Tent advice

[JT]

Doesn't the Mutha Hubba, like most MSR tents, pitch inner first?

[GrahamG]

Yes, that was another thing we were adamant that we didn't want but, as suggested in the shop, it was so quick to pitch that it was never a problem, especially if there was somewhere sheltered to 'assemble' it before just carrying it to a pitch thanks to it being free-standing. Extra bonus is that you can pitch the tent as inner only - something we would have loved in italy when dripping with sweat in the vango!

[andrewc]

I've been using the Hubba HP in some wet weather recently, it's quick enough to pitch and the inner tent fabric water resistant enough that the inner first pitching hasn't been a problem.  The light green fly and white inner make it pleasant to live in as well.

[Ariadne]

My Trek Lightwave is inner-first, too, but in like andrewc's Hubba HP, the inner is actually pretty waterproof. I put it up on a downpour on Saturday and it was fine.

[jogler]

Whilst it's 3kg, it's a real luxury for two people cycle touring

It's a compromise between comfort/convenience & weight IME.
My Vaude MKII Light is almost 3kg also but has the space to provide comfort for two.I'm so pleased with it that I sold my my other lighter&smaller tent because I'd stopped using it in preference to the Vaude.A tent that weighs a kg more is not an issue when the rest of your gear varies between 5 & 15kg:& the rider would benefit via the loss of 15kg to get back to" before-I-stopped-smoking" weight.

[andygates]

There is much to be said for a proper room, rather than just a shelter or a sleeping-space.  Not for overnights perhaps, but for the long haul, absolutely.  But then everything is a compromise; if I had a jillion pounds I'd have a little one-man ultralight as well.   

[Regulator]

I'm thinking of treating myself to a North Ridge Sphinx.  But Mr R has said I have to get rid of two of my other tents.

So an ultralight one man and a generous (and lightweight) two man may soon be looking for homes...

[Canardly]

Bit heavy?

[clarion]

3.35kg is not, as they describe it, 'ultra-lightweight'.  Our Hilleberg Nallo 2GT, with loads more porch space, is 2.6kg.  OK, it costs more, but I can't see how the Sphinx can weigh so much.

[Regulator]

I'm not particularly bothered about the 3.35kg weight - that's nothing really and the bike will be carrying it.  I think sometimes people get too hung up about the weight of tents.

What I'm after is a 3+season, minimum 5000mm HH, semi-geodisic (to give me the headroom) tent - and this fits the bill nicely.  I also have my eye on a couple of other tents, and I'm going to see them all up and try them out before I buy.

[Riggers]

What exactly does the '2000', '5000' stand for under the rain-cloud symbol?

[plum]

[In a camping context] It's a measure of how waterproof something is

Hydrostatic Head

[Riggers]

Thanks for that.

[peliroja]

We've (almost) decided to replace Sweaty Betty, our Blacks Octane 3, which has served us very well on our tours in Europe and Down Under, with a tent we could feasibly live in for many months: the Hilleberg Kaitum 3GT.

It's large, and pretty heavy (3.8KG) but we do have a Great Dane (6'4" tall) to house. The main issues we've had with the Octane 3, which we think the Kaitum will solve, are:
- Lack of space for the two of us to move comfortably at the same time in the tent.
- Lack of headroom anywhere but the highest section of the inner tent.
- Lack of space for two Downmats to lie side-by-side without overlap at the bottom of the inner tent.
- Lack of ventilation (hence "Sweaty Betty").
- Lack of cooking space (also due to lack of ventilation).
- Steep tapering of the bottom of the inner tent, meaning the bottom of Woolly's sleeping bag and mat very often get wet as he can't avoid his feet touching the inner (unless he curls his lower legs up onto my side   ).

We also considered the Nallo 3GT and 4GT but having had a nosey around in the Wowbaggers' Nallo recently, we concluded that the inner tent was too narrow (it's very slightly narrower than the Blacks Octane 3) and short for us, with the same steep tapering of the inner tent.

We will let you know how we get on!  

[Polar Bear]

Have you looked at the Nammatj?   We upgraded form Nallo 3GT to Nammatj.   Roomier, sturdier and much better ventilated than the Nallo 3GT.   

It is of course the BEAR who shoulders the load...        

[jane]

I just love the look of those Hilleberg tents- just don't think I can justify spending that much money when really it's just for me most of the time.  Every so often, my daughter might share it if we do one of her mad treks together but that's getting a less frequent occurrence as she now has what seems to be a fairly permanent boyfriend.  They share the same ideas about hills, mountains and climbing and walking so I don't think I'll be sharing it with her for a while.  And Mario (OH) well, tents aren't really his thing- his idea of a holiday involves luxurious hot baths at the end of a day which involves cycling only if
a) it's around 20 miles in distance
b) is flat with no headwind
c) involves a decent lunch in the middle and a good dinner at the end, preferably cooked by someone else.

The Kaitum GT looks great- and not too much heavier than my present tent.)