2ering

It is indeed a Keron 4GT and no, we leave the bikes outside. While they may technically fit, and it's kinda cool to think we have a mobile garage, we prefer to keep most of the space open and use it as the main ingress/egress. You are correct that Hilleberg lists the packed weight as 12lbs, 2oz. but that doesn't include the footprint plus we take along a couple of extra stakes. That being said I doubt the footprint is anywhere near 3 lbs but that's what we get when I hang it from our scale, so maybe we just got a heavy one.

Aidoneus

Well, makes me think that I might not be so crazy thinking about schlepping along with my Staika, though I found, like you, that it weighs a bit more than they advertise. I have a much lighter tunnel Tarptent Cloudburst 3, but I really like that the Staika is freestanding, so if necessary it can be set up on concrete or with limited space.

PedalingWalrus

I also own a Keron but only dared to use it when tandem kayaking. Great tent. :-)

mtn.cyclist

Here's my BA Scout Plus UL2 behind the school in Como, CO. There's a lot I like about this tent but it needs trekking poles to pitch. I think I'll replace it with something free standing for cycling.

mdilthey

First night in the new tent. It's an Exped Orion II, a 4-season tent we'll be using in an upcoming trip in Iceland. Really looking forward to putting this sucker through it's paces.

It has zip enclosures over the mesh doors to keep blowing sand and snow out, and it can withstand pretty serious gusts and hail. I don't think we're going to have any problems.

Vexxer

Does anyone have a recommendation on an inexpensive tent (in the US)? I know even less about camping then I do about touring bikes. I am a big guy. (6'5, 225lbs)

str

mstateglfr 

Do you want a 1 person or 2 person tent? The larger the tent, the heavier and larger itll be to carry(obviously).

REI brand, ALPS Mountaineering, and Eureka all have good options which are more expensive than Walmart Coleman tents, but way less expensive than BigAgnes, Marmot, MSR, and the likes.

We have one of these - Apex 2XT - 2 Person Tent | Eureka! Its a 2 person tent with 2 vestibules for plenty of gear storage out of the tent but still out of the elements. It isnt lightweight, but it also isnt expensive. Its typically around $110 online. Fiberglass poles instead of aluminum, just fyi. I dont care about not having aluminum for what we use the tent for and think they work well, but some swear fiberglass poles are as stable as a drunk at midnight.
I am your height and this tent is perfectly fine for fit.


Midori 2 Person Tent | Eureka! Aluminum poles, lighter weight, and still good size for height. A few more $, but a couple less pounds too.



The Alps Mountaineering tents are going to be $180-250 or so. I havent used one, but have been in groups where they are used and only heard good things, for what thats worth.

robow

For someone your size, I would highly recommend the REI Half Dome Plus since it is longer than standard tents at 98" long.

https://www.rei.com/product/878520/r...me-2-plus-tent

str

luker

We have used this for the last year...I could only find this one picture. Zpacks Duplex. Stout and durable, and really light. Not freestanding, but it has become part of our regular hotel load.

Colannon

my best one:

Papa Tom

Man, all these photos are re-igniting my burning desire to camp out just ONCE in my life, instead of always staying in hotels on my bike trips.

Are any of these small tents inexpensive enough to justify using once, and do they pack away tiny enough to fit on a rear rack? i don't want to have to modify my bike to carry one.

Squeezebox

Check out renting from REI.

str

kaos joe

Discontinued REI Roadster on the Erie Canal bank. My last 1-man tent, it met a violent death in a storm a few hours after this pic; the seams around that clear window in the fly failed and I got a bit wet. No more windows for me. REI gave me a refund on it.

The replacement on left, REI QuarterDome T2. No complaints. On the right is a 2 man Hilleberg winter tent. My friend is engaged in packing down the snow which was about 4 feet deep in that little hollow. Harriman S.P.

revcp 

My Warbonnet Blackbird at the Copper Range Campground north of Brule, Wisconsin, USA. This pic is from a short four day tour in April of 2016.

cyccommute 

REI rentals are one way to go. The REI Soho store rents equipment. I'm not sure what tents they would have and it would vary from season to season. There are other considerations as well, however. You'll need a sleeping bag and pad as well as cooking gear. You can probably rent most of that from REI as well. It's not going to be the lightest high end equipment but it will be good enough for just trying out the experience.

Although I don't usually send business their way, Helmart has some $50 to $75 1 and 2 person tents. They probably aren't that light nor that durable but they would probably do the trick for several trips.

As for carrying the tent and bag, that's what the rear rack is for:

bikemig 

That's a great tent. I have the half dome. It goes up easy, has good air movement, and holds up great in bad weather.

Hugh Morris

Here's a campsite in "slumber party" mode, with a buddy on my first multi-night tour last September (somewhere in Barnstable, MA, en route to Provincetown).





And here's a pic of my set up with the bugnet on there. Awful lighting; upped the exposure so you could at least see the bugnet under my tarp, but impossible to see the hammock and underquilt in there...




The tarp is a 12x10' DIY silpoly (custom fabric from ripstopbytheroll) rectangle with 10 tieouts (including the two for ridgeline). The bugnet is a "Fronkey", bottom entry area circled with shock cord; never fully closed until weight in the hammock seals the net around the circumference where it meets the underquilt/underside of the hammock. Hammock is a Butt In A Sling Camper XL i had made 12' long rather than the standard 11'. The underquilt is a Hammock Gear Incubator 20* and the top quilt is a poncho liner. Suspension uses 4' polyester straps 1" wide as "tree huggers" with Dutch's "whoopie hook" system.

thumpism 

If there are no places nearby to rent you can find very inexpensive tents and bags at Walmart or Dick's. I've seen stuff I'd not be afraid to try in the $30-40 range and the ALPS Meramac2 I bought from Campmor was under $100. Get a cheap fleece bag for summer use and be ready to camp. Tent and bag together should be compact enough to ride on top of your front or rear rack. You need not cook or carry the gear to do so. My bro-in-law took a nice stove on our last trip and dropped it off when we passed through town on our ride; he decided not to mess with it.

Squeezebox

You can get carbon poles at about 2 oz each. Zpacks I'm thinking. Maybe even a couple of dowel rods from home depot or such

BigAura

Hilleberg's are awesome. I say that from seeing them in action but never lugging them around. It'd be my choice for leisurely touring the world's outback

Papa Tom

REALLY? THAT cheap? I'd be sure not to go when rain is in the forecast, so I'm not worried about it being waterproof. I'm a total bug magnet, though, so it'd have to be pretty airtight!

robow

A friend that I tour with tends to watch his pennies closely and he purchased a tent for less than $50 at one of the big box sporting goods stores. It seemed to be pretty water tight and amazingly it wasn't that heavy, but it was a single wall tent with poor ventilation and the condensation in the mornings was terrible. But in the end, it's usable.