Touring - Tent Recommendations Fast!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, the situation is this. A family member whom I loaned money to recently has decided they can now repay a chunk of it, meaning that this weekend (last chance I'll get for a while), I'm off to Brisbane to buy a new tent. Basically I'm looking for something lightweight, easy to erect and weather-proof. My budget is $500-600AUD (think somewhere around $350-450US). I'll probably be aiming for a "two person" tent so that I have room for my panniers inside, too.

As a little aside, my current tent weights 2.6kg. How much weight can I realistically expect to save in this situation? I'm considering grabbing a stove later this year and am wondering how much these things weigh (I don't know anything about them!). Is there a possibility that I could save enough weight on the tent to compensate (at least in part) for carrying a stove? Or am I being too ambitious? I'm also taking stove recommendations in this thread. In the past I've toured without them, however, I probably didn't eat as well as I would have liked on Tasmania's west coast last January, and it might give me some variety on the salads I carry on tours now.

I apologise if these questions have been asked before.

As to tents you ought to be able to get a quality tent for $200 U.S. or less.I not sure how to convert kg's but for a two person freestanding you should aim for 4lbs or less non freestanding 3lbs or less.If you were to sacrifice some comfort you could get a tarptent,hammock,tarp or bivy etc. for around 1lb or perhaps even less (though some tarptents will be slightly more).As to brands I have a North Face Tadpole freestanding two person weights around 4lbs and is great for a variety of touring conditions .Others can recommend other brands I'm sure.

For stove I have a whisperlight by MSR which is fairly light and good for basic boiling water fast but doesn't have much temperature control.I found most of the weight/bulk came from carrying the white gas for it as well as all the cookware etc. so I have not been carrying any of that lately(stove or cookware).The latest trend/innovation in lightweight stoves is homemade alcohol stoves made from pepsi/tuna cans etc. which only weigh a few ounces and heat fast(again propably w/o much control over volume).Check this link for examples of these as well as homemade tarps or tarptents if you wanted to go that route. http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html

I've used a number of different tents over the years, high cost and low cost. The Eureka Timberline is my current favorite and it's very inexpensive and quick to set up. I've been in some pretty bad weather in it and have stayed dry.

Picture here: http://www.cabelas.com/products/Cpod0003796.jsp

The price sure looks good on that timberlight 2 person at $99 about half the cost of the Tadpole but is that weight right nearly 7lbs? As an aside i actually found a 4person timberlight abandoned on the A.T. some time ago and I have never figured how to set it up though I tried nearly all of one afternoon.As I recall that tent was fairly heavy but I was thinking at that time of just setting it up permaniently in my yard.Now that I think of it again if i could figure out from diagrams on the internet how to set it up(I didn't even have internet back when I found it) I could use it for a perminent camp out in the everglades or remote Fl. backcountry like I have been wanting to do for sometime. p.S. By the way here is a link to a thread where we discuss the pros and cons of the tadpole vs the Sierra Designs clip flashlight another classic backpacking style tent that would be suitable for bike touring though nonfreestanding. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=47425 There are also many newer model tents i have heard people mention recently but as i haven't been in the market i haven't really paid attention to the names.

Years ago I had a Eureka tent like the Timberline. What was really cool about it was I could bring my whole bike into the tent if I wanted.

I have a Eureka one person that I use for bike camping and I recommend the brand. I don't have a specific tent, but I will suggest that, in addition to weight, you also use the length and material of the poles in your decision making process. Aluminum is far less fragile than fiberglass, and the shorter the poles, the easier to pack.

campmor mail order has about a zillion quality tents (north face, eureka, sierra
designs, kelty) at bottom-feeder prices. of course you'd get hit with vat shipping
to oz, but savings may be worth it. their website (www.campmor.com) has an
enormous amount of info on tents - weights, dimensions, materials, etc., plus
several pages of SALE tents. i got my northface 2-man from them 3 months
ago for $129US.

here's the link to their sale tents:

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=17305&catalogId=40000000226&storeId=226

Ladies and gentlemen, the situation is this. A family member whom I loaned money to recently has decided they can now repay a chunk of it, meaning that this weekend (last chance I'll get for a while), I'm off to Brisbane to buy a new tent. Basically I'm looking for something lightweight, easy to erect and weather-proof. My budget is $500-600AUD (think somewhere around $350-450US). I'll probably be aiming for a "two person" tent so that I have room for my panniers inside, too.

As a little aside, my current tent weights 2.6kg. How much weight can I realistically expect to save in this situation? I'm considering grabbing a stove later this year and am wondering how much these things weigh (I don't know anything about them!). Is there a possibility that I could save enough weight on the tent to compensate (at least in part) for carrying a stove? Or am I being too ambitious? I'm also taking stove recommendations in this thread. In the past I've toured without them, however, I probably didn't eat as well as I would have liked on Tasmania's west coast last January, and it might give me some variety on the salads I carry on tours now.

I apologise if these questions have been asked before.

Hello,

This might be a useful tent reference:
http://www.backcountrygear.com/tent/Ultralight_Tents.cfm

I can highly recommend tents made by Sierra Designs, but as you can see they only get down to the four pound range. Depending on where you travel, and the availability of trees and stake-able ground, you may be forced to buy a free standing tent.

As for stoves, here are some broad strokes. The lightest option are alcohol stoves, but they generally burn cooler than pressurized gas stoves. The easiest to use are probably canister stoves, but you need to be sure you will be able to find compatible fuel canisters at your destination, and be aware that used canisters are not recycleable. Refillable stoves, like the MSR Whisperlite, are appealing because they are powerful, effective in cold weather, and produce no landfill fodder. I have used both the MSR Whisperlite Int'l (my personal stove) and the MSR Superfly (excellent canister stove) and can recommend both. If you plan to fly from place to place with a stove, I would recommend either an alcohol or canister jobby.

Hope this helps, you lucky dog
BK

Re: the stoves. I've got a tiny little Primus that runs off of canister gas, and I love it...BUT...the drawback is finding the gas while on tour. Last year going across country, I had to pack enough for the whole trip, because I was pretty certain I wasn't going to be finding any in the grocery stores out in the middle of Kansas. I was right.

Sierra Design Clip Flashlight is a classic and now many other manufacturers have have a model built on the same design. Light, easy to set-up, rock solid but not freestanding. Another good option would be a single-person tent like those Eureka or a bivy bag and a tarp. I never travel without a tarp, it gives a big living room when it's raining and you can put the bike under it too.

As for stove, it depends what kind of fuel is available in Australia, if you want to deal with naphta stoves and if you want simmering capabilities. I only used naphta (white gas) stoves. Now I'm using a MSR Dragonfly, which is not the lightest, is VERY LOUD, a bit akward to pack but simmers extremely well. If I were buying now, I'd buy a optimus Nova. Stay away from propane. You might want to look into canister stoves like the Pocket Rocket, Superfly, etc. They are easier to use than naphta stoves.

Just wondering, is white gas easy to find in Australia and New Zealand?

The latest trend/innovation in lightweight stoves is homemade alcohol stoves made from pepsi/tuna cans etc. which only weigh a few ounces and heat fast(again propably w/o much control over volume).Check this link for examples of these as well as homemade tarps or tarptents if you wanted to go that route. http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html[/QUOTE]


What is the "alcohol" you use for these homemade stoves? (ps. thanks for putting that link- i'm preparing for a long tour and the small hand-made stoves look great, and fun also)

I'd suggest a Macpac Microlight (http://www.macpac.co.nz/catalogue/do,displayitem-view/mid,/miid,1727/diid,369/) which is 1.6 kg. It's a 1-1/2 person tent so there should be space for your panniers. It's also made by people in a wet climate which is a good thing to look for. Avoid north face tents as the fabric has a pathetic hydrostatic head.

The MSR dragonfly is great but as mentioned above it is loud. Depends if this is an issue for you.

I also recommend the MSR stoves. My 1990 Whisperlight is still going strong, and has never failed me in over 14K km loaded touring. And yes, there are several tents available--at least here in the states--that top out at around 1.8 kg.

As for weight, the only way you'll come out with tent+cooking gear at no more than 2.6 kg is with a stove for which fuel replacement in small quantities is available en route. White gas isn't, so you'll need to take with you enough to last a good while, as it's a pain buying a gallon only to give away most of it after you've refilled your bottles. (I never seem to see the smaller containers of it anymore; maybe you have them.) My Whisperlight plus very minimal cooking gear and a liter of fuel comes to about 1.6 kg, most of which is the fuel's weight. That, plus my 1.8 Kg tent comes to 3.4 kg, well in excess of your tent-only weight. You can get by with less than a liter if your trip is for under 2 weeks. But if weight is a real concern, consider the multi-fuel MSR International--it burns auto gas, which you can get by the thimbleful. That way you still have the efficiency advantage over alcohol while saving around 0.6 kg from what I'm carrying. Now you're down to almost your 2.6 kg goal.

Being able to cook en route is fun, and gives you a better feeling of independence. Give it a try. And by the way, your budget would allow a good bit of selection of tent and cooking gear if your prices are comparable to ours. Like another poster, I use Campmor. [A great store to visit in Paramus NJ, where they have erected virtually every tent they sell.] Use their website for research, even if it's impractical to order.

Lew

alcohol is usually sold by quart/liter. spirits is available throughout oz, but from
mount isa west, a foul-tasting purple dye is added to prevent drinking. it's also
removed from the shelves, available behind the counter. it's sold in a plastic
bottle (like a pine-sol bottle) which will fit the rear pocket of cannondale panniers.

in the usa, squarish metal quart cans are sold in hardware stores or the local
wally world.

I have two one-person tents, a Eureka Mountain Pass XT for one and a Sierra Designs CD Lightyear for one.
The Eureka has a great design and plenty of room to store your gear inside and has two vestibules for gear, front and rear. The front access is good too, it zips the entire length of the front of the tent. I wanted to be able to stand up at the opening of the tent without having to crawl out on my hands and knees. I also like it cross ventilation from the front opening to the rear gear hatch vestibule (I added a velcro attachable no-seeum netting to the gear access door for more air flow. The front vesibule gear storage is large and there is also plenty of room in the tent. It weighs less than 3lbs.

My other one person is the Lightyear CD. It is hard to get in and out of and has little ventilation. It is more like a large bivy, although it has enough head room at one end to sit up. The foot area is only about 18" high. You can use it with just the fly and ground cloth and really lighten your load but for me in SE US the bugs are a major problem. Mostly it was the lack of ventilation, miniscule gear storage capacity and the difficulty I had getting in and out of the small front end access door that made me get the Eureka. It weighs the same as the Eureka, but the Eureka actually packs to a smaller size, even though the Eureka has more room.

Sarah I have not used one of the alcohol stoves yet though if I was carrying a stove these days I would probably experiment with them(as the price is right lol).From reading a few articles though one suggested about an ounce of denatured alcohol and another recommended 70%isoprophyl (rubbing)alcohol (as if this is spilled on self or gear it is nontoxic and will simply evaporate not causing any damage ).The later sounds like a good idea as I actually have a pint bottle at home that I bought for first aid sterilization purposes so it would be multifunctional as well as available in small quantities and cheap.I don't know if denatured alcohol is different or not.

I will say that I have heard of several incidences of shooting flames from these things usually I think from faulty designs but be very careful when experimenting or using these things.

By the way here another link and if you do a search say(ultralight alcohol stove) you will come up with quite a few more. http://fallingwater.com/pct2000/gear/KissStove.asp

ive got a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 3 - works great (although its a 3 person).

as for stoves - my trangia works amazingly well.

I can't rave enough about the MSR stoves, I have the whisperlite http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/whisper_intl.asp. I find on a long tour you never know where you're fuel is going to come from next, being able to burn gasoline is excellent. I've never had to do that though as I usually find some kind of BBQ fluid.

As for a tent I chose the Asolo Hawk 2 (http://www.infinity-outdoor.com/Hawk2.html) because it offered the most room for a two person tent. It also has two doors which is huge benefit particularly when two people are using the tent.

On my recent tour I used an REI Half Dome 2 (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47592792&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000) which served me well through many rainy nights. Light and fairly compact. They have an even smaller and light tent The Quarter Dome (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47687600&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000) but when I tried out both at REI I felt the extra space was worth the extra pound. Considering how much time I ended up spending in it (it rained a lot on my tour) this was worth it. I never even brought my panniers into it.

On stoves, I second the recommendation for the alcohol stoves though I wouldn't build one myself. Buy a BrassLight (http://www.brasslite.com) stove instead. Impeccably made from brass one of these stoves will last forever. Also he has been developing them for years and has perfected the design. In the US I used HEET for my fuel source which was easy to find all over the US. In Canada I was able to be denatured alcohol actually made for stoves. REI sells alcohol in big gallon tins but it is not as clean burning as the HEET. I use a titanium cook set that my stove fit inside and the whole kit was so light that I can't image not taking it with me. I must have me coffee right off.

Breakfast of champions:

Breakfast of champions:

That would make a great sticky thread in the Training&Nutrition section

BK

Thanks for the information everyone. I'll be printing out this thread shortly to use as a reference. In answer to one issue that was raised above, I haven't set the current weight of 2.6kg as a "limit" as such, I'm just using that as a benchmark. If I go a bit over that for tent + stove it really won't be the end of the world.

I already carry a tarpoulin with me when I tour, which I use to cover the bike at night to keep the dew off (probably pointless for someone who rides in downpours, but I do it anyway). One other thing to consider with the stove, most of my tours usually involve at least a degree of flying these days -- even if it's only interstate.

I use the Eureka backcountry 1. I just used it on a 16 day trip down the coast for and it worked great. Its easy to put up. If you put on the rain fly you can sit with your butt in the tent and feet outside and be coverd. You can sit up inside. It is long enough to put your panniers inside and still have room for stuff. The cost was around $99.

am I the only person to still use a basic pup-tent?

I use the Eureka backcountry 1. I just used it on a 16 day trip down the coast for and it worked great. Its easy to put up. If you put on the rain fly you can sit with your butt in the tent and feet outside and be coverd. You can sit up inside. It is long enough to put your panniers inside and still have room for stuff. The cost was around $99.

I just used this very same tent on a short overnight tour. It is a very nice tent. Its small, but you can sit up inside of it and I had no problem fitting myself, my panniers, backpack and sleeping gear inside. The temperature the night I used it was about 50 degrees and even with the door vent open, I was very comfortable. If you don't want a solo tent, Eureka has the Backcountry2 that similar to this tent only bigger. This tent is waterproof and well ventilated. I used it without a ground tarp/footprint and it held out fine.

Here's a pic of my tent:

http://www.warhammer40k.com/members/wh40k/iamnutz/mattbike9.jpg


I paid about $100 for it new at a local Army Surplus store. It weighs 1.76 kg (packed) and fits on a cargo rack nicely.

Like mntbikedude, I highly recommend this tent.


-Matt C.-

I use 70% rubbing alcohol in my stove for the above mentioned reasons that it can be used for first aid, won't ruin anything if spilled and can find it anywhere.

I also carry a MSR Pocket Rocket for foul weather backup.

I like the Cabelas XPG tent. Bulletproof.

I was very happy touring with my Kelty Clark Tent (began to think it was a spoof on Clark Kent.) ~3.14lbs IIRC. that was 3 years ago though, don't know how tent tech has changed. I got caught in steady hard rain several times and always stayed dry.

For the record I was also very happy with my Northface Thunderhead bag @ ~2lbs

One more note, I saved the weight of a tent floor tarp and protected my tent by putting my bed roll under the tent.

This thread can end right here. MSR Zoid 2.0. With footprint, $200-$235. About 4.5 lbs., a touch over 2kg. Got one at the beginning of this season. Haven't toured with it yet, but I go down to the Red River Gorge (http://www.southernregion.fs.fed.us/boone/rrg.htm) once or twice a month. This tent is fabulous. Plenty of space for your panniers and carcass. Top notch ventilation. Rainfly works. No leaks yet!

Black Diamonds Firstlight -a little pricey but 27sqft/2lbs 9oz, single wall tent, had it's larger sibling the Lighthouse at first, but the thing was just freakin' ginormous 33sqft/3lbs, so i returned it for the smaller, more manageable model, which is easier to set up, if you go for the larger model, getting the optional vestibule is overkill imho, but the vestibule for the smaller firstlight sets up rather easy & i'd say is worth it-

http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/firstlight.php

the companys disclaimer about the epic fabric not being truly waterproof is just to make the lawyers happy, i've had 3 jackets & a sleeping bag made of the stuff & i love it, & it's way more breathable than gore-tex (not just my subjective opinion, testing by the U.S army natick labs confirms this)

I have just used a Henry Shires tarptent that is about 2lbs and some change for a 2-person Cloudburst (with sewn in floor). For a solo tent and less weight. These are silicone based singlewall tents which make them ultralight. Open front and back with a beak. 2-pole design.

www.tarptent.com

The Squall is a lighter design but has less headroom. Backpackers can also use a hiking pole instead of the pole for even more weight saving. However, I liked the idea that in a pinch, I think I could fit my bike inside my Cloudburst and have room to sleep. It's big!

I have used an Walrus (now MSR) Zoid 2.0 for touring before and it's a nice 2-door tent, but it's twice as heavy and more bulty in storage for less space.

Ventilation without the rainfly is much better in the standard tent+rainfly though. Consider that when touring in prime summertime heat. Wind is your friend for singlewalls..

Jay

As a backpacker, I might offer some advise. The Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight was mentioned before, and I'll 2nd it as a solid tent. Less than 4 pounds, and easy to set up.

I use an alcohol stove, which I bought through antigravitygear.com. Denatured alcohol, the fuel of choice, can be purchased in the paint section of any hardware store. Denatured works better than rubbing alcohol as the water content is lower. Also, the alcohol stove has no moving parts, and doesn't clog up.

Dawn

I just used this very same tent on a short overnight tour. It is a very nice tent. Its small, but you can sit up inside of it and I had no problem fitting myself, my panniers, backpack and sleeping gear inside. The temperature the night I used it was about 50 degrees and even with the door vent open, I was very comfortable. If you don't want a solo tent, Eureka has the Backcountry2 that similar to this tent only bigger. This tent is waterproof and well ventilated. I used it without a ground tarp/footprint and it held out fine.

Here's a pic of my tent:

http://www.warhammer40k.com/members/wh40k/iamnutz/mattbike9.jpg


I paid about $100 for it new at a local Army Surplus store. It weighs 1.76 kg (packed) and fits on a cargo rack nicely.

Like mntbikedude, I highly recommend this tent.


-Matt C.-

I bought one this summer too, slept a week in the back yard. One inch downpour with high wind had the back side weeping water and the fly where the pole ataches over the door was letting a lot of water through the stitching, maybe a quarter cup of water in the tent when it was over, tommarow I will reseal the seams. Space inside is prettty good, first tent I have used that will dry out because somebody is in it, best cooling seems to be when the lower part of the door screen is open but the flap is hanging. I got a sore throat sleeping with the window wide open. Better is my ten year old Eureka! Cirrus, knock off of the Clip and under 4 lbs with room for 2, I almost never use mine for fear of ruining it.