Post a Photo of your Tent In Use (with bike preferred)
#176
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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.
#177
Senior Member
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.
#178
Senior Member
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.
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.
#179
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Between my two tents, there is a slight weight difference; the non FSer is lighter. Both are designed for two persons.
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.
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.
#180
Senior Member
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 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.
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.
#181
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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.
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.
#182
Senior Member
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.)
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.)
#184
40 yrs bike touring
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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.
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.
#185
Senior Member
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.
#186
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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


2) Camping inside a military checkpoint because of the risk of getting eaten by tigers in Bardia National Park, Nepal
3) Ditto
#187
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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.
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.