A tent for all seasons...

Eyeball Tickler

Hi folks,

I'm currently looking for a tent for cycle touring. I need something for four seasons, 2-3 person, that is reasonably light (though I'm not a lightweight freak).

I'm planning to do some touring in the Rockies next summer, so I really need something that can hold up in potentially serious weather. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The Hilleberg Nammath and Nallo have been suggested to me - they are quite expensive though. My biggest issue is that while I could probably afford a serious expedition tent like a Nammatj come next summer, I have a few trips planned early in the new year and need a new tent NOW.

So I have two options: Buy one tent now and one later, or try to find something within my budget now that will work well in all weather and last a long time.

I'm a total novice when it comes to tent purchasing, so looking at specs on websites means almost nothing to me.

Some of these Vango tents are within my price range - does anyone have any experience of them?

http://www.vango.co.uk/products/tentsle ... ypename=15

If it's a case though that I'd better off waiting until I can afford a serious tent such as a Hilleberg, I'll be looking for a good four season tent that's up to dealing with UK weather. Again, suggestions here would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Lenny

PS I might stick this up on the CycleChat forum as well, just thought I should mention it.

mazza

i would buy the best tent i could aford rather than buying a cheap tent then having to buy a better tent later ive seen many times the weather turn bad very quickly and tents in the camp site demolished in the middle of the night the one thing i would always look for is metal poles becouse the plastic or fiber poles break far to easy

Philip Davis

I'd agree about getting the best tent you can afford. I've a shelf full of cheap tents that I bought to fill in a need - most I've never used again because I found some fault with them.

I can't give a personal recommendation as I haven't used one, but I've heard very good things about the Big Agnes Seedhouse range. Maybe worth waiting 'till you go to the Rockies and get one cheaper in the States?

What I'd look for in a bike touring tent:

-Compact package so it can fit in a pannier if necessary, or at the very least, not stick out too much when sitting on the rack.
-Porch just big enough for your panniers and shoes.
-Self standing, so it can be used as a shelter in varying circumstances (for example, setting it up in a ruined building in foul weather).
- Dark colour for stealth camping.

VWVagabonds

MSR makes a great tent specifically designed for cycle touring. It is called the Velo
(http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Bike/BikeTent.html).

The vestibule is large enough to house two bikes (if necessary) or a bunch of gear. But it is only a two person tent.

We slept in ours 92 nights last summer (nearly the entire first month in rain) and it proved bombproof.

daviddd

I've been using the MSR Hubba Hubba for 2 months in Oz now - and am very pleaased with it. Great quality, only 2kg, quite spacious, easy to erect, multi-pitch etc.etc. Cost me around 200 quid but worth it in my opinion.

julk

There is a huge choice of tents out there, but this is my experience of having camped with Vango, Hilleberg Nammatj GT, Nallo GT and Stalon Combi tents.

The heavy cotton Vango is still in use in situations where sunshine is a given and the heavy weight is not important.

The lightweight nylon Vango lasted not many years before the flysheet went rotten from sunlight. It coped with bad weather in the UK and was a nice tent to use, although it pitched inner first - not so good putting it up in the rain.

The Hilleberg Nallo is one of the lightest tents given the capacity, performance and strength on offer. It lacks something when it comes to easy thru ventilation. Hillebergs have flysheets which reach the ground for keeping you alive in snow. This tent gets taken more for backpacking.

The Hilleberg Nammatj is possibly the best bad weather tent for extended cycle touring. It has better ventilation than the Nallo models. It is also made to an even stronger spec than the Nallo. Bombproof - unless you drop a razor sharp knife on it as I did last time I used it, even then the damage was much much less than feared. This tent is my personal favourite.

The Hilleberg Stalon Combi with a roof extension is a good model to consider. You can use it without the roof extension for moving on every day trips. The roof extension gives an enormous covered space for base camping when you are touring from a central location, but is a bit extra work and weight if moving daily.

My experience is that for extended use, beyond a weekend's camping, it is advisable to go for a berth larger tent than you have bodies. That means a three berth tent for 2 people and so on.

For me, Vango represent the cheaper end of the market for robust tents, Hilleberg the dearer end. For the extra price the Hilleberg will shelter you safely in the worst blizzard conditions and should also last longer.

ut_och_cykla

I have a 3 man Hilleberg and it has been reliable and easy to set up over short trips. Some ventilation issues but these are largely avoidable with some forethought - open front , peg up foot end a bit etc. My understanding is that they are THE foul weather lightweight tent and are certainly easy to use & live in.

I toured extensivey (7 weeks tent not up every day) with a Saunders tent that was very easy to erect single handed but much shorter than its spec and had ventilation issues - also remedied by leaving flaps open etc.

The family has used a large Vango tunnel tent which has been excellent even on exposed sites in Europe, but how it would stand up to free camping in the rockies depends on how much othershelter you can find every night. Vngo also make expedition level stuff which might be a good way to go.

I agree that buying one size up is a good idea. Easy quick pitch is advantage, including outer only. For added space at longer stays try taking a lightweight tarp string & bungies - doubles you sheltered area, covers resting bikes etc - more flexible than an over large tent.
if you accept 2 kg per person for a tent and you'll be 3 then up to 6 kg can easily be carried (if it can be split up) which would even put the comfy family Vango on your list!!

HAve fun!

graemetherunner

You ask for a 4 season tent, to me that seems a little excesive, do you really need snowflaps etc?

or do you mean you need a robust 3 season tent that will tollerate bad weather?

If so have a look at something like the vaude ferret or hogan xt.
http://www.vaude.co.uk[/url]

Eyeball Tickler

Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to get a Hilleberg as soon as I can afford it, it seems like a safe bet that will last a long time.

cynthialibis

be careful to buy the hard ones!

geoff_ss

Eyeball Tickler wrote:

Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to get a Hilleberg as soon as I can afford it, it seems like a safe bet that will last a long time.

I'm sure you'll be satisfied. We've had a Hilleberg since 1990 (can't remember the name offhand, but it's a 3 pole tunnel tent where you lie across it). We bought it from a small company in the Lakes who used to exhibit at York rally every year. There's enough room (ample) for two people, luggage and the bikes at night and it never let us down. It was expensive but I can't remember how expensive and now don't care

A lot of our cycle camping was in the Alps or Pyrenees and although it's not the lightest tent (about 3.5kgs?) we appreciated the comfort if we were forced to sit out a wet day.

Geoff