Changin' my mind

“As some of you know, I was all set to purchase a Hilleberg Akto. That was before I set my eyes on the Moss Superfly IV. I'm sold on the Akto, but the Superfly might have changed my mind. Quick Pros and Cons:

Akto - is one person, four season. Good area for gear and cooking. Packed weight is around 3.5 lbs. Some have claimed that the vents don't work well.

SuperFly - 4 person, single pole (center)design. Four season tent, with plenty of room for whatever you need to do. You can even lighten up the tent by leaving the buckel in floor and footprint at home. Even with the floor, this tent comes in at a packed weight of around 4.5 lbs.

Has anyone used the Superfly IV (or Moss tents for that matter)and if so, what did you like/dislike about it.

Any help would be great.”

“seems to me that 4 is better than 1, the Superfly, a no braina”

“should that read: even without the floor, the tent is 4.5#? If so, do you need that much tent/that much weight? I am not familiar with the Moss (but the name is good). I have seen and drooled over the Hillenurgs - don't they also have removable parts features?

Spendy little houses you are looking at, laq!”

“Wow must be nice to have money for gear like dat..”

“It is.”

“Yes, it is nice to pick between two great tent like that. The only thing is that I won't get another Christmas present for about five years.

The buckel in floor weighs in at 14oz, so with the floor, it is about 4.5 lb. I hope to get my wife out backpacking one day and the Moss would be great for us. After looking at some of the other four season tents, the Moss is the lightest for the size...”

“laqtis, I understand you want to get your wife interested but...

1) what if she doesn't like it? Then you have that big a$$ tent. Trust me I hate lugging my Vortex 4 around. I bought a one man tent for solo trips.

2) Even if your wife does enjoy backpacking, will she want to go winter camping?? Those 4 season tents can get pretty hot in the summer. I know lots of people like the *tarp* feature but it's too buggy in Michigan, IMHO.

Personally, if I could afford tents like that, I'd get two more affordable tents. One for solo and one for taking the spouse. Maybe get the solo for now, rent/borrow one to take the wife out and then decide what kind of bigger tent would be best. If she doesn't like winter camping, you can get a less expessive 3 season tent. I have yet to do winter camping. I plan to use my three season tent to do it with. If I enjoy winter camping, perhaps I can get a 4 season tent down the road. I was drooling over the Marmot Swallow.

Best of luck on your decision. Lots of great gear and sooo little money. :o)”

“I just purchased the Clip Light Year for $119. Looks good and roomy and light. But I think if money is not the main issue you should check out the Profesional Hiker thread, take a look at what thouse guys are carrying.”

“wolfsister, I checked out that guys website. I would love to be able to do something like that! They aren't hiking during the winter months, though.”

“Laqtis: I've seen the Superfly... its beautifully designed for some lightweight backpacking needs. Supposedly you can even use a hiking stick/pole for the center pole in the tent... and use the weight of your gear to replace stakes.

BUT it is single wall and is in no way a 4 season tent.

Also, as a rule a smaller tent will keep you warmer in the cold. If the insulation is good, your body heat will warm the air a bit and the less air there is to warm to warm up, the better.

If you want to do cold weather camping, I'd definitely buy the Atko. I've been oogling the pics and specs at the Hilleberg site myself..”

“Buy both.

I have a tee-pee style tent but wouldn't use it in winter.

Depending on where you hike, finding a large enough site can be a challenge.”

“I have a Moss Triton (renamed Titon), laq. I bought it because it has lots of netting (a great view, and great ventilation). It is extremely well built. It's so bomb-proof that it weighs a ton. Moss tents tend to be heavy. I don't carry that baby for solo trips.”

“Just to throw you a curve, have you looked at the Sierra Designs' Tiros AST ($425) or Marmot's Sanctum ($389 on sale @ Backcounrty Gear for $299)? Those are both great 4-season tents. Or how about Stephenson's Warmlite 2R ($499)...incredibly light (2 pounds 12 ounces) if you insist on spending a lot of money. Choices, choices.”

“Thanks for the advice so far, people.

Kleetn: The Sanctum looks good, but at 9 lbs, I don't think so. Could you give me some links to the info on the Warmlite and Tiros please.

Ped - I'm just going on the Moss info. I went to the local Moss dealer and they backed that up. I too am concerned about the single wall design, but the claims are there. That's why I've ask the experts (TTer's). Another thing to concider, the Moss is about $150.00 less than the Hilleberg. I agree with everything you have said, but still remain torn between the two.

Sunshine - I hear what you're sayin'. My wife at first wanted nothing to do with hiking. I think that she might be coming around. She's got some "baby weight" to take care of, I think that's the big thing. I have not been pushy 'bout getting her into it and we have been going on walks, with me carrying the boy in his carrier and her carrying what would be a daypack. I think that she would like to go, but only at the right time.

Violin - I wish I could buy both. That would solve everything! (I might be crazy, but I'm not THAT crazy).


Oh no!!!! Am I becoming a GEAR HEAD??????

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH-----”

“You have to be naked in a Stephenson's Warmlite. I think this is the tent used by Snow Nymph. Maybe she can help you when she gets back from her hike. I've never seen one.

The Tiros is hardly lightweight at just under 10 pounds but you could get buried in snow and be OK. I can just about lay on top of my Dana Jana, Snoopy style.

You really need at least 7 tents to be happy.”

“Check out some reviews laqtis. Usually if you search (try google.com as a search engine if you don't have a favorite) the name of your product and "review" you can find some really decent gear reviews.

I just tried "Moss Superfly Review" and found some useful reviews, including one on backpacker which finds a recent version of the Superfly pretty inadeaquate... but says they are coming out with a new version. You might want to check that out and, if you go with the Moss, make sure you have the "improved" version. You might also want to consider the other models they and others review.

backpacker review

Whatever you buy, please give us the report. I'm hoping to buy a 4 season tent by the end of the year.”

“Do what I did. Just get the Nallo 2. Still light enough for solo use and large enough for 2.”

“The Marmot Sanctum actually weighs in at 7# 14 oz., but c'mon, it's 4-season tent!

The SD Tiros lists at 9 lbs also, but you can leave pole sections and the 'Jake's Corner' behind and get it down to like 6 lbs. and change.

Stephenson's tents are only sold through their website, I believe. Lotso nekkid pitchers there, be warned!”

“The Stephenson design looks flawed to me, but I dig the naked chicks.”

“Some of the chicks there may have design flaws as well. Must do further in-depth investigation.”

“laqtis, did you pick a tent yet? Have you seen the Walrus Arc/2? A fine choice, it's even on sale!”

“kleetn - Nope, no final choice. Thanks for all the info, everyone. It's been very helpful.


I think I'll be sticking with my first choice. That Hilleberg is just too good to pass up on....”

“I'm not sure how relevant this is, but I just read a comment from an Akto owner from Outside's website. He said it's not practical to set up the inner of the Akto alone because it requires 8 stakes. I don't own an Akto so I can't comment, but you may want to check with Mnutz about this if it's meaningful. Mnutz owns one so he can give you some insight.”

“I once had an Akito -
I got 12 steaks off her!”

“Thanks, Rich -

LMAO - gojo. That's bad...”

“Gojo, you ate 12 steaks off of Akito?!!!

http://members.tripod.com/kriswolfe”

“No problem Laqtis. If I find out anything else about the Akto, I'll post it here. I heard Hilleberg is coming out with a Sil tarp for 2002. Should be interesting, too bad I just bought one.”