Many tents require tent pegs for structural stability which is a real pain if you are in a sandy or very rocky area. You are better off with a freestanding tent that can stand alone without pegs and only needs the pegs for stretching the canvas. Vaude Hogan and Vaude Mark II are a couple of tents of this style.

Many tents use fine mesh on the inner tent to reduce cost. These tents are great for summer camping, but if you are camped in cooler weather in a windy spot the blasts of cold air go straight through, so look for a tent where the mesh is only on the upper spots. MSR Hubba Hubba is an example of a mesh tent, whereas the MSR Hubba Hubba HP has a solid inner.

Weight to me isn't as important as pack size. The only thing that really determines the length of the pack size is the tent poles, so if necessary pack these separate from the fabric Some manufacturers use standard pack bags for several ranges of their tents, and with some experimentation it's actually possible to get the tent fabric packed down much shorter than they reckon.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Hi

Ive tried allsorts of tents and this is what ive finally settled with



Its a Vango Halo 3 man tent with a tarp over the front and a single pole, the tarp provides a good area to cook in when raining or a nice sunshade on the hot days.
Pack size is really small and weighs in at just under 4 kilos.


small tents are just a pain ! believe me Ive been there...

Cheers
Geordie aka Will

Where as I can't profess to be a fully accomplished RTW traveller, my experience is more in the line of 3 weeks in Europe every year, for the past 6 years or so.
I used to use a two man tent, now I've graduated to a three man + extension(Suncamp 3 man)
A few days in torrential rain makes the extra space a godsend.
I can store bike gear in the “extension” or use it for cooking.
To me the extra weight is acceptable as I feel that a good nights sleep can help make up for a day riding in the rain.
As people have said before ,it's my sanctuary from the weather and my prison when it keeps pissing down day after fu****g day.


Rory

unless they are specially shaped alloy poles, most tent poles can be custom made to suit what packed length you want, you are not stuck with what comes with the tent

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dave

I am very happy with my Rejka tent (two + persons) and a tarp.
I bought it something lilke 10 years ago and it is still going strong.
Pricewise it is much cheaper than other tents of the same quality.
With two entrances, mosquito netting and so on it is an (almost) ideal 4-season tent.

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I've a "small" two man tent which is more than big enough for trips. Its designed for mountain bikers, and so has a huge porch that you can fit most of your kit in . 2 metal pannier and all of my kit fits in the porch and there's room to cook if needed

As many have said, its down to what you want. I struck a balance with weight / size, and being 6' 4 limits your choice in this area anyway ! I've seen the big Nomad tents, but I've always stuck with a hill tent , and its never blown away , so I've never had to sleep in a plastic bag unlike a few people I know !

Cheap is cheerful and won't last in my view. I've currenty got a Terra Nova Duolite Tourer (Buy Online - New For 2008! 2 Person Tent, Lightweight With A Large Porch Area). It fits in a 10 litre Kreiga bag / dry bag and is up in a jiffy in all weathers. Terra nova will ship spares, and they do a reinforced groundsheet which is quite good. Ifyou're not looking for a tent to resemble a house, its spot on.

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I think tent manufacturers' size descriptions are like those of Estate Agents describing a box room as a bedroom. A 3 man tent is really only practical for two people, etc.

I haven't yet done much biking, but did a lot of mountaineering and a decent sized vestibule, or better two, is essential. You don't want wet gear inside your inner tent. It has to remain dry. I cook inside the vestibule with the flysheet zip undone in case of problems. i.e. I lie inside the main tent but the cooker is in the vestibule.

With biking, inevitably you are going to get wet and you have a lot of bulky gear to store. Jacket, trousers, helmet, boots, gloves and probably three panniers and more. That stuff has to go inside the vestibule and most tents are simply too small.

I would ideally go for an extended vestibule design like the Hilleberg GT designs. e,g, Nallo 2 GT or Nallo 3 GT or the heavier fabric weight Nammatj 2 or 3 GT (these are tunnel design).

Nallo & Nallo GT | hilleberg.se

All the Hilleberg tents are 4 season, but are pretty expensive. I think there is a lot of copying of designs within the tent manufacturing industry, so you will find others with a large vestibule. For a long trip I would definitely favour a 3 man tent for comfort.

I also like the Vango tents, but they are shorter inside (210cm) compared to the Hilleberg 220cm. Weight isn't such an issue on a bike.

I would also seriously consider free standing dome designs if you are going RTW and you may be camping on sand or rock slab or even snow, but they don't usually have the extended vestibule, except the Saitaris, which is quite a big tent.

Grey Beard

A free standing tent is the only way to go, as it can also be put it up in some stinking cockroach / mosquito infested 'hotel' room.And yes it has to be a decent sized two man tent. It is your home after all. I used to like the silvered tents as they stopped you being cooked by the sun and kept you warmer in the cold, but I've not seen any around for a while.

A good compromise is to take is an emergency foil blanket and drape it over the tent in hot weather.

I decided to go with a 2P tent, and after some research came up with this:

NEMO: Tents including camping and mountaineering tents from NEMO

It's moderately sized for one person, is free standing, VERY easy to put up (I've put it up in the dark before, you can probably do it blind) and has the option for for a zip in vestibule area which is supported by a hiking pole (in my case a tripod). It comes with stakes, but they're only required in windy conditions.

I got a new one from eBay cheaply, which came with the foot print.

I've also contacted Nemo about support, specifically asking about using the tent in cold weather.


1. What is the recommended lowest temperature the Espri 2P can be used in? While I don't plan on taking it out in a snow storm (if I can help it) it would be nice to know what the minimum climate range the tent was designed around.

"Tents don't get temperature ratings because technically you could take them in temperatures much lower than people are comfortable. Really the "temperature rating" will come down to what temperatures you can endure, both tents (being made of fairly similar materials and having a similar fly design will be about equal in wind blocking and insulation."


2. If I did get in a situation where the temperatures were quite low, what would you recommend to increase the tent's insulation? What are the trade offs for condensation? Any additional considerations? (This was answered by someone in their engineering dept)

"There are a couple ways to increase the warmth inside the tent.

1. Insulate the floor: If weight isn't a concern, adding a closed cell foam liner footprint will prevent heat from being conducted away via the cold ground. It should be easy to find material at Home Depot or Lowes to accomplish this.

2. Tent liner that covers the mesh: Cutting down on convection loss and minimizing chilly winds is one of the biggest ways to increase warmth. NEMO makes a product like this for mountaineering tents called APRI, but not for 3 season backpacking tents. The intention of this tent is to have air move through as much as possible. By reducing airflow, you can cut down on the convection (accomplish this by tying down vents, and reducing the space gap between the mesh and the fly.

Of course any time you reduce the airflow, condensation issues will increase. You'll also find that as the temps get lower, you'll have more condensation issues because the air holds so much less moisture.

3. In all seriousness, it is worth looking into getting a warmer sleeping bag! The lowest rated bags (-40/-20/0) are very good insulators and can easily extend the season of a 3 season tent."

Well this tent is a 3 season tent and the mesh inner tent will ensure you will be cold if the temperatures outside drop. But for summer use, no problem. If you are worried about cold, then you should be looking at a proper 4 season tent.

The 4 season tents will have noseeem mesh for ventilation, but the better ones will have a zip door/window to cover the mesh and stop cold air flows through the tent.

The flysheet will also come right down to the ground. Snow valences are sometimes an option, but add weight. They can also be useful for holding the tent down in sandy conditions or in wild weather.

The tent is pretty low weight for a two man dome tent.

Grey Beard

At the risk of making myself look like a complete arse:
I am a new joiner about to head to South America (for a year hopefully). I have the obvious GS & now have bought the following:
Force Ten Nitro 200 Tent, Lifeventure Downlight 900 Sleeping Bag, MSR DragonFly Combo cooker & pans.

I imagine everyone will have slightly different views but have I made any howlers?

Best way to find out.. hit the road and do a weeks shake down

That way you will know what works and what can be improved/got rid of

Cheers
Geordie

I like Vango Force 10 tents and I did seriously consider the Nitro when buying recently. It has good space and should be able to survive in a storm. Not too heavy either.

The MSR Dragonfly stuff is pretty well regarded. I tend to use Primus, but the Dragon Fly should suit you well. I assume this is the Multifuel stove? I favour Multifuel stoves after having problems finding gas and also paraffin - obviously depends on the location.

Don't know the Lifeventure sleeping bags, sorry.

Grey Beard

Go for a 3 man tent. The extra room will be worth it.

I like Vango tents which in the UK are good value for money. Expect to pay about £150 for a good budget 4 season tent capable of withstanding storm force wind and rain. Don't forget a mallet and few spare pegs. If you only need a 3 season tent you might get a Vango for around £100.

Stay warm and safe.

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

I feel completely qualified to comment on this thread having just spent 4months on a UK to Magadan trip using this....


It is a single person, single skin bivy with an inflatable airbeam. It packs down to a cylinder-shape about 8" x 6" and weighs a kilogram. For ultra-light adventures it seems to be perfect but...

...this thing could make rain in a desert! Seriously, the condensation was formidable in all temperatures! It blows flat in a gale (without damage I must add), gets stinking hot if you pitch too early in the day because it lacks enough mesh and needs to be tied down tightly which isn't always possible in all terrains. I slept "intimately" with my kit because there is hardly any room and getting dressed in it would bring a tear to eye of the Great Houdini.

The plus points - if RTW was a race then this tent would be in your pack. My GiantLoop ate this thing without blinking and made my plans for a 'superlight', unsupported, go-anywhere trip on my WR250R. It is super-tough: none of the seams frayed, the base remained waterproof all through the trip, the airbeam is awesome - in spite of being stuffed into a stuffsack everyday (you don't roll this bivy) the airbeam never lost any pressure.

Would I wish it on anyone for a trip longer than a week or two?

...No.

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Find out details of my 2011 trip to Siberia on a lightweight dirtbike:
www.brighton2expeditions.co.uk