Free standing tent

[foreversummer]

Can anyone recommend a freestanding tent?

We are only 2, but would prefer a 3 person tent to give us more room

Tent will be used for an extended cycle tour of about 1yr. It needs to be lightweight, roomy (my husband is 6ft 1"), strong, easy to pitch, and have storage for panniers

Your thoughts would be appreciated!

[foxyrider]

Vaude Taurus series

[mercurykev]

MSR Mutha Hubba HP has lots of room inside and two porches - http://www.outdoorgear.co.uk/MSR-Mutha- ... 147201.asp

[rualexander]

Hilleberg Allak, or it's lighter weight version the Hilleberg Rogen.

[PH]

Hilleberg Allak, or it's lighter weight version the Hilleberg Rogen.

Or for extended use the heavier version the Staika.
It also depends on just what you mean by free standing, many tents that claim this still need the porches pegged out. Is that OK for you, or do you want the porches included in the structure? If the latter then I only know of the Hillebergs and then it's only the Allack and Staika, that meet your criteria, though neither of them are light. I've also seen a couple of very specialist mountain tents that are completely free standing though they looked pretty heavy for the size.
It also depends where you're going. European and American tents seem to give different priorities to weather proofing and ventilation, particularly noticeable in the length of the fly and the amount of mesh in the inner. If you are going somewhere where a tent with better ventilation is an advantage the Big Agness range are worth a look;
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Produ ... filters/22

Is the free standing requirement essential? I like them, but there's no doubt you'll get a lot more space for the weight with another design. Free standing also usually means the porch slopes up to the inner, so although you get plenty of floor space for bags and kit, you don't get the sort of usable space you do with an extended porch. There are a couple of designs where you get the semi geo inner tent and an extended porch, such as the Terra Nova Voyager XL, but then that isn't really free standing.

[andrew_s]

You could look at the Tarptent Scarp 2.
It's a generous 2 person size (132 x 218 x 111cm high), good porch each side, 1.7kg + 460g for the extra pole set that allows no-peg pitching, choice of solid or mesh inner (or both for an extra $120)
You would need to order from the US, so allow 25% extra on the dollar price (unless you are lucky) - something like £340

[edit] There's also the Hogback, which is like a Scarp 4

[foreversummer]

Thanks for your ideas about Free standing tents, I will certainly look into them all

[shane]

For summer use I'm a fan of the MSR Hubba Hubba, for 3 seasons maybe the hp version. It's actually alot more storm proof than you might expect for its weight and build. I've already survived about 7 summer storms of this variety :

http://vimeo.com/43489266

For real four seasons work I'm a fan of Hilleberg, just a shame they're so damn expensive. i've just ordered the Allak for my next series of trips. The staika is stronger and around the same price but just too heavy for one person IMO.

Good luck finding something you like, the amount of choice nowadays is ridiculous....it makes it very difficult to know what you want.

For me I look for functionallity, weight, price and in that order. Though i'm one of those people that doesn't make many compromises when it comes to my gear. I appreciate that not everyone has that luxury in the price department.

When you decide which tent you want then start looking around for ex show room models (saved me 150 quid on my hilleberg) or check out ebay, often almost new second hand are a better buy than a cheaper new tent of lower quality.

Good luck!

[pjclinch]

I'd carefully review the need for a free-standing tent: all else being equal it'll weigh and bulk more at the same space. I do have a free-standing tent I use out of the sea-kayak, on the grounds I might be camping on a shingle beach with very little warning or choice, but cycle touring generally offers a bit more selectivity of pitch site than sea kayaking and I've got non-freestanding single hoops and tunnels in some pretty pitch-inhospitable places over the years.



That's on turf about an inch thick over coarse beach shingle. I think we managed to get two pegs in but by simply using rocks for guying that's a tunnel tent with no pretensions of being free-standing set up for a night. It takes a little more work to get something like that, but the payback is less weight and bulk on the bike or more space in the tent.

I'll happily second Shane's recommendation of the Hubba Hubba (we have the HP version which I think is better, but costs more) if you want a light free-standing tent (though note PH's point about pegging out the porches, which you need to do). I'd sooner have a Hille Rogen but not to the point I'm currently willing to pay for one!

Pete.

[willem jongman]

Free standing tents have advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that they are easier to pitch on stony etc. ground, and that they can carry a bigger snow load. So the advantages are biggest in mountainous conditions, and in winters with a lot of snow. The disadvantage is that the weight for space ratio is less favourable than for a tunnel tent. In my view, very few cyclists (as opposed to mountaineers) encounter the kind of conditions where a free standing tent is necessary or desirable. Get a few rock pegs, and your Hilleberg Keron 3 will be just as stable. In fact, that would be my recommendation for a very reliable tent with space for a tall person. So unless your conditions are unusual for a cyclist, I think a good tunnel tent like the Keron is preferable.
Willem