solo tent advice

“I guys, I'm fixin to buy a solo tent and I'm thinking about a Sierra Design Light Year CD or a Clip Flashlight CD. I've got a Metor Light CD and love it. It's great for me and the wife but it weighs almost seven pounds and I want to get a solo for when she doesn't want to go.

Do any of you have one of these or know someone who has one and likes it. I really don't care which one I get there's a whole lot of difference in them.

As always, thanks in advance for your thoughtful and caring advice and comments.....yea right.”

“I have light year clip and I feel it is a great all around 3+season shelter. Yo bear!”

“Walrus Microswift - now on sale for 79.00 at Campmor. weighs about 3# w/footprint. We just had a thread on this trlhikr, but I can't remember what it was. It has all the info. you'll need though.”

“jerbear, i can't find a light year clip in the book, do you think it's the same thing as the light year cd? How much room do you have in it, and how big is the vestibule? I guess while i'm asking how tall are you, so i can compare?”

“buddha, i was out of commission for awhile because i got the worm. i'm looking up the microswift right now.”

“Just don't buy a Kelty Dart. I did and got rid of it. It's long and narrow and lots of condensaton accumulates on the walls and it and gets your sleeping bag wet.

I have a clip flashlight 2-man tent that I picked up used. I switched to titanium stakes and now it weighs 3 lbs 6 oz. I really like it. I don't know how it would be with 2 people inside, but for me it's really roomy and ventilates well.”

“I'm kinda leaning toward the clip flashlight, but this walrus micro swift don't look too bad either, only 2.75 lbs..”

“From the Campmor specs, the SD tent has 10 inches more headroom. Might be something to consider if you are at all claustrophobic.”

“The walrus zoid 1.0 and the SD light year cd are pretty close. The walrus has a almost full length door and a 7 sq. ft. vestibule while the SD has a 3 sq. ft. vestibule and you climb in the end. hhhhuuuuummmmmm what to do, what to do. I've really had good luck with me SD metor light, i don't really know anyone with a walrus tent.”

“the kelty dart is long and narrow..
damn, i just thought it was a clever name.”

“It's really long. We laughed at it when I set it up.”

“I've been looking for a solo tent to. I am leaning towards the Walrus Mirco Swift or the Zoid 1.0. Prolly the Micro Swift.

Thanks wingdingO. I have crossed the Kelty Dart off my list. The last thing I want is to get laughed at.”

“Too late Leatherneck. Haven't you checked out the First Tactical Group?”

“I've used my microswift once now, and I love it. It had great reviews (except for the head room) which is why I bought it, and has lived up to the hype. According to people on TT and other reviews, it's very stable, great with condensation and light. With the addition of my XL nylon poncho/tarp, I can do many things in the rain as well. And it's cheap, and light!”

“I am also the proud owner of a kelty dart (ha). No one has laughed at it yet, but then no one has been around when I have used it. The only good thing you can say about the tent is it's light. Less than 3 lbs. I used it in mild weather and was soaked the next morning from condensation. It's so narrow I think my bag will get wet the first time I get rain while using it. Cross that tent off your list. I think I might accidently lose it after this season, so I can get something else.”

“I like my little Dart 2. I got the condensation, but overall it's pretty comfortable. It is LOOONG, plenty of foot room and has a large vestibule and a nice moon roof; I didn't buy it as a living quarters. It's for fast, light, or solo backpacking trips, packs real small if you pack the poles seperately. I have a SD Clip 3CD for entertaining folks and other social functions. You could fit two consenting adults in the Dart 2 it if you had to.”

“OK, lets make this easier for everybody, lets conduct our own gear review on our solo tents.

Walrus Microswift:
weight: 2lbs. 8 oz.
price: $79-$100 + footprint

Rankings (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best)

Weight - 8
Durability - 8
Vestibule - 4
Roominess - 6
Condensation - 8
Setup/takedown - 7
Price - 10”

“I found a great way to rank all these tents. Go to the REI website, click on camp/hike, go to 3 season tents. From there you can click on Compare and it gives you a pop-up window with all the tents and specs. You can sort them any way you want--price, weight, ft2, etc. Well hell, here it is:
http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgmenbr=8000&cgrfnbr=4500457&seq=1&sort=1#

(sorry I don't know how to do a URL, I just cut/paste)”

“BB, I like your rating system. I'll go work on that this morning....”

“bacpac,
What is First Tactical Group? And stop laughing.”

“OK, here's the Dart 2 rating. (relative ONLY to small or solo tents):
2lbs, 12oz (min) 3lbs (packaged)
25 ft2
$140

Rating:
Weight- 8
Durability- 9
Vestibule- 9
Roominess- 7
Condensation- 2
Set up/take-down- 9 (throwing a tarp over you would be a 10)
Price- 6”

“Whoops Light year CD!and I give it a 10 in all catogories!”

“Eurika Gossamer, its a good tent I like it, ask rad about it. I know he loves it too.”

“I looked at the Dart too, and dismissed it, but love my little Kelty Clark. Breathes well, nice sit-up room, 3.3lbs. Vestibule is only good for a pair of boots, though.”

“I have a Kelty Clark too. I haven't had condensation problems. I haven't used it that much, though. I get condensation on the inside of the fly, but the upper part of the tent is a very light super breathable fabric. There is a vent at the top and the foot of the fly.

Is the dart more of a bivy? I thought it was bigger than the clark.

I really enjoy my black diamond megamid as a solo tent.”

“Having inside information about REI, I know that their spec charts are worthless because they use specs provided by the manufacturers. There is no industry standard for measuring, so each tent company measures differently. The only reliable comparison is the price.”

“The Dart 2 is more than a bivy (~25ft2). It's at least 2 people-widths at the head, the vestibule is big enough for 2 packs, and you could cook in there (the vestibule) if it's ugly outside. I'd classify it as a solo tent even though it is marketed as a two man. It's just for sleeping, no house parties.”

“trlhikr, the light year CD would probably be a good choice. The standard Clip tent has served me well over the past three years.

My next tent might be the Ultra Light Year CD. It's the same as the Light Year tent, but it has carbon fiber poles. I figure, that, Ti tent stakes, drop the stuff sacks and you have an excellent light weight 1 person tent. It isn't a free standing tent though. :/

bacpac, I've been in a BD megamid during a Sierra lightning and hail storm. It seems to hold up well if you stake it out right.”

“Flatlander: Sell you Dart on Ebay. That's what I did with mine.”

“See, it's not so hard to talk about backpack stuff when we have to. I'm going sat to look at a light year cd and the clip flashlight cd. I think it'll be one of those. For the longest i wanted to get a hennessy hammock but i just can't make myself do it.”

“As far as I can tell there never was a problem about discussing a backpacking issue.

Some people just don't like it when we discuss anything else.”

“One word. Hilleberg Akto. Okay, two words.”

“Got a LIGHT YEAR. Simple,well made shelter. My knock on it is the fly gets a puddle near the foot of the tent when it rains. I am going to try to run a guy line between the poles under the fly to keep it from sagging so much.”

“Well I caught a break, went to a outdoor shop in little rock and they had the light year cd on sale for $104 bucks, they only had one left and it was hanging from the ceiling.

We got it down and staked out on the floor and it had pretty good room in it, more than i really figured it would have. It's tall enough that I can sit up in it at the door, not much of a vestibule, but i think it will work out just fine. THANKS ALL”