Freestanding nylon tent + porch + inner pitching

daviddd · June 2007

I'm looking for a high quality 2-man tent that I'm going to live in during my forthcoming year in Oz. It's vitally important that I get it right.

It needs to be freestanding for occasional pitching in rock-solid ground; plenty of room for 1 (that's why I fancy a 2-man version); very durable, must have good porch for sheltering and sitting out; might usefully be pitchable as a sunshade only on hot afternoons; windows would be nice too. Prefer a natural colour to blend anonomously into the Outback. Oh, and I want to be able to pitch inner only so's I can lie back and watch the(non-light polluted) stars lol.

Any Oz memebers might be able to comment on tents possibly only available over there i.e. local manufacture.

I'm strongly attracted the the MSR range (Hubba Hubba etc) but want to explore all possibilities. Cheers guys.

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

amaferanga · June 2007

I recently bought a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. Not quite freestanding - stakes are required for the fly, but a few big rocks would work on very stoney ground.

Great tent, plenty of room for 2 yet only 1.6kg. With the addition of the groundsheet the outer only can be pitched.

No windows.

Perfect colour for blending in.

Can't yet comment on the durability.

More problems but still living.....

star_rover · June 2007

Second the recommendation of the seedhouse. You can pitch the inner only and watch the sky.

As an alternative you might achieve the same with this
http://www.hike-lite.co.uk/acatalog/GoLite_Hex.html
You'd need to buy the inner as well (or the Nest as they call it).
Not sure if it's free standing though.

Oldknees · June 2007

Watch the snakes they like to lie under the groundsheet.

slow is good too

daviddd · June 2007

Yes I like the look of the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 - a bit steep at œ240, but fits the bill fairly well. Anything else?

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

nun · June 2007

A great freestanding tent is the Tarptent Rainbow

www.tarptent.com

ut_o_cykla · June 2007

Once thought Macpac did a nice range that fits your flexible requirements - havn't checked recently tho'. A New Zealand company - possibly easily available on OZ?
Would suggest you go for something you can see/try before you buy if you have very specific requirements.
Ended up buying a Hillberg because I could see it set up before I bought it, (Had a bad experience buying a good name tent that didn't meet measurement spec when I bought it mail order - won't do that again!)

pousse moi s'il vous plait

Unknown · June 2007

Have you thought about a Hennesy Hammock? Roomy, off the ground, so no problems if you are unable to put pegs in. Chances are you would be looking for some shade even if you were in a tent, so finding 2 trees 10' apart should not be a problem.

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/servlets ... _length=30

Great bit of kit.

_______________________________________________________
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/26011722@N00/

magfos · June 2007

Macpac make very good tents with high levels of strength and water proofing. They are also readily available in Oz from Paddy Pallin (a nation wide chain of outdoor shops) and other outlets. Made in Vietnam now but they have maintained their quality control.

They do not fully meet your requirements though as they pitch outer only or as an integral inner/outer which is great in bad weather.

The Stellar ( http://www.macpac.co.nz/catalogue/produ ... e5bbb090d1 ) is a smallish two man tent which is quite popular with single touring cyclists in Adelaide.

check out our website at www.magfos.com for stories and photos of our trips.
Ride to Live; Live to Ride

daviddd · June 2007

Yes, I like some of the MacPacs, but I'd say so far having maybe only scratched the surface) that the MSR Hubba Hubba takes some beating. But where are all the tents with windows - I can hardly find any.
I do like the Hennesy Hammocks too, but I doubt that given the nature of the Australian bush I wouldn't be able to use it very often. I'd take one as well as the tent if I thought it would be.

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

daviddd · June 2007

just found the Big Agnes Madhouse - looks like most of BA's tents are freestanding...http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?id=mh2

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

AndrewClark · June 2007

Terra Nova's Voyager Supalite would probably fit the bill. A proven design, good materials , pitches inner first. No windows though..

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/epages/terr ... iew/43VYTR

They also do the Solar 2.2 which I think would need pegging out but gives you 2 doors & 2 porches

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/epages/terr ... View/432SL

Lightwave are another UK company who make good stuff http://www.lightwave.uk.com/index.php

Don't get too insistent on having a freestanding tent. I've used a Hilleberg Akto for years and have never been unable to pitch it, even in the Icelandic lava deserts (very soft sand). Just take a variety of pegs.

KeithG · June 2007

Windows in tents, hmmm. Don't like them, you only ever see them on cheaper tents and I suspect that's because they don't last. You can always open the fly sheet and look out through the mesh.
One thing you should consider is how meshy or not your inner tent needs to be. A 4 season tent may not have any or have closable panels to keep the heat in and the wind out but this adds to weight of course.
If you're only going to warmer climes then the more mesh the better because it'll keep the tent cooler and with less condensation.
I would definitely get it out there if you can as you'll probably have weight problmes with your luggage on the flight over otherwise. Oz do good outdoor gear in my experience and the brands mentioned above are all good esp Macpac.

daviddd · June 2007

Points taken about need for windows and freestanding. I've got little experience of pegs but I'll make a point of having a look around next time I'm in a camping shop. And yes, I have been looking at online camping stores in Perth (WA!) so I have an idea what to get. Thing is, if I can decide now I may be able to order what I want to collect on arrival in Perth.

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

amaferanga · June 2007

Most Mountain Hardwear tents have windows. They're not cheap. I've had 3 MH tents, all with windows, all have lasted. Excellent tents. Before I got my Big Agnes I'd been using Mountain Hardwear Thruhiker which was a brilliant tent and I would recommend it, only they stopped making them.

More problems but still living.....

magfos · June 2007

One thing when comparing the Big Agnes tents to the Macpacs is the level of waterproofing. Withe the Big Agnes, the fly has a hydrostatic head of 1,200mm and the floor 1,400mm. The Macpac fabrics are 3,500mm and 10,000mm respectively.

Australia is a dry country but when it rains it often rains extremely heavily. Personally, I would rather pay a bit extra for the peace of mind of being dry when the weather is bad.

The Macpac Stellar at 2.5kg is lighter than the Big Agnes one I think.

check out our website at www.magfos.com for stories and photos of our trips.
Ride to Live; Live to Ride

Sheddy · June 2007

I have read that using a bunch of 6" nails instead of pegs can get you out of trouble when pitching up on rocky ground

andrew_s · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Sheddy

I have read that using a bunch of 6" nails instead of pegs can get you out of trouble when pitching up on rocky ground
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
A full complement of hard ground pegs can be heavy.
What I do is have one big tough steel peg (more like an 8" nail) that I bash in with a big rock. I then pull it out carefully and put a lightweight aluminium peg in the hole, and attach the guy to that.

star_rover · June 2007

You could try the regular Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 (not the SL). Wee bit heavier, but 70 quid cheaper.

daviddd · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by andrew_s

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Sheddy

I have read that using a bunch of 6" nails instead of pegs can get you out of trouble when pitching up on rocky ground
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
A full complement of hard ground pegs can be heavy.
What I do is have one big tough steel peg (more like an 8" nail) that I bash in with a big rock. I then pull it out carefully and put a lightweight aluminium peg in the hole, and attach the guy to that.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">That's a good idea Andrew, a bit of sound lateral thinking!

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

daviddd · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by andrew_s

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Sheddy

I have read that using a bunch of 6" nails instead of pegs can get you out of trouble when pitching up on rocky ground
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
A full complement of hard ground pegs can be heavy.
What I do is have one big tough steel peg (more like an 8" nail) that I bash in with a big rock. I then pull it out carefully and put a lightweight aluminium peg in the hole, and attach the guy to that.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">That's a good idea Andrew, a bit of sound lateral thinking!

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

Tourist Tony · June 2007

I like that idea! I have a Salewa Microlight, as used by Anne Mustoe in Oz(there's a photo of the inner in one of her bookes) which pitches inner first using two overlapping aluminium poles to which the inner clips. Most of the pegs are skewers, apart from one HD channel peg. The inner has a mesh roof for ventilation. They are quite common at York.
http://www.salewa.com/ausruestung_zelte ... 138&ac=det

If I had a stalker, I would hug it and kiss it and call it George...or Dick

daviddd · June 2007

,..and No-see-um netting - I've just Googled to see what that is, and excluding tiny mozzies seems like something else I could do with, I do like the Salewa. Sighs - too much choice - but if I'm gonna spend a year in a tent it's got to be right.

Alpine Tour July 2006:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=l ... =1914&v=9d
Forthcoming lap of Australia:http://www.davidddinoz.blogspot.com/

Tourist Tony · June 2007

David, YHPM.

If I had a stalker, I would hug it and kiss it and call it George...or Dick

Freestanding nylon tent + porch + inner pitching

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