abbynemmy

I'm just getting into touring. What do you think of this?.

https://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...103&hasJS=true

filtersweep

I assume you are joking- that thing is massive.

wrafl

That's massive as filtersweep indicated. For few more bucks, get this kind.

https://www.hennessyhammock.com/

stokell

Hi,
I'm somewhat of a stealth camping aficionado. That's all I do.

I highly recommend the Hennessy. It has all the advantages of a hammock (no worry about what's on the ground), with the advantages of a small tent (one model claims it can take 2 people).

Check out my journal on stealth camping. I've been doing this for more than 5 years and I have found the Hennessy to be the best!

mike

It is reasonably lightweight and packs small. That is good. It is also camo which is good for stealth camping.

However, it appears to be a lean-to with open sides. Is this understanding correct?

If yes, you might do well to just use a camo tarp cheap, lightweight, and folds up small.

My thinking on touring tents for the solo camper is that the old-school traditional single-wall pup tent serves a person better. They weigh in at about 2.5 lbs with poles. They serve the purpose of keeping bugs AND SNAKES out as well as doing a fair enough job of keeping out rain. A rain-fly makes the rig even better if you don't mind the extra weight and space.

Sleeping in open tents is OK in the northern climates in cool weather when you only have to worry about rain. However, camping in the south is a different story. In Oklahoma, Texas, parts of easter Colorado, and other places, it is not at all uncommon to wake up and find snakes and scorpions cuddled up beside you, under your sleeping bag, and in your boots. That makes for some spooky sleeping. Even in the north, the mosquitoes can get so bad that sleeping can only be done with the bag zipped up over your head - a miserable night to be sure, especially if it is coupled with a damp rain and muggy weather.

kjmillig

I wouldn't pay $99 for that Cabela's rig. For cheap, easy, and lightweight, I've used a brown tarp and a mosquito net with decent results if it's not raining hard. Yeah, a snake next to me would leave a wet bedroll and me up a tree.

wahoonc

I use an older Coleman Exponent tent the Onyx2 IIRC it weighs in around 3.5#'s at minimum pack weight. I have been looking at the Hennessey but can't justify the expense...yet I used to do super lightweight backpacking. We used to camp with nothing more than a big square of 6 mil plastic and some tarp locks with 550 cord for guy lines. All we carried would fit in a small day pack. That tent isn't bad, but I think there are better choices out there.

Aaron

mike

Same here. I camped countless times and treked thousands of miles with all our gear on our backs.

We used to build snow-caves in the winter as a matter of course. We brought one or two shovels and a couple pieces of plastic for ground cover.

Now, it seems that we are all lugging around all this junk and specialty stuff. Ya, it is nice and it works, but...

How did we do it, Aaron? Did we all get to be big sissies or something?

scubaluke

I am not 100% more like 90% but I think the awning actually acts as a door and zips on to the tent body.

McDave

That is correct. If you look closely at the top you can see the curved zipper that matches the opening's curves. With the flap down the tent is 40" x 40" x 86". Hardly massive in my book, packs down to 5" x 16" and weighs between 2lbs 6oz and 3lbs 5oz. I like it!

Niles H.

Kelty and Eureka make some good, reasonably priced tents.

Free-standing designs have some advantages.

Niles H.

In windy conditions, there are some other designs that would hold up better.

Also, for versatility, it helps to consider the advantages of having a lot of netting.

Full netting (or something close) plus rainfly is some people's preferred way to go.

Takara

There appear to be many conceptions out there of what "stealth" camping entails, so maybe I just don't get the mindset here, but for me the whole idea of pitching a tent, however camouflage-patterned, is, well, unstealthy.

I opt for a sleeping bag and a tarp, down low and out of sight. If there's a chance of rain, I'll rehearse erecting a bit of shelter with the tarp before I go to sleep -- if it starts to sprinkle I'll wake up halfway and improvise. If there are bugs, I have a nice tube of mosquito netting that is supposed to ride around on the brim of a straw hat but also works to keep critters off your face as you sleep.

I've never been discovered and banished from a stealth campsite, but if it ever happens, I'd rather not be blind inside a tent when I awake to the sound of approaching footsteps and the sweep of flashlights. If it ever happens, I'd rather not have to plead for extra time to collapse my poles, roll up and stuff my tent, and search around for a missing stake.

My goal is really to be invisible -- so site selection is important, and things like tents, campfires, and shiny bikes leaned against trees are extravagances to be saved for when I'm not being stealthy.

The absolute guru of this approach is Colin Fletcher in the various editions of his backpacking Bible, The Complete Walker. I don't know if Colin ever did any biking, but his camping ethos as a walker is perfectly suited to our purposes. His ease and confidence are infectious, too. If camping while not zipped into an outdoors-obliterating nylon cocoon sounds frightening or uncomfortable, this is the fascinating book to read before you go . . . and before you buy any more fancy equipment.

knatchwa

it is interesting to explore the options there was additional information that Ken Kifer had offered in that sense promoting a light footprint, seems very much like my conception of what would be stealth camping. I have only really had one time where I just bed down with only a sleeping bag under a hanging tree. Of course I am always interesting in learning new ways to do things.

becnal

Looks cool, but I would get something much shorter. Like https://www.surplusandadventure.com/i...opscr2259.html

Actually, I use a Hennessy, and will never use anything else.

n4zou

+1
I never purchase tents. All you need is a camouflage tarp, a little rope, and a few stakes. I use my bicycle as a ridge pole when trees are unavailable for support. It's also disposable. I don't need to store it and just purchase a new tarp before starting a tour. Here is a link to a page with tarp tent shelter designs if you want something other than your classic A-frame style tarp shelter.
https://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm

Bekologist

google "improved combat shelter' or' herculeswear' for a much better, albiet heavier 'stealth' tent.

any drab shelter is better than a bright one. that cabelas tent looks to not have enough ventilation, in a rainy night or with the flaps shut you will be quite wet on the inside....

but i think its' kind of cool nonetheless..... looks like an old trapper/voyageur tent, just like the good old days..... I wouldn't bring it but go for it if you like the features.

cookecustomsewing does variants of that tent made with silnylon.... its a pretty classic design.


check out these closeout shelters by Golite.......

https://www.sierratradingpost.com/sea...&searchWithin=

mijome07

What about this from Eureka! ?