Tent for exposed areas maybe highish winds

[Sweep]

Never thought I'd need such a thing but after cycing in some northern highlands would be interested in such a thing.

Two person tent for one.

For free camping - I have freecamped a fair bit but not in such spots.

Green, or if not some other stealth colour.

Best I think if outer first or all in one pitching.

Not uber expensive.

Not interested in "lightweight" - any tent of these specs will be light enough for me I think.

Recommendations?

[dim]

check ebay for Nato tents... an example:

2 person tent French Surplus Army NATO Olive F1/F2 dome Shelter ...£42.99 Buy it ow

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNUSED-2-person-tent-French-Surplus-Army-NATO-Olive-F1-F2-dome-Shelter/273791067361?hash=item3fbf3824e1:g:15UAAOSwyutcmiDe

[nick12]

The army tent is cheap but maybe a bit heavy.
What happened with the ionesphere sweep? That would do the job. Not outer first but will stand up to the northern hills.

[Sweep]

The army tent is cheap but maybe a bit heavy.
What happened with the ionesphere sweep? That would do the job. Not outer first but will stand up to the northern hills.

You have a great memory nick.
The ionosphere is for a quick kip on out and back rides, single night or maybe 2.
For this I am looking for something i can lounge in just a little. And have some stuff in the tent with me.
But yes. It would of course stand up to the wind. And be well hidden.

[PH]

It's a tough one - get a tunnel tent and it'll blow all over the place but as long as you have it staked out properly it'll spring back from almost anything. Get anything where the poles cross and it'll be a more rigid structure, as a simple rule of thumb the more crosses the stronger, it'll be liveable in while a tunnel will be flattening, right up till the point where the weather beats it and then you're stuffed. The tricky bit is deciding where than break point is and if your requirements are within it. A true geodesic tent will have the fly tensioned over a skeleton rather than suspended from it, that makes it far more likely to be an inner first pitch. Of course choosing your spot in the wild has more importance than the tent, wild camping in the Scottish Highlands I've never felt the lack of enough shelter, though on Orkney once we moved from the original pitch when the weather turned. Other things to consider are a tapered shape that you can face into the wind and a choice of door openings so you can get in and out without letting the wind in - the only time I've felt I was going to lose a tent was when I got out and as I turned round to close the door it took off...
I've heard pyramid tents are good in the wind, though have no experience of it, I didn't get on with the one I tried for other reasons and only used it in good conditions.

[Tigerbiten]

I've only had tent trouble twice in my Zephyros 2 due to the wind.
Both time pitched in a gale with my feet facing the wind.
Then the eye of storm passed overhead during the night and the wind direction swung around by 90 degrees.
This caused the wind to try and flatten the tent from the side.
Apart from that, I've found it stable in high winds.

YMMV .......

[Tinnishill]

An outdoor education instructor of my acquaintance who works in the area of the world mentioned swears by their Zephyros 2.

I see that the design has been updated recently with more thought to cyclist use;

https://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and- ... ct-2-tent/

[Sweep]

The zephyros 2 does look interesting.

Not bothered about shorter pack size to be honest - I put my tents crossways on the rack so anything 50 to 54 or so cm is fine I think.

I like the single pole for this application.

Does it use any "gothic arch" pre bent bits or is it just simple pole sections.

All in one erection sounds good.

Any drawbacks to this?

Particularly with regard to maintenance?

[Tigerbiten]

It's just a straight pole that gets tensioned into an arch.
If you do get this tent, you want the footprint as well as this acts as a floor plan for the pegs.
With only one hand, I like this tent because it goes up so easily.
Footprint goes down and is held in place by 6 pegs.
Tent goes on top and the pole gets slid into the sleeve.
Bow the pole and hook the tent to the 6 pegs if you didn't do it earlier.
Then 4 pegs are needed for the main guys and the tents up.

The only drawback is if you pack it when the flysheet is wet, then you have a wet inner when you go to put it up.
But it is possible to unclip the inner from the fly and pack it away dry before you take the fly down.
But it does make it more fiddly to put back up if they are separate so I tend not to do this, but it is doable.

YMMV ......

[Sweep]

thanks for the reply tigerbitten.

I like the sound of the completely straight pole sections - makes repairs simple.

Does sound interesting.

As a cheapskate I must admit that for a footprint on my various tents I use a £5 blue B&Q tarp.

Works fine but for this tent and its applications may make an exception.

I gather that it has two other short pole sections at the bottom?

Fibre glass?

Built in?

If so couldn't a breakage here be beyond easy self repair?

Am very much a fan of simple componentry in bikes and tents.

[Tigerbiten]

Mine where solid fiberglass with plastic caps and they slot into pockets on the inner and fly to keep them in place.
I've swapped them for a pair that came off a Terra Nova Laser 2 which has a joint in the middle which lets me pack it smaller.
The Terra Nova Laser 2 is the same tent, just built from lighter weight components and 3-4x the price hence being able to swap parts between them.

Luck ............

[Sweep]

Many thanks for all your replies tigerbitten.

A great help.

Something struck me as familiar about the design.

Similar to this?

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/quickhiker- ... 45650.html

Heavier but since on a bike not a problem for me.

And i quite like the idea of maybe lower tech tougher bits.

Packs small.

Has a bathtub interior from pics. Read some reviews of the zeph which implied that it hadn't.

Views of you and others welcome.

Many thanks again.

[Tigerbiten]

It does have a bathtub as I found out in a thunderstorm last year, the tent only flooded only after the water outside got over 1/2" deep.
But you need to pitch it perfectly for it to work.
If there's slack in the inner tent due to the likes of uneven ground then it soon collapses.

Luck .........

[nirakaro]

I have a Terra Nova Laser, which looks very similar to the Zephyros, and I imagine would be much the same in strong wind. I pitched it on a lovely sunny afternoon at the top of a 2400m alpine pass, forgetting the unpredictability of mountain weather. Early evening, a storm blew up that scared me out of my wits – I felt like my weight was the only thing keeping the tent on the ground for six or seven hours, as the wind blew that single central pole into some very alarming shapes. However I survived the night, and in the morning the tent was none the worse for its experience. Recommended.

[philsknees]

+1 for the Laser in heavy weather (tho' I have a Hilleberg for winter trips). Had a very similar experience to nirakaro only mine was high up in the Lakes and I was stormbound for nearly 48 hours. The tent took a hammering from all directions as the storm moved through and I later had to replace sections of the main pole which had acquired a set which made creating a perfect crease-free pitch almost impossible.(I'm a bit anal over a smartly pitched tent......). Used properly the Lasers definitely punch above their weight in bad weather.
I've now gone to the slightly larger Laser 2, mainly for the added back door which is great for creating a through breeze in warm weather. Mine had the single piece fibreglass end poles but 10 minutes with a hacksaw, Araldite and some suitable aluminium tubing converted them to a more packable length.
Wouldn't consider it a two person tent but very handy for one. Never used a Zephyros but those that I've seen seem pretty much a Laser in less high tec materials (which generally means a bit heavier).