Tents, tents, oh, what tent?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:19 pm
I need to buy a tent. My Tarptent Moment is slowly dying. The floor now seeps. Zippers broken. Twice replaced.
Mixed feelings on the Tarptent. Loved the light weight. Loved the room. Hated the condensation. Hate the stretch factor of Sil Nylon. But the real issue was the "misting". Even though I intellectually know that the misting during heavy rain is not necessarily a deal breaker, it always freaked me out when I was days from the nearest trailhead, stuck in a severe storm, and anxious. I would pack up my sleeping bag, sit on my sleeping pad in my rain clothes, and freeze until the storm stopped, in fear of tent failure. And after the deluge, it would freeze, and the inside of the tent looked like that Russian house, full of hoarfrost in Doctor Zihgavo! The tent never failed but I am such a worrywart that I need a tent that really FEELS secure. And I am getting older, more weight is an issue. 3-4 pound tent, maybe; 5 pound tent- NO. I want to be able to sit out a severe storm in peace, and not get soaked in a week-long deluge. Must be very wind-worthy too.
My "dream tent" has always been a Hilleburg. All about $650 - $700! For that price, I would expect a bombproof tent. They have two solo tents that are in the 3lb range. But will I really get a tent twice if not more better than another Tarptent that I can get for about $300 or less? The fly psi ratings are twice of the lightweight Big Agnes Tents. The double door on the newer Moment has solved some of the condensation issues. But the material is the same - still with misting issues. On the whole, I always feel more secure in a double wall tent. I do about half of my backpacking in Wyoming where weather is a bit more intense. Wind definitely a big issue and I get far into the mountains, where during a storm you simply cannot walk out. You have to ride it out. Since few people have Hilleburg tents, it is hard to get first-person opinions.
Any suggestions would be helpful. Not saying that I have an upper limit, but $400 is about all I really want to spend.
Mixed feelings on the Tarptent. Loved the light weight. Loved the room. Hated the condensation. Hate the stretch factor of Sil Nylon. But the real issue was the "misting". Even though I intellectually know that the misting during heavy rain is not necessarily a deal breaker, it always freaked me out when I was days from the nearest trailhead, stuck in a severe storm, and anxious. I would pack up my sleeping bag, sit on my sleeping pad in my rain clothes, and freeze until the storm stopped, in fear of tent failure. And after the deluge, it would freeze, and the inside of the tent looked like that Russian house, full of hoarfrost in Doctor Zihgavo! The tent never failed but I am such a worrywart that I need a tent that really FEELS secure. And I am getting older, more weight is an issue. 3-4 pound tent, maybe; 5 pound tent- NO. I want to be able to sit out a severe storm in peace, and not get soaked in a week-long deluge. Must be very wind-worthy too.
My "dream tent" has always been a Hilleburg. All about $650 - $700! For that price, I would expect a bombproof tent. They have two solo tents that are in the 3lb range. But will I really get a tent twice if not more better than another Tarptent that I can get for about $300 or less? The fly psi ratings are twice of the lightweight Big Agnes Tents. The double door on the newer Moment has solved some of the condensation issues. But the material is the same - still with misting issues. On the whole, I always feel more secure in a double wall tent. I do about half of my backpacking in Wyoming where weather is a bit more intense. Wind definitely a big issue and I get far into the mountains, where during a storm you simply cannot walk out. You have to ride it out. Since few people have Hilleburg tents, it is hard to get first-person opinions.
Any suggestions would be helpful. Not saying that I have an upper limit, but $400 is about all I really want to spend.