High Sierra Topix

Always carry, seldom use. I feel claustrophobic in a tent, and set it up only if rain is threatening.

Doyle: I'm curious as to what type shelter you're using that only weighs 1lb.

Try here:
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/Shopexd.asp?id=36" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Mouse over the tent. 1 lb and 7.00 oz, actually. Slightly more with a Tyvek groundsheet. Still...

You can also look at Zpacks Hexamid - even lighter than a pound, it's 8.2 ounces.

Speaking of which, can anyone recommend a "real" tent, that weighs more than 1 pound but is still relatively light?

If by "real" you mean freestanding and double wall, about the lightest you can get will be the Big Agnes Fly Creek. I believe it's around 2 lbs. But it won't be cheap.

Not than any of them are.

quentinc wrote:Speaking of which, can anyone recommend a "real" tent, that weighs more than 1 pound but is still relatively light?

I've been happy with the North Face tadpole 23, which is not the lightest on the market, but isn't too heavy either, is fairly sturdy, freestanding, and, well, not exactly cheap, but not so expensive-- I think you can find it for ~$175 online. Definately not the best in any of those categories, but a pretty good compromise of all, in my opinion. It's not very big (I wouldn't get it if you're above average size), but I find that in cold weather that means it warms up fast (making lemonade out of lemons?), and in warm weather you can take off the fly and enjoy lots of mesh. It can also be set up as a floorless shelter (without having to buy a footprint) with just poles and fly. All that being said, I'm now thinking of buying a betamid to take advantage of the fact that I always carry trekking poles anyway, so why bother with a tent that requires it's own? Which reminds me-- are there any tent/shelters out there that use trekking poles for support but do NOT require a center pole?

What do you mean by real Q?
I have the Rainbow by Tarptent and have been through some pretty nasty weather.
It weighs in at about 2 lbs, but is very spacious for one person.
I used to carry a pancho/tarp weighing in at 10 oz, but the space was just to tight
when the weather turned nasty, especially when carrying over $13000 worth of
camera equipment.

I have this tent and absolutely love it:

https://www.sierradesigns.com/p-132-light-year-1.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I stand a tad over 6' tall and this tent is plenty roomy for me. Its full weight is just about 3 lbs. Not as light as tarptents, but with a full rain fly I think it would be tougher than a tarptent in really bad weather. And if the forecast is for sun, I just leave the fly at home, which puts the weight comparable to the tarptents. And at well under $200, the price was right too!

[quote: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/Shopexd.asp?id=36" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Mouse over the tent. 1 lb and 7.00 oz, actually. Slightly more with a Tyvek groundsheet. Still...[/quote]

the same company also sells this:

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=68" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the haven 2 tarp, which seems to answer my previous question about whether anyone makes a betamid type shelter based on treking poles but without the poles in the middle.

Does anyone have experience using the haven 2? or even seen it in real life?

Thanks for the recommendations. By "real," I meant what AlmostThere said -- freestanding and rain-proof. Also, easy to set up and no guying needed (e.g., in case there's nothing to secure a guy line to).

I see there is also a Double Rainbow (which sounds like an ice cream chain) Tarp Tent. I do like extra room to keep my backpack and other stuff in the tent. I've had marmots chew on virtually anything I've left outside.