SummitPost.org

desainme wrote:Wild Country and Terra Nova make some tents and they are in Europe. I bought their Solar Tent and it withstood a trememdous rainstorm in Ohio. I have had in the yard in the snow at 0 F I think that tent manufacturers in England are inclined toward good waterproofing since the place is so wet. http://www.summitpostgear.com/image/1717/779/solar-tent.html

I'd prefer something stronger than it though weight would be a little more, something even good for the snow. A two person double wall tent would be good. Also I'd like an inside space large enough to put two big backpacks. It should be strong, waterproof and wind resistant. Weight is not as important for us though we don't want a 3 person wide tent

Starting out, many moons ago, I used to think carrying a tent was THE most important piece of 'furniture' one could take on backcountry excursions. My opinions have since changed. I have three tents now, winter, summer and a bivy, all Marmot. 70% of the time, I now use my bivy and relay on my bag for warmth and wind protection. Also saves on weight. This summer, I'll probably (realistically speaking) start ditching my bivy in favour of a tarp and sturdier bag. So far, at least in the last 3 seasons of doing this (bivy only), I've had a great time. Amazing how much more energetic one feels when they're not carrying a 5-6lb. tent!
Problem is, espacially in Colorado, tempertures drop quickly when the sun goes down. Of course, it's all relevent upon where one lives and one's tolerance for colder temperatures.
I only mentioned Marmot earlier because I've NEVER had a problem with their equip. IMO, they make one of the best products out there. And that's 15+ years of experience talking.
Good luck on your tent-hunting endevour!

BTW, I NEVER leave home or my truck without a water purifier of some kind. I may forget food (done that) or a torch (done that) or even a jacket (stupidly, done that) but I'll never forget my purifier.

Diego Sahagún wrote:We need an all-season tent for two; hard, waterproof and light. Those marks (aside North face) are not sold here. Wich North face tent Any answer from Europe

From EU...

I have a North Face 'West Wind' model for two people. I think it is only marketed in Europe.

+ Really sturdy in high wind, I feel very confident in it, no matter what the weather.
+ Easy to pitch.
+ nice gold colour
+ It was included in the "Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program", 1999. What ever that is (I just stumbled across it in Google). See chapter 11. The manual makes for nice reading!
http://www.sarinfo.bc.ca/Library/Skills ... rvival.skl

- Perhaps a bit heavy unless you really need the robustness that it offers (2.5kg)
- Doesn't have a very good cooking annex
- Creates condensation like a veritable condenser (but perhaps so do all similar tents?)
- Rain water and condensation drips into the tent door when opening the fly annex from inside (its kind of hard to explain what I mean)
- Like a baking oven in windless sunny conditions, especially summer. To be expected so not really a negative.

http://www.snowandrock.com/shop/activit ... /MNFCV.htm

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-nort ... escription

Adventurer, EV2 seems a very good tent though I'm looking for something half the prize of it. Anyway, gracias

damio wrote:

Diego Sahagún wrote:We need an all-season tent for two; hard, waterproof and light. Those marks (aside North face) are not sold here. Wich North face tent Any answer from Europe

From EU...

I have a North Face 'West Wind' model for two people. I think it is only marketed in Europe.

+ Really sturdy in high wind, I feel very confident in it, no matter what the weather.
+ Easy to pitch.
+ nice gold colour
+ It was included in the "Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program", 1999. What ever that is (I just stumbled across it in Google). See chapter 11. The manual makes for nice reading!
http://www.sarinfo.bc.ca/Library/Skills ... rvival.skl

- Perhaps a bit heavy unless you really need the robustness that it offers (2.5kg)
- Doesn't have a very good cooking annex
- Creates condensation like a veritable condenser (but perhaps so do all similar tents?)
- Rain water and condensation drips into the tent door when opening the fly annex from inside (its kind of hard to explain what I mean)
- Like a baking oven in windless sunny conditions, especially summer. To be expected so not really a negative.

http://www.snowandrock.com/shop/activit ... /MNFCV.htm

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-nort ... escription

Well, this is like the tent we look for. Though I don't like the colour, we'd prefer something less bright. Regarding wind resistance. Is it as sturdy as you say

- Doesn't have a very good cooking annex
- Creates condensation like a veritable condenser (but perhaps so do all similar tents?)

Cooking annex seems big enough. Condensation is really a problem on similar tents

I much prefer nordic tents beacuse erecting those tents are much faster.The TNF tents all require you to put up the inner tent first and then adding the fly afterwards.Also i find them heavy compared to the size and sturdiness they offer.I recommend looking into tents from hilleberg or Hell-sport.

Sometimes I think "I don't need no stinkin' tent.





But then there are those other times:



That's an old N Face 4 season tent I really wish they still made. Much lighter than the new line.

I got a bit of "tent advice" a long time ago that has served me well, as follows: "The best two person, four season tent is a three person tent". Sure, I'm not keen on the bit of extra weight but hunkered down in wild weather in any season sure makes that extra storage, cribbage playing, and sock drying space pretty nice.

I hope the info helped in your search.

- Cooking annex: Yes, I agree - it is big enough and it is has a low
profile for windy days. However it is not easily 'raised' for more room on
less windy days. Also, from condensation on the inside of the fly sheet
you can get wet each morning when you crawl out of the tent as your back
can rub on the inside of the annex unless you are careful.

- Colour: I also prefer an earth or tree coloured tent. However this gold
tent makes the interior quite bright - nice on a dark mornings.

- Wind resistance: if you get the pegs into good firm ground then yes, it
is a very solid tent. I have tested it (stupidly) on the edge of a cliff
at about 2500m and it handled the blasting storm very well. Keep in mind
that I have not tested it extensively in a lot of mountain storms nor am I
able to compare to other tents of a similar type. I had it in 50kph winds
with gusts of perhaps 70-80kph. 80kph is the tested maximum in a wind
tunnel (according the TNF marketing info).

In winter, yes on a tent. It is so much warmer!!

The Hilleberg Nallo 2GT really rocks.

It is very light for a tent it's size, double wall, and very easy to set up.
The versatility is endless, there are many different ways the tent can be set up for many different situations.

The vestibule is huge, great for two peoples gear and cooking too.
I have used it in winter and love it!

I believe a tent is very important, especially here in the northeast USA where the humidity in the air gets into your bones! It really does raise the temperature inside, making for a better sleep, and also protects your gear from getting wet.

rasgoat, I don't think that they sell Hilleberg in Spain

The SP member called The Chief has a Hilleberg tent. We took it up last August when we climbed the North Buttress of Merriam Peak. As it turned out we did not even need the tent, but I slept in it anyway, and got a sense of it. Very light, very spacious, great vestibule. A tad hard to ventilate. Anyone had those up in high winds? It seems like it would be flimsy compared to it's heavier counterparts from TNF etc., but I can't say from any experience.

Fred and I have the Clip Flashlight tent from Sierra Designs. Goes up quickly, is very sturdy and weighs very little.

The last time I slept totally in the open (not that it bothers me) I had a chipmunk move in with me (we got along just fine) but I ended up wet from dew. We have had animal problems on other occasions and a tent seems to be the best solution (except for bears).

In summer just spanning a tarp to keep off the dew is fine, but wind and the unexpected thunderstorm make a tent very nice. During the other seasons I consider a tent even more important. Snow caves are fine, but the time and energy it takes to build one are often easily offset by carrying a tent.

Tent for sure.

BUT don't waste your money on a $200-500 tent. Go to your local super sized sports store. For me it's a Gander Mountain, Dicks, Target, not REI. Look for a 4x6', 2 pole pop up tent. You should find one on sale for about 29.99 (USA) Get a $4.99 bottle of seam sealer. Soak it down. Good to go.

I've had expensive and cheap tents. They all leak a with a hard rain 6-8 hours rain. Save your money.

For winter camping....Tents knock the wind chill off, but not the actual temp....

Best bet with your girlfriend.. Day hike (winter time) and sleep at night in the back off your full size SUV. Start it up every 6 hours. It's about 20 degrees warming then a tent. She will appreciate it.

Have fun.