Lightweight 2 Person Tent

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oldhikerQ
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by oldhikerQ »

Haven't heard back from the manufacturer yet as the tent just left for their shop a couple of days ago. Just starting to investigate options. My expectation is that it will be deemed a non warranty issue. If that is the case, i want to have a jump on my research since the 2018 tents will be going on sale soon to make way for the 2019 models.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
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tahoefoothills
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by tahoefoothills »

I know you said you were only interested in a two-person tent, but I would encourage you to look at the REI quarter dome 1. It's under three pounds, has more room than you might suspect (you really can sit up), and is reasonably priced. Two years ago when I was backpacking with a friend who had a tent that I believe is identical to your mortally wounded tent and his pole snapped in the middle of the night during a cold, windy storm. I stayed warm and dry without incident. So, I have every reason to believe the REI quarter dome is durable. Just a suggestion. Good luck!
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oldhikerQ
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by oldhikerQ »

tahoefoothills-
Thank you for the suggestion. REI tents were not an my radar.
i'll try to get to my local REI and have them set one up so i can try it out.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
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tahoefoothills
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by tahoefoothills »

I found videos on Youtube about the REI quarter dome 1 that were pretty helpful. For some reason, people like to do videos of backpacking gear, such as tents. They set up the tents in the videos, get inside, critique perceived flaws, etc. It's no substitute for your own evaluation, but I sometimes find them helpful. I'll be curious to know what you ultimately select. I will probably learn something. Good luck!!
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oldhikerQ
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by oldhikerQ »

Still waiting to hear back from BA. Now that they have the tent, their email said to expect 7 to 14 days for them to evaluate it and respond.

My short list currently includes the following (in no particular order):
Mountain Hardwear- Ghost UL2 and Ghost Sky 2
Nemo - Hornet 2P
REI - Quarter Dome 1/2
Sling Fin - 2Lite

Sadly, my original go to tent manufacturers from my early years (The North Face and Sierra Designs) don't make any tents that even pretend to be lightweight anymore.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
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oldhikerQ
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by oldhikerQ »

Freestone-
BA just informed me that they determined that the failure was, in fact, a warranty issue. Good news. =D>
Their offer is to send me a slightly used tent body free of charge, since they no longer make my version of the Fly Creek 2.
Trying to decide what to do now. :-k
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
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freestone
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by freestone »

@ old HQ-- Good to hear about the BA determination. From a "green" point of view, I would take the slightly used tent body. Better it be in your possession than a landfill before it's time.
Short cuts make long delays. JRR Tolkien
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Always good to have a back-up tent. No reason you cannot still get a new tent.

My older tents become overnight trip tents (where a tent failure is not as critical) and car-camping tents before they are retired. I keep the poles to use in my garden and keep the tent pegs because I always loose them on my new tent! Or give the old tent to kids who then can use it for a back-yard fort.
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mrphil
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by mrphil »

That's great that it's covered. I had to pay for my fly because it wasn't, but it was in perfectly good condition, and not so much "used" as just used as a demo. The fault was determined to be theirs, take the freebie. If nothing else, it buys you some time to either decide which new one to buy and/or wait for it to go on sale.
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oldhikerQ
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Re: Lightweight 2 Person Tent

Post by oldhikerQ »

Asked them to send the slightly used Fly Creek (FC)2 tent body my way. Waiting until i have it in my hands to make a final decision. As it is, i will likely take it somewhere to have the rear center anchor reinforced before taking it above the treeline again.
For something new, i pulled my once used (5 days) Garuda Jalan from it's hiding place in a closet. It was used on a back-country photo workshop, and was a relatively small tent for a base camping situation where we had horses bring in most of our gear. Suspect that's why it ended up in the back of a closet. :nod:
My FC2 weighs just a smidge under 3 pounds with its full complement of stakes, stuff sacks and requisite groundsheet. The Garuda is about 3.25 pounds with stakes and new silnylon sacks. It's smaller than the FC2 (22.5 vs 28 sq ft), but more aerodynamic and wind worthy. Since it has a real floor, it doesn't need a groundcloth. As an added bonus, it has real (i.e., #5) zippers! =D> Plan on spending more time checking out my classic Garuda before i shell out another $350-500 on a new model.
While i'm at it, maybe i will just drag out my Kelty Serac, and have a new pack bag sewn for it as well. The difference in weight between that and my current Osprey would more than make up for the 6 ounce weight gain between the FC2 and the Garuda.
Is everything old new again? :-k
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
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