Looking to replace my 2-man North Face tent which I've had for seventeen years. Mainly due to the size and weight (3kg) and long poles.

I'm not a big camper but want something for emergencies or occasional use. Compact size and ultralight weight are priorities, and short poles. Easy erection nice also, and a freestanding inner so's it will stand up in dry sand.

Immediate use for Morocco in January, so cold at night, but I guess a tent isn't what keeps you warm.

I'm biggish (100kg), but don't mind squeezing in with my jacket egg and not much else.

Any recommendations please?

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I bought a couple of Hillebergs a couple of decades ago and haven't had any reason to even think about buying a tent since then. That means any specific information I could offer is going to be long out of date, but I think the basics still apply, e.g., how important is bug-proofing? Good ventilation? Stability in adverse weather? Self-supporting vs. needing to be staked out? Shelter for gear as well as yourself? Headroom? Longevity? Cost? Etc.

The most minimalist approach is an elaborated bivouac shelter--one with a simple pole or two to give some headroom and possibly ventilation. Although some people use these as primary shelters, their highest and best purpose (IMHO) is exactly as you describe--emergencies and very occasional use. You might be able to lean up on an elbow within one of these to read a book or study a map, but then again you might not. I find them too confining (and highly prone to condensation).

Next are the whole array of single-person tents, about which I'm hopelessly out of date. My little Hilleberg has seen heavy use and shows no signs of ever wearing out, but there are now lots of other brands using similar sil-nylon. It's a full tent, with separate inner and outer plus a vestibule, but it's not free-standing. On the other hand, it stands up to high winds and heavy snow loads just fine, which might be important to you or not, and it weighs less than half what your Northface does.

Then there are the various tarp-tents, about which I know even less. I've got an early version of these (Black Diamond Megamid), mainly suited for snow camping. They usually give the best floor space/headroom for the weight (and per dollar spent), but may lack bug-proofing, floors and other such, and they're never truly free-standing (edit to add: AFAIK).

I hope some of the above is helpful. Not to belabor the obvious, but quality is expensive, and tent recommendations tend to be so subjective that they're hard to sort through.

Mark

No good, I'm after something small and lightweight :-D

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I also wanted a lightweight tent for occasional use, so I bought one of these Abel Brown tents. There are no poles, instead it relies on the motorcycle for support. I have only used it once so far. It gives adequate protection from the weather (yes it rained in the night) and bugs and packs down really small. You can see a video (there is more than one) here: https://youtu.be/U4CoZgVB8oE

Attached Thumbnails

 

 

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Interesting!

Are they stocked in the UK? Any idea of packed size, and weight?

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Weight is 154 grams, including the plate they supply to go underneath the bikes side stand.
As for UK outlets, I have not seen any.

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I'd love to believe you! But maybe 1540g?

Went looking in 'Go Outdoors' this afternoon. As I expected, waste of time...

Only concern I have with this one is how it will work on desert sand where the pegs won't hold?

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This is as lightweight as I've ever managed—a plastic survival bag in 1ºC temperature, January 2007 in Morocco. Full story at Sleeping besides the bike in a Moroccan river bed

I've also tried taking a groundsheet, laying it out with the sleeping bag on one half, then pulling the remainder over the top of me, but I was at over 2,500m and the cold was extreme. You really need a tent so as to be able to create a micro climate with your body warmth. Same comment for bivi bags.

Here's a couple of specialise websites that should help. Basically ultra lightweight and four season.
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co...all-tents-c148

https://www.alloutdoor.co.uk/tents/tents-/


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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
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This is what I wrote elsewhere, though it doesn't all fit with your requirements...

Due to the need to store possibly wet riding gear overnight, the general consensus for biking is that you need a two-man tent if riding solo, a three-man tent if with pillion.

Personally I always buy freestanding tents which can be used without pegs if the surface is impossible (loose sand or rock). It also means you can erect the tent and then, before it’s pegged down, you can lift and reposition it.

Light weight is important when trekking and size when biking, especially pole length. I can pack tent, footprint (under-tent protection), sleeping mat, sleeping bag and pillows all in my smallest 31-litre pannier.



In the UK where I expect to be always solo, I currently use the Exped Mira II, see

For Spain (Morocco) where I might have a riding companion, I have a MSR Hubba Hubba HP which is a winter version of MSR’s two-man Hubba Hubba. I have a ‘gear shed’ that can be attached to the tent to extend it should I have a companion.



SLEEPING MAT
For me this is more important than the sleeping bag as it insulates you from the cold ground and I have an Exped Downmat. These come in various thicknesses and I have one which is wider than normal. 



COOKING

I don’t cook much but carry a JetBoil stove which packs up real small, plus coffee and Cup-a-Soup/oatcakes.


^^ regarding the gear shed, don't do what I did on my last Morocco trip. I threw my Hubba Hubba in the panniers as an emergency shelter. Fortunately I didn't need it, as when I got back and unpacked I realised I had packed the gear shed, not the tent!

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
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Sorry my mistake 1544g

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You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you've been and a pattern seems to emerge. (Pirsig)

There are quite a few one-person tents at around this weight, 1.5kg/3.3lbs. My Hilleberg is one of them, and though expensive it is still going strong at 20+ years: https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/solo-tents/. Some are even lighter than this.

Tim's link didn't work for me, but here's another (chosen at random): https://www.backcountrygear.com/ultralight-tents.html. It includes a number of solo tents under 1000 grams.

I can't look at the photos of your Abel Brown without thinking about the couple of times my bike has fallen, blown, or been accidentally pushed over during the night. Maybe that's unreasonable of me, but it's difficult to see the advantage when there are stronger, more durable, and/or lighter tents available.

Mark

For January in Morocco I'd suggest you definitely need double skin tent and preferably a four-season. With all tents, generally the flysheet doesn't come all the way down to the ground, there's a big gap. And then with three-season tents the inner tent is 100% mesh to keep the weight and costs down. Consequently in winter the wind can really whistle through. I've suffered in the UK with a three season tent in cold and windy summer conditions.

With a four season tent the inner tent is windproof until about halfway up, then mesh. So you still have the ventilation needed to prevent condensation forming inside, but at least you are not in a constant draught.

And then head height is a consideration if you want to be able to put your gear on whilst kneeling (some tents aren't high enough to do this).

The weight and size saving of a one-man tent over a two-man might not be worth it.

On the other hand, if it is really just an emergency shelter then almost anything will do.

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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)

Zpacks Duplex is an ultralight tent fabric used by many thru hikers. It’s 19.4 ounces (550 grams) plus your hiking poles.

I love my Hilleberg tents. They’re bulletproof four-season tents but weigh much more. My one-person Soulo Tent weighs 2.4 kg/5 lbs 5 oz.

Hi IanC - I'd pretty much echo everything Tim Cullis has said...

In addition, if you're looking for genuine 'ultralight' then you can end up spending many hundreds of pounds/dollars... similarly, if you want short pole length, have a look at the Big Agnes range (they are available in the UK too, and I've had good customer service from them on both sides of the Atlantic).

https://www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Tents

Personally I'd avoid their Crazylight range (carbon poles etc.) as they are a LOT of money for something you say is likely to see only occassional use.

I'd consider their Superlight range - the C-Bar 2 model for example is well priced and packs down reasonably small.

Otherwise, if space is a premium, they offer 'Bikepacking' versions of certain models which have 12" folded pole length - very compact, but you do pay a little more for the convenience.

Hope that helps...

Jenny x

ps. I have one of their original Seedhouse 2 models, which I bought in 2008, although that model/range appears to finally no longer be in production. Fortunately there are similar models which free stand as required, can be used as a bug-hut with just the inner in warm weather, and pack down to around 6x18" to stow in your luggage.

In hot humid conditions you want the fly to not go all the way down to the ground to promote ventilation. This also helps reduce condensation.

No tent is great in all conditions. Ideally the fly should be able to be pitched so it can go either all the way to the ground or not all the way to the ground. Only one of my tents I can do this .. though the height above the ground is small - a Dan Durston XMid one (from {Mass} Drop). It is a fill mesh inner, and in hot weather you can leaved one or both doors open partially or fully. It does use walking poles .. so varying the pole height helps get the fly to ground heigh where you want it. I think it is my most versatile tent. Second place would go to either my MSR Hubba Hubba (not quire free standing) or my old Eureka one .. I need to replace it's fly - worn out from too much sun and camp fire embers. If use is anything to go by then my old Eureka wins ... but they don't make that model any more, and I have had it far longer that the other 2.