Tag: ultralight tent

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My favorite 2-man tents for 2020

on May 1, 2020
  1. Big agnes Copper spur HV ul 2 – There is a reason the Copper Spur hv ul2 is one of the most popular tents in history. This tent is a fantastic balance of weight, stability and living comfort. At just 1220 grams and freestanding, the Copper spur can more or less put up with anything the mountains can throw at it. Granted, my size at 190cm, I would rather pick up the HV UL 3 version instead if I’m sharing the tent. But I can say that with just about any two man tent.

Positives:

  • Fast and easy setup
  • Ultralight two man tent
  • Stable enough for most conditions
  • Great ventilation
  • Love the new awnings
  • Double entry and exits
  • Freestanding

Negatives:

  • Can be small for two people
  • There are lighter solutions – but not many
  • Outer tent and inner are pitched separately
  1. Hilleberg Anaris – A proper two man trekking pole tent from Hilleberg that can withstand anything the mountains throw at it. Fast and easy to pitch, this is a great two man tent for most people not looking for the lightest solution, but a long term solution that will last a lifetime and a great weight for two people at around 1309 grams ex tent pegs. The Anaris is also a very flexible tent which is why it kicks out several other similar solutions that might weigh less. Can be used as a simple tarp, or if you just want to pitch the inner, or half and half. Hilleberg is one of the originators of the trekking pole tent, in fact the design of the Anaris was more or less stolen from a tent they introduced in the early 70’s. Generous sizing and vestibules make the Anaris an excellent purchase.

Positives:

  • Generous sizing – a proper comfortable two man tent
  • Great weight for two man tent
  • Very flexible solution
  • Easy to pitch
  • Can withstand the mountains
  • Will last a lifetime

Negatives:

  • There are lighter solutions
  • When pitched in “shit weather mode” the ends can be a little low
  • Would like to see a single man version of the Anaris
  • I hate the tent pegs. The three star top always cuts my hands when I have to use force
  1. Luxe outdoor sil Hexpeak f6a – Big, light and cheap. A great combination! Granted, outer and inner together make this the heaviest combination of my recommendations. But a Tipi this size normally doesn’t need an inner tent. Pitch it close to the ground and you’re not going to be bothered with bugs. The Hexpeak 6a in a generous sized two man tent that comes complete with inner tent and tent pegs. I have used mine in some seriously bad weather above treeline on a few occasions with zero issues. If you’re looking for a great Tipi solution for two people or one big and a bunch of kids, the Hexpeak might be the perfect tent for you.
Not a pic of the f6 – this is the Hexpeak v8.. Similar but not the same. This is also the winter version with stove jack. I couldn’t find my pics of the V6

Positives:

  • Comes complete with everything that is needed
  • Generous sized two man tent
  • Robust material will hold a long time
  • Great price

Negatives:

  • Heavy compared to the other tents on my list (if bringing inner tent)
  • Massive footprint. You need to find a camp spot big enough
  • Needs to be seam sealed
  1. Tarptent Stratospire 2 – A massive two man tent that can withstand anything, more or less. If you want lots of room, the stratospire 2 is hard to beat. Many of the reasons I loved the Stratospire 1 apply for the Stratospire 2. My only complaint? Its really big. This size has a cost when trying to find a good flat surface to pitch your tent on.
The Tarptent Stratospire Li – DCF dyneema tent. Weighs just 750 grams with tent pegs

Positives:

  • Big and light
  • Stabile in most three season weather
  • Massive vestibules

Negatives:

  • Requires a lot of space to pitch
  • Needs to be seam sealed

Alternatively you can get the Stratospires LI DCF version of the Stratospire at just 750 grams!

  1. Hyperlite mountain gear Ultamid 2 – 471 gram alpine tent. I have used the Ultamid 2 and it’s bigger brother the Ultamid 4 year round above treeline. To say the Ultamid 2 is a competent tent in any conditions is an understatement. From being snowed in late April, to sunny hikes in Sarek the Ultamid 2 has never let me down. Now that 471g is the weight of the outer only, so if you need an inner add another 500 grams or so. The Ultamid 2 also makes for a great solo tent. If you are looking for the perfect solo tent that even works as an excellent 2 man tent, look no further than the Hyperlite mountain gear Ultamid 2.

Positives:

  • Ultralight 
  • True all season tent
  • Big
  • Takes little room in pack
  • Fast and easy to setup
  • Easy to repair

Negatives:

  • Inner tent isn’t included in sale price
  • Single walled tents = Condensation is more obvious
  • Tent pegs and Trekking pole extender not included

Bonus Tent:

The Vargo No-Fly 2 man tent – I couldn’t possibly leave the Vargo No-fly out here, so I am cheating on my own list. Anyway, the no-fly 2 probably has the biggest living area of any of the aforementioned tents as the sides are steep, so you don’t lose any length or width because of hard sloping sides like you get in a pyramid tent. The No-fly is also for the most part freestanding, and I have pitched it on tiny broken sidewalks on the edge of a river with no pegs. Two big vestibules, extremely easy to pitch, great ventilation and a lightweight at just 1195 grams. Did I mention everything you need is included in the package? Seam sealed, tent pegs and carbon fiber tent poles. Excellent creation from the Vargo team.

Positives:

  • Fast and easy to pitch
  • Freestanding
  • Great ventilation
  • Complete tent
  • Lightweight

Negatives:

  • I would have liked to see a bigger side opening with the vestibules. Demands a bit of trickery to open up completely on sunny days
  • Included is 4 vargo ti pegs, I think 6 would have been better as it requires 6-8 if you want it completely pitched. 

Runner up: Zpacks duplex,

Zpacks Duplex: I felt a lot of internal pressure to include the Zpacks Duplex here. But for me personally the tent doesn’t work. My head and feet push hard on the outer tent, meaning I get wet. Wind blows through it, so on top of being wet I also get cold. The tent also loves condensation, so morning rain showers are common. However, if I were to hike warmer climates, summertime, then I would definitely look hard at bringing the zpacks Duplex with me. However for me, in the swedish mountains in most of the conditions I find myself in, the Duplex simply is a no go.

These tents can be purchased in Sweden at https://www.backpackinglight.se

In Europe at: https://www.backpackinglight.dk

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Zpacks Plexamid – an overview

on February 27, 2019

Last year I bought the new Zpacks tent – after much internal debating, as I’m not a huge fan of the duplex (too small, too exposed for my tastes), I was a bit slow to pull the trigger on the Plexamid. However, after seeing a few initial reviews of how big the tent was, I decided to go for it. I don’t normally worry too much about cost as it easy to get the money back when selling.

My initial impression when I received the tent was “damn this is light” – followed by, shit it’s going to be too small. After setting up the plexamid and playing with it for about 20 nights out and 7 months later, I can say that it’s not too small. In fact, the tent gives me more liveable space than the Duplex. Even when I slept in the Duplex diagonally, it was too small for me. Meaning I had to basically use the entire internal space of the Duplex, just for my sleeping pad. Kind of sucked.

Anyway, this is not a review, but simply an overview of the Plexamid, as I want to give this tent a thorough beating before I give a true review.

A video overview:

What is it:

The Plexamid is the newest ultralight solo tent by the Florida based cottage company Zpacks. Zpacks specialises in ultralight, dyneema made gear. The tent weighs just 439grams on my scale, with guy lines without tent pegs and center pole.

First impression:

It’s a big solo tent – I’ve actually slept with my son in the tent a few nights and there is plenty of room for us.

Performance so far:

One of the reasons I am not willing to do a proper review yet is that the weather and conditions I’ve had the Plexamid in have been relatively mild so far. 15mps winds (34 mph) and two days of rain. In those conditions, it has held its own, and the size of the tent makes the heavy rains bearable. Though, in prolonged rains, the condensation does become an issue. However, as the tent is quite large and the sides sloped as they are, the condensation just runs down the sides and out through the mesh onto the ground – and not onto your gear and sleeping bag.

Sitting straight up and down on a sleeping pad with plenty of room to spare. For reference, I am 190cm tall and 90kilos

Conclusion:

I have used this tent enough to confidently say that If I were to do the PCT, the Plexamid would be the tent I bring – no doubt. I am confident enough with the tent to have it as my only tent for the next 6 months while in Zambia. It’s big, light and stable.

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Gear review: Gossamer Gear The One tent

on April 26, 2018

This is not a review of the old Spinnaker cloth The one, rather of the new silnylon The one. And more recently the 2017 version (if there is a difference between 2016 and 2017 I don’t know). Anyway, the One has been a classic ultralight solo tent, and one that has been used and abused by many backpackers over the years until the Spinnaker cloth version of the tent was cut. Mainly from what I understand because Spinnaker cloth itself was no longer being produced. In anycase, not very interesting but gives me something to fill up my word count with.

Now, 2017 I brought in The One to Backpackinglight.dk webshop to sell, and like everything else if I can’t stand behind a product, I don’t bother selling them. So, I have been testing the One quite rigorously now for the last 5 months and this review will be a rundown of what I think about the One, it’s goods, bads and quirks.

Video Review: 

What is the One: 

The One is an ultralight, fully enclosed, complete single wall tent. Meaning, it has a floor, walls, bugnetting and everything else you need to be considered a tent. The one is easily setup with two trekking poles, or tent poles.

Weight:

On my scales the One complete with stuff sack, guy lines and seam sealed weighs just 618grams. Add 6 tent pegs and your upp to about 700grams.

Setup: 

Stake the four corners, stick in trekking poles, stake out the trekking pole guy lines and your done.. stretch and tighten accordingly. Takes a few setups but you’ll be an expert in no time!

Useage: 

Well, anywhere really. But should probably avoid winter camping and highly exposed and wet campsites. The silnylon and low 1200mm waterproofing means that it’s not a tent for week long trips in heavy wind and rainy mountain trips. For everything else it works great.

The Good:

  1. the one like most silnylon tents packs up nice and small – I know this doesn’t seem like it should matter, but the amount of volume a cuben tent can take up in a backpack is crazy. Silnylon on the other hand has about half the pack volume of a caparable cuben fiber tent.
  2. Big – unlike most ultralight solo tents, the One is fairly large and I feel that even for me at 190cm or 6’3″ The One is roomy. Definitely enough room to situp in and move around.
  3. Lightweight – at 618grams the One is hard to beat for size and comfort
  4. The One is a complete shelter – I don’t need to think about bug nets, bathtub floors, seam sealing or add-ons in general.
  5. Nice pockets on inside of tent
  6. Easy setup – takes about a minute to setup once you know what your doing
  7. I love tents that can open up large – the One offers a massive screen view when in the vestibule is rolled up. One of my favorite aspects of this tent.

The Bad:

  1. the 15D silnylon seems like it would rip quite easy. Though, I have not had this problem, and it’s more of a feeling than an actual gripe
  2. Silnylon – silnylon has it’s pluses and minuses. A minus is that it stretches – which means you have to tighten down the tent from time to time, and more so when wet.
  3. Tent peg intensive. Requires 6 pegs to setup. I don’t like having to use 6 pegs for setup. I like 2-4 for setup and 2-4 for strengthening.
  4. Because of the very thin silnylon floor, you really have to check where you put your tent – the nylon if placed on wet ground, will seep in water (bad grammar here) in anycase, if the ground is wet, the inside of your tent will get wet when applying pressure.

Improvements:

I really don’t see too much in the way of improvements, but I would like to see a tie out point in the middle of the tent side. Much like a Lunar solo with would give me the option of tieing out the side to give me more head/feet space, better wind protection and better overall stability.

A small zipper opening on non-vestibule side. This way I can extend the trekking pole from the inside when the material starts to stretch, or just place small odds and ends that I don’t necessarily need with me in my tent or under the vestibule

Conclusion: 

The One in my opinion is a great, relatively cheap ultralight selection for most people doing thru-hikes on something like the PCT or Appalachian trail, forest trails and so on. I don’t know if I would be comfortable using the One on a wide open site, valley and so on. I also setup my tents in the least exposed areas possible, and I certainly wouldn’t make an exception for the Gossamer gear One.

I don’t mention condensation in my review because I don’t really see much of a difference between this or any other tent. Camp selection, ventilation and outside temperatures are always the biggest determining factors when it comes to condensation. The One has great ventilation so in theory condensation shouldn’t be a problem – or atleast not more of a problem than any other option.

Where to buy:

If you live in Europe than in my own opinion Backpackinglight.dk is the best shop – in Sweden backpackinglight.se

 

Gear reviews

Black diamond HiLight tent – a gear review

on January 12, 2016

Around winter is the time I start going through all my gear and seeing what might actually work and what won’t work in the winter. After reading a blog post a few years ago on Jörgen Johanssons excellent blog at http://www.fjaderlatt.se on the Black diamond firstlight, I decided to go ahead a purchase one. At the time the firstlight wasn’t being produced anymore and instead the updated version the Hilight was available.

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Going Lighter

Going lighter – step three: the Tent

on September 20, 2015

4674291_origThe tent is by far at least for me the funnest part of the whole transition. As I wrote in earlier posts it was actually the Hilleberg Akto that showed me the way. It’s not exactly light or large, but it is lighter than most 2 person tents – and that’s it really for me – I always thought I needed two person tent in-order to be comfortable. Or course after buying and testing about 15 different tents I realised this to be true. I do need at-least a two person tent to be happy and comfortable. I just don’t need one made for everest style expeditions that weigh 3-4 kilos.

I imagine that most people will ignore my other posts and jump directly to the tent purchasing phase – which is just fine of course, not many of us have any willpower to speak of; So I get it. Buy the tent first 🙂 I purchased and tested many different tents over the years some of the reviews you can read on this site, other reviews I haven’t gotten around to posting yet and a few more I haven’t even started writing. I enjoy being out in nature more than sitting in front of my computer screen. Here is a list of some of the different tents I have tried over the last 5 years:

Zpacks duplex
Zpacks Hexamid solo
Tarptent double rainbow
Hilleberg Akto
MLD Trailstar
MLD Supermid
MLD Solomid
MLD Duomid
Hilleberg Nammatj
Hilleberg Nallo 2
Hilleberg Suolo
Six moon designs Skyscape trekker
Gossamer Gear Qtwinn (tarp)
Zpacks winter hammock tarp w/ doors (used even as ground tarp)

These are the ones I remember at least for the time being. Anyway, I found that I prefer the single wall two man tent style. The double rainbow by Tarptent is one that I can recommend to just about anyone making their transition over to lighter gear. Its large, relatively light 1.1kilos on my scale, more traditional tent feel and is also relatively cheap for what you get. It can be set-up as a free standing tent or stakes in ground. You can even purchase an inner tent cheap for it.

5742019_orig

I sold my Double rainbow because I started using walking sticks and wanted to be able to use my sticks as tent pole instead of having to carry that extra weight of the tent poles. That led the way for the more popular single wall tarps such as the MLD Trailstar and Qtwinn. The trailstar is nice and roomy, quite large floor space actually and a very large vestibule when it rains if you just want to hang out in the tent. But the tarp didn’t work for me for a number of reasons, mainly because I don’t like the idea of having to add-on an extra inner tent in order to keep bugs out and close up shop. Of course you don’t have to have this option, but most people, including myself do eventually get the add-on for the comfort. Also, I prefer now the headroom of the Duomid. On top of that I thought it could be a pain at times to set-up on forest trails – it requires a lot of ground space, most of my trips or in forest and tight spaces. The trailstar Just didn’t work out to well for me. Though I am willing to give it a shot again in the future and see if my opinion changes on it.

2985192_orig

That is when I made my move over to the Qtwinn – single wall cuben fiber tarp. This was excellent for weight to size ratio. 300 grams on my scales and large innerspace for two people. The problem here of course is that it can’t be shut, and in Sweden bugs are rampant which meant I would bring a ground floor and innernet. It became more hassle than just setting up a traditional two man tent with poles, and I didn’t have enough room under my bugnet to even read a book. Now I know there are more bad ass alphas out there that love the tarp and getting eaten by bugs, but it’s just not my thing. My site is after all called ultralightandcomfortable.com.
My reviews and why I don’t use the Hilleberg akto and Skyscape trekker 

The Zpacks tents were fantastic, both of them, just not really what I was looking for. I have gotten to the point where I don’t want a floor on my tent – I think it’s just an added bit of comfort and simplicity not having a floor that I really like. I like being able to walk into my tent without worrying about all kinds of shit and dirt getting in. In the winter I like being able to dig snow caves and have the tent as a roof. On top of that my preferred rain gear is the Zpacks poncho ground floor. So it is a fantastic ground sheet, large and roomy (I have the two man version) and it is in my view more practical as raingear compared to rain jacket or umbrella.  – Even if it looks terrible.

7828656_orig

So eventually I found my way to the older MLD pyramid tarps after a quick try with the Lotus Gear Khufu – which this was a very quick trip down Lotus gear lane as the pyramid was way to small for me. Both my feet and head touched the sidewalls at the same time. Anyway, the first MLD pyramid I bought was the Supermid because I had fantasy of bring along my family with me on trips.. of course this ended up just being a fantasy. In any case I found the Supermid to be fantastic in the winter – big and roomy

6364073_orig

Just not something I wanted to carry with my during my other trips. It’s just way to big for a solo adventurer such as myself. Massive in fact – but still weighed less than 1 kilo. It is also a bit of a pain to set-up as I had to strap both of my trekking poles together in-order to make the tent stand. I prefer simplicity over complication. SO from the Supermid I tried the solomid – too small. Again, I am 190cm and 95kilos, I prefer my comfort. Also the weight saving from the duomid to solomid in my mind is rather negligible. So I eventually found a Duomid on ebay with a sewn in perimeter bug net for 150usd.

4321039_orig

I found the Duomid with perimeter bug netting to be the perfect tent for my style of backpacking. Larger than most 3 man traditional tents, took less ground space than the Trailstar, can be zipped up and closed off completely, can be opened up completely to give a massive panorama under the stars feel, simplistic to setup and tear down and for what you get the weight is 743grams with guy lines, seam sealed, stuff sack and bug netting – is amazing. So that’s where I am now. The MLD Duomid with perimeter bug netting could only be better if it was en cuben fiber. Which I will eventually purchase – just not yet.

8211249_orig

So what tent would work for you?
I have no idea, I wrote what works for me and why I have the tent I currently have. Everyone’s journey is different. I can however give a few tips and some things to think about.

For one, do you use walking sticks? if not, why not? Anyway, if you have walking sticks than it is only logical to have a tent that you can setup with only walking sticks. You don’t have to worry about the hassle or weight of tent poles.

Do you need double wall? – if so why? Is it because you are scared of being in the wild? The icky bugs or water? then perhaps a tarp is not your optimal solution, nor the Trailstar as you can’t close it off. What purpose does the double wall tent serve? Less condensation? warmer? – I haven’t noticed any of these advantages when compared to the Duomid – though very prevalent in other tarps and tents – even the double rainbow lets in a lot of wind, which can get very chilly in the middle of the night. Are you traveling where there is a lot of sand and dust in the air? perhaps double wall is that best solution.

Do you need a floor? Again, why? This is different for different people: I found bringing a ground sheet was a better solution than having a floor built in. My reasons of course I already wrote about.

Also, how big of a tent do you need? I am a big person hence I need or at least want a big tent – if you are small then a lotus gear khofu or MLD Solomid would probably be more than suitable.

I think a pretty good guideline is to keep your total tent weight to under 1 kilo. In my next post I will go through one of the philosophies of the lightweight movement which is called the 3 for 3 – your three biggest pieces of equipment – tent, sleep system and backpack for 3 kilos.

There are an unlimited amount of suppliers that sell 1 kilo or less tents. Though if you want a double wall tent your options are pretty limited to expensive and tiny tents such as the Hilleberg Enan (around 1 kilo), the Terra Nova laser and the Nordisk Telemark. That might work for you, but I go insane in such tiny little shelters.

If you can upgrade your beta ways and enjoy the freedom of a single wall tarp or tent than your options become very open and very enjoyable.

Such suppliers I have already mentioned are:

Mountain laurel designs
Zpacks
Lotus Gear
Six moon designs
Yama mountain
Hyperlite mountain gear
Henry shires tarp tent

In conclusion:
Buying a tent much like buying gear in general is a pretty personal experience. You have to find and buy the gear that works best for you. A general guideline is to keep the tent at around 1 kilo. Also, know where you will be camping, there is no such thing as the one tent for all trips. For 99% of your trips a floorless, single wall shelter is probably more than adequate. My shelters have to have a bug net, I find that the duomid with perimeter netting works superbly well even in the densely bug populated regions of northern Sweden.

Also, don’t be afraid to check out and purchase different gear – usually the resell value on a good shelter from the smaller producers don’t lose much if any value – if anything they gain value because the wait time is non-existent. I have bought and sold many shelters on Ebay at a profit. Buy gear, try it and if it doesn’t work for you sell it on.

Ramblings

Backpain hell and sleeping on a pad

on January 12, 2015

I love to be out in nature, I love sleeping over and just enjoying my time out in the woods. I don’t need to be gone very long, usually when I just need to get out, a one night sleep over is enough. However, I have one constant problem always bothering me and the reason I even changed over to a Hammock: I get massive pain in my hips and shoulder when sleeping on the ground. Read More

Gear reviews

Six moon designs – Skyscape trekker review

on September 10, 2014

The SMD skycape trekker is by all accounts a great lightweight solo tent. Well made and extremely easy to setup. I originally made a video for this review out in the wild but I realized that as with my Laufbursche Huckepack video the resolution is horrible. (filmed with an ipad) on top of that my “on video” charisma is about as charming as a stick. (I would say rock but some rocks are pretty interesting) Read More