Hilleberg Akto tent

Vaude Taurus Ultralight 2 person tent 1.9kg with small porch. Very easy to put up and take down. Can pitch fly first. Ideal tent for one as you can get all gear inside - panniers with room to spare. MRP £275. Can generally get them for about £220. Very highly recommended. I have had mine 4 years and used it every year and it has never let me down. Very durable and still like new.

http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/ ... _tent.html

HTH.

Have a look at the tarptent range - tarptent.com, a lot of long distance tourers seem to be going for them now. They are incredibly light, but reasonably robust. I used a Scarp 1 for a three month tour in the Rockies this year and it worked extremely well, I've no complaints aout its performance.

I am 5'10" and used an Akto for the North Sea coastal route to Bergen, 6 weeks from late July to late Sept. Conditions were generally cool to cold with a lot of damp or rain and a few storms.
The single hoop is tensioned by a chord which can be tightened for more height. They come with some variance in the chord length so vary in sitting height.
I found the sitting height of the Akto to be better positioned relative to the vestibule than lighter weight solo tents.
Akto is extremely good in high winds , I have total confidence that it can ride out the harshest storm. It is not so good on ventilation, a common complaint. Its better for cool weather conditions. The fly reaches right down to ground level so no wind can get beneath but neither can airflow. The end vents and upper vent need to be unzipped in all conditions except driving rain. I position my sandals, sideways under the fly to get more venting.

I used a footprint which fits well and providesd dry storage and sitting. It is easy to remove and store/clean separately when muddy but can remain part of the tent for ease of use.

The vestibule is too small for safe cooking, I wouldnt try it. You can sit inside and cook outside. Some people unhook the inner for cooking. The door flap retaining loops are a not so effective, the flaps can unfurl so beware if you do cook.

It is very tough and durable, quick and easy to pitch even in the dark and very quick to takedown and stow. Moving the tent to a better located pitch was easy enough to do.
I found the best way to dry it was to "fly" it like a kite, holding on to one end. It can be pitched on hard ground without pegs, using stones or logs for the guys.
I carried mine crossways on the rear rack, tied down by and old inner tube.

The outer is a good colour for descreet camping but carry some fluorescent/reflective tabs so other campers can see the pegs. The inner is a pleasant colour and generally a nice place to be. It does hang loose but you need to tighten your guy lines last thing at night for more space.

I like it a lot

Alternatives to the Akto with a similar layout are:
Terra Nova Laser Comp, Vaude Power Lizard and TarpTent Scarp 1.

The first two are lighter (1kg), and therefore less durable, but with only one strut at each end, and less of the area given to the porch and more to the inner. The Scarp is similar in weight to the Akto, and has a porch each side.

For cycling, the Power Lizard has an advantage in that the poles break down to 35cm sections, short enough to fit inside a pannier (LC, Akto 45cm, Scarp 50cm).

The Laser Comp is known to be noisy in strong wind, to need careful setup to get a taught pitch, and the purchase of proper pegs.

The Scarp is only available from the US (add import duty/VAT/processing charges), or possibly from http://www.sackundpack.de in Germany.

The Vaude hasn't been available long enough for good user reports

I've got an Akto, which I really like for the ease of pitching especially, but at the full £395 price I'd certainly look at one of the others (mine was £225 in a 2008 F&T sale)