Heaviest tent?

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horizon
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by horizon »

No, a three person dome for one person. I think you can do better with the weight (as I described). But I have to admit it's very much a personal consideration. I do think the weight is worth carrying though.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Des49
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Des49 »

I have been using my Winter Gear Quasar for backbacking and cycle touring, either for 2 or solo. Weight is about 5 kg. The tent now must be 33 years old, think it's getting time to replace it but that will be the subject of another post at some point.

Really appreciate having a tent like this when alone and the weather is bad, nice bit of space and reliability is well worth a little bit of extra weight.
drossall
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by drossall »

I like a small tent in winter, because there's less space to warm up with my body heat. But I'm usually on Scout camp, with a shelter available as well as a meeting tent.
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

sabrutat wrote:I tour solo with a Vango Halo 300, which weighs in at around 4 kg. With the additional footprint it's around (I imagine) 4.5 kg. Weight doesn't bother me much, a lack of space, especially if I stay put for a few days, certainly does.

Well perhaps rather rashly I can top that for have just bought a Vango Halo 300 XD.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vango-Halo-X ... SwRdNbH-Kp

which apparently approaches 5kg - "trail weight" or whatever Vango call it is a fair bit less though I remain mystified about what this means - what that they supply can you leave behind?

I bought it with a view to using it to try some winter camping as it sounds pretty bomb proof* - and also reasoned that weight may be slightly less of an issue as winter's limited daylight means that I will be pedalling for less time. I will also be planning to carry it on my 26 inch wheel expedition bike with its nice fatter tyres.

It'a a curious design compared to my Robens Lodge 2 - the inner space isn't a mega mega amount more but it covers a lot more ground as the twin porches point out far more than the flatter porches of the Robens Lodge 2 and for that matter the Robens Lodge 3.

* A nice quick reply from Vango clarified the difference between the Halo Pro and Halo XD. While both have better poles and a tougher flysheet the Halo XD is especially tough [and heavy!] and is primarily aimed at scout groups and other tough customers.The groundsheet sounds particularly tough and it has tougher zips. Tent pegs are supposedly tougher as well though I may be able to save some weight there by sing my normal quality pegs - after all, no matter how many tents you have, you only need a single set of pegs.

Will try to use it pretty soon (before you folks tell me I'm mad) and report back.
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sabrutat
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by sabrutat »

A couple of years ago with the Halo 300, while touring in Belgium (which is very densely populated), it took me FIVE hours to find an appropriate wild camping spot. And it was over 40 degrees C. Started looking at 3pm, finally found a discrete enough site at 8pm. And I thought at the time: if I had a hammock set up, I'd have found a spot in ten minutes.

Since then, I've pretty much been touring with a DD Travel hammock and their 4m x 4m multicam tarp, which is brilliant for blending into the woodland, even close to a road. But this is only for short tours in Britain. When I head out on a multinational tour again, I want to take a roomy tent, too, because I like a large bug-free base camp if I stay put somewhere for a while, but I've still got the hammock in case of a Belgium situation. The combination of the hammock, the tarp and the Halo 300 was getting into ridiculous bulk/weight territory, even for me, so I've been shopping around for another tent, preferably one that compliments the hammock set up.

After significant research and testing, I think I've come up with the perfect solution; the Hex Peak V4 double inner,

Image

the dd travel hammock and 4m x 4m tarp,

Image

(NB this isn't my personal setup, I got it off the internet. This setup will leak in the rain) and I can use the Hex Peak inner with the tarp in this configuration if there are no trees around:

Image

I carry a camera monopod with me for filming, and that doubles as the tent pole. I was initially worried that this pyramid configuration would be troublesome in the wind, but after a few experiments, I've found it to be surprisingly stable in high winds. And the whole lot weighs in at far less than the Halo 300.
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

:)

I do have a record of tbis sort if thing. Being encouraged by someone's glowing reports and recommendations of something to then find that they have abandoned it/developed another theory :)

Yes I do have concerns about finding suitable sites but am hopeful it will be good for winter camping. When of course being hidden is helped by a lot of darkness. I also have hopes of getting the bike's front wheel in one of those big porches. The weight may also not be a big issue as I think I will be using this on winter trips which are quite short, so I will be carrying less other stuff. Also, I only need to pack clothes for one season, cold.


We will see.,
Last edited by Sweep on 22 Sep 2018, 11:58am, edited 1 time in total.
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horizon
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by horizon »

Sweep wrote:
I bought it with a view to using it to try some winter camping as it sounds pretty bomb proof* - and also reasoned that weight may be slightly less of an issue as winter's limited daylight means that I will be pedalling for less time. I will also be planning to carry it on my 26 inch wheel expedition bike with its nice fatter tyres.

Will try to use it pretty soon (before you folks tell me I'm mad) and report back.


Far from mad. I think the wild camping is trickier with the large tent but otherwise the strategy is spot on. You'll spend far more time in and around the tent (probably mostly in it) than on the bike. I'm hoping to extend the season this year and that's based on having a roomy, heavier tent.

I think the groundsheet is very important in winter, even to the extent of carrying an extra tarp to go underneath.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

Thanks for the encouraging words horizon.

If you check out the spec for the 300 xd you will see that the groundsheet seems mega tough. It probably accounts for a lot of the extra weight. I will still use my pretty light b&q blue tarp under it though. I am pretty confident that this tent will outlive me.

Edit, are you looking to buy another tent for your winter escapades horizon? If so, what are you looking at? My plans for winter trips have been brought on by personal complications screwing up summer camps.
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sabrutat
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by sabrutat »

Don't get me wrong, Sweep - I still love my Halo 300 for the oodles of space and the massive vestibules. We've seen some stuff, me and that tent. But I needed a more integral solution to include the hammock.
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

The rrp by the way in my link above seems a tad modest. I have seen its rrp listed as £280, which makes mine half price.
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horizon
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by horizon »

Sweep wrote:Edit, are you looking to buy another tent for your winter escapades horizon? If so, what are you looking at? My plans for winter trips have been brought on by personal complications screwing up summer camps.


I bought a Robens Voyager 2EX.
Robens pic Bergzeit on Amazon.jpg

This was after using a small Vango Helix 100 in the summer which was great but didn't do for wet weather. The Robens ticks all the boxes in terms of space and I reckon it will see me through the autumn - not sure about winter!

The extra weight is totally justified.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

Weight?

Looks very similar to the Vango spirit 200 plus.
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horizon
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by horizon »

It's about 3.4 kg. It's a little on the small side (maybe) for two people but therefore ideal for one. I wonder if the dimensions (and sloping roof areas) have allowed them to keep the weight down while also using heavier material.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Sweep
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by Sweep »

Possibly.

I actually have a spirit 200 plus.

I favour free standing domes these days though. For the free standing plus clear views out of the tent when inside. And can get at both porches from the inside, which, for me, maximises the usable internal area. Often even when it's raining. I rather like being close to, but sheltered from, the rain.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Heaviest tent?

Post by MrsHJ »

I’ve toured with a Coleman cobra for me and the kids (meant I carried all the tent and he extras but they carried their own bags, mats and clothes. It’s about 2.8k and a bit bulky but doable for kids length tours.

After my recent tour solo with the hubba hubba I’m cutting down to a one man tent and losing the chair and cooking gear when I go the the USA and need to camp. Just so I can get the distances done comfortably- plus most USA campsites have chairs and tables and I’ll take picnic gear for some eating (I can always buy a basic stove out there if that doesn’t work out).
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