Pictures of your tents.

[cnb]

Yep i'd like to see a two sided Akto..With just a tidge more height..If i thought that one was in the offing i would start saving now

[pjclinch]

I figure if they had a longer pole to give more lateral space that would sort out the headroom too. In the meantime there's the Tarptent Scarp 2 but I'd like slightly deeper porched and Hille's attention to detail.

[Kernal Corn]

I use a 3m x 3m DD tarp. With a little ingenuity it can be set up anywhere, even with the bike inside as the structural support. Nature isn't just on my doorstep - it's inside my tent!

[mercalia]

I use a 3m x 3m DD tarp. With a little ingenuity it can be set up anywhere, even with the bike inside as the structural support. Nature isn't just on my doorstep - it's inside my tent!

pitching a tent by side of hedges not wise? you get visits from the critters?

[Kernal Corn]

pitching a tent by side of hedges not wise? you get visits from the critters?

No mamalian visitors in 6 weeks. After pitching by the Exe estuary one night I even realised there were burrows under my tarpaulin but it was too late to move so I just hoped for the best. The only wildlife problem I ever had was slugs. Slugs everywhere.

[Marco Panettone]

And my Hilleberg Rogen in Argentina earlier this year.

Marco, just in case my lottery ticket comes up trumps and I can afford another Hille, what do you think of the Rogen, and how do you think it would do with two (assuming you were using it solo there)?

What I'd really like Hille to make is a two-sided Akto/Enan. Enough room for two and a porch/door each, but just the single pole to save some weight and bulk. I have asked, but no sign of one yet!

Pete.

I really like it and think it's a great alternative to the Soulo for warmer weather where the Soulo with just the one door and not much airflow could get a bit too hot for my liking. I also like the space of a two man tent after the Soulo as I can fit a lot more gear inside both the tent and the two enormous vestibules.

What I don't like after using the Soulo for a year is the fact the Rogen uses pole sleeves instead of the clip system of the Soulo so I always find sliding the poles out without them coming apart to be a bit of a faff in the morning. It's no big deal and I'm used to it now but unclipping was just so much easier when I had the Soulo and I understand their reasoning for doing it if they're trying to keep weight down.

The standard pegs are also an area where they've gone for weight saving and are fine for things like a campsite with perfect lawn pitches but not so great on the Nullarbor Plain in Australia where the ground is rock hard so after bending a few pegs I've replaced them with some much sturdier Coleman tent stakes but again these have taken a bit of a battering in Chile, Bolivia & Argentina so now I'm on the hunt for something even stronger!

The other thing I've noticed after the Soulo is that the Rogen needs a lot more space to pitch due to the two large vestibules so whereas before I could squeeze the Soulo in anywhere I do have to be a lot more picky when choosing a pitch, especially when I'm trying to squeeze it in amongst the bushes like in the picture below.



Big enough for two? Depends how well you know the other person I suppose! I'd share with a mate in an emergency like a broken tent in a storm but would I want to do it long term? Not really. Travelling as a couple would be fine for shorter trips but I'd still be considering the n+1 rule and get a 3 man for long trips if there are two of you.

[bohrsatom]

This is our tent - a MSR Mutha Hubba which was brand new this year for our 4 month bike tour, pitched at the La Reole municipal campsite in France on the first night of our trip.

As a 3 man tent it was perfect for the two of us and spacious inside with near vertical walls and a high roof. I am 6ft1 and it didn't feel too small for me. It's also a reasonable weight (3kg) and fit into a 20L rack pack with our sleeping bag liners, one sleeping mat and two pillows.

Unfortunately the ventilation is poor and we almost always put the fly away wet from either rain or condensation. It was also hard to get the right tension in the doors, even moreso as the fly stretched over time. After 3 months we also got mildew in the floor seams which caused the seals to fail and water to come in from below. We bought the footprint which fixed the problem - in hindsight we should have used it from day one.

It certainly wouldn't last another 4 month trip but I'm hoping we can get a few more years of 1/2 week tours. Paid £250 in a sale and I guess given it kept us safe and dry for so long it was worth the money but I expected it to last a bit longer!

[pjclinch]

After 3 months we also got mildew in the floor seams which caused the seals to fail and water to come in from below. We bought the footprint which fixed the problem - in hindsight we should have used it from day one.

This is a straightforward failure. I'd say you should have taken it back. A tent that's no use without an extra groundsheet isn't really much use, and you've thrown away some of the lightness you paid for.

Our Hubba and Hubba Hubba HP haven't had a huge amount of use, but no sign of this happening. I think they're good tents but nobody's perfect: if this sort of thing happens again take it back and have them fix or replace. I'd be inclined to have a word anyway and see if they'll do that.

Pete.

[bohrsatom]

This is a straightforward failure. I'd say you should have taken it back. A tent that's no use without an extra groundsheet isn't really much use, and you've thrown away some of the lightness you paid for.

Our Hubba and Hubba Hubba HP haven't had a huge amount of use, but no sign of this happening. I think they're good tents but nobody's perfect: if this sort of thing happens again take it back and have them fix or replace. I'd be inclined to have a word anyway and see if they'll do that.

Thanks for that - perhaps I will. It's my first tent so didn't really know if it was a defect or not. We packed both fly and inner away wet most days (think we camped about 80 nights) although come the evening we'd either have pitched it again or left it out to dry.

[Sweep]

This is a straightforward failure. I'd say you should have taken it back. A tent that's no use without an extra groundsheet isn't really much use, and you've thrown away some of the lightness you paid for..

I thought this was common for most modern tents, particularly the more expensive ones. I always take the advice to use a tarp under the tent - a fiver from B&Q. There is the advantage that it can be packed separately from the tent, keeping the worst of the muck off that. As a separate sheet, it also makes packing easier.

My only tent that didn't need a separate sheet under it was my old cheapo faithful Vango dome tent - and that's because it's built-in groundsheet was effectively a bit of tarp. I had to do a fair amount of wiping of the bottom before packing it away though. Before chucking it in the back of the car.

[pjclinch]

The point of paying a lot for a lightweight is so you don't have to cart so much weight around. There's no point if the groundsheet is porous. If I thought paying more would mean more prone to this I'd pay less!

I'll use extra ground sheets if I'm out of the boat or car or on very rough ground, but in general use a groundhsheet not up to basic use is a shocking piece of design!

Pete.

[foxyrider]

My tents have never suffered from mildew or had leaky floors!

My Vaude Power Lizard has a 5000mm hydrostatic rated floor, the heavier Taurus is 10000mm rated - i've literally been floating in that tent! The PL is sub 1kg the Taurus under 2kg - you don't have to compromise performance for weight.

[leftpoole]

Regarding leaking tent floors!
Modern tent floors should not and obviously do not leak unless faulty.
A 'footprint' is not to stop the floor leaking, it is to protect the floor and extended life of the floor groundsheet.
I have known people 'think' the tent floor is leaking but it has been proven to be condensation. Even in cold weather tents require air inside. Note condensation to the inner of the fly.
My opinion counts-at least to me!
Regards,
John

[pjclinch]

I have known people 'think' the tent floor is leaking but it has been proven to be condensation. Even in cold weather tents require air inside. Note condensation to the inner of the fly.

Indeed.

I was suspecting the groundsheet on my Saunders Snowcat was leaking at one point, so I called up Robert Saunders and asked him how much a replacement groundsheet or inner would be. He told me, but also cautioned me to test it properly before ordering as it was probably condensation. The test he suggested was suspend a patch of suspect floor and pour a pool of water in to it. If it's leaking you'll get regular dripping from the bottom, if it's condensation you'll maybe get a fine film of droplets over the bottom, but not regular flow (use warm water and there'll be less chance of a condensation film). And, what do you know, it was just condensation.

This is perceived more readily in upmarket lightweights because the floors tend to be thinner, and that makes a difference in how well they'll let cold ground conduct heat from the moist air in the tent and cause the water in it to condense. The worst I've ever had was when I'd pitched on thawing snow, so in the morning the groundsheet was actually afloat on very cold water where nothing was weighing it down. There was a film of droplets over any blank floor, but no actual pools.

A footprint will help against this because it makes the groundsheet effectively twice as thick and thus a better insulator, but it's quite a weight and bulk penalty just to avoid a quick wipe.

Pete.

[Ridgie]

My first tour for years, camping by the beach on Tiree, and to top it all later on I saw an otter!


Hope you don't mind a couple of images...


Andy

PS First post in these parts...

Certainly don't. Looks wonderful.