anomaly

I am thinking of picking up the Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 from REI as the 2 person seems to have solid reviews across the board. I think I'm comfortable with the extra 1.5 lbs and 4" of length given the 3 person should provide enough room for 2 6'+ guys and gear. What tent do you run? Would you buy it again?

asromzek

I picked up a Quarterdome T3 from REI last week. I haven't had a chance to sleep in it yet, but I did set it up on the lawn once to get a feel for the size and shape. At about 5'11" to 6'0" my head and feet just about touch the tent walls, which is consistant with the reviews I read before buying it. We went with the T3 for the extra width which will allow us (two people) to lay at a slight angle so we don't touch the walls. We also have more room for gear which makes things a lot more comfortable. I was actually impressed with how roomy the tent is given that it only weighs 5lbs packed. The only thing that could be an issue for two 6'+ guys is the length of the tent, especially if going with the T2 version. Other than that, I love it.

surfrider

Here's an option that's lighter than most others:

https://www.tarptent.com/

If you're loking fr smething to use spring/summer/fall, these might work. I've used their Cloudburst model while backpacking and been very satisfied with it. Starting to get the bike touring 'itch' after 10 years away from it, and I'll probably just use this tent. It has enough headroom at the front to sit up, easily sleeps two and some gear, and is plenty long. And it just over 2 lbs. Can't bring a bike inside it, but a simple raincover would take care of the 'horse'. Works great if you want to avoid bugs, the occasional rainshower (not a New Orleans hurricane!), and will take some wind loading (I've has mine in steady 30 MPH (estiamted) gusts). Its a single walled tent, but even a regular two layer tent with a mesh inner tent will leak if the exterior fly gets punctured.

anomaly

The friend that I tour with is 6' 3 and I am just shy of 6' so the Quarterdome's looked to be a bit too small.

asromzek

Yup, anyone over 6' will be al little cramped in a quarter dome. My girlfriend is well under 6', so she can sleep under one of the vestibules if I don't have enough room.

mwl6464

Don't want to hijack thread, but how about MSR Hubba Hubba vs Big AgnesSeedhouse SL 2 Vs REI T3 Quarterdome? REI had the Hubba on sale awhile back for $224 but not now. Looks like they are all 3 close to same price depending on where you buy and when. Would it just be better to buy from REI because of return policy insted of trying to save $10-$20? I'm wanting a good 2 person tent myself any opinions on the 3 tents? Wanting quality,light and I'm also frugal.

anomaly

I discounted the BigAgnes, I believe, due to it having the highest weight versus floor space, but I might have been wrong. I did a compare of everything 2/3 person under $169 and I dropped it for some reason or another.

Bekologist

REI sells Alps tents now?

a shame. maybe next some Hillary tents from REI...

I'm running with a choice of lightweight tarptents from Golite, flat tarps, or an epic canopied singlewall from Black Diamond. and a five pound North Face Antarctic certified tent for winter touring..

anomaly

Are there better options in that price range? I'm more than open. I don't think I want a tarptent, though.

vik 

I have a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 I like quite a lot. It's the lightest tent I've owned at at about 3lbs makes for a roomy solo shelter or a comfortable two person shelter. I owned a tarptent which is even lighter, but I sold it as I wasn't happy with how it performed in heavy rain or wind.

FlowerBlossom

I have the REI half-dome 2. My boyfriend is 6'8" and fits just fine in it. For one person, there's lots of room (in case of rain) and has a vestibule on each side. Relative to my other tent, it's light, weighing in at just at 5lbs. I like it, and, I loved the price.

Camel

I used a Eureka Zeus 2 classic. Freestanding, single wall, ~4lbs & packs nicely small-inexpensive too. I sold it in Nepal, and I'll buy another when I can. Used it too many times to count on my year tour, and never leaked/ torn or nothin. I don't use a floor saver either. I allways recommend this tent when tent threads pop up.

Checking at Campmor, the 3 man version of the same tent (Zeus 3 classic) has internal dimensions of:

7 ft. 11 in. x 6 ft. 6 in. with a peak height of 4'.

5lbs, freestanding, packs small, easy setup. Currently 129.97$

-Note it is single wall, so has the standard caveats of using single wall tents. Playing around with the venting alleviates most moisture problems. Would I recommend it for use on the Pacific coast? Yup.

eofelis 

Our favorite touring tent is an older REI Taj 3. It's not the lightest tent at 7-8 lbs, but it's roomy enough for two plus gear, and fairly tall too. It holds up to the weather well and it was cheap: $35 (used) at an REI "garage sale".

Last tour I carried the tent: fly in one front pannier and tent body in the other. My front panniers weighed 5-6 lbs each and it worked out well bike-handling-wise. Tent poles were in another person's pannier.


Outside of Ouray, Colorado, August 2008.

valygrl

consider 2 tents, it is SO much nicer to have your own.

fantom1 

I'd say go two tents as well.

I have a Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL1. It's on the medium side of weight at just under 4lbs. But with that you get excellent ventilation, super easy true freestanding tent with a very large vestibule.

I had an Seedhouse SL1 that I returned because of extremely poor damp weather performance. It also was pretty bad in wet weather because it let water into the floor of the tent any time you got in or out.

I would highly highly recomend a side entry tent with a large enough vestibule to accomodate your panniers. Another important thing to consider is whether or not you'll be stealth camping. I ruled out quite a few nice tents because they were conspicous colors.