice?
In a double wall tent, moisture will pass through the inner and condense on the fly. Also there’s some airflow under the fly.
In a single skin, you’re sealed in, and so it’ll be more prone to condensation directly in the sleeping area.
Single skin’ here just means fly only option though, right?
No. Single-skin means there’s no separate inner, fly only means there’s no inner at all.
I got one of these last Xmas, not been able to use it yet, its bloody huge though. Can pitch outer only, hoping to use it on 2 person bike packing trips soon. Bought a carbon pole off eBay and some of that building insulation stuff to cut a footprint out.
I use a SMD Lunar Solo. Single skin; no inner. Once you've zipped up the (all mesh) door you are sealed in like a tent. There is a bit of a porch but the door on that doesn't reach ground level . This is to ensure through-ventilation. The design is such that a decent pitch and a little breeze means no condensation. Light weight, single pole.
As above, for clarity, you can get both double wall and single wall tents which use trekking poles.
You can also get them with normal flexible poles.
The layout of the poles / tent shape doesn't define how many layers it has.
My experience of single wall is limited, but does suggest they are more prone to wetting my kit and need more ventilation many UK designed, double wall tents have.