But I am reexamining the tent option now that some very nice 2 pound tents have appeared on the market. There is nothing like a tent when there are serious bugs or really serious weather.
There can be good reasons to carry a tent. Among them are protection from rain and bugs, warmth, and privacy. Mostly it is certain ladies who feel the need for privacy. As a male, if I am any place where I feel a tent is essential for privacy, then I need to rethink my choice of destinations! Even without rain, a tent can add warmth and wind protection, which can be important in big mountains in "hinge seasons". Here in Arizona we have little (or predictable) rain and even fewer bugs, so not carrying a tent is often a great and sensible option. To hedge your bets with regard to rain and warmth, you can carry a bivy bag, as I often do.
Colin Fletcher gives the advice that you really want a 2 person tent, even if you are going solo, if you anticipate actually being forced to hole up due to weather. This allows you to pull your gear inside and do more than live in a cocoon. I think this advice is solid, but it is definitely not minimalist thinking. Each person has to pick a point on the risk/weight/comfort curve. Other people say that 2 person tents are really suitable for one person and a dog, which also seems to be absolutely true.
Right now I do not own a real tent that I would actually use in the outdoors. I carry a bivy bag, and have a Ray-way tarp tent that I have carried (and used with complete satisfaction). I do contemplate a "real tent" for use in fall trips to the Sierra where I seriously push my warmth threshold at night, and when it might be wise to carry insurance against an early winter storm. My old tents have turned weird, and I no longer am willing to use them. In particular the coatings are breaking down and they produce a nasty and strong plastic smell. I suspect that breathing their fumes in a confined space for several nights in a row would be hazardous to my health, not to mention almost intolerably disgusting. So they are officially (as of Summer, 2010) retired, and now (2017) long gone and discarded.
The 2P version is 11 inches wider (so 51 tapering to 43), but you get two doors, each with vestibules, and for only 5 extra ounces. It seems impossible. This will indeed fit two standard 20 inch wide pads, but will be awfully cramped. And only one person will be able to sit up at a time. I view a tent like this as a minimalist shelter for sleeping only. Sort of a "super-bivy". Not something to hang out in. And this fits my style of being on the move from early to late and spending a minimum of time "in camp".
A friend has a Mirage from Big Sky International. This is a one layer "hybrid" tent. It weighs about 2 pounds, is very quick to set up, and is roomy. They caution that this is not a good tent for high humidity areas, which indicates that it tends to have condensation issues.
Not really a tent, but a tarp in a modified pyramid design is the "Trailstar" from Mountain Laurel Designs. This is a floorless tarp with a shape that is trending towards a pyramid and has gotten very good reviews. 17 ounces in silnylon (Cuben fiber yields 12 ounces) and does require a short pole.
Another option is one of the tents from Henry Shires at Tarptent.
The product I hear most about from Tarptent is the "Moment". This is a one man tent that uses a single stake at each end, and a fiberglass hoop in the middle. 28.5 ounces, $215, 18 square feet. It deflects wind from any direction and is extremely easy to set up. The center crossing pole is optional.
The big complaint I hear about with the Moment and other Tarptent products is condensation issues.
Six Moons designs has a couple of tents to look at (the Vamp and Lunar Solo).
Henry even sells Tyvek groundsheets for $12. Nice.
My current thinking, heavily influenced by reading Ray Jardine's writings, lean towards modern and ultralight tarps.
Take a look at:
The "soft structure" tyvek is used for tear resistant clothing and might be less noisy and still durable.My Mountain Hardware bivy weights 1 pound 2 ounces. Only a select few ultralight tents (such as the Sublite tent from Tarptent at 1 pound 2.5 ounces) are this light. A typical tent is 5-7 pounds.
Bozeman Mountain works makes some 8 ounce bivy sacks out of pertex quantum and other exotic materials. They don't do direct sales, and their gear is hard to find. Here is an article by a fellow who was making his own bivy using Pertex Quantum and Cuben fiber material. Cuben fiber is 0.33 ounces per yard and can be gotten from Quest outfitters. He uses 2 ounces of this in the bivy. Other sources were Thru-Hiker and Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics.
I still have an ancient Chouinard Equipment Megamid (not a typo, it is not a Black Diamond, this is an old one). This "tent" is a floorless wonder weighing about 3 pounds and said to be suited for 4, though I cannot imagine how that would be arranged. My wife curses the thing, as do many others. I adore it for its lightness and simplicity, or at least I used to. (You pound in four corner stakes and shove the top up with the pole, and you are done!)
The pole is always in the way. If you erect it in forest, and have some cord with you, it can be nicely set up without the pole. I have found this a viable option exactly once out of the countless times I have set it up. It affords absolutely no bug protection whatsoever, and in fact some people believe that it attracts and concentrates bugs. The tent weighs 2 pounds 14 ounces. Add the 10 ounce pole and you are up to 3 pounds 8 ounces, and don't forget four stakes!
My copy is ancient, has become sticky due to the polyurethane coating de-polymerizing (they do that if you store them with any trace of water), not to mention it stinks like plastic, and is probably toxic and carcinogenic. Happily replaced with a Ray-Way tarp tent which is much lighter, and not sticky or stinky.
This design was later sold by Black Diamond, and apparently still is as of Summer, 2010. There is some hard to fathom relationship between Bibler (who once made this thing with their name on it) and Black Diamond. See the Black Diamond web site and good luck (Caveat Emptor).
I also own a very old 1.5 person Sierra Designs tent, which is pretty nice for solo trips and could hold 2 people in a dire emergency. However, it too has become sticky and stinky and has been retired. This is a 2 layer tent with a fly and fiberglass poles. It weighs 4 pounds.
There are now a multitude of fine tent choices. Sierra Designs is still around and still making excellent products it would seem. Mountain Hardware has entered the field and has a good reputation for quality, but is not making ultralight stuff. North Face still makes what look like excellent tents, but I am suspicious of their quality, but maybe everyone has their gear made overseas these days and I am being unfair. Marmot makes (or should I say markets) a number of nice looking tents.
One tent that has caught my attention is the Half Dome 2 from REI. This is probably the best tent deal going if you are in the market for a 3 season tent and are not concerned about going ultralight. There are two (maybe more?) variants, the "plus" seems to get much better reviews, due to the extra room.
Notes on the "vanilla" version:
Many people complain that the original Half Dome was much better and simpler
(why didn't they hang on to their original version, or did it fall apart?).
Some of these recommend the Kelty Gunnison 2.1 as a better choice that is more
like the old Half Dome they loved.
Other cranky owners are looking to the Marmot Limelight 2.
The new design has more poles and complexity and less floor space
(maybe this is why they came out with the bigger "plus" edition).
One user says you cannot get two 25 inch wide pads in the tent side by side
and he measures the floor space at 47 by 78
Some people say they ruined the design to get a few inches of headroom.
Like all tents, ventilation and condensation can be a serious issue.
Notes on the "plus" version:
Fewer complaints about space and condensation issues.
Still a bit tricky to put up (practice at home rather than trying to
figure it out in the dark with a cold wind).
The fly zipper is in the wrong place and will dump rain water into the tent.
A lot more space for only $20 extra (and 13 ounces!), and a fine tent if you
don't expect to be dealing with rain all the time.
The Kelty Gunnison 2.1 (mentioned above as an alternative) weighs 5 pounds 9 ounces with 37 square feet of floor space and sells for $190 (but you can find it on sale, like right now on Amazon for $155). Complaints are plastic clips and "hub" that look fragile.
The Marmot Limelight 2P is another "keep it simple" dome tent with 2 poles that form an X over the tent (as the original Half Dome 2 apparently did). Retail price of $189 32 square feet of floor space, 5 pounds. Includes a footprint and gear loft. Has been on sale for $99 and free shipping, so shop around. Looks like a winner, especially if you shop around. The only complaints are a lack of instructions on how to set the tent up.
If you really plan to do winter camping (a whole different game), then you are probably going to own more than one tent -- or do like I used to do and haul around 3 or 4 pounds of extra weight and use your 4 season tent in the summer. I think it is probably fair to make a distinction between summer shelters (including tarps and ignoring the bug issue), and 3 season tents. It would be tempting to carry a 7 ounce tarp from Bozeman mountain works in the summer, and reserve use of a real tent (or add a bivy sack) in times when I am going out in fall transition weather, or expect serious bugs.
Tom's hiking pages / [email protected]