Tent recommendations?

[Buried 0]

Anyone know what tents are small and compact and really good for longer backpacking trips?

Ideally it should also be -
-a 2 or 4 person tent. If it houses 2, i'd still like room for backpacks if possible.
-3 season


I've search and such, but I have no idea how small most pack up and if they are really any good.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[squirrel 0]

check REI.com or go to one of thier stores. thier employees are knowledgible.

they have very light to heavy, 2 to 4 season, big, small...all the good stuff. also, if you go with and REI brand...its pretty much guaranteed. I have brought back item after several uses, of which I was not happy with the preformance, and they took it back no problem, but then, I was always purchasing another model. I just like the store too.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[simplyputsi 0]

anything mt. hardware that fits your preferences.

And marmot makes a few decent ones as well.

oh and I guess The North Face, but I'd go for the other two first.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[DJL 235]

Hey Zach, I live in a tent so I might be able to help you. And I'm not exaggerating either. In December I put my belongings into storage and I go hiking/kayaking and camping every night after work.

One bit of advice, get a tent that is as small as possible for your use. You're talking about hiking a long way. There's no need to keep your pack and arrayed belongings inside the tent with you; a tent is for sleeping. If you want the Ewok village then bring a sherpa. You'll have extra trash bags anyway to protect your pack against the rain. You can't go wrong with most Mountain Hardwear or Marmot tents, browse Hudson trail for comparable quality. I have a Mountain Hardware HammerHead2. It's too heavy for long or fast hikes so I also have the Outdoor Research Advanced Bivy. Those are the two extremes.

Tell us a bit more about what you're doing on the hike, the climate, the number of people actually sleeping in the tent...etc.

I basically have two configurations, a light rig for fast and long and the full kitchen cabinet for when I'm hiking someplace and intend to stay there and relax. My light stuff is light enough to run/jog the entire way.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[fonz 0]

From experience, I'd say try military surplus. Works great.

Alphons

And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes.
-- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[skybytch 273]

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One bit of advice, get a tent that is as small as possible for your use. You're talking about hiking a long way. There's no need to keep your pack and arrayed belongings inside the tent with you; a tent is for sleeping.

What he said. Most tents have a rainfly that covers a small area outside the actual tent; that's where you put your pack (and muddy boots).

I have a Mountain Hardwear single person tent that I think is awesome. We've also got a North Face 2 person tent that is super sturdy, if a bit heavy for a long/fast trip. One nice thing about sharing a tent is that you can split up the pieces for carrying - one person gets the tent and footprint, other person gets the poles and fly.

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In December I put my belongings into storage and I go hiking/kayaking and camping every night after work.

Where do you live? Are you training for a big trip?

[billeisele 130]

tent camping is old school, go for a hammock
hammock, fly and lines pack smaller than a quart can

try http://www.hennessyhammock.com

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[Buried 0]

thx guys.

I have a larger tent for short hikes, dz and such but looking for the longer hauls 4-10+ days. Nothing planned as of yet, but it has been on my radar to get a nice one for trips that come up. Usually things are around the border lakes or places around CO. I'm not to concerned about keeping the pack inside, it's just nice to have that option, but you are right, most of the rain flys have additional space for them.

those hammocks look nice and would consider it if i was more deep deep forest/jungle camping, but wanna go at least a 2 person route.

i've looked online at REI's and moose jaws stuff but there are a bunch of options with little detail. in general, it looks like most of the price points are ~$250-350 for a tent such as what I would like.

I haven't heard of Mountain Hardwear, but may be a bit pricey for what I want. . Marmot does make some nice stuff, i'm just not a fan of the orange they use but could be a possibility. better price point.

What about stuff from Cascade Designs (MSR) like the fusion 2 or Sierra Designs like the BAKU 2?

Have heard little about those companies.

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One nice thing about sharing a tent is that you can split up the pieces for carrying - one person gets the tent and footprint, other person gets the poles and fly.

yup, exactly why I wouldn't mind a 2, 3 or 4 person lite tent. nice to split the pieces... which in the end, i'm not sure if the cost difference between some tents (like kelty, northface, marmont) is worth it for an extra pound or two if it will be split anyhow. sure those extra pounds would be better for other gear, but i'm not sure if it would matter in the end for most of the longer trek trips i've done/ do.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[simplyputsi 0]

MSR and Sierra Designs are some great companies and make some great stuff.

I know Sierra makes a couple of spiffy tents for your purpose.
Seriously Mt. Hardware though. You can get a good 2 person for less that $300. Weighs like 8 lbs or something.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[Buried 0]

8 lbs is heavy.

6 is prob the max. there are some nice 2person-ers @ around 4-5 lbs.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[TrophyHusband 0]

i have had a sierra designs clip flashlight for a couple years.

http://www.sierradesigns.com/tents.display.php?id=14

i searched for a long time to find the right compromise between weight, size, and price. i think i paid around $150 for mine, although the link i gave has it priced higher. i just weighed it in the bag with the extra guys lines and tent stakes as well as a footprint and it was 4 lbs, 15 3/4 oz. stripped down it weighs even less. it has worked well for me and i even use it solo. if you're with someone else, there's not really enough room in the vestibule for packs, but that's what garbage bags are for. one thing i dont like is that its not freestanding, so tent stakes are required. i think its a great choice for the price range, but you can likely find better if your willing to spend more money.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[simplyputsi 0]

8 lb was really a guess.

I'm sure they have 2 person 3 season that weighs less than that.
I would say call my old employer, but they went downhill so much they don't carry that stuff anymore.

The company websites might be the best bet.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[DJL 235]

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Where do you live? Are you training for a big trip?

Nothing in particular, just making myself capable. I'd like to do an extended kayak trip at one of those great places on the Earth like Glacier Natl. or the Amazon. My knees are too f'd to depend on for a long hike.

I work near Washington D.C., for an engineering group in Tyson's Corner and plan my overnighters for circuit hikes in the Shenandoah Natl. Forrest or Kayaking on the Potamac.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[JohnRich 4]

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one thing i dont like is that its not freestanding, so tent stakes are required.

Yes, I get free-standing tents for my desert hiking, where I'm often on rock, or soil so thin you can't drive a stake. You have to weigh down the tent with rocks to keep it in place. I don't want a tent that requires guy wires to keep it's shape, because there's sometimes no way to string 'em.

The tent poles should be metal for best wear. The fiberglass poles split too easily.

Three poles is better than two to maintain shape in high wind.

[ExAFO 0]

Get one you can have butt secks in.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[eeneR 3]

This is the one I have right now...packs up nice and small and comes in at just under 6lbs

Half Dome

She is not a "Dumb Blonde" - She is a "Light-Haired Detour Off The Information Superhighway."
eeneR
TF#72, FB#4130, Incauto

[skybytch 273]

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I work near Washington D.C., for an engineering group in Tyson's Corner and plan my overnighters for circuit hikes in the Shenandoah Natl. Forrest or Kayaking on the Potamac.

In the dead of winter. Where it snows alot. That's hardcore.

[FlyingJ 0]

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This is the one I have right now...packs up nice and small and comes in at just under 6lbs

Half Dome

Awesome! I was just about to go find a link to this tent. Glad you beat me to it.

I've used this tent before and it is great for two people. One of the nicer features is that there are doors on both sides, so nobody has to climb over the other person, and the fly provides good vestibule space on both sides as well. The tent issued to me at work is the Eureka version of the same design and I'm pretty happy with it. The other really nice thing about the REI half dome is that it literally sets up in a minute or two. My sister just bought one and when we pulled it out and opened it up at the store we had it together in three minutes never having seen it before and having to unwrap the factory packaging. The perfect tent for setting up in the middle of the night!

Killing threads since 2004.

[sagan 0]

Maybe not best for hiking but I have one of those "pop-up" tents (stop reading between the lines). I forget the company that made it but a family member got it for me as a bday present after seeing the commercials last summer on TV.

Basically it works the same way as those pop-up hampers (if your in collge you know what i mean) they sell at bed bath & beyond.

Literally tent in 5 seconds. All you need to do is stake it down.

The particular one i have folds up into a big 3 foot circle (less than .5" thick). I bet with some effort it could be twisted somemore to fit into the side of a backpack.

Oh and it sleeps 2 comfortably.

Again I'm not sure it's useful for hardcore hiking as it won't have any of the fancy advanced features (not srue what they are but it seems basic to me)

-Patrick