which tent?
 

am planning a long tour and have seen the vaude taurus ultralite tent (2kgs) which i like. it has a small porch for cooking in and as a 2 man tent its big enough for 1 man and gear. have also seen the cycle specific tents with a porch big enough for the bike. it weighs 3.5kgs. Is the weight worth the "security" of hiding your bike in the porch? any comments please.

I think the point is more to keep the bike out of the weather rather than security. If you are looking to minimize your weight I wouldn't bother with it.

Speedo

I just finished a nine month tour of South America and Canada and I did it with a tiny one person tent that I could set up anywhere (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885935). It was very light (1.3kg) and wonderful and was actually spacious enough to fit me and all my gear inside. In addition, I was able to cook in the vestibule! Obviously I could not fit my bike in it so it was left outside. Very very rarely did I lock it and it was fine. For half of the trip I didn't even have a lock.

3.5kg seems huge to me but it depends on what you want to do with it. If all you want is somewhere to sleep then it's too much. If you want to set up camp and chill for days at a time then maybe it'd be worth carrying it around. As for security, I wouldn't add several pounds of gear just to put your bike inside. You also have to think about where you want to camp. If you plan on bush camping you'll have a hell of a time finding a spot big enough for a large tent.

Haven't used the Taurus but it looks like a nice tent. I used a Vango Banshee 200 on my last tour but that was only 15 days in France. It weighs about the same, isn't freestanding but seems about half the price.

On the question of security I suppose it all depends on where you intend using it. In France I never felt the need to lock my bike.

So my answer to your question is probably no.

It wouldn't be to me.

I would neither cook in a tent nor use a tent in which cooking had been done in bear country.

I love my MSR Hubba Bubba http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/...-hubba/product
Weighs just over 4 lbs and sleeps 2 adults plus its compact, perfect for my upcoming bicycle camping trip. Paid $300 for it at REI and used it no less than 30 times in the last 3yrs I've owned it with out a single hitch.

They, also have a single person version, weighing less than 3 lbs and stores even more compact. I use to own this one but found it to be a little cramp which is why I upgraded to the 2 person model. retails for $250 http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/.../hubba/product

The Moss company, , bought out by MSR, had a Velo , it had a porch awning, on one side to park 2 bikes under, but, It weighed 10 pounds .
not made at present

USA made Stevenson Warmlite tents are good , Hoop tent, they are made with a double wall in the center between the hoops.
one of the options is to have it made with an awning on the sides [2 sippers] and a Mozzy window outside of the inner wall .
It has a inverted U zipper in the inner wall to open and close the liner and cover window
with out getting out of the sleeping bag.. maybe 3 pounds , all Sil Lite fabric.
you have color options ..

Oh and its all one piece, and as a hoop tent, You can put it up in a pretty stiff breeze,
the 2 person one has 2 stakes on the door end, one on the foot.

Stake down the foot with one stake on the windward direction,
poles go in the sleeves , tent stays flat on the ground.
then in one motion the tent goes up and the other stakes go in.
No wresting the tent and rainfly separately and maybe
having parts blow away from you.

i think that outside of big cities, bike theft is more often a crime of opportunity. i suppose hiding your bike in your tent may deflect the attention of thieves. i don't have any experience with those bike tents. i do use and like the msr hubba hubba. fairly light, too much space for 1 person, and really airy if you don't put the fly up. it's not the lightest or heaviest tent, but if you include the weight of the onguard bulldog u-lock and cable that i carry, it's probably heavier than any 4-season, 3 person backpacking tent. i think that a much lighter cable lock would be sufficient most of the time, but i'd rather not wonder what if.

I have a Mountain hardware litewedge 2. It can sleep 2 but you you'll be in love by morning, 1 w/gear isn't bad. I use alot for river trips. It is a light tent but the poles are rather long. Has anyone tried to cut the poles and put ferrules on to shorten the load a bit?

I don't worry about my bike at night, either being stolen or being rained on. As far as security goes, I chain it to the picnic table or a tree close to the tent. As far as the weather goes, bikes commonly get ridden in the rain - commuters, tourers, etc. So rain on the bike isn't an issue. The only thing I do is put a plastic bag over the saddle. Ever sit on a soaked saddle? I prefer mine dry. When I've ridden in the rain or had my bike sit out in it overnight, the chain usually needs to be oiled soon. I carry oil.

thank you all who replied to my which tent question. useful answers - problem solved. speak to you on the next question:)

I use and like my msr hubba hubba - only 1.8kg, is free-standing and can be put up with inner only.

I don't think the extra 1.5kg is worth it for security or for keeping the bike dry. I can think of lots of other things I would prefer to carry with the extra weight... although I'd prefer just not to carry the extra at all.

"cooking" many freeze dried foods involved boiling water, the pouring it into a ziplock bag with the ingredients and letting it stand for 10 minutes while everything re-hydrates.

I would not be worried about bears coming to my tent when cooking freeze dried foods in the vestibule.

However, I would never fry bacon in the vestibule.

Kifaru
 

here's a couple
a 4 man tipi over 6ft tall, 10' x 15' oval, at about 7lbs with the stove

and a ParaTarp which is 311gm alone


www.AsanaCycles.com

This is my little tent it works for me.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=164435
But I don't think they make this one any more.

i think the tipi design built around a wood/whatever burning stove is a cool design. i have camped in megamids and kivas, but i have never seen a design that integrates a stove like that. so i went to the kifaru site and... holy they are expensive! is there a reason or justification for the high price?

The paratarp looks good but for $189 can't I get a Hennessy hammock in ultralight form? http://www.hennessyhammock.com/catalogue.html Blues Frog

i suppose you'd have to email Kifaru with that question.
my initial response would be, hand made in the usa
i know thats a touchy subject, that we are all starting to come to grips with

on another note: having a stove/heat right next to you is some kind of luxury that I had ever experienced
the tipi actually has living space.
just the tipi with out the stove, is a whole different experience, its open, and cold.
the stove, dries things out, and you can stack rocks around the fire place, holding in the heat.
plus it has a clothes line up top, to dry your clothing
and you can literally sleep right next to the stove
and if you plan the wood situation just right, you can toss on some large pieces, close the vents, and let the coals smudge thru the night
in the morning, don't even get out of your sleeping bag, stir the ashes around, toss on some kindling, leave the door open, and poooof! fire and heat.

i suppose so
the obvious variables are where to pitch each shelter
the ParaTarp is very versatile

here's a cheapie vid i did http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dJtY...eature=channel

What size stove are you using in those pictures?

the ParaTarp has the ParaStove
I think I'm using a medium or a small stove in the 4 man.

bring the tent of your choice, and an ultralight siltarp to park bike under.

Integrate bike parking into tent guylines near tent and envelop with siltarp. Use tarp as a campsite shelter when its nasty.

i've not yet found a good integrated bike/tent shelter but the mid styles are okay at it. i want a silnylon pyramid in coyote but don't want to pay kifaru prices. maybe Oware.... but no coyote silnylon there. maybe i should ask him.