[Closed] Tent size wisdom

Buy 2nd hand and get one of each size ??

X-person usually means "X people who know each other VERY well and have no luggage".

I'd go with two tents. A lightweight backpacking 2 man tent (for solo trips and duo wild camping overnighter at a push) and a bigger 3 or 4 man tent with porch area (for campsite/car camping and splitting a load for backpacking).

Wild Country Zephyros 2 and Vango Omega 350 are the two I have but plenty options out there.

Or one small tent and an awning which you can take of leave as required

Happy to see that there is no real obvious solution.

@Rene59 - how is the Wild Country tent?  I have the option of their Helm tents but It's difficult to find any sort of reviews of them with info. and it's not a brand I've come across myself

Nordisk Rago 4.

https://nordisk.eu/rago-4-pu/dusty-green/p/89/

2 or 4 man, as you wish...

Alpkit Ordos 3? I guess it may be out of your budget, but it's decently light and should tick your boxes just about.

Alpkit not available here but that is very interesting and within budget so might get it posted.  Nordisk is available so I'll take a look.  Nice suggestions

Nordisk tends to be pricey, though good quality kit. Some mates have an Ordos 2 and really like it. The design is a re-purposed one from the now defunct GoLite, who kind of pioneered ultra-lightweight, mainstream outdoor gear a decade or so back.

When I was younger and slightly more stupid I used a Macpac Minaret two-person tent weighing around 2.5kg solo in the Andes for a couple of weeks. It's not something I'd recommend, but at the time I didn't have much choice.

X-person usually means “X people who know each other VERY well and have no luggage”.

In some instances the difference between a 2 person and 3 person tent from the same manufacturer is only 10cm. Best to make your decisions on measurements rather than 'persons' and if you can find a retailer that actually has the tents set up (rare as hens teeth I know) its so much better to try before you buy. The length /width measurements give you an idea of what its like to sleep in but its the shape of the tent that makes it a comfortable to spend time in.

I did the two tent route – Vango Equinox 350 and a Typhoon 300. Without stating the obvious smaller tents just don't have the space in them for lots of kit. As I've got older and have loads more clobber I like the space now, that wasn't an issue when I was younger. In fact, I'm just about to sell the Typhoon as it's not getting used 😉

When I was younger and slightly more stupid I used a Macpac Minaret two-person tent weighing around 2.5kg solo in the Andes for a couple of weeks.

Was it too heavy at 2.5kg?  That gives me a good idea of a sensible target

When she is away with mates the tent may be more likely to sustain damage. I would go for two tents for this reason as well. 3/4 man car camping,

Lightweight 1/2 man for hiking.

Aim for 1 kg per person imo for lightweight. A bit more for a one man tent 1.5to2kg total. I someone will come along and say how there sil nylon 2 man is only 1.25kg and it amazing but 2kg is doable for a reasonable robust and reasonable budget.

I'm now using an aliexpress tent.

I think 2 persons are fine unless you're a monster.

A sizable porch or two smaller ones and ability to bith be able to sit upright in the inner and ability to exit without disturbing yhe other make all the difference.

Two people = lightweight two-man tent each?

how is the Wild Country tent?

It's been ok for me. If the groundsheet had a bit more 'bathtub' to it then it would be spot on. Quality wise considering it's the budget brand of terra nova it is pretty good but I got one of the first ones so quality might have decreased over the years like many other brands.

I have been debating getting the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 which is reduced on SportPursuit at the moment, £180 ish for a very light 1 man tent.

A bit more for a one man tent 1.5to2kg total

I think that is the number that I am looking for really.  It sounds like a 3kg tent is a bit of a beast to be carrying around yourself, both size and weight wise.  2kg for a 2 man is definitely possible.  Maybe I need to find an excuse to buy a tent for myself 🙂

vango banshee has an optional awning - the 300 would work for two I reckon, plus awning for 3-up.  you might need to be quite good friends though...

perhaps a bit heavy for solo use, but zephyros and its equivalents are good for that I reckon (I got the f10 helium but it's basically the same design).

Yeah, as above, useable space often comes down to the design of the tent. Vertical walls better than slanted ones, which is why things like the MSR Hubba family and various domes work well and single-pole, solo tents often end up with you lying down with the inner tent sat six inches above your nose...

Other stuff that's handy for liveability includes dual entrances - adjust to suit wind, allows you to not climb over each other all the time - and decent-sized porches/vestibules for cooking and kit storage. Light-coloured tents tend to be brighter inside even on dull days, which is a good for morale.

Quite a few US tents have a lot of mesh on the inner tent and sometimes fly-sheets that stop short of the ground. That's great in hot, settled conditions, less clever in a typical UK 'summer' when they feel cold and draughty.

And finally, you probably know this, but be wary of quoted weights that exclude stuff like pegs, guylines and stuff-sacs.

And on the one-person tent front, quite often if you're looking at ultra-light stuff, the extra weight of a 'two-person', which is realistically more of a one-and-a-half person tent is minimal, so it's worth going for the slightly larger tent for more space. As ever it's always a balancing act between weight, functionality and price though.

When I was younger and slightly more stupid I used a Macpac Minaret two-person tent weighing around 2.5kg solo in the Andes for a couple of weeks.

Another Minaret user here - the orignial version I had was over 3kg. Saw me through my ML, regularly solo, usually paired up.

Was it too heavy at 2.5kg?  That gives me a good idea of a sensible target

Nope, most DofE'rs carry 3-4kg tents between two or three of them.

Personally, for what you want I would:

For campsites: Vango Halo 300 (£159 online or under £100 second hand all the time) - roomy, two porches, pretty bullet proof. Or, Vango Borrowdale (£59) and a Vango Tarp (£19.99).

Plus, a lightweight mountain tent. I am tempted at moment by a Naturehike- such as this or even this one

And on the one-person tent front, quite often if you’re looking at ultra-light stuff, the extra weight of a ‘two-person’, which is realistically more of a one-and-a-half person tent is minimal, so it’s worth going for the slightly larger tent for more space. As ever it’s always a balancing act between weight, functionality and price though.

Indeed I've seen some 1 man tents that just have a different inner for 2-man purposes.

As with anything you actually have to carry, the minimum you'll need is best. Determining what this minimum is is tricky. But the less you take, the less space you'll need. And to me, sleeping close to someone would probably be worth the avoidance of extra weight - most of my friends might disagree though :).

If you're after something for more "fixed location" camping, you'll want more space and can get something pretty cheap if it's just for 2-3 man sort of sizes.

walking in Scotland with others a bit and then camping at various other places

You probably want one tent for walking and one tent for camping. Your lightweight expedition tent isn't going to the the one you want for camping in a fixed location.

Nope, most DofE’rs carry 3-4kg tents between two or three of them.

I guess there is the point that it's a fun exercise and you don't need to get the fanciest, lightest gear for it to be doable.

I bought one of these: https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/039256-vango-nevis-300.html

2.5kg for the three man, and it'll fit in a bar bag. It's comfortable for two adults, or one adult and two kids. Cost me £87 in the sale.

You probably want one tent for walking and one tent for camping.

I think I'm coming to that conclusion as well now.  Thanks for all the input and suggestions.  My local shop has half price Vaude Hogan UL 2Ps at the moment at 1.8kg for around 195GBP and the larger Invenio SUL 2P for 280ish.   They even had a 3P at under 2kg but they wanted proper money for that 🙁

Anyway, thanks all.  That got me out of my stupid-loop

Agree with two tents. The Quechua pop-up ones from Decathlon are ace for car camping, festivals, going away with mates, etc - roomy, easy to put up/down, robust and don't need guy-lines unless it's blowing a gale. But they fold down to a big disc so no good for walking with.

Then get a nice superlight one that's barely big enough to lie down in for the walking stuff.

 My local shop has half price Vaude Hogan UL 2Ps at the moment at 1.8kg for around 195GBP

I still have my original Hogan from the 90's. It's been a great tent. So easy to go up with the shockcords. A little heavy by today's standards for 2P at IIRC c3kg. Had to seam seal it a few years ago after a hot 2 week Morocco trip did for the original seam tape. Other than that been a great tent. Don't backpack these days but it's still my solo car camp tent for 1 or 2 nighters.

Banshee 300 and halo 300 are what the wife's doe groups use. As 2 man tents  They had 2mans for 2 kids and realised they were useless if you had stuff and things with you.

Also wild country -pisspoor product backing. Mines been back for an at cost repair (through no fault of my own but they were not interested I .a warrenty) hell I had to push for them toe en repair it at my cost.)

Used it twice after that and there are spiral cracks in every pole connection (they replaced the poles in my paid for repair ) eminating from the spigot crmps . Phoned to discuss and basically gor a "and what do you want us to do about it response"

Don't trust the tent and won't buy another off that company.

-never had issues like this with any of my other tents....

Are any modular???

We have a MSR Hubba Hubba. It has its flaws (vents!)but has since been improved. Cosy, but has enough of a porch to cook in. Reasonable weight for a proper tent. If we want we add the footprint. If its wet and/or we have lots of gear, we add the gear shed (a big porch).

For campsite camping we have a LWB T5 though..

We've three tents:

a Terra Nova LaserComp which to be fair is classed as a 1+ sized tent, for when we want to go really light - it weighs 900g. It helps if you are very good friends or married to the other person. Sloping side walls so can feel claustrophobic and if you use inflatable mats then it really is a 1 man tent.

a Vango Spirit 200+ which weighs around 3kg. Sold as a 2 man and there's plenty of room both in the sleeping area and the vestibule which is nearly as big again. It's a tunnel design so better volume due to steeper sidewalls but it's not as good as a geodesic tent. I've biked with this strapped to the handlebars. Split between two I've walked in to Fisherfield with this tent so the 3kg isn't as bad as might be first thought. We'll also use it for car camping where we don't have much space or the site don't allow big tents.

A big tent for car camping. Can't remember the make/model but it's a cheap jobbie.

There are camping/tent fairs where you can see the tents, sit in them and work out their strengths and weaknesses. If I was buying now I'd get a cheap car camping tent (the last one we had cost £70 and lasted ten years) and then spend a bit of money on something decent like the MSR Hubba Bubba: about halfway in weight between the LaserComp and the Vango but with a decent amount of space.

When I was younger and slightly more stupid I used a Macpac Minaret two-person tent weighing around 2.5kg solo in the Andes for a couple of weeks.

I had one of these, excellent tents. Used it for KIMMs, solo backpacking, duo backpacking in all four seasons. Completely bombproof groundsheet (no need for a footprint), well suited to UK climate (pitches outer first), stands up to all weathers and really quick to pitch / take down.

Sold mine to Cougar on here as we don't camp any more....

Another vote for the MSR Hubba Hubba. I've done a few trips with mine. It's spacious for a two person tent and a good shape; you can easily both sit up inside it. It's light @ 1.6kg and very easy and fast to pitch. Downside is that it doesn't pitch fly-first so if it's raining you will get water inside, and it's also quite mesh-y so not good for full winter expeditions.

The Quechua pop-up ones from Decathlon are ace for car camping

I've just spent a weekend as a leader at cub camp in one of these that I borrowed from a friend and it was an astonishing thing! pitch black inside in near direct sunshine and stayed cool all day. I was expecting a cheaply made thing too, but it just wasn't - it was every bit as good quality as tents costing 4x as much. Obviously too big for hiking, but for car camping, it's a fantastic thing.

Also wild country -pisspoor product backing. Mines been back for an at cost repair (through no fault of my own but they were not interested I .a warrenty) hell I had to push for them toe en repair it at my cost.)

5 - 6 years ago I bought 20 tents. 8 WildCountry and 12 Vango. 2 WC went back on opening packet for wonky stitching / missing bits. 4 more went back when stitching on inners parted within a couple of trips. By the end of one season a couple of the outers were parting and WC refused to do anything, claiming abuse. It put me right off WC/TerraNova stuff.

The 12 Vango's had one issue of a bent pole set in really high winds. Vango just posted us a new pole section for each one, no questions asked.

As much as I do not like the old pop up tents there is actually another advantage that we found in hurricane force winds.  They do not break, just fold flat and pop up again!  The fact that they do not have an inner can mean condensation issues and not having a porch can be a pain as well, but overall a great solution for camping in a fixed location.

In the said very windy camp the top end tents all stood up well (Muntain Hardware, North Face VE25, Hilleberg) but a lot of the tents in between got trashed with broken poles and ripped flys.  The tents with fibreglass poles broke very easily, but we even had a few alloy poles break.  Actually a few of the old school ridge tents (Force 10s and a Saunders) were good as well and they are readily available second hand.

4 more went back when stitching on inners parted within a couple of trips.

The one review I found online for wild country said exactly that. Glad I didn't go for it

Bought the half price Vaude in the end.  Great tent, looks very well made and amazing vfm at that price.  Will look for a decathlon 3 person for car camping

Another vote for the Hubba Hubba, easily enough room to sit up in and store bags etc if you want them in with you. I can also vouch for MSRs customer service after a ham fisted pal broke a pole joint on ours. Quick email and a replacement was sent out to us, didn’t even ask for postage costs!

Ive a terra nova laser for solo trips though. Would not want to sleep with anyone else in it.

I'm a bit wary of the Hubba Hubba, We borrowed a Hubba Hubba NX  for a night at summer solstice last year and the end semi-collapsed in gusty conditions and smacked me in the face while I was sleeping.

I know it's not touted as a mountain tent, more a lightweight three-season sort of thing, but the position of the guying point means the end can just fold in pitched end on to the wind. Nice tent, but I'd not buy one.