Tent Dilemma

[mercurykev]

I can see your dilemma and don't think you'll be able to satisfy your demands with a single tent but there might be a way to get your cake and eat it. If you have a look on ebay at the moment there are loads of brand new TN Laser 1 Comps for under £200 (probably because F&T were selling them for £135 a month ago) and then try to pick up a decent second hand 4 season tent off of of ebay, one the outdoor forums (outdoor magic, etc) or Gumtree. Decent Hilleberg and Terra Nova tents pop up all of the time. People who buy decent tents tend to look after them so you can get real bargains - I was able to pick up a very lightly used Hilleberg Keron 3GT and footprint for £350 and I've seen Nallo and TN Quazars for around £200.

[Jonay]

I've rented one of Alpkit's Kangris over the weekend.

I doubt I'll be able to use it in anger but I'll pitch it and see what like.

It is very large, but I think if i had a couple of compression sacks handy to stuff the fly and outer into then it wouldn't be much bigger than a small summer sleeping bag with the poles strapped to the outside of my bag or down the inside. However the TN Laser 1 comp would probably be the size of a bunched pair of socks in comparison..

It's not THAT heavy - or at least as heavy as I'd expected.

[Jonay]

Some of you may have seen this pic on the Talk Highlands page.

It's a very very nice tent that seems to be bombproof. Very spacious and easy to put up.

Though it is quite heavy - I used my luggage scales to weigh it in at 2.8kg without pegs (for some reason they never game me pegs?) so about 2.9-3kg with pegs.

The bag it comes in is an oversized sleeve with compression straps around the circumference of the bag with carry straps. But I decided that it was too big (about 60-70cm long) in this format, so I put it in a compression bag which made it just about bigger than a football?



Lots of space for 2 people (even three I think!) and loads of space for kit (having two porches and the huge space inside helps)

Would be happy with this tent if i had someone else with me to share the load - but it's too heavy for solo use I think.

I've been thinking about the Terra Nova Voyager tent - it about half the weight, packs down to a much much smaller size. BUT it has half the HH stats of the Kangri (but supposedly still leak proof in our roughest weather) and it's tight for 2 people without kit - which is no use tbh. Unless someone can convince me otherwise?

[Porrige Pot]

i'd echo the vote of confidence in the Alpkit Kangri - i've had it for about 6 months, used it in most weathers - including a blizzard on the Cairngorm plateau - and find it as strong, as resiliant, but more 'live-with-able' than the TN Ultra Quasar that it replaced. the internal and external doors are easier to use, the internal pockets are much better thought out and because its marginally higher, its much more comfortable to be in for any period of time, it feels much bigger than a quasar, even if in real terms its not.

the things that swung it for me were the price, and Alpkits reputation for customer service and their 'strive' for quality. not, i'm afraid to say, something i ever encountered with TN.

it is heavy - in 'backpacking tent' terms - but its light enough that we carried it for 4 days, with all our winter climbing kit, sleeping bags, fuel, food etc...so whiles its 'heavier than...', its not 'too heavy..'.

as an adendum, i too was told by TN that the 'Ultra' range - the £900+, cling-film flysheet range they do - was not suitable for the kind of mountain camping that you'd buy a quasar for. quite why they make it then is a matter for some debate.

[Jonay]

Thank you for your input

it is heavy - in 'backpacking tent' terms - but its light enough that we carried it for 4 days, with all our winter climbing kit, sleeping bags, fuel, food etc...so whiles its 'heavier than...', its not 'too heavy..'.

Have you ever used it solo? If so, how did you find it?

I'm starting to swing towards the TN Voyager, purely down to the fact that 90% of the time I'll be solo and the Kangri is overkill, also the fact that the Voyager packs and weights 1/2 as much.

[Porrige Pot]

Thank you for your input

it is heavy - in 'backpacking tent' terms - but its light enough that we carried it for 4 days, with all our winter climbing kit, sleeping bags, fuel, food etc...so whiles its 'heavier than...', its not 'too heavy..'.

Have you ever used it solo? If so, how did you find it?

I'm starting to swing towards the TN Voyager, purely down to the fact that 90% of the time I'll be solo and the Kangri is overkill, also the fact that the Voyager packs and weights 1/2 as much.

i have used it solo, and given the option i'd much rather carry the Voyager than the Kangri!

its a difficult, entirely subjective choice - the Kangri is the utterly bombproof option that for 90% of the time is ridiculous overkill for what you need, but if you enjoy camping in exposed locations in winter, then its what you need, and you just have to live with carrying 2kg of stuff you don't need for the rest of the time.

personally i (attempt to...) get around trying to square the circle by either using a tarp/bivvy in spring/summer/autumn (a £20 tarp and a Bivvy bag) for wild camping, or a 20yo North Face Canyonlands single hoop, one man job for campsite based trips

to make the choice more fun, i have heard that the TN tents - because of the never-ending drive to get weight down - are not as bombproof as they once were. from talking to others, and reading the various forums, it appears that a TN tent (whether thats a quasar, or a yoyager, or whatever) bought now will not last as long as the, theoretically same, model bought 10 years ago has lasted.

enjoy!

[Jonay]

Argh, this isn't an easy choice at all!

Alpkit Kangri is realitively cheap (£300) - but heavy (3kg) for solo use - but still quite lightweight for a 2/3 person geodesic mountain tent with silly high HH stats (10000mm HH for fly and ground sheet.).

TN Voyager Super Lite is the same price (sale offer £300) - and pack down half the weight (1.5kg) and size. Not as durable or spaceous however...

Starting to really like the thought of getting myself a Hilleberg Atko - blowing all my ideal budget (and some more.. £400!) on a bombproof tent for myself as I said 90% of the time I'll be solo. This is lightweight, bombproof and pitched all in one, which I love the idea of as I don't fancy getting a soggy tent before I get the chance to get the outer fly on in high winds and driving rain.

But then again the Atko is a excellent 3 season tent and fairs quite well in winter (going by one particular YouTube video in Norway) but there's a Soulo tent that's a 1 person semi geo tent that's stronger but heavier.

Just when I think I start to settle on one - another comes up!

[Porrige Pot]

if you can wait, Alpkit are supposed to bringing out a range of lighterweight backpacking tents to partner the current range of four season Geodesics... they aren't on the website yet (which, going on their past history means they are still fiddling with them because they aren't happy with something - that 'strive for quality' thing again...), but you might be able to find out some generalities if you ring them...

one of the things you've said struck me - that 90% of the time you'll be solo. when you aren't solo, will you both be in the same tent, and if you are, will your tent be the one that gets used? if so, then for all the fact that a one man job will be fine for 90% of them, something like an Akto will be, if not utterly useless for that 10% of trips, then pretty uncomfortable...

i suppose it would be doable if your non-solo trips were only ever going to take place in good weather, so you'd only both be in the tent to sleep, but if, for instance, you'd be doing non-solo trips in bad weather/long nights conditions, then two people in an Akto would be a nightmare.

E2A: a fleabay search brings up a TN Solar for £90, combined with a Kangri that would give you a one man, lightweight backpacking tent at about 4lb, and a full four season geodesic for the same price as an Akto. perhaps, if you're considering blowing the budget, you might look at a two-tent solution rather than one tent thats 'does it all', but not to your satisfaction...

[Jonay]

It would be my tent for the nonsolo trips, my other buddies don't have, nor have the desire to get their own, and it'd be my Mrs that comes with me mostly.

The TN solar isn't one I've looked at tbh, i'll have a good look at it. Thanks

[Rudolph]

As I understand it you are looking for a tent that is bomb-proof, big enough for two in comfort and light enough for one person to carry easily. As Mercury Kev says thhat sounds like two different tents.

As self confessed gear junkie, my experience is that the most expensive way out of this is to buy the compromise tent.

You end up being unhappy with it for both uses and go out and buy the two you should (and really wanted to?) have bought first time round. The more money you spend on the compromise, the more money you waste. I'd suggest deciding which role (lightweight one person or bomb proof two person) is the most important one needed now and get the best you can afford for that role. Get the second tent later. Failing that get the Banshee 200 which is a cheap half decent compromise which should leave enough budget for the inevitable next steps.

[Cuil Lodair]

Argh, this isn't an easy choice at all!
Just when I think I start to settle on one - another comes up!

And maybe yet another ....how about the Scarp 1 (or even the Scarp 2)?
www.tarptent.com/scarp1.html

[Jonay]

Right. I think I've made a decision (whey! they say! )

I'm going to go for the TN Voyager (not the Superlite version) as it does everything I'm looking for for the moment, the non-superlite is what, 500g heavier? But I'm told it can last up to 2/3 longer. Bonus is it's cheaper!

Once I get more buddies and more serious about my winter stuff I'll go for the Kangri or whatever Alpkit have out at the time - their stuff is seriously good.

Thank you all for your input it is appreciated!

[pooch]

I have had this tent the terra nova voyager for just under a year now mostly took out out in fair weather I decided to camp on top of Pen-y-fan 11/04/15 the wind condition's were moderate to strong at the time's but with this being rated a 4 season tent I was confident it would withstand the weather being thrown at it , but boy was I wrong the arch pole over the door kept being blown back onto the tent and me inside all night despite being pitched correctly the result in the morning was a broken pole and where the red pole sit's over the two blue horizontal poles it had rubbed holes in both pole sleeves and the stitching inside was tearing through the inner tent where the pole sleeves attach, now I cannot insert the poles through the sleeves without them coming through the holes . I contacted terra nova about this they were useless after many emails and pictures of the damage were sent I had to send it off to them, 2 weeks for them to look at it and after they make a dissension another 2-3 weeks for them to repair it at my expense when it is clearly a design fault as there is no reinforcement protection where the poles overlap on the front of the tent but there is protection on the rear. Truly disappointed in there poor customer service I expected more form a British company I have lost faith in there product's and will buy a Hilleberg for a better experience .

[Challum]

This is an old thread resurrected but it seems to me as though you hadn't pitched tail onto the wind - unless the wind changed direction dramatically.

[pwooduk]

Wild camping, two people, Hilleberg, 1.5kg. Tunnel tent. Campsite tent: Terra Nova either new model or Quasar, 3-4 person very light and bags of room if partner is a bit spread.