Light Weight Tents

“I've been looking into buying a lightweight 1-man tent and have been impressed with the new Marmot Eos, coming in at 2 lbs 14 oz. The 2-Man version at 3 lbs 14 oz is equally impressive. Anyone have first-hand experience to share? Recommendations welcome too or course...”

“Sil tarp, cord, & stakes = 1.5 lbs
Very compact also.”

“Tarptent Squall or Virga. 1 lb. 9oz. I use the Virga.”

“The new Henry Shires TarpTents look great.
http://www.tarptent.com/new.html
I have and love an old Squall.
last edited: 2/22/05 11:13:48 PM”

“Thanks for the posts. I've looked into tarps and used them in the past (the ole 'roll the blue tarp trick', but I live and do most of my backpacking in Washington and the NW in general, lot's of wet stuff and frequently coming sideways so tarps are out except in good summers.”

“I just had http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=33in a wicked storm this weekend (sideways rain) and it performed flawlessly.

You discount tarps, but learn more about their uses and you might change your tune.
last edited: 2/23/05 12:06:36 AM”

“thanks hubcap that is a nice tarp-tent alright...but I don't use trecking poles so it's not for me.”

“I have an MSR Hubba that is somewhat similar in design to the Eos.

I'm very happy with it.”

“Tarptent virga.”

“ceoii - don't get "tarp" and "tarptent" confused. A "tarptent" is basically a real tent, just single-wall and made out of silnylon. You get the same protection as a tent especially now that Henry (he makes the tarptents) makes them with bathtub floors.

And you don't need to use hiking poles to use one - it comes with its own poles.

p.s. I have a tarptent Squall. I'll never go back to a "real" tent.
last edited: 2/23/05 7:51:11 AM”

“I have a friend from high school that lives in Portland. All he ever uses is a tarp. If you pitch it correctly, you won't get wet.

The first time I ever took my homemade tarptent out it rained 2" overnight. I hadn't even seamsealed the ridge yet. I stayed drier than some of the folks in traditional tents.”

“The main thing with tarps is where you pitch it. You have to pick a site that won't allow water to pool or run under it. Sometimes that's easy and sometimes not. I remember one time I had some flat ground to pitch mine and it rained over 2 inches by morning. The ground was so dry from drought the water ran right off instead of seeping in and it ran right under my tarp. I had a mesh insert with a floor so it didn't matter, but if I didn't have that I would have been dodging water or trying to stop it in some way.”

“My Mont-bell tent came - I've only set it up inside, but so far so good as far as lightweight tents go.

https://www2.montbell.com/america/asp/products/Spg_shosai.asp?cat=1204&hinban;=2322276”

“I stumbled across the new Eureka Spitfire. 3 lbs 4 oz total weight.

http://www.outek.com/eureka!_spitfire_05_tents.htm”

“http://www.warmlite.com/tents.htm

But I'm another satisfied Tarptent user.”

“I've never been wet under my tarp.

Tarptents are nice.”

“I my Tarptent!”

“Thanks all, great posts and information!

Reconsidering am I...”

“http://www.rei.com/product/763324

Just bought this tent....my wife doesn't know it yet but boy when she finds out....I am having it delivered to my work but I need to figure out how to get the bill before she does at the mail box. I may be in the dog house if you all do not see me on here in a week or 2. Please call me to see if I am still alive.

I thought since it was Valentines day last week and she got the QUEEN treatment , I was entitled to a tent but that doesn't always work with my wife.”

“Hennessy ASYM Expedition hammock, great value, lightweight, waterproof, and easy to set up. If there are no trees, the fly is designed to double as a tarp shelter.

”

“will not work in Alaska . This is where I amusing this new tent. I'll be on a mesa.

and I already have one of those and my wife does as well. I just have not used mine and I have had it a year now.
last edited: 2/20/08 5:22:32 PM”

“Fridge, you will be in the dog house if she finds out how much it cost.”

“heck man..I bought a Hilleberg a couple years ago and I was in deep trouble....so much that she went out and bought a SUV and I never knew anything about it until she parks the darn thing in the driveway....”

“i think I can pull it off.....hehehe”

“LOL fridge.”

“LOL yes I am LMAO if I pull it off. One year i told my wife I was going to prepare the entire Thanksgiving dinner. She had to work on Thanksgiving. She had went to the store and bought a turkey and other foods typical for a dinner and I was going to do all the cooking.......when she went to work ...I went to the local food store and had already had them prepare everything...I hid the turkey she had bought deep in the freezer. I took all the food from the containers it come in and put each in a respectful container from the cabinets. I heated up the oven and top burners and I even went as far as dirty up gazillions of pans, pots, silverware, spoons etc.... I even took the trash away that had all the original containers from the grocery store......I even made rolls...well store rolls.



hehehheh when she got home Man I was the KING....And I still am.....hehehe....She said,,,honey bunces...I did not know you could do this. I am so proud of you and thankfull. I was stuck on her happiness that I have never had the nerve to tell her. shshshhs”

“Nice!!”

“What a scam artist!!! Classic. I'm gonna tell her...”

“I'm tellllllinnnnnnnn'!!!!!!!!”

“Fridge WINS! nicely done!

now - how much you gonna pay all us to keep quiet?”

“too many ears Fridge! You are now doomed!”

“I can always ask for forgiveness and get on my knees that I will never do it again crosss my heart hope to die. yea...that'a work won't it.”

“Just Ply her with some of that strawberry stuff you brew up before ya tell her.”

“Here is a tent I'm considering. Does anyone own this tent or has anyone seen this tent?

http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Spinn-Shelter.html”

“Fridge - Did you get the tent for Alaska? I thought you needed a free standing one for Alaska.”

“that is a cool tent but three hundo twenty five is too rich for my blood. enjoy man. the vestibule space looks like the luxury with this thing. i don't trust anything colored "wasabi"... hehe!”

“oh and basegear has that tent for three hundo twenty-four MINUS 20% off (65 bucks off) -and- free shipping which is two hundo fifty-nine which is a LOT better.

http://www.basegear.com/mountain-hardwear-stiletto-1.html”

“Yogisan.......thank you........I have called REI and canceled......Thank you mucho...”

“too cool for school.

there is a web site where you can have them make replacement CF tent poles for that sucka... really shave the weight off the thing. they prolly don't have them pre-made for this tent (it's pretty new) but if you measure the poles they will make them to your specifications. 'leet setup... very cool.
last edited: 2/23/08 8:22:19 AM”

“I know of a company in California that makes poles for tents. TA ENTERPRISES... Good idea...
last edited: 2/23/08 8:35:17 AM”

“get some replacement ti tent stakes as well... i think vargo now makes hollow-tube ti tent stakes that are as light as the shepards hook stakes but larger in diameter so have better holding power... i think it's vargo that makes these.

cut off all the tags... ;)”

“I have plenty of those stakes. Good point.”

“check out 'the one" at gossamergear.com pretty slick.”

“WOW! I must say if you wife doesn't kill you, that would be a surprise! That's a lot of dough for a one person tent.

I see the minimum weight is 2 lbs. 5 oz and the packaged weight is 2 lbs 12 oz. What is the "real" weight with fly, stuff sack, poles and everything?”

“2 lbs 12 oz. One of the lightest tents on the market.Not including a Tarp or a single wall tent, but as far as a double wall, this is quite light.”

“when you review it for us be sure to weigh it. the numbers are often wrong on the specs.”

“I have to put a vote in for the Black Diamond Skylight. http://www.bdel.com/gear/skylight.php
I replaced the original poles with carbon fiber one from Fibraplex http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles.htm The tent is now a touch over 3 1/2 pounds without stakes. It will easily hold two people with room to spare.”

“mtnbob123 / I have a Mountain Hardware Skyledge 2 man...4 lbs 2 oz. I purchased the carbon poles with Titanium stakes and now have it down to 3lbs 7 oz. One of my favorite summer tents, fully bombproof.”

“mtnbob123/ do you have any condensation problems with this tent? I like it's design .
I have been disatisified with the 2 singlewall tents I own now. North face Spectrum and a MountainHardware evo expedition.”

“Actually I've been very happy with the lack of condensation. I was more worried that I would have leakage problems in prolonged rainstorms. It has been great there too. No leaks so far in hours of rain. The tent isn't a true single-wall, it is actually half breathable Epic material and half double-wall. This seems to help alleviate condensation issues for me. It is also over 36 sq ft not counting the vestibule.”