Yea, you could go with the winner of the 2011 Backpackers Editors' Choice Award which was the Kelty Salida 2 for more floor space and lighter weight.

Well, the only other tent I really like is the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2, so comparing these two, the Kelty is over 1 pound heavier, but has a more open and larger headroom area, more functionality, and packs down to a much shorter size, making it a lot easier to fit in panniers and whatever other bag you may want to. I see some trade-offs both ways, but considering them both, the functionality and short pack size of the Kelty has me swayed to it. I know the Seedhouse fly is constructed of a Silnylon material, and what it should offer superior rain protection, which is a serious consideration as well. I don't like just one door and one vestibule blocking it, And then there's the issue with the drip-line gong straight down into the inside of the tent itself. Do you think the additional 1 lb. 7 oz. weight increase of the TN2 compared to the Seedhouse will be that big of an issue? Ah, this is a tough decision! lol

How do you figure it packs down to much smaller size? The Big Anges tent pack size is 6.5"x16" (104 Sq Inches) and the Kelty is 11"x14" (154 Sq Inches)

The Big Anges minimum weight is 2lbs 11oz (43oz) and the Kelty is 4lbs 4oz (68oz). That means the Kelty is nearly 60% heavier than the Big Anges.

That's a fairly big difference in favor of the Big Anges.

Someone correct me if my math is somehow wrong there. It's not my strong point.

11x14 is almost square. Based on my experience with stuffing my large sleeping bag into one of my cavernous Ortlieb Back Packer Plus panniers, I think stuffing an tent that size into a pannier will take up a lot more room that you might imagine. And I don't understand the desire to put the tent in a pannier anyway. Why not simply strap it to the rear rack like the overwhelming majority of people I have seen touring (and toured with) do/have done?


As for configuration (e.g., headroom, No. of doors, etc.), those are purely personal matters. And if you are carrying a lot of this and that, you might find that being able to drop 1.5 lbs. from one item could make a difference. In fact, if you will be carrying a lot of this and that, I recommend that you do try to drop weight from items like pads and sleeping bags.

I'll have to try that. I've always put my tent in my pannier and strapped my sleeping bag to the rear rack. Not sure why it never crossed my mind to switch them around.

It looks like a good tent, and lighter than the Trail Ridge. Even better for bike camping. Kelty does not specify what the quality of waterproofing is for the fly, but I imagine it is 1800. Good waterproofing is where most of a tent's weight will come from.
Oh, and while you're shopping, pick up about 12 yards of HUNTING CAMO TRUE TIMBER NEW CONCEAL FABRIC 60" POLY SOFT TAFFETA CAMOUFLAGE | eBay

...the sensible choice of discreet campers everywhere.

The OP said "shorter" not "smaller" and the BA spec of 4.5x18.5" is cylindrical so the volume should be 294 ci (~5 liters). The Kelty shows a rectangular packed shape in on its site, but without the third depth dimension - my guess is that it's 11x14x3or4" which is 462 or 616 ci (~7.5-10 liters). While the interior floor space is about the same, the BA vestibule is 8 sf, vs the Kelty at 20 sf (2x10) and a lot more useable, and clearly the headroom is better.

If you want to pack a tent as one piece, it is always better to keep the weight low in a pannier, with the less dense sleeping bag up higher on the rack (assume dry bag). But that said, the 18.5" of the BA are obviously the poles, so you can always separate just the poles for the top of the rack. Then again, I personally like everything tucked away into a bag for cleaner appearance, less fiddling/items, and quicker, easier on/off.

IMHO, the Kelty will be a lot more comfortable if holed up for a day or two in bad weather, but I do agree with others that there's a big weight/volume penalty for that. For perspective of the other extreme end of the spectrum, there're ultra-lighters like me who's entire "house" (tent, sleeping bag, pad, kitchen) is ~5lb/10L and it all packs into a single pannier, even adding another 12lbs of clothing, gadgets, food, and water. But I'm a just a short tourer typically out a week or less, whereas the OP sounds like he'll be nearly living out of his rig for an extended period of time.

Tough call, we all have our own priorities... good luck in your decision.

That appears to be a "spring green" that will blend in in spring-time, but less-so in summer. The grey fly will probably give the appearance of a large rock. Myself, I take no chances while I am out for a day-hike, away from the tent: I cover it in camo.

[MENTION=74388]reppans[/MENTION] covered it well. Also I'm not interested in the "minimum weight", but rather the full tent assembly with all components, because that's what I'll always have with me. I'm not in too big of a hurry here, so I'm taking my time and not ruling out anything within reason of course right now. Thanks all of your help and input, I really appreciate it. Clearly there is no perfect anything in this world, tents included, but while I have the luxury this side of the purchase to be extremely picky, I'll keep at this for a bit longer before dropping the cash. It looks like there's always some stupid trade-off manufactured into each tent. For instance, I don't understand why BA couldn't have just extended the front of that tent a bit more for a proper drip-line.

Same difference.

+1 on the pole idea. Mine go on the rear rack across my sleeping bag.

One other potential benefit of the Kelty's dual door/vestibule design is that it might also satisfy your desire for a "bike garage" as you indicate in your other thread. You might have to flip the bike upside down to match the sloping fly, and tie-up a wheel to a corner pole for stability, but I'd bet it would work fine. You really don't need two large doors/vestibules while solo. I gotta to admit that I love having my bike totally protected from weather and theft when it's inside the tent with me .

[MENTION=440430]AdvXtrm[/MENTION]

Not sure if it interest you but someone in the ACA Classifieds is selling a new Big Agnes Speedhouse 1 for $160

fwiw, I own a BA SL2 and a pair of Kelty tents designed similar to the one above. The SL2 is more comfortable to carry on my bike but the Kelty tents are more comfortable to spend time in. Your choice.

I'm thinking on getting a lightweight tarp, attaching it to two of the tent corners, and draping it over and attaching it to my bike.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I've come across a few other tents today, one of which I'm likely going with. I'll be posting on them next.

So here is the BA Seedhouse style design done with a proper entry-way and drip-line. BA needs to get with the program on this!

Mountain Hardwear - Ghost UL 2 Tent

Did a whole lot more research today. I think this one's a fair comprise weight-wise with great functionality and a more durable level of materials compared to the ultra-lights. it's got excellent legit reviews, and looks to be among the most if not the most durable and harsh weather resistant tents in its class. I also like the lighting feature. I think it's a great option for lighting needs depending on the situation. My only complaint is the pack length of 21", which is surely due to pole length, so those will have be strapped to the bike elsewhere. All in all, for what I'm looking for in a tent, I don't think this one can be beat by anything else currently on the market. I'm really liking this one!

Big Agnes - Rattlesnake SL2 mtnGLO

* Big Heads-up Here !!!

Well, I was settled on that BA Rattlesnake tent, but ouch, that thing is more expensive than I could afford, and then the footprint was ridiculous money on top of that. I just figured I'd try and wait as long as I could, and hope some good sale would come up before I had the chance to go out on a short first time tour. I looked around pretty good this morning, but I could not find any kind of sale on it anywhere. Everyone I found selling it had it at $350 for the tent, and $60 for the footprint, so that's about $410 for the set; ouch! Yeah, I was pretty bummed out! Well today I was just looking for more reviews to check out, and I just happen to come across what looked to me to be an unbelievable deal on both. I mean it, I literally didn't believe it was legit, but it looks like it surely is! Woohoo! So yep, I just ordered it up!

Here's the deal I found if anyone else is interested! It's the "Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL 2 mtnGLO" and the "Matching Footprint" as a package for only $209.97! That's about $200 bucks off!

Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL 2 mtnGLO Tent and Footprint Package Deal!

My wife and I take a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3 on our tandem. Can't go wrong with Big Agnes. I second the notion of more room. I hate it when my bag can touch the tub floor walls. Plus we can bring in our panniers, all our gear, just fine.

Glad you were finally able to settle on a tent. I've never seen a tent with an LED light strip sewn into the seems though. Not sure how I feel about that.

The footprint is a moot point to a lot of people including myself. Added unnecessary weight/space.

Let us all know how it works out for you.

That's awesome! It must be amazing to have a woman in your life to share your love of bicycling/touring with!

I will for sure. It's coming ground shipping, so I guess 5-10 days. I'll set it up here at home and play around with it when it arrives. The lighting feature didn't sway my decision one way or the other, but after watching all the vids and reading all the reviews I could find on it, I see some real utility and usefulness to it.

I'm getting very close to having all the gear I need for a my first ever tour. I still need to do more local day rides, then I plan on setting out on a few overnighters before going on any further and longer tours. Seeing how my old busted up and beaten half to death body holds up will be quite revealing, but I'm actually expecting that the more I ride, the healthier I'll become; that's the hope anyways. I've never even camped much, so that's still a pretty new thing to me as well. I know it's going to be an amazing learning and fun experience, but one helluva a time of year to be doing it for the first time! lol

The only way to train for a long tour is just to ride. I didn't touch my bike for 8 months before I left on my 5,177 mile cross country ride this May. The first two weeks of the trip included going over the Cascades, the Bitteroots, the Rockies (four times) and the Grand Tetons. I've been told it takes your body about two weeks to get into touring shape. By the end of my first two weeks I was over 90% of the hard stuff and the rest was relatively easy. Even now my bike sits in the garage. Haven't ridden it since September. Probably won't touch it until I leave for the Southern Tier on February 15th.

You'll enjoy it though! Oddly enough I was only home for 4 days before I went camping again after spending nearly 100 days on the road this summer. Over 60 of those were camping. 10 at WarmShowers host. 20 at friends & family. 3 in hotels.

I didn't see where your trip is to/from and when you're going. I'll have to go back and find that information.

Well, as for where, my initial tour or tours will be near and on the West Coast of SOCAL, because that's where I live. I plan on moving out to TX by the end of next year though, so once I'm settled out there, I think I'd like to head for the East Coast on tour if I'm able. I'm the big dreamer shoot for the stars type, but my poor beat and busted up old body is an issue to contend with. I suspect that the more I ride the healthier I will become,or at least I hope so. For the few little local rides I've done so far, I've only had a destination in mind once, and I used my phone GPS to help me get to the trail, and to check stats and such. I've considered getting a Garmin GPS (not computer) so that I have a dedicated, more rugged, and waterproof unit, but that's a lot of money, and I consider it a non-essential right now. Otherwise I've almost got my bike all setup and rigged, and my camping supplies too.

Sounds fun! How close to San Diego?

I have a Garmin but it's been sitting in the garage since I got it. I'm not into technology very much. Just carry my iPhone with me.

When you get around it it, post your gear list in a new thread maybe. Could he helpful to you.

Goodnight 😴

Great advise, and I will soon. You have a great sleep there, g'night friend.

I think the BA Rattlesnake looks a lot like the Copper Spur. But the Rattlesnake is 1 lb heavier. I wonder where the extra wt comes from.
mountain glow seems silly to me, at least at first. But I do have a 1 oz flashlight clipped into the ceiling loop of my tent.