Having enjoyed many nights low down in the glens with my Terra Nova Laser Comp, I'm starting to get more interested in being able to pitch higher up, without having to worry so much about slight gusts and breezes.

I've been recommended a couple of tunnel or semi-geodesic tents such as the Vango Tempest 200, the North Face Tadpole 23 or the Lightwave G20 Ion.

Anything else I should look at? What can I reasonably expect out of a 1 man, 2kg-ish tent, will i ever be able to pitch up on or near summits?

TerraNova do a superlight voyager at about 1.5-1.6kg ish, very roomy for one as its a 2 person tent.

Hilleberg Nallo 2. Or if you want lighter, some sort of smaller, one-person hooped bivvy tent. Or possibly a Macpac Minaret.

Yes, you can pitch on or near summits, you just need to be realistic about what conditions the tent will survive. Nothing is going to stand up to 100mph plus winds on the Cairngorm plateau, but a well-designed, properly pitched and orientated mountain tent should be tough enough for most conditions.

Maybe this…

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BNWT-Rab-Summit-Extreme-Tent-/180524184120?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Climbing_Mountaineering&hash=item2a08147238

Just stumbled accross it today as I was looking for a summit down jacket.

Hilleberg Aktos seem pretty popular nowadays, and I've seen them in some interesting locations that suggests they are up to the task but they are at the pricey end of the market. Can't vouch for them personally but all the Hilleberg kit I have used (not owned) has been well made and designed.

One I can recommend is Macpac's Microlight- mine has seen me through some pretty atrocious conditions. It's still made (as far as I know), the design has been the same throughout the last couple of decades, and although not the lightest nor the most spacious, it can survive pretty decent heaps of snow, very exposed windy pitches and has a small enough footprint to fit onto limited areas that many summit camps (or similar- rocky islets, exposed ridges etc) entail. It's also dead simple to pitch for one person in difficult conditions, which is a major bonus- If you can't pitch it 'cause the wind is too bad then it's not going to do you much good in your pack. Nowadays there are lighter tents with better porches and more space, but I doubt many can be as strong in full on storm conditions.

[edit] nice threads recently on your west coast sojourn btw.

I've an old Phoenix Phreerunner, once camped on top of Scarfell in winter. Lovely crisp afternoon, followed by 12 hours of gails/rain/sleet/snow…

Luckily its a goretex, so even through it was blown pretty flat the single-skin meant no water came in and the flexy guying system meant that no pegs were torn out.

Not sure if anyone does the same type of thing anymore?

Finally put the skis away crouch?

aaaagh! my bad, should have said my budget is definitely sub £300, and realistically sub £200. Thanks for the suggestions though.

The Voyager suggestion did lead me to this one from Terra Nova

which looks great.

The MacPacs get some glowing reviews, but the minaret is expensive and maybe a little heavy, and the Microlight apparently isn't much more stable than the tent I have now.

thanks for the comments on the west coast thread, that trip convinced me it was time to hit the summits, so many amazing hills up there!

The Hilleberg Akto works fairly well. 1600grams. I've been using it for a couple of years but I've had the good fortune to avoid any real humdinger storms so can't totaly vouch for its ability in real extreme gusts.

Best tent I've ever owned for that is a Saunders Basecamp but that'll be pushing the 3kg mark. They also used to do a version with storm flaps that was even more stable in extreme winds.

I have also used a Saunders Jetpacker in fairly miserable conditions and provided you pitched it wisely it stood up to rather more than I had expected it to. Trouble is you need a shoehorn to get yourself in and out of the thing.

I'll second spuds comment re the Macpac Microlight, I've used loads of different tents over the years and the Microlight , imo, stands head and shoulders weight for weight above them all. It's the only one I've ever spent a night in a gale force wind with the doors open, just so I could enjoy the view. Usually light weight tents need to be fully battened down to give strength to the structure, but the Microlight just fills me full of confidence in it's capability of dealing with extreme conditions.
Downside? it's a little heavy cf tents like the Laser (but, having said that, it didn't need the inner and outer zips replacing after only three (volcanic dusty) trips as the Laser did

The only tent that I've had blow down on me was a Vango Force Ten and it succumbed in a force 7 gusting to 8 wind. I wasn't bloody impressed and I wrote complaining… "Just a trade name sir" with a polite bollocks to you, we are not interested in our product failing…. was the reply.

That was 25 years ago…. not that I bear a grudge… JUST DON'T BUY ONE FOLKS.

Another happy Microlight user. I've had mine stand up to gales on the Ullapool campsite when other tents (including Lasers) were being flattened. Not the ultimate lightweight compared to some of the modern stuff, but robust and easy to pitch.

You're welcome to try mine.

Thanks Druidh, I may well take you up on that offer, with my limited knowledge on the subject I'm surprised a single pole tent that looks fairly 'tall' can withstand much of a pounding.

I'm getting awfully tempted by the Vango tempest 200, especially at £110 in the high street. Seems to get glowing reviews for toughness too.

I bailed from that Ullapool campsite, could see it being a windy night and there was nowhere to hide my Laser. Managed to sneak into the hostel for the night instead 😀

If you're prepared to wait, supposedly Alpkit are bringing one out next year.

Source: http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/gear-blog/alpkits-new-tent-range—scoop-pics/7147.html

I'm using a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 that I bought in the states. It's pretty stable for a light tent and also not too expensive.

I've got a tadpole 23 and it's done me proud. First outing was 6 nights wild camping through the pyrenees with the now mrs jf63 – it was cosy with two in it but we did get to know each other rather well.

Mountain equipment dragonfly II is solid as a rock, 2.5 kilos, its a 2 man tent, but well built, and pitch in one.

I think the terra nova ultralight gear is not that suitable for pitching higher up. Same as other very lightweight tents, durabilaty is sacrifised for weight.

Those Alpkits look nice, as does the seedhouse, but I'm going to stick with something I can buy local, preferrably from NevisSport, which I think rules out Big Agnes and Alpkit.

Going to have to write a list now, about 5 to choose from!

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/Vango_Tempest_200_Lightweight_Tunnel_Tent.html

90 quid here

😀 Thanks Edric, but I'm one of those sanctimonious pr**ks that tries to avoid internet shopping if I can help it, if outdoor shops went the way of CD shops in Edinburgh then I would be lost!

I've got a North Face Tadpole 23, and I'm happy with it. It is a 2 person tent, but I usually use it on my own, which means there's plenty space, with a reasonable porch. I think it weighs about 2.2kg.

I've not used it on any summits as such – I prefer my bivvy bag for that, as its quicker and easier to find a suitable flat space. But its been used in a variety of Scottish weather, and stood up fine in wind / rain / snow etc.

That's a good point CraigW, I could get a cheaper tent and still afford a bivvy bag, although its all extra weight!

Maybe the next question is what is a reasonable weight all in for a multi-day walking rucsac, 15kg?

max of 10kg + food and water

Ouch, that could be tricky once you include the rucsac too, don't they weigh about 1.5kg?

This could get expensive…

Another TNF Tadpole 23 here.

Great wee tent which will stand up to some pretty fierce conditions if you fully peg it out. You can get to down to around the 2kg mark if you ditch the carry bag and the pole and peg bags too. It'll go up with only 4 pegs and has lots of porch space. Roomy for solos, unless you're tall in which case you might not get fully straightened out.

You thinking of this for the bike tours Ian, or is it for walking?

I got an MSR carbon relex 2… used it a low level in some serious wind in Inverie and it stood up really well..

Only weighs 1.5kg and mine is for sale cheap ish:)

Walking Stuartie, I think I'll keep the bike touring to easier trails or hostel-hopping from now on.

If you're thinking of moving on to a “what pack?” question- I'll recommend the macpac ascent- a classic pack for multi day and big loads, tough as hell (like all the macpac designs from back in the day), sensible size (not too big), well thought out racks for anything you want (eg skis/crampons/climbing gear/etc/etc) that don't get in the way and are almost non-existent when not in use, not that heavy and comfortable enough. It's also a good (large) daysack when compressed right down Mine looks almost as new and has travelled almost everywhere with me- from weekly Morrisons to 4 month Arctic trips, highland winter stuff… for over 12 years now, plus its been borrowed by enough friends and family to make it onto every continent. I'm not really into gear much, but it and my microlight are 2 things I'd replace instantly if they ever got lost. I can't envisage them wearing out though.

@ OAP- aye, skis are inside now. Last 'local run' was early June, had a trip up to Sneachda to ski Alladins and Jacobs Ladder and a little mess around on Macdui to end the season a couple of weekends back too.

Laser Comps have been used for summit camping many times, just not with the standard pegs.