Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Post a Photo of your Tent In Use (with bike preferred)

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Post a Photo of your Tent In Use (with bike preferred)

Old 10-02-12, 10:13 AM
  #176  
HomeBrew Master!
 
Gus Riley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: West Central Illinois
Posts: 2,208

Bikes: Aegis Aro Svelte, Surly LHT, Cannondal R3000 tandem, Santana Triplet.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by staehpj1
FWIW, a non-freestanding tent of the sort that can be staked out by tying out the end points (like the Eureka Spitfire, Kelty Crestone, or similar) could be used quite easily as well in those situations you pictured.
Not trying to be too quarrelsome on the subject of ease of freestanding vs. non-freestanding; "...tying the end points..." is not done nearly as "...quite easily..." as you may think. I have toured extensively with a very good non-freestanding tent, (Serra Designs Clip II). It was and is a very good tent, but tying it down as a free stander would be a real pain in the “you-know-what” on tour compared to the ease of a freestanding tent.

My Sierra Designs Clip II tent. It never failed me. However, I placed a priority on a freestanding tent for my TransAm...I was never disappointed and always glad for the decision.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Non-free standing tent.jpg (66.4 KB, 38 views)
Gus Riley is offline  
Old 10-02-12, 10:25 AM
  #177  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,692
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1180 Post(s)
Liked 664 Times in 501 Posts
Originally Posted by Gus Riley
"...tying the end points..." is not done nearly as "...quite easily..." as you may think.
That is because the non free standing tent you mention is not the type of tent I am referring to. The tents I mentioned require tying out a single point on each end. I agree that the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 and other tents that would require tying out multiple points on each end would be a pain in those situations.

One like this is what I referring to. I have found it very easy to pitch on concrete in pavilions and I have done so many times.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
pDSP1-7241381p275w.jpg (19.8 KB, 18 views)
staehpj1 is offline  
Old 10-02-12, 07:56 PM
  #178  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 12,975
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2639 Post(s)
Liked 887 Times in 734 Posts
interesting, I find myself wondering about free standing vs not.
I dont think Ive slept in a non free standing one for , maybe 25 years, and so all my bike touring, canoe camping has generally been in free standers.
I dont really see the downside to freestanders vs non. Are some non lighter and such? I dont really see why they would be, but it must be in the pole design that makes a tent free or not.
I do admit that due to my experience with free, I am leaning to stay with free, as I like being able to move it around easily, or turn it upside down to dry or whatever.

I am open to suggestions and your experience with diff non models, but I think if the price diff is fairly small, as well as weight diff, Im more inclined to stick to what Im used to.
djb is offline  
Old 10-02-12, 08:15 PM
  #179  
HomeBrew Master!
 
Gus Riley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: West Central Illinois
Posts: 2,208

Bikes: Aegis Aro Svelte, Surly LHT, Cannondal R3000 tandem, Santana Triplet.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Between my two tents, there is a slight weight difference; the non FSer is lighter. Both are designed for two persons.

Originally Posted by djb
interesting, I find myself wondering about free standing vs not.
I dont think Ive slept in a non free standing one for , maybe 25 years, and so all my bike touring, canoe camping has generally been in free standers.
I dont really see the downside to freestanders vs non. Are some non lighter and such? I dont really see why they would be, but it must be in the pole design that makes a tent free or not.
I do admit that due to my experience with free, I am leaning to stay with free, as I like being able to move it around easily, or turn it upside down to dry or whatever.

I am open to suggestions and your experience with diff non models, but I think if the price diff is fairly small, as well as weight diff, Im more inclined to stick to what Im used to.
Gus Riley is offline  
Old 10-03-12, 05:27 AM
  #180  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,692
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1180 Post(s)
Liked 664 Times in 501 Posts
Originally Posted by djb
I dont really see the downside to freestanders vs non. Are some non lighter and such? I dont really see why they would be, but it must be in the pole design that makes a tent free or not.
I do admit that due to my experience with free, I am leaning to stay with free, as I like being able to move it around easily, or turn it upside down to dry or whatever.
Weight is on average a bit less for non freestanding tents, but tents vary in a number of different ways. So some of the lighter freestanding tents may be lighter than some heavier non freestanding ones of the same size, but in general freestanding means heavier. Weight is fairly important to me, so I have moved to non freestanding.

Freestanding tents do have advantages. The one not supported by non freestanding models that I find to be the biggest is the ease of drying them out by inverting them. I can live without that though. I find that in all other ways the difference is small if you pick a non free standing tent that can be staked out with a single stake or tie out on each end.

I have mostly been using a bivy for my recent tours and supplementing it with a micro tarp (5'x5'), but when I take a tent I find that the price, weight, and convenience of the Eureka Spitfire is hard to match. It is under $100 if you shop around and 2lb 12 oz (once you get rid of the heavy stakes and replace them with some MSR Needle Stakes). I find it to be the perfect size for the way I camp when I want to use a tent and the best compromise I have found. It is an easy pitch even on concrete and is easy enough to move. Overall it is a great tent at a bargain price.

That is all my personal preference, yours may well vary.
staehpj1 is offline  
Old 10-03-12, 01:59 PM
  #181  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,441
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Obviously tents that have to be designed to stand will have design focus heavily on that. It affects a lot of things. I think when you get to the venerable geodesic dome size and weight, you are at a sweet spot where everything pretty much works out great. But in lighter sizes they often look cool, but the compromise is pretty obvious. Lot of seams, weight, poor aero (as well as some of the best in certain designs). Lots of stakes in heavy weather, inexplicable if elegant shapes.

At one time the whole, what if you can't put in a peg thing got a lot of play, as ridiculous as it is for a competant person. However, now that tarps and hammocks are popular, and both put even heavier demands on tie downs, the issue on stakes looks even more tenuous.

That said if you find a free standing tent that hits all your needs and is free standing to boot, no downside. Keep in ming that freestanding tents almost always need stakes in bad weather. Sometimes a lot of stakes, and sometimes they have a lot of wind resistance.
MassiveD is offline  
Old 10-03-12, 03:11 PM
  #182  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 12,975
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2639 Post(s)
Liked 887 Times in 734 Posts
remember that in my case, I lugged around a 6lb or more Sierra Designs 3 person tent for years and years, just because I wanted a 3 person that really is good for 2 people and stuff inside. That SD is pretty darn old now, but the zippers and all still work well, and it has held up very well over the years.

so basically, even a 4 lb tent for me would be an improvement and one I could live with (that Flashlight jobee however does certainly seem pretty good for living space for one person, compared to "coffiny" ones Ive been in that were borrowed.)
djb is offline  
Old 10-22-12, 12:28 PM
  #183  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
My Civia Bryant and REI Quarter Dome in Confluence, PA. A great combo.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg
IMG_1091.jpg (98.2 KB, 34 views)
JackieO is offline  
Old 10-22-12, 01:46 PM
  #184  
40 yrs bike touring
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Santa Barbara,CA.
Posts: 1,021

Bikes: Bruce Gordon Ti Rock N Road [1989], Fat Chance Mountain Tandem [1988], Velo Orange Neutrino (2020)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
I have used the Stephenson's Warmlite 2R tent for bomb proof 4 season bike touring, kayak tours and backpacking for over 20 years. It is not free standing but only requires 3 stakes. In the most recent version the weight can be as low as 2#12ozs; the 2X version weighs even less @ 1# 12ozs. Seemingly expensive although amortized over 20+ years the yearly cost for me has been less than $20/year. [I shifted to the 2R from an excellent but heavy Moss free standing tent I used during the 1980's.]

When I do not need 4 season traits I use various other non-free standing shelters from shaped tarps- SMD's Gatewood Cape to Shire's Tarptents like the Contrail to WP/B eVent or GTX bivys. All can be deployed quickly. I too have never found a situation in which I could not erect one of my shelters.

Personal preference altered by experience is the best guide that i have found in choosing shelters.
arctos is offline  
Old 10-22-12, 04:43 PM
  #185  
Senior Member
 
Western Flyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 505

Bikes: Cannondale Topstone gravel bike Dahon MU folder w/2x8 speed internal drive train

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 59 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts


Custom altered GoLite Shangri La 1: 2 poles & 8 pegs

In my experience, thousands of years of human tent design and innovation, the classic A frame, non-free-standing pup tent still best fits the proportions of the single camper.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
2012-09-08_18-59-47_661.jpg (100.7 KB, 27 views)
Western Flyer is offline  
Old 10-22-12, 04:51 PM
  #186  
Senior Member
 
zeppinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 2,014

Bikes: Giant FCR3, Surly LHT

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
1) Camping on the banks of Quinghai Lake in central China
2) Camping inside a military checkpoint because of the risk of getting eaten by tigers in Bardia National Park, Nepal
3) Ditto
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
IMG_1870[1].jpg (97.6 KB, 21 views)
File Type: jpg
IMG_3313[1].jpg (98.4 KB, 20 views)
File Type: jpg
IMG_3314[1].jpg (100.4 KB, 22 views)
zeppinger is offline  
Old 10-22-12, 05:25 PM
  #187  
Senior Member
 
juggleaddict's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 866

Bikes: LHT

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Greenbrier Trail, WV, mile marker 4.7

This night was about 45, I had a sleeping bag (40 degree) and a blue sleeping pad.

It was miserable enough that I am going back to get a tent. I did have a profly over top but when I got there it was midnight and it was literally thrown over the paracord line just to protect me from dew.




I slept here the next night:



Bathroom, water, fire pit, and a picnic table were there as well. Wonderful night compared to the hammock. . .

The biggest issue I have found is that I cannot get situated in a hammock, perhaps I toss and turn too much during the night but It takes me at least 20 minutes from the time I get into the hammock to the point where I stop squirming about. . . oh and it was colder than I expected, even with the pad and sleeping bag.
juggleaddict is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stardognine
Touring
46
09-10-19 07:37 AM
MAK
Touring
10
02-24-16 09:27 AM
eric von zipper
Touring
11
04-27-10 03:50 PM
brawny
Touring
44
03-12-10 02:17 PM
CNY James
Touring
26
01-04-10 10:00 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -

Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.