Author Topic: One person tent - advice please  (Read 23538 times)

Wowbagger

  • Stout dipper
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #25 on: 19 July, 2010, 10:12:04 pm »
Mrs. Wow and I spent two or three nights in the Hilleberg a couple of years ago, thanks to Butterfly's generosity.

We found it OK for size.
Quote from: Dez
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Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #26 on: 19 July, 2010, 10:22:11 pm »
I tend to buy really cheapo "2 man" tents from Millets or similar for about 30 quid. I still consider them "1 man" tents as there really isn't much room in them. Especially when you've got a bunch of panniers to fit in as well.

The reason for going for cheapo tents is that I will almost certainly fall on it when I've got back from the pub and trash it  :P I've got through loads over the years  ::-)

Unless you're planning a tour of Siberia in winter, a cheap tent will be fine......
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

PH

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #27 on: 20 July, 2010, 12:01:09 am »
Terra Nova Solar 2.2 would be worth a look.  I’ve had mine for three years and wouldn’t consider anything else.
Big doors, virtually the whole sides of the tent can be opened up.
Near vertical end walls so there's no tapering down towards your face.
Pitches inner first, there's no flapping inner.
It is very easy to get in and out of.

   Terra Nova Superlite Solar 2.2


Terra Nova also do an odd looking Laser Space, I haven’t seen one.

   Buy Online - Superlight backpacking or touring tent with huge amounts of space for 2 people


Or if it's just space that you want, the Golite Shagri La probably offers the most for the weight. Though I’m not a fan.
Just ordered a new tent

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #28 on: 20 July, 2010, 12:51:01 am »
I suspect as others have said that you would find the tent you linked to too constricting.

I've got a couple of tents, a Terra Nova Laser Photon, which for a while was the lightest tent in the world (until superseded by a newer and even lighter version).  It's tiny when packed up, easily fitting in a pannier with other junk, and weighs less than 1kg.  It is not very spacious though.  I can't really sit up whilst in it, I have to sort of wriggle, which can make getting changed interesting, and there isn't room in the tent for panniers, just the odd stuff sac, or handlebar bag (but there is enough room in the porch).  Admittedly I'm rather taller than you, but I think you'd find something like it a bit too much.



My other, older tent, is a Wild Country Ultra Quasar.  It's a two man tent, and is reasonably spacious as such, but with one person in it, you can also put your luggage in the tent.  It's a four pole geo design, so a hoop over each entrance (two entrances, two bells), and a pair of diagonal hoops.  Even I can sit upright in it, and not hit my head on the roof, and the doors can be opened in a variety of ways, which is useful if the wind changes direction after you've pitched.  The downside is that it weighs more than twice what the Laser Photon weighs, and even without the poles would take up most of one pannier.  The poles won't fit in the pannier, they're too long.  Having said that, I've walked all day with it strapped and packed into a rucksack, so it would still be quite possible to use it with a bike, it's just not an ultralightweight tent (nor is it meant to be).



As others have said, really you need to try a tent out to get a feel for it.  Some companies like Cotswolds have tent shows, where they basically put several dozen tents up in a field so people can try them out.  Looking at their website, it looks like most of the ones vaguely convenient for you have already happened this year.

 Cotswold Outdoor Tent Shows

There may be some outdoor pursuits shows which might be worth visiting, or take up some of the offers from people here to look at their tents.  I'll certainly be bringing my Laser Photon to Dunwich, so you can see how small and light it is, and probably how uncomfortable it would make you to lie down in it!

Shops sometimes have tents up indoors, but they rarely have room for more than a couple, so it's hard to see what all the models are like.  You can get some idea by marking out the sizes on the floor, but it's hard to get a good feel for the "headroom", which is normally a bit complex because of the weird shape of some tents.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Wowbagger

  • Stout dipper
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #29 on: 20 July, 2010, 01:01:32 am »
Camping & General, on Canvey Island, does have tents up indoors, and quite a large selection. However, mostly they are aiming at the car-camping market so I wouldn't suggest a trip down unless you know they've got a stock of small tents of the types you are interested in. That's where I got my Coleman 6 or so years ago.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #30 on: 20 July, 2010, 01:04:13 am »
This is my choice: Mega Light - Shelter - Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.. Not cheap, but they are sturdy and they offer more space than anything else I've seen for the weight. Sometimes I bring the floor, sometimes I use a sheet of plastic to cover one side. Being able to cook on bare ground inside the tent is nice, and being able to dry laundry inside the tent is nice. Pitching the tent by hanging it from a tree branch is a nice option, too. I learned on a trip to Alaska that if you pitch the tent close to the ground the mosquitoes/midges won't get in, they aren't smart enough to get under the edge. After a night at Wonder Lake (Denali National Park, AK), I learned from a bystander that the air above my tent had been black with mosquitoes, but none of them got in.

On the debit side, the tent is not free standing, and a fair size patch of flat ground is required to pitch the tent. Also, I had a fair bit of snow get in the tent during a summer snowstorm in the Wind River Mts. last month.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #31 on: 20 July, 2010, 01:42:10 am »
I really shouldn't have read this thread.  Too much tentation...

Valiant

  • aka Sam
    • Radiance Audio
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #32 on: 20 July, 2010, 02:31:21 am »
I use a Vango Beta 450. It's awesome. Like you I get a little claustrophobic and this tent is big enough for 4 people + bags + a bike or two in the porch. It feels massive inside despite being quite small.

Vango Beta (450) Tent
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Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #33 on: 20 July, 2010, 08:38:45 am »
7.5kg

:o
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #34 on: 20 July, 2010, 08:54:57 am »
I am a fan of a Vaude MK II Light.Comfortable for two & enooormouse for one.Not too heavy to carry solo(2kg),so easy to pitch & on offfer at Cotswold Outdoor in Keswick so I assume at their other outlets.

Vaude Mark II Light Tent - Green at Uttings Outdoors


Edit  & their after-sales customer service is EXCELLENT

JT

  • Howay the lads!
    • CTC Peterborough
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #35 on: 20 July, 2010, 09:00:20 am »
For one man trips I've got a Quechua Ultralight T2 Pro (from Decathlon) which packs small and weighs a couple of kg. Because it's a sort of large mummy shape there's plenty of room where you need it, up around your shoulders. It's also very quick to pitch. I'd recommend it.



We've also got an MSR Velo tent which is a proper two man tent with a very large porch - big enough for two bikes - hence the name of the tent. The weight is about 5Kg though and the pack size would take up the top of a rack. The other downside is that it pitches inner first so you have to be quick if it's raining although all three poles are exactly the same size which saves faffing about.



a great mind thinks alike

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #36 on: 20 July, 2010, 09:15:43 am »
Decathlon usually has 1 or 2 good 1 1/2 person tents. I've bought one in 2004 and it's still going strong.

Ditto. We have a T2 Ultralight Pro as well.  Very cheap, very light, very good.  Decathlon have a store at Lakeside and some of their tents are erected so you could have a sufty.  Decathlon tents tend to have dark coloured fly sheets so this might not help with the claustrophobia as they are a little dark inside, which is something I like as you don't get woken up as soon as it gets light. 

You could always leave the inner door unzipped so you can see into the porch and increase the sense of space although this might let bugs in.

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #37 on: 20 July, 2010, 09:22:30 am »
... Decathlon tents tend to have dark coloured fly sheets so this might not help with the claustrophobia as they are a little dark inside, which is something I like as you don't get woken up as soon as it gets light. ...

It also makes tents a little less conspicuous if wild camping, and helps dry out the outer when the sun comes out.  The downside is that a tent can get very warm very fast for the same reason.  It does get you out of bed once the sun's up though!
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #38 on: 20 July, 2010, 09:31:00 am »
If you can find one, try a saunders spacepacker with a *cotton* inner.

The cotton is very soft and light, and it feels like nice bedsheets. So although there isn't lots of room, you might find it less bothersome.

They also have large porches, so you can store gear outside of the inner, making it less cluttered.

If that don't work, I reckon you need to make a tipi.

An american weight-weenie couple made one that could be either held up by a tree, or use a single pole. It just had an outer, but you could hang a mozzie net or something similar inside.


Ah, found some.
Helsport Lavvu light

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urban_biker

  • " . . .we all ended up here and like lads in the back of a Nova we sort of egged each other on...."
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Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #39 on: 20 July, 2010, 09:37:52 am »
I have a Gelert Fossa which cost around £20. For the price its absolutely superb and great for summer bike camping.

The current Gelert model is the Gelert Solo which is a similar price. Search on a few reviews. As a budget summer tent it is an excellent piece of kit.

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?5739-Gelert-Solo-Tent-An-initial-kit-report
Owner of a languishing Langster

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #40 on: 20 July, 2010, 01:07:58 pm »
Decathlon usually has 1 or 2 good 1 1/2 person tents. I've bought one in 2004 and it's still going strong.

Ditto. We have a T2 Ultralight Pro as well.  Very cheap, very light, very good.  Decathlon have a store at Lakeside and some of their tents are erected so you could have a sufty.  Decathlon tents tend to have dark coloured fly sheets so this might not help with the claustrophobia as they are a little dark inside, which is something I like as you don't get woken up as soon as it gets light. 

You could always leave the inner door unzipped so you can see into the porch and increase the sense of space although this might let bugs in.

Mine is the T2 Ultralight.


Valiant

  • aka Sam
    • Radiance Audio
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #41 on: 20 July, 2010, 02:01:41 pm »
7.5kg

:o

It's super lightweight. Compared to Beatrix :D
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Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #42 on: 20 July, 2010, 03:28:15 pm »
Decathlon usually has 1 or 2 good 1 1/2 person tents. I've bought one in 2004 and it's still going strong.

Ditto. We have a T2 Ultralight Pro as well.  Very cheap, very light, very good.  Decathlon have a store at Lakeside and some of their tents are erected so you could have a sufty.  Decathlon tents tend to have dark coloured fly sheets so this might not help with the claustrophobia as they are a little dark inside, which is something I like as you don't get woken up as soon as it gets light. 

You could always leave the inner door unzipped so you can see into the porch and increase the sense of space although this might let bugs in.

Mine is the T2 Ultralight.



We've got a T2 Ultralight as well.  Also cheap, light and good.  I think its the nicest small tent I've used.

Gus

  • Loosing weight stone by stone
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Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #43 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:09:11 pm »

The MSR Hubba is narrow, I've tried it and found it to small, the Hubba Hubba are all most double size and great.
But only if you  like a mesh inner tent. I found it great because there are no problem with condensation.

bikenerd

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #44 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:15:40 pm »
I have the precursor to the Hubba, an MSR Zoid.  I call it the coffin tent, for obvious reasons, and I think the Hubba is a similar footprint so probably pretty small.

I think any lightweight, small tent is going to feel enclosed for a claustrophic, unfortunately.

Chris S

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #45 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:30:11 pm »
How about one of these:

HENNESSY HAMMOCKS.com:  ultra-light line of jungle hammocks, ultra-comfortable camping hammock /chair/ tent combo

Apart from the obvious need for some supports (trees, sticks, a bike... etc) and the hilariously amusing "being poked in the bum wiv a stick by your mates at 4am", if you feel a wee bit closed in - just peek out  :thumbsup:.

Ultra light, no need to carry chairs or a mat.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #46 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:31:42 pm »
Should you go tent shopping with a companion so someone can take you for a coffee/give you a hug if it all Gets Too Much?

Zoidburg

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #47 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:34:05 pm »
Bivvy bag.

Couple that with a poncho or a half shelter maybe.

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #48 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:42:03 pm »
Bivvy bag.

Couple that with a poncho or a half shelter maybe.

... I am claustrophobic and don't cope well in tiny spaces, not well at all, ...

I don't think a Bivvy Bag exactly addresses this issue.

I think a small (but not too small) two person lightweight tent, probably a geo since they're easier to erect, and often feel more spacious than a more angular design, would be the best solution.  They don't feel half as cramped as ultralightweight single person tents, and tend to give you more space for storage, cooking in the porch etc

A bike can probably carry more weight than a walker, but ideally you want to keep the volume down.  I'd say something around the 2.5kg weight should be possible, although it may require spending a little more money.  Some manufacturers make lighter versions of their tents, which generally cost more, and use lighter, slightly more fragile materials.  So long as you're careful with the tent, this is probably a worthwhile approach to look into.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Zoidburg

Re: One person tent - advice please
« Reply #49 on: 20 July, 2010, 05:45:38 pm »
Bivvy bag.

Couple that with a poncho or a half shelter maybe.

... I am claustrophobic and don't cope well in tiny spaces, not well at all, ...

I don't think a Bivvy Bag exactly addresses this issue.


If you have actualy used one then it's no different than being in a sleeping bag or wearing a water proof jacket with a big hood.

I think you may be thinking of a one man hoop bivvy/tent which is not the same thing.