Tent for Solo Touring

[Pamela Dallas]

The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
apart, so it's time for a new one.

I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20" in
length.

Recommendations? Good manufacturers?

Thanks,
Pamela

[Jon Meinecke]

"Pamela Dallas" > wrote
>
> The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
> apart, so it's time for a new one.
>
> I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20" in
> length.
>
> Recommendations? Good manufacturers?

I like Eureka tents for cost effectiveness, but I also own
REI and Sierra Design tents.

Where are you touring?

You don't mention budget, type of use (1,2,3, or four season)
or how much extra space you want inside for gear... Do
you want single-wall or double-wall construction? Do you
often camp where it's windy? Do you plan to spend a
little or a lot of time in the tent? Do you care about color,
e.g., for stealth camping? Aluminum poles or fiberglass?

Two-pole rectangular dome-style tents are popular. Eureka
Apex and Zeus models are very reliable and reasonably
priced, but REI, Kelty, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, Sierra
Designs and others all have basic two-pole rectangular
footprint dome tents.

If you can live without the free-standing aspect, I think
the Sierra Designs Clip model tents have a lot to offer
for bike touring. They are light weight, setup quickly,
and shed wind and weather very well in my experience.
I've never not staked my free-standing tents,-- seen
more than one become free-flying (not mine).

Look at campmor.com, rei-outlet.com, sierratradingpost.com
for sometimes bargains on old model year and closeout tents.

Subscribe to mailing list if you're not
already a member. http://www.phred.org/mailman/listinfo/touring
Browse and search the archives: http://search.bikelist.org

Tents for bike touring have been discussed there recently
and historically. Check out the various equipment lists people
sometimes include in the tour diaries at www.crazyguyonabike.com.

Also google alt.camping and rec.backcountry for tent discussions.
There are also a number of backpacking gear review websites.

Jon Meinecke

[Jon Meinecke]

"Jon Meinecke" > wrote

> I like Eureka tents for cost effectiveness, but I also own
> REI and Sierra Design tents.

Just got REI-OUTLET coupon code: GM225 for 20%
selected items (1) including older model REI Half Dome ($72)
and Sierra Designs Clip ($95) tents...

Here's the link to the list of selected items for which
the 20% discount for one item applies:

http://email.rei.com/cgi-bin12/DM/y/hWKv0DjDyE0Bfp0oSc0Eu

Jon Meinecke

[skip]

"Pamela Dallas" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
> apart, so it's time for a new one.
>
> I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20" in
> length.
>
> Recommendations? Good manufacturers?
>
> Thanks,
> Pamela
>

A Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight two person has worked well for me for the
last 20 years. This tent is still being made which means it has stood the
test of time. It isn't freestanding, but I prefer to have it anchored down.
It survived a hell of a storm on the Outer Banks that drove me to an inland
motel. The next day this tent was one of the few left standing. It packs
to 18" in length. I forget what it weighs, but it doesn't weigh *too* much
for bike touring.

I bought a three person Sierra Clip Flashlight from REI last year for a bit
more room when someone is with me or when I'm kayak camping and the extra
weight isn't a problem. The quality seems the same if not better. These
tents are quite easy to set up and take down.

skip

[Tom Sherman]

Pamela Dallas wrote:

> The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
> apart, so it's time for a new one.
>
> I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20" in
> length.
>
> Recommendations? Good manufacturers?

This reminds me of the article reprinted in RCN #48 (Nov./Dec. 1998),
PAGES 24-25. See
<http://www.culturechange.org/issue11/brian-campbell-house-bike.htm>,
<http://www.livejournal.com/users/crasch/2004/06/20/>.

On a similar note:
<http://pittsburgh.indymedia.org/news/2002/10/208_comment.php> (scroll
down to the bottom).

--
Tom Sherman – Earth

[Peter Clinch]

Pamela Dallas wrote:
> The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
> apart, so it's time for a new one.
>
> I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20" in
> length.
>
> Recommendations? Good manufacturers?

IMHO freestanding is an overrated feature. Of my 3 tents only 1 is
freestanding, and that's the one I use to camp on shingle beaches in
gales from the sea kayak. I've never had to abandon an attempt to pitch
one of the others, and if a tent isn't freestanding then it packs down
smaller and weighs less, all else being equal.

I use a Saunders Spacepacker for cycle camping, but assuming you're in
N. America you're unlikely to find one there. The Hilleberg Nallo is a
very good tent with reference standards of construction, and the GT
version has a colossal extended porch for extra comfort, work on the
bike in the rain, or whatever.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

[BentJay]

I use a Kelty 2-person tent which, when I bought it from Performance
Bicycles was called the Stratus. It's very slightly short for my
height (5'10") but it packs down incredibly small and light, IMHO. I
split one of the aluminium pole sections (which I repaired on tour with
some tape...) and Kelty not only fixed the pole but sent several spares
at no charge! I'd say that great service is worth something. You can
see the tent in several pictures in my journal (below).

BentJay

See my tour journal at: http://aroundthelake.crazyguyonabike.com

[Tom Sherman]

BentJay wrote:

> I use a Kelty 2-person tent which, when I bought it from Performance
> Bicycles was called the Stratus. It's very slightly short for my
> height (5'10") but it packs down incredibly small and light, IMHO. I
> split one of the aluminium pole sections (which I repaired on tour with
> some tape...) and Kelty not only fixed the pole but sent several spares
> at no charge! I'd say that great service is worth something. You can
> see the tent in several pictures in my journal (below).

Is there a special synergy when using this tent while touring on a RANS
Stratus? :)

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

[BentJay]

I know what you mean, Tom. I was trying to find a Greenspeed tent, but
alas they are currently unavailable. Perhaps we can convince Mr. Sims
to produce one!

BentJay

[[email protected]]

Ah, Early Winters. Way ahead of their time, way ahead. Spent a bunch of
money with those folks, cool stuff, still have most of it.

Self-contained or supported touring? Is budget a big factor? You've
gotten some great leads on European tents. They're really cool. And
single walls are getting better and cheaper; less weight.

If you're going self-supported, grab a cup of coffee and google
ultralight backpacking. The techniques are not for everyone, takes some
imagination to see yourself using this gear in the rain or for long
hauls. But you can be warm, dry, and securely fed carrying about 1/2
the weight most people load on their bikes (not counting water, food,
tools, spares, not much you can about that stuff except pack it).

Going ultralight isn't for everyone but the statistics are difficult to
ignore. In my last few seasons of backpacking, I reduced my 35-50 pound
load to 11-20 pounds, not including food and water. It was remarkably
liberating.

david boise ID

Pamela Dallas wrote:
> The zippers on my 20+ year old Early Winters tent are finally falling
> apart, so it's time for a new one.
> I'd like a free-standing 2-person tent that packs down to under 20"
in
> length.
> Recommendations? Good manufacturers?
> Thanks,
> Pamela

[Pamela Dallas]

Well, I've been shopping the net the past few days to see what's
available.

Then today I got an REI e-mail with the 20% Savings offer.

Ended up ordering the Bibler I-Tent plus the optional footprint. This
looks like it will be easier to set up than my old Early Winters tent,
and it appears to weigh about the same. Hope the Bibler lasts 20+ years
like the EW.

It will get a good test on my Spring 2005 tour, from Reno NV to Death
Valley, on to Palm Springs, thence to the Pacific Coast south of LA, up
to Santa Barbara to visit family, and finally back home via the
California central valley and then up over the Sierras, probably on
CA88. On the way to and within DV I expect to be riding about 150 miles
on dirt roads.

I'll probably write this tour up at CrazyGuyOnABike when I get back.

Thanks to all for their contributions.

Pamela