Yet another 2-man tent discussion - help!

[weaselmaster]

Having had time to read thru a wad of reviews I decided to go for the Hilleberg Nallo GT2 instead, as I need something that's versatile enough for 4 season use and that will stand up to stormy weather, but that has extra vestibule room - don't really think the fat frog would have been adequate for those conditions
managed to find the nallo for £550 at snow & rock online, which isn't quite as painful as full retail price

[pjm1]

Well, another season gone and... I'm back (albeit with a new login - I was previously masopa - because of login forgetfulness!)

I still haven't bought anything - we've managed with our very heavy 3 man tent till now.

But, we're off to the Cuillin ridge in May so I'd like us to have a decent tent for that trip. Our / my requirements have changed slightly...

Must be a comfortable 2 man tent, so this means it needs to be a 3 man tent (I think)
Must work in all Scottish weather, bar the worst winter stuff... a proper 3+ season
Must be light, <2kg or thereabouts
Needs a good vestibule for gear storage etc. - even sticking stuff in a dry back when it's wet is pretty grotty the following day when you're doing multiday trips

I'm thinking a Hilleberg Anjan 3 is probably the only option, but happy if someone can recommend something which doesn't involve spending WAY over £500...

[tenohfive]

Scarp 2, solid inner, crossing poles for winter conditions?

[davetherave]

Was mentioned earlier.. vango spirit 300.
We have vango spirit 200. Ideal for us, 2 adults and 2 dogs and all our gear in the porch. Had it about 4 years now with no issues at all.

[pjm1]

Thanks folks - the Scarp 2 is a very interesting option. My quick take on it from looking at online reviews, long term tests etc is:

(vs Anjan 3)
+ Much cheaper
+ Free standing option with crossover poles
+ Prob better snow loading with crossover poles
+ Fair bit lighter without extra poles
+ Two porches
+ Better height?
+ Very fast pitch time especially without extra poles
+ Very clever/innovative design looks like it deals with both condensation and wind well
- Build quality / seam sealing requirement
- No UK retailer: online-only with delivery from US

For me and our needs, it's a bit of a no-brainer to be honest, especially compared with the £600-odd cost of the Anjan versus £350-400 for the Scarp, fully delivered and dutied. I'm used to ordering stuff from outside the EU, so reasonably au fait with the issues, risks and costs.

But then I look at the Vango Spirit 300+... that's an interesting option as well, albeit quite different.

(vs Scarp 2)
+ Fair bit cheaper again
+ Bigger single vestibule
+ Presumably available from UK retailers
- A lot heavier (nearly twice the weight)
- Design not as innovative (but then if it ain't broke...)
- Is it still widely available? Struggling to find stock on usual sites

I think all else being equal, I'm leaning towards the Scarp because the issues vs the Vango are largely one-off (cost, delivery, seam-sealing). Also, the way my mind works I'm likely to regret not getting what I consider to be the premium option. Funnily enough, because of the advantages (even ignoring cost) of the Scarp vs Anjan, I don't see the Hilleberg as the premium or better-featured option!

There are also some interesting mods suggested online for the Scarp to make it even more well-specced. If I'm going to the trouble of seamsealing etc., I may as well make a few other upgrades while I'm at it...

Cheers again folks!

[pjm1]

Well, thanks again for the recommendations. I ended up going with a Scarp 2 by Tarptent. It really is a wonderful piece of kit - seems well made, well-designed and apart from the seam-sealing, very little effort involved.

Just back from a long weekend in Skye doing the south part of the Cuillin ridge (from In Pin down to Sgur nan Eag with a bonus non-munro of Sgurr Thearlaich which allowed us to enjoy a bit more abseiling.

Four nights in the one spot meant the tent got a pretty wild beasting - both in terms of weather (driving rain, vicious winds) and us going in and out a lot with gear (dry and wet). It worked really well and the vestibules, although small, are big enough for storage and removing boots etc. Not sure cooking inside them is much of an option for us as we like to cook "big" but for a small stove it would probably be ok.

I have to say, the cross poles are essential IMO, in Scotland. Even with them on, and everything pulled very taut, the flysheet was still moving around when the really high winds hit. I'd have hated to be in a different tent though, as the Scarp was rock solid. Ventilation was crazy - way too mcuh with no ability to crank it down, so I might investigate a small mod there.

I used a spare walking pole to pull out the middle of the fly on the windward side and that was a great additional support - nicely designed. I also really like the tent pegs, perhaps unlike others!

The only negative I can find is that when the tent is pulled really taut (as you need to do, in windy conditions), you have to be REALLY careful when closing the zip on the fly door - it caught a few times for us and once involved about 15 minutes of effort to get the zip unstuck. The material is so thin, it is prone to catching in the zip so just watch out.

Otherwise it was flawless... really looking forward to getting it out again.