Lightweight 2 Person Tent

[apeman45]

I've had a REI Quarterdome 3 for about 6 years and it has been very durable and survived 100mph winds and a foot of overnight snow and a JMT. The rainfly has finally started failing and isn't 100% waterproof but still works great and kept me mostly dry in an inch of rain in 1 hour thunderstorm on Mt Palomar. The newer models are thinner and lighter so not sure on durability. I just sprang for the BA copper spur HV 2 man which comes in at 3 pounds 1 ounce. I'm 6'3" and it's a palace for me as a solo tent. I've had it out on a 35 mile trip in Emigrant wilderness and loved it but the weather was good. It's similar to the quarter dome but more expensive and I wanted to be lighter. These tents are very thin material so you have to handle with care. Can't go wrong with Tarptents either. They make great tents that fit us tall guys too. The copper spur was the lightest double wall that worked for me. I have been in LOTS of terrible weather in the Sierra and wanted a double wall and 1 extra pound of weight was acceptable for me.

[Satchel Buddah]

A Zpacks Duplex is a great tent if you can stomach the price.
http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml
Been using one for 3 years and it's been fantastic. Large for 2 people, very airy and bright with the doors open, very light and compact, mosquito net, easy to pitch with hiking sticks, or tent poles, can be turned into a freestanding tent with extended tent poles. The tent also feels very solid if you pitch it neatly - If you do a lot of pitching on granite flats I would probably use the freestanding option.

Have not camped with it yet through a mean storm, but there is some crazy stuff on youtube so it should be ok.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZlCx7e9BWI

[oldhikerQ]

After much consideration, i ended up purchasing a SlingFin 2Light tent. It's a basic 2 hoop tent, with some improvements to handle high winds. The tent has internal guylines that can be deployed to stiffen the structure in high winds.
It also has 2 huge doors with vestibules. Since it will be for solo use, i don't know how much use they will be for me. Suppose that i can store my gear on one side and use the open side for unimpeded entry/exit.
Another nice feature is that the fly provides a covered entry, so i don't have to worry about soaking the tent entrance when getting in or out during wet weather.
All in, it weighs 2 lbs 10 oz. Poles segments are only 12" long, so it packs very small.
Here's hoping that it works out for my next decade of backpacking.

[Wandering Daisy]

Can you show a picture of your tent? I have never heard of that brand or model. Where did you get it?

[oldhikerQ]

WD,
I can't get an image to paste into the message. You can see the tent at their site, SlingFin.com. I bought the tent directly from them during their fall sale.
Can't remember how they came to my attention. SlingFin are headed by Martin Zemitis, who designed tents for North Face and Sierra Designs before he founded Mountain Hardwear. SlingFin has been going since 2010, and their primary area of expertise was expedition tents until a few years ago. Good reviews from the expedition users.
They have a few backpacking tents now. Would have liked to get their Portal, but CA FR regulations won't allow the tent to be shipped to CA addresses.
Let me know what you think after you get a chance to look it over.

[freestone]

A recent SlingFin product review....

https://sectionhiker.com/slingfin-porta ... nt-review/

[Wandering Daisy]

I read that review. Like a lot of the light weight tents (same as my Copper Spur) the fly waterproof rating is not that great. Did not say what denier the floor was. So, let us know how it works in a storm! I really do not care as much about nice little features, as the weather-worthiness of a tent. And since I am relatively small, tents that other say are too short or small are fine with me.

I now have two partially broken tents; both on their last legs; my old Tarptent single wall Moment and my freebie Copper Spur. The netting zipper on the Copper Spur is regularly splitting; I have been able to get to work but the Tarptent zipper acted the same, until one day it just did not work. I have sewed a new zipper in the Tarptent, but now the fly zipper also broke. The Copper Spur netting is also fragile, now several holes are taped with duct tape. Tape over a small hole in the floor. I really need to get a new tent SOON!

I am considering a tent that uses trekking poles, to save weight. But, on my last trip, I left my trekking poles behind on a few day trips and wished I had them. As I get older (poorer balance) I depend on my trekking poles more, but I also need to lighten up on the tent. I may buy the Tarptent Notch. Henry Shires lives a 40-minute drive from me, so I can go up there and try out some of his new tents.

[bobby49]

I can't claim that my shelter is for two people. So far it has been tested with one person and one dog. It can't be called a tent, since it has no floor. It uses a single adjustable trekking pole in the center, and it uses cuben fiber, so it is 100% waterproof. The minimal weight of it is about ten ounces, but then I add titanium stakes and a small ground sheet.

[oldhikerQ]

WD
SlingFin has a trekking pole supported option in their offerings; the SplitWing tarp. You can get a bundle which consists of the tarp, a floored mesh body and a removable vestibule. With the 6 included DAC stakes, it weighs in at 23 oz. Cost is $315.

[Wandering Daisy]

Well, I just bought the Tarptent Notch. The zipper on my BA Copper Spur splits, and after washing it and even buying some netting to put over the split area if needed, I decided that I really needed to bit the bullet and get another tent. The Notch will be the first tent I have used that is set up on trekking poles. It weighs 26 oz, and has 3000mm pressure rating on the fly and floor and a removable inner pod. It is basically the Moment (I already wore that out) that uses two trekking poles in place of the one arch pole. The fly has a Velcro closure. If I do not like that I will just sew in a zipper. It is a bit smaller and narrower than the Moment, but that is fine with me since I am small and the Moment was actually too big for me anyway. Hopefully it arrives tomorrow so I can set it up, see if it works, and then seam seal it before I leave on Saturday or Sunday.