I use mine with a marmot mesh bivy when solo-- keeps the bugs out, and it's like sleeping in a giant vestibule. I have the Shangri-La 4+, the floor, and the nest-- lots of modular possibilities. Not as light as some of what is posted here, but very light for what you get. I would definitely take it if the tour were going to hit a lot of wet weather.

Start another thread....

As a for what it is worth:

I have done a large amount of 3 season hiking with a Eureka Zeus 1 and 2, and have found them to be phenomenal dirt cheap single wall tents. The 2 still seems to be available, but the 1 may be discontinued. I have used it from March to November in the northeast, and never had an issue with pouring rain or freezing temperatures. Also, with me being 6'3.5", it is one of the few families of tents that are long enough for me and my 30 lb dog to spend a night in comfortably.

I have never bike camped, and am just looking at starting it. I looked at tarps, but am really having trouble seeing the advantage over the stuff I already have.

I would be surprised if something like that exists, at least in light weight format, especially if you are looking to get all 4 panniers inside.

You should be able to ask the REI salespeople to set up any tent they have in stock.

I've had my eye on LLBean's Microlight 2, about $220 and Beans often has 10-15% off sales. They back up everything they sell as well. That tent was highly thought of in backpacker reviews. The MSR Hubba Hubba looks good as well as many others.

I swear by the line of NEMO Tents. I use a Nano model. Now change somewhat and called the Obi 2P. I use their other tents for backpacking. Always bomb proof and NEVER leak a drop. Their designs are amazing. Below is a website link to view the Obi 2P. The Nemo site has a model to fit any need. Some are ultra lightweight.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/acce...nt-obi-2p.html

Get a 2 person rectangular dome with doors on each side. You will have a good view out of the tent no matter what side you're laying on, it has good ventilation, and it is easier to get in and out of than an end entry tent. When you lay in an end entry tent all you see is tent, blah.

I live walking distance to an REI and I've got a ton of stuff from there but it's mostly from REI garage sales (and residential yard sales). With their merely 1 year warranty they are just "meh" now. I hardly ever shop retail prices anyways.

Any of the name brand, free standing, double wall tents will work. I prefer Sierra Designs, but that is only because they were the first to come out with clips instead of pole sleeves. A good tent is a good investment. Tents are one area that you generally get what you pay for.

The model we use for bike touring and true 3-season camping is the Sierra Design Lightning 2. It has seen hard use for 8 years, and is still in good shape. It weighs in right at 4 lbs, and is easy to set up.

Tent with rainfly. Yes she is enjoying the sun. We had 35 days of rain on this trip.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...d909e8d851.jpg

Lightning 2 without the rainfly. There is enough mesh for good ventilation, but not enough to be uncomfortable in warm weather. Note clips connecting tent to poles.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...c01454c9bb.jpg

My tent and rainfly stuffed into the blue compression bag. It is about the size of a loaf of bread.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...c412c0b5c3.jpg

It also works well for late fall and early spring trips.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...chmanFlats.jpg

just looked this up. this tent looks like a winner to me. price is right. layout is right. weight is excellent. and LL Bean stuff is usually excellent.

The following statement is straight out of my trip journal while on the TransAm tour in 2012.
Kelty Grand Mesa 2. I found it at a good price. I've tested it in some very severe conditions already...very high winds, and horizontal rains! It stayed up (I didn't fly away), and it never leaked a drop. I previously used a Sierra Clip 2 which never failed me. The only problem with it was it was not freestanding. The Kelty is, and has a bit more room, and is less than a pound heavier than the Sierra. It isn't an awful bright orange color either, so if I have to stealth camp, I can do so a little less brightly!

PS. The Sierra Designs also come with optional feet, just in case you want to move it. However, they (the feet) are expensive:)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...1d1915034c.jpg

Thanks, everyone. Now I'm more confused than ever. Not really. Anyway, the tent I want is for me and my gear - so a roomy 1 person or a 2 person tent. Since I read a lot about the benefits of a Hubba Hubba on other sites, I'm down to that and a Big Agnus. Any comments on the MSR?

it really is going to come down to a combo of all the various factors, how much you will use it, how much you want to spend, a slightly heavier tent will last more years because the material is heavier, zippers perhaps better etc, just as a more expensive tent vs a really cheap one. You could spend less and have a great time on a trip, single tents like the Eureka Spitfire at just over $100 could be fine, although its not a freestanding tent.
Some tent designs are just plain better in big winds, heavy rain. The Coleman stove shown earlier is cheap, but in a big wind storm it is more likely to break poles than other designs.

so many factors in tent chosing, visiting stores with actual put up tents is a big bonus, to see actual size and try laying down in them to see actual space.

I have a hubba hubba, but only used it last summer. It, like all the really light tents, are a compromise of weight/durability. Good luck evaluating all the various aspects.

wife rejected this. sadface. she wants to pick it out herself. women. pssh.
:lol:

MSR Hubba. Or the Hubba Hubba if you want more room. Best tent I have used BY FAR!

The Big Agnes Copper Spur line tents are almost as light as their Fly Creek models but have much more usable space, higher ceilings, etc. Prices aren't bad if you catch them on sale.

http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Spitfir...pitfire+2+tent

this is what I bought. I go for 3-4 nights at a time, a lot in Europe. Lightweight, packed very small, and held up to some pretty good rain.

tarptent.
my contrail on the left, moment on the right.
do over again, i'd get a moment.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/1...3255bc6d_b.jpg
my contrail and wil's moment by mbeganyi, on Flickr

contrail packs smaller and is lighter, but is a tiny bit harder to pitch (minute or two, max)
moment is a bit larger, packs larger, pitches in about 30 seconds.

I used the LL Bean Microlight FS 2-Person Tent this year and have been happy with it. I got it for around $200 on sale. It has 2 side doors and 2 vestibules on the side. I have lots of room to store my 4 panniers on one side and sleep on the other side. If it is warm I open both vestibules and usually get a good cross draft. It has a loop to hang my light and a small pocket to keep small items for easy access. It is just under 4 lbs without a ground cloth. I felt it was a good deal for the price.

I have an MSR Hubba solo tent that has been great! Light, compact, easy to set up, versatile, good head room to sit up in (I'm 6'-3"), rainfly w/ vestibule, and not too expensive. You can even set it up as a tarp shelter with the fly on the frame without the tent. If you need more room you can get the Hubba Hubba 2 person tent. REVIEW

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/wp..._o-588x365.jpg

I got this one for around $100 at REI in 2008. Still use it on my annual summer tours.
Click Here for the video

I have a Black Diamond Lighthouse (single walled) made out of Epic fiber and have used it for a few years. But on the Trans Am it failed in long hard rains and am looking to replace it.
My requirements are free standing two person, double walled tent, ~4 pounds and a height of at least 40 inches. I have narrowed the possibilities down to two;
Traptent Scrap 2 and Big Agnes Slater UL2. I am leaning towards the Big Agnes at under 3 lbs. Both, however, are over $300.

lighter costs more , and at $300 they already lowered the labor to sew it up by using the Chinese workers.

The virtue of this style tent is it only really needs two stakes to pull out the vestibules, and even there it's optional. Some campsites are too sandy or rocky to use stakes.

I got a Big Agnus Copper Spur UL2 - deeply discounted. It's easy and fast to set up. I'll let you know how it works out on the long tour.

I use a Eureka! Solitaire.
It's fairly light and rolled up with my sleeping pad and quilt, it takes up less space than a sleeping bag.
I hang it between my drop bars. I've camped in high wind and rain with it.

Pros:
Regularly goes on sale at Academy Sports for $69.99 (online, it's usually $90 - $120, which is not horrible)
Sets up quickly.
Sturdy.
Built-in waterproof fly.

Cons:
Is not free-standing. Stakes or tie-outs are required.
Waterproof fly is built-in. In some climates, it would be nice to leave this at home.
Both of these "features" mean it could be lighter.
The small end has no screen option. This would increase the ability to cool off in the summer.

Hmmm--here's a one man tent that, at the cost of some extra weight, has a vestibule large enough for a bike and gear: http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/st...210-40620-0004

I'd also suggest Tarptent. Unlike everyone else, my experiences with the company (and Henry in particular) have been pretty ****ty, but that doesn't stop me recommending them. I've had two Sublites (in Tyvek, which failed catastrophically - but isn't relevant to silnylon tents) and a Rainshadow 3 (which I don't particularly like - but again, not relevant). I'll probably get a Double Rainbow or something smaller one of these days.

If going with Eureka the Spitfire is a much nicer tent IMO. It isn't freestanding but can be pitched with two tie out points for those times you ant to pitch it under a picnic shelter or whatever. It is available in 1 and 2 person models and is also inexpensive (~$100 for the 1 person). I have happily used the 1 person model a lot and like it better than a lot of tents costing much more.