what do we like for compact, lightweight 1 man tents?

[KiwiKurt]

As I get softer, the idea of a tent appeals more over just the bivvy sack. Looking for a lightweight, compact, 1p tent for the motorcycle and backpacking

Ive looked at the Snugpak ionosphere and the Nemo 1p tent...the nemo is nice because of the ability to have a cooking area.

What else is out there?

thnx

 

[OwyheeMagpie]

Depending where your camping a hammock is awesome. I'm a side sleeper and love my ENO. I Use a huge silnylon tarp from Warbonnet and it keeps me out of the elements or you pitch it out on one side and park your bike under it. It fits my hammock and KLX 250 that way. You could also use it as a bivy sack if there aren't suitable places to hang. I also have a small mountain hardware tent that fits two people. It's a backpacking tent so it's really compact but the extra room for two people is nice because I keep all my crap in there when I sleep.

REI has some nice tents, I Believe the Half Dome comes in a one or two person tent. The price and quality is reasonable too. My buddy has the two person in the plus size which is 4 inches wider and it packs small. I was impressed. Be sure to get a free standing tent, I love my tent but you have to stake it out other wise the poles fall over. It's super compact and light but annoying that it's not free standing.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Boy, this is right in my wheelhouse. Let's see...

For cooler temps and use in really nasty weather with good ground, nothing beats my Terra Nova. The only caveat would be use on hard ground...it needs good stakeouts...or in very hot temps. For everything else, this tent is just awesome. Packs down to a bundle about the size of a Nalgene bottle.

http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-terra-nova-laser-competition-1/

For warmer climates, with a need for a tiny bit more vestibule space, I like the Nemo OBI 2p, although I use the 1p from time to time. The 2p again packs down to the size of a cantaloup, so darn small.

http://expeditionportal.com/gear-scout-nemo-equipment-obi-2p/

My most recent favorite is MSR's Hubba NX. I have been using that as my "luxury" bikepacking tent. IT's also a great backpack and motorcycle tent. Very compact, free standing, well vented. If I suspect really bad weather with high winds, I'll take the Terra Nova.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/experience-series/hubba-nx/product

If you want to improve on the bivy in a big way, I sure do love the GoGo LE. I'll usually spend half a dozen nights in mine a year. Love that thing.

http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-nemo-equipment-gogo-le/

 

[KiwiKurt]

perfect. Thanks!

 

[AlbanyTom]

They don't make it anymore, but I have a Timberlite, that I love. It's like the timberline, but lighter fabric, under 5lbs. Claims to be 2 person, but it's really 1.

One big advantage for me of a tent over a bivy, is that you can have tent+fly construction. The fly is waterproof, non-breathable, the tent is breathable except for the floor. That keeps you dry, and the construction can be light and inexpensive. That's just my view, though, and from the northeast, where it's always humid. I also like a conventional a-frame tent that stake out, I believe it's lighter than the self-supporting tents.

 

[nwoods]

I see a lot of guys use TentCots. Great for 1 person. Extremely easy to set up and take down. I've never slept in one though, because of the Conspiracy Against the Tall

 

[precision powder]

A hammock for sure. Nothing packs down as small except maybe the poleless tents. Those use air chambers to hold the tent up. A good hammock with a bugnet will run you $100-250. I rarely use one with a bug net. I have one that actually zips up head to two and packs to the size smaller than a nalgene. You can set them up anywhere. Woopie slings make setup a breeze. I can be setup and in bed in less than a minute with the use of a ridge line. If you travel places where you may not have hanging options check out the lawson blue ridge. It is a hammock tent. You can hang it up like a hammock, or if trees are not available you can stake it to the ground. I have one of each of these options

 

[Honu]

ditto have you thought of hammocks ?
check out www.hammockforums.net

some you can get that can also work as ground tent in a pinch like the DD hammocks from the UK (free shipping to US)

but the tarp idea for sure when I did solo bike trips wish I had some of the hammock tarps back then would have been so nice

 

[KiwiKurt]

I like hammocks. Im looking for a tent for inclimate weather....

 

[Honu]

check out the hammock forums though for inclement weather info etc... setup the tarp first then your hammock under the dry tarp pitch a bit higher you can stand pitch one end up plenty of room to cook etc... some of the tarps are more like a tent in a sense with doors on the ends also if weather gets really gnarly

I used to bicycle tour a lot and hated setting up tents in the rain on wet ground and then sleep on that wet ground and while dry inside usually pack away a wet tent sometimes muddy etc... hanging above it all is pretty nice worst case you are on the ground anyway if no trees

 

[Christophe Noel]

lol, Nate. I can't quite imagine backpacking with that tent cot.

As for hammocks, I spent a couple of years trying to love the hammock idea. I have freinds at ENO who send me new gear to try all the time and I just can't get into the concept, even after dozens of nights tryint to. For one thing, they really do not get as small as some uber light tents. My lightest hammock system, by the time I include the rain fly, slings, and bug net, is still bulkier and even heavier than my lightest tent solution. I mostly just dislike the sleep quality of a hammock. And during one really nasty weekend of rain and high winds in Colorado...was miserable.

But, that's just me. Clearly tons of people love them.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I like hammocks. Im looking for a tent for inclimate weather....

That Terra Nova tent I used for a month in Iceland was a bomber shelter. It survived a couple 40-60 mph wind storms, buckets of rain, and offers superb versitility if you remove the inner room. I can't believe how small it gets compared to it's large inner volume.

Again, the only drawback is the number of stakeouts required to achieve that bomber structure. Other than that, it's one of my favorite gear finds of the last several years.

 

[precision powder]

lol, Nate. I can't quite imagine backpacking with that tent cot.

As for hammocks, I spent a couple of years trying to love the hammock idea. I have freinds at ENO who send me new gear to try all the time and I just can't get into the concept, even after dozens of nights tryint to. For one thing, they really do not get as small as some uber light tents. My lightest hammock system, by the time I include the rain fly, slings, and bug net, is still bulkier and even heavier than my lightest tent solution. I mostly just dislike the sleep quality of a hammock. And during one really nasty weekend of rain and high winds in Colorado...was miserable.

But, that's just me. Clearly tons of people love them.

You can get hammocks with built in bug nets. My slings are made of amsteel so they are SUPER night and take up almost no room at all. A really small rainfly in the right configuration (diamond) with the sides pulled down will protect you from most anything. The hammock and the rainfly can be a bit bitter than a tent but when you look at not needing level ground, dry ground, or smooth groud it pulls ahead IMO. You also do not need a sleeping pad. When you take a ultralight tent, add your sleeping pad to that it becomes more bulky than a hammock.

My best advice on you having problems with a hammock being uncomfortable is maybe you had your hang angles set wrong. There is definitely right and wrong ways to hang them, the wrong ones make for an awful sleep.

This little bag holds my hammock with bugnet attached, amsteel slings, amsteel ridge line, and beeners. My rainfly is cuben fiber, with an 11foot ridge line and is only 4 ounces including the stuff sack and it fits in the palm of my hand. It is basically the lightest fabric out there

 

[Christophe Noel]

I have a Cuben tarp and Amsteel lines I use with one of my hammocks, and still think I prefer a ground tent especially if I anticipate really poor weather. I started using hammocks about ten years ago when they were touted as "the thing" for ultra-distance mountain bike racing. I was even a vocal advocate until I started using nicer quality tents and even bivy sacks. Then when sleeping pads started to get crazy light and really comfy, that sealed the deal. My tent, pad and bag can endure weather's absolute worst in temps down to near freezing for a total of 4.5 pounds. That system protected me in winds that were destroying other tents around me. I think I just like my little ground home.

 

[OwyheeMagpie]

I will say shelter for shelter my Mt Hardware vs hammock set up is close. But the hammock still wins size and weight wise. Add the sleeping pad like stated before and that's another nail in the coffin for a tent. I will say my Mt HW set up is 7 years old but it's still a decent tent spec wise. It wasn't cheap and is still comparable to many tents today. It's a Litepath II if anyone cares to look it up just to get an idea. One thing to consider is hammocks generally sleep a lot cooler then ground sleeping. You can get top quilts and under quilts that are silnylon or Cuban fiber with down fill. To put it simply, they are pimp, pack insanely small, sleeps warm and weigh almost nothing. Of course, if you get crazy, you can spend a hundred bucks to 500-600 bucks just on quilts. That's a major draw back for anyone. Living in NorCal I never really have a true winter so I can use my hammock most of the year with out quilts and all that crap. Being able to camp off my dual sport or backpack a night from a decent day bag makes hammocking appealing.