Bivies look too hot for summer weather. No ventillation. Perhaps they work in cooler climates or up on mountains, but I can't see getting much use out of one in the southern states. I do like my tarp tent as it provides great ventillation, lots of room, for significantly less weight and packed volume than most tents. I'm hoping the hammock will be similar.

Check out www.tarptent.com

I just bought my second tarptent this spring - the Cloudburst. Used one hiking the Long Trail for 2 1/2 weeks and the new one only on a 3-day tour so far. Roomy, light, packs super small (about half the listed size if you really squish it down - about the size of a thermarest). Only thing I'd change is the length of the poles when broken down, just a bit too long for my panniers.

Ok, I don't want to be Mr Negative here, but what is the point of using a tent requiring trekking poles when we're talking about bike touring? If you're backpacking & like hiking with poles, then its a great weight-saving solution. But if you're biking, uh, I fail to see the advantage.

Not sure if that was specifically in regards to the Tarptent, but to clarify: Some models give you the option of using a trekking pole in place of one of the poles. But they all come standard with their own tent poles. So they don't require trekking poles.

I'm retracting any initial positive comments on the akto tent or the hilleberg company! I made the mistake of taking this on a tour last fall and regretted it - every single morning of my trip when I had to dodge dripping condensation from the ceiling of that $#@!! 'tent'. I also regretted having to wait every morning for an hour and a half for the tent to dry inside before I got on the road. And now that I recall,the one million and one strings hanging off the tent in all directions for stakes, guylines, etc. get old after a while...

I could add extensive details, but suffice to say that in temperatures ~+70-20 centigrade, with all possible vents (and often the door as well), often with evening breeze, and with just myself inside (...), the condensation was far worse than I'd believed possible. with luck I didn't have much serious rain, but when it did rain hard for 14 hours straight the only thing that kept me from getting totally wet was my sleeping bag... everything in the 'tent' was soaked.

I really cannot imagine in what conditions one could avoid condensation - 20 degrees in the desert with a steady wind and no one in the tent?

Another thing that annoyed me was that through several attempts to let the company know about my experience (I wondered... was the 'breathable but water repellent' tent material somehow inside-out, thus drawing water in and repelling water to evaporate out?), I didn't get a single reply or explanation of what might have gone wrong (or apology,which is what was in order). They were very fast to reply when i was asking about buying one though...

This fall's tour (UP Michigan) I'm bringing my trusty and heavy old Timberline, which I've toured with before - screw the weight, I want to stay dry and to be able to fold the tent up in the morning and go! The extra four pounds of the timberline over the akto are nothing compared to the tons of disappointment and misery the akto provided. And the thing gets air too.

Don't you wish you could buy about 10 tents and try them each out on a 2-week tour? It's hard, when you're in the store, to anticipate all the issues that will come up.

I started with a Eureka Timberline - the XL version they sold about 15 years ago that was 8' x 5'. I'm 6'4" tall, so I thought I needed a larger tent that I could stretch out it. It was great for stretching out, it never leaked (after I seam-sealed it), and it was durable. I still have it today, and I still use it every once in awhile. However, it was heavy. I think it weighs about 10 lbs. When I developed a spoke-breaking problem that spoiled my fun, I vowed to get lighter equipment.

My next touring tent was a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight, which I still use today when I'm by myself. I couldn't imagine having 2 people sleep in it, but it works great as a single. It is a little short for me - when I'm lying in bed reading, something is always rubbing the walls of the tent - either my head or my feet. I can sit up straight, but only if I'm right up at the head of the tent. It is usually dry, although this summer I was in an all-night downpour and a little water came in by my feet. I had a newspaper in the tent with me. I put it at the bottom of the tent and it soaked up the little water that came in and my sleeping bag stayed dry. It also doesn't have much ventilation. On hot days afternoons you really can't stay in it, unless you have the fly off and the bugscreen door open. But one reason I want to go in my tent during the day is to get away from mosquitoes, so the Clip Flashlight really isn't very good for that. It also isn't freestanding. That has never been an issue for me, but I can anticipate times when it would be. The good thing about the tent is that it is really light and packs really small.

I also have a Taj 3 from REI. I bought it in hopes that my wife would go touring with me. It's heavy but if we share the load I don't think it will be bad. I also bought it for backpacking with our dogs, because there's a little extra room on each side, just enough for a dog (we have 2). We haven't used it yet, but I think it will be an excellent tent - a bit heavy, like I said, but not bad for 2.

I've been looking at the Big Agnes Seedhouse - the lightweight 2-person one. I'm looking at it because it's light, and because the tent itself looks like it's pretty much all mosquito netting. It seems like it would be a great tent to have on a warm afternoon with lots of mosquitoes. You could hide out in it and not be overly hot. I also like that it's more roomy than my Clip Flashlight. I'm guessing that it stays dry in serious rain. It's light, and it's free-standing. I don't know how compactly it packs up. The bad thing is that it's 5 inches shorter than my Clip Flashlight, which is already a bit short. That might be a dealbreaker for me.

Hey Big Blue Toe - I'm 6'3 1/2" and the 2 person big agnes seedhouse SL2 is what I use. The way you describe what appeals to you applies to the tent. It does have great ventilation and it weighs very little AND packs up small. Either your feet or your head are going to rub on it though, but not much and it's not enough to bother me.

I'd suggest checking out the gear forum at www.backpacker.com.

For lightweight I'd suggest the Black Diamond tents made from Epic.
If price isn't an object consider a Bibler I Tent, Eldorado or Pinon

yeah, the BD epic tents are very nice- I've got a BD lighthouse- lots of room, pack up small. still use just a tarp for many trips though.