I’m looking for a backpacking tent, and the more I look the more confused I am.

I was looking initially at the Wild Country Zephyros 2, which seemed to tick all the boxes. However, after getting caught in a storm in a previous borrowed Coleman somethingorother (Cobra?) I realised that side-opening tents are terrible when you’re trying to rustle up something warm to eat / drink with any sort of shelter from the elements. So I tried to think through what I actually wanted.
[list]
[*]It’s for wild camping, so weight is an issue; the Cobra was a shade over 2kg IIRC which is probably about the limit of what I want to lug about? [/*]
[*]Pitching in random UK weather, an outer-first or all-in-one pitch must be a necessity surely, and the quicker the better?[/*]
[*]I want something that will provide shelter I can cook in without getting me / everything else soaked, so that’s an end-opener?[/*]
[*]Waterproof, waterproof, waterproof. I’m soluble, and would prefer a bit of extra weight over gossamer tents that need tape and sealant and goodness knows what.[/*]
[*]After actually snapping a pole in the Cobra, it needs to be storm-proof so I’m guessing fairly low / aerodynamic, yet have enough room for me and probably far too much gear to sit comfortably?[/*][/list]
I had a look at what else WC do, and there’s a Hoolie 2 and Trisar 2, a tunnel and a geodesic respectively. The Hoolie is a single-pitch which appeals and looks simple to sling up, but the height / shape of the tunnel concerns me, it looks vulnerable to bad weather. The Trisar looks to be a far more sensible shape, but is inner-first and looks complicated. But, can be erected (shush) without guy ropes and moved about if the wind changes direction (which is how I came to break the Coleman, when the storm hit it was at 90′ to the direction of the wind when I arrived).

Then of course there’s plenty of other manufacturers. Vango seem popular, there was an offering from Vaude which looked promising, and so on and so forth. But everything I look at I’m finding fault with.

So I guess, two questions. Are my assumptions / conclusions right or am I over-thinking this? And, can anyone suggest anything that’s actually perfect? (-:

Oh, nearly forgot, I’m on a budget also. I don’t want to buy cheap and buy twice, but I haven’t got silly amounts of money lying around (I can’t really afford this at all TBH, but it’s becoming increasingly necessary for my mental health). Probably looking around the £150 bracket, give or take; that seems to be about the going rate for anything half-decent.

Cheers.

Alpkit Ordos 2

Inner-pitch though (and out of stock).

I don’t see why you’re worried about the profile of the Wild Country Hoolie. Tunnels are basically super stable as long as they’re pitched end on to the expected wind direction and properly guyed out – my old Minaret survived everything from Scottish winter to the Andes.

But if they do get caught side on, my experience is that they can deform quite a way before failing whereas geodesics arguably fail catastrophically because the structure’s more rigid. Which is a massive generalisation I know.

Vango and Wild Country are the two obvious ‘go to’ brands at your price-point, but you’ve worked that out already.

I think the problem you have is that most of the stuff that would do what you want it to do is really expensive, it’s the Keith Bontrager: strong, light, cheap – pick two thing.

Wild Country/Terra Nova seem to be in league with the devil that is Sports Direct, so worth a look there.
I have the WC version of the TN Solar Photon that was made specifically for Sports Direct, but I don’t think it’s available any more.
I prefer a stand alone tent for harsh weather rather than something that relies on guys and pegs. Also allows you to pitch on a beach if you can get away with it.
If you get a tent that has a footprint available you have more water resistance on the floor and can pitch the fly first, using the footprint to locate the pole ends, then get in with the inner and hang it in the dry. That’s my method for pitching in poor weather with the last two tents i’ve owned.
You can also take a small tarp and para cord, rig as a cooking shelter for all but the worst weather and accept that if it gets rough you just won’t be that comfortable.

My previous tent was a similar design to the the Trisar 2, but from MEC in Canada. Very good design in my opinion. Getting on for 20 years old and still gets used for festivals, numerous patches and reproofings, but still going strong.

Whether this tent exists or not depends on whether we are in the real or The Matrix world 😉

“There is no spoon.”

Vaude Taurus Ultralight

A little over budget but otherwise fits your criteria. With only nine pegs and three guys it’s 1.82kg on my scales which makes it our goto tent for back packing.

The inner and outer pitch together then you dive in. It’s freestanding so you can pitch on tarmac/concrete if necessary. The proofing is silicon so it’s lighter, more waterproof and more durable than polyurethane proofed tents. You can sit up and cook in it.

Two minor downsides: it’s warm, which isn’t great when you’re only using it for insect protection (but great in the UK). It’s quite tall compared with WC etc which means you have to pitch it tail into the wind when there’s a gale blowing.

Have a look at Vango tunnel/hoop tents. Their TBS system if they still use it makes them very resistant to side winds, had a Micro with it and my parents have the Equinox. TBS just makes a triangular form within the hoop to brace it.

Check out the MSR Elixir 2 . Retails around 160-190(depending where you look). Reasonably light and small pack size. Can still sit up in.

Trekker Tent Stealth is what you want

My backpacking tent is the Macpac Minaret. Can’t fault it, used in all seasons.

http://www.macpac.co.nz/minaret-tent.html

Although I don’t backpack anymore so it really ought to go on Ebay…

Trekker Tent Stealth is what you want

this…

but he can’t make them fast enough, so you’ll have to wait

Macpac minaret little bit over the weight but will excel in all other aspects. Bomb proof groundsheet, pitches all at once and in Just a minute or two, can pitch just outer or just inner, inner unclips in bell and pulls back to make bigger cook area.
This is my Olympus which is the slightly bigger version, but identical in all other aspects

We use a force ten helium 200 for bike packing, great little thing. Pitches all in one, less than two kilos and won’t break the bank. Would give some good room both inside and in the porch for one. Have cooked and slept in some wild Scottish weather and stayed dry too. Highly recommended!

Make footflaps an offer, the minaret is a lot more than £150 new

What about a tarp 😉

But I all seriousness great for cooking under, ultra light ( my setup is 780g with the bike so about 920g with some lightweight poles) and quick to pitch 🙂

But then again it’s not great in high winds and lacks an element of privacy…

Cheers all, food for thought.

Make footflaps an offer,

That had crossed my mind. It does look like it’ll fit the bill. What’s the headroom like at the front door, is it possible to sit in and shelter?

the minaret is a lot more than £150 new

Can’t even find it for sale outside NZ.

What about a tarp

I don’t think I’m quite that brave yet.

Re geo v tunnel, downside of tunnel is they can be a bit noisy during windy nights and you have to be a bit more choosy over your spot, pitching into the winds . Geo, I’ve never found one yet that pitches outer first and quckly. Used both in serious storms and both survived

Google draws a blank, wassat?

EDIT: half a post, never mind. (-:

Probably Needle sports in keswick, it’s going to be way more than £150 thought

Yeah, correct on both counts!

Could be a contender,

Sil Hexpeak v4a,

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-1/WF129.html

632g !! 😯

http://outdoorsmh.blogspot.co.uk/p/tramplite-shelter.html

Sorry, but it’s a budget buster.

Taurus is not the tent you want for what you describe.

It’s. Good tent but not good for the ops description.

I had similar requirements after 10years with Taurus and bought a hoolie 2 etc

That had crossed my mind. It does look like it’ll fit the bill. What’s the headroom like at the front door, is it possible to sit in and shelter?

I can’t ever recall having a problem at 5’9″. If it’s sunny tomorrow pm I’ll get to out and pitch it and measure it for you (not used it for years)…

Cougar – Moderator
What about a tarp
I don’t think I’m quite that brave yet.

“Not ready to brave a tarp”, yip, neither am I in scotland. They’re just a crazy idea to be honest.

But a small, super light tarp is an option to think about, something you can throw over the front of a tent, in various configurations, that will give you the cooking area you are after.

so you could go for a light tent that doesn’t quite do what you need and pick up a light weight tarp to give you options for creating your own porch area..

something to think about anyhow. You could even cut down to suit and save a bit more weight aswell.

in general having a tarp is great, I take a 3m x 3m one when I go car camping, it’s great for creating an outdoor space when it’s pissing of rain. I’m contemplating getting a smaller 1 man version as well to supplement my gear.

Rig 3.5

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/tarps-and-bivy-bags/WE116.html

btw with the zephyros, it’s a dawdle to unpin the insides if required completely from inside the tent, leaves you a massive area to work with. you could cook in it no problem.

How do you mean?

tent or tarp?

for tarp over tent, scroll through these images to give you ideas. (obviously ignore the family sized tents)

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tarp+over+tent&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifk4jGy4_NAhWMB8AKHfQlAqwQ_AUICCgC&biw=1366&bih=681

for the zephyros, i mean the entire inner of the tent can come down while you are inside it, if it’s not midgey.

I essentially just use it as a kinda tarp tent during the day, unpin it, and it gives you extra height and loads of space. It’s just pinned in by 4 loops along the centre pole, and 2 rucksack style buckles at either end. Then just let it all lie flat and you’ve tonnes of space.

You can roll back the ground sheet to create more area at the door side if need and you don’t want to cook on the actual tent/inner ground sheet.

actually, I just thought of this, but a 3m x 3m superlight tarp, plus free standing inner mesh tent could be an interesting idea.

btw with tarps, you’ll need a lot of practice at putting them up, they can be fairly puzzling if you don’t know how.

I have a Terra Nova Vogyer XL tried several others before getting this one it works really well 2.5kg so not heavy or bulky front porch to store wet kit and cook in if the weathers crap and really large sleeping area gets my vote every time

2.5kg not heavy, how far have you carried it?

I’ve also got a 130e Ferrino lightent 2 which is 1.6kg once all the unnecessary stuff has been cut off and thrown out. It hardly meets any of Cougars criteria and only weighs 200gm less than the super-comfortable Vaude but I still take it if I’m going to be walking more than 25km a day or going up and down a lot.

2.5kg not heavy, how far have you carried it?

It is only very recently we have seen sub 2kg and sub 1kg tents become normal. In my view, many of the lighter tents are comprimised in durability.
So some of us grew up thinking a Quasar was a light tent compared to a Force10…

I agree some tents lack durability. The tape peels off the seams, the proofing cracks and rubs off, the poles snap. They are usually the cheaper ones rather than the lighter ones though. The Vaude has silicon proofed fabric which is both lighter and more durable, and 9mm 7001 T6 poles. I doubt the Ferrino will last as well but that’s reflected in the price.

Those Chinese Naturehike tents are cheap ~£60 on eBay

Quite a few good reviews about them on YouTube just over a kilo

The Stationer – Member

I have a Terra Nova Vogyer XL tried several others before getting this one

I’m sure it’s a nice tent, but it pitches inner first, the OP is looking for something which pitches fast and outer first(or all at once).
We have a biggish Terra Nova Geodesic and as nice as it is, it takes an age to put up (in comparison to my Macpac) and if putting up in rain, the inner is usually soaking wet by the time it’s up. Putting up the Terra Nova geodesic in muddy fields in North wales in the dark and lashing rain would be the main reason I bought the Macpac.

Both our Terra Nova and Macpac are approx 20 years old and both are still serviceable. The TN has taken the greatest abuse, it nearly didn’t survive a night on Beinn Eighe, and ever since has had an unusual shape. The only thing with the TN is the groundsheet lost all waterproofing years ago, so we have to use a footprint. The Macpac bathtub groundsheet is still as good as new, they still use the same neoprene material afaik. The other thing with the Macpac is mine has bungee suspension in the guys and pegging points, their elasticity is still as good as new, you’d usually expect elastic to go saggy eventually. So, as well as the design and features, I’ve been hugely impressed with the quality of materials that Macpac used, but you pay for it of course.

I’m also one of those who still considers a 2kg+ tent to be a backpacking tent, especially for all year use and to survive any weather.

I can remember when my Quasat died and we went to a light Hillebergg tunnel thinking that I would regret the lack of stability

The Hilleberg has now died due to uv damage. But it never wanted for stability

So I’d happily by a tunnel like the Hoolie