Recommend a tent?

[redfacedbaldfatman]

So many trade offs with cycle touring tent choices... price, weight, waterproofness, pack size, etc etc.
I've spent too long on the tent pics thread here and yafc, and am only a little further forward.
A spanner was thrown in the works when my wife expressed an interest in coming with me, so I've had to start looking at 2-3 man tents now too.

I'd like free-standing and quick pitching, so semi-geodesic or dome, 3 season, with enough headroom to sit up (1 metre+).

What do you think of the Vango Halo 200? It's quite heavy at 3.65kg, but packs down quite small (17x40), and it's available at my local camping shop.

Others I have considered are:

Robens Lodge 3, 3.7KG, pack size large at 59x21.
MSR mutha hubba 3.2KG, pack size 46 x 20 cm.

Too much choice sometimes!

[bikepacker]

All you are ever going to get by asking this question is everybody's own favourite leaving you none the wiser. There have been previous threads covering tent perhaps you should read through them. BTW my favourite is the Hilleberg Nammatj 2GT used one for the last 7 years averaging over 30 nights a year and it is still hard to beat. I do try out many other tents (7 this year alone) and cannot find one better.

[PH]

I'd like free-standing and quick pitching, so semi-geodesic or dome, 3 season, with enough headroom to sit up (1 metre+).

Despite what Bikepacker says I think you've made a good start at narrowing it down already. I'd keep adding to the criteria till the shortlist is even shorter. One door or two, maximum weight you consider reasonable, maximum price you'll pay, how much mesh you're happy to have on the inner, pack size if you want it to fit on a rack, colour, pitch inner first or not, porch size and a big one for me, whether you sleep along the tent or across the door, though I think those you've already shortlisted all the latter. Then go and find somewhere that will put one up for you to get inside and see what it's really like, it's the only way to buy a tent. For example the headroom figure in the diagrams is useless without knowing for how much of the tent that's available and how quickly it falls off.
I have a TN Solar 2.2 which I really like, before that I had a Coleman which I also liked. Apart from the weight difference, which I'm not sure is that noticeable anyway, there isn't enough difference to make one worth eight times the other. When I do need to replace it, I'll probably go for a more budget model and maybe make up some of the weight difference by not using a groundsheet protector. Bottom line is once you move up from the disposable festival tents, most modern tents will be fine for non extreme camping. The things that do tend to give trouble, like the zips, are just as likely to do so on a £600 tent as a £100 one.
I haven't seen one, but that Rubens ticks a lot of the boxes for me.

[keithg]

I'd like free-standing and quick pitching, so semi-geodesic or dome, 3 season, with enough headroom to sit up (1 metre+).

Despite what Bikepacker says I think you've made a good start at narrowing it down already. I'd keep adding to the criteria till the shortlist is even shorter. One door or two, maximum weight you consider reasonable, maximum price you'll pay, how much mesh you're happy to have on the inner, pack size if you want it to fit on a rack, colour, pitch inner first or not, porch size and a big one for me, whether you sleep along the tent or across the door, though I think those you've already shortlisted all the latter. Then go and find somewhere that will put one up for you to get inside and see what it's really like, it's the only way to buy a tent. For example the headroom figure in the diagrams is useless without knowing for how much of the tent that's available and how quickly it falls off.
I have a TN Solar 2.2 which I really like, before that I had a Coleman which I also liked. Apart from the weight difference, which I'm not sure is that noticeable anyway, there isn't enough difference to make one worth eight times the other. When I do need to replace it, I'll probably go for a more budget model and maybe make up some of the weight difference by not using a groundsheet protector. Bottom line is once you move up from the disposable festival tents, most modern tents will be fine for non extreme camping. The things that do tend to give trouble, like the zips, are just as likely to do so on a £600 tent as a £100 one.
I haven't seen one, but that Rubens ticks a lot of the boxes for me.

Excellent advice here, bit frustrating for a contrarian like me! Nothing I'd contradict at all. I would suggest that you need to think long term if possible. You'll have this tent (whichever) for years so its worth thinking about whether you need it to tick all the boxes (extreme weather/bike touring/summer backpacking/car camping) or whether it will become one of several and you can specialise in a lightweight mild weather best suited for bike touring. I personally like a lighter tent for bike tours and a heavier more durable tent for everything else but I'm at the age when I now have several!
The key thing is not to buy too cheaply, there are some horrible disposable tents for less than £100, spend a bit more and invest in a friend you'll have for years.

[DaleFTW]

Cheap, light, strong; pick two.

FWIW - There's not a single tent on the market today that I'd happily pay for. They all come with some sort of compromise. Come to think of it, there's only two brands I'd give a second thought - Hilleberg and Luxe.

[meic]

Quick pitching can be a relative term. Mine takes minutes to pitch and it is inner tent first which means in rain it gets a little wet before the outer is on.

I think you can have outer pitch first to keep dry but the best in this respect is the ones were you put them up together and people claim they can go up in seconds (though it may take minutes to finish it off nicely).

[DaleFTW]

Cheap, light, strong; pick two.

FWIW - There's not a single tent on the market today that I'd happily pay for. They all come with some sort of compromise. Come to think of it, there's only two brands I'd give a second thought - Hilleberg and Luxe.

Bare in mind, this is for my needs; UK use where we can get all four seasons in one day. A mixture of high and low level camping all year round.

If you're a fair weather camper in a country that gets no wind or rain, then there just might be a tent out there for you...

[bikepacker]

Come to think of it, there's only two brands I'd give a second thought - Hilleberg and Luxe.

There are some predicting that Luxe tents will have a huge impact and influence on the lightweight tent market. They are becoming very innovative in their use of materials and design while keeping prices fairly low.

[jags]

so besides price whats the advantage of using the nammatj gt2 over the nallo gt2 to me they look like very simular tents.

[DaleFTW]

Come to think of it, there's only two brands I'd give a second thought - Hilleberg and Luxe.

There are some predicting that Luxe tents will have a huge impact and influence on the lightweight tent market. They are becoming very innovative in their use of materials and design while keeping prices fairly low.

My Mini Peak is superb for price/weight, LOADS of room inside and it's not too shabby in the durability stakes either; it's took a battering and just keeps on trucking. It also pitches fly first which, IMO, is a must for prolonged UK use.

[DaleFTW]

so besides price whats the advantage of using the nammatj gt2 over the nallo gt2 to me they look like very simular tents.

IIRC, one is a 3 season tent, the other is 4 season. (In the sense that they've used lighter materials and shortened a few poles to make it lighter, ergo, not as strong)

EDIT - http://hilleberg.se/content/what-differ ... -and-nallo

[bikepacker]

so besides price whats the advantage of using the nammatj gt2 over the nallo gt2 to me they look like very simular tents.

As you know jags I camp all year round and sometimes in very exposed places. The slightly stronger poles and fabric make for a more reassuring tent in such conditions. I also prefer having the three pole lengths the same.

[jags]

chers bikepacker i respect your expert advice.
still i would love to get my mitts on the nallo gt2
pity it's a million miles away from my budget.

[andymiller]

I'd like free-standing and quick pitching, so semi-geodesic or dome, 3 season, with enough headroom to sit up (1 metre+).

Do you really need a free-standing tent? Free-standing tents (so far as I can see, carry a significant weight penalty. Unless you are planning on regularly setting up camp in car parks or laybys, a non-free standing tent will be lighter.

[pjclinch]

Difference between Nallo and Nammatj... Nammatj is stronger, as already suggested, but the Nallo is still "4 season" and is still properly strong. Bear in mind that the Nammatj is used off-the-shelf for unsupported polar expeditions and you can see the level of bombproofing is going to exceed that needed for most cycle touring... But you also get a bit more sitting up space in the Nammatj because it doesn't taper to the rear, there is better venting (a full rear vent) and IIRC the vents have mesh to keep bugs out of the porches in summer.

However, I personally prefer the Kaitum, made from the same materials as the Nallo but with more inner space and a porch at each end (of course you don't get something for nothing, so it weighs and costs more).



Here's ours on the dunes of Benbecula, where it shrugged off a gale (though it was a bit noisy inside).

For a 3-season Hille tunnel the Anjan (or GT extended version) would be the one, based on the Nallo but in lighter fabrics and with the fly not extending all the way to the ground and mesh panels in the inner for better venting when it's hot. There's the Rogen if you really want freestanding, and/or two porches. The MSR mentioned is quite a bit cheaper and still a very good tent, but is more of a faff to pitch. The Hubba Hubba is enough for two, but only just... You do save weight by cutting the size though The "HP" models are lighter and stronger, but of course more expensive. When out touring with the family my wife and I use a Kaitum 3 (when Hilleberg say big enough for 2 or 3 they actually mean it, btw) and the kids go in a Hubba Hubba HP next door, with the Kaitum big enough for everyone to come in for meals if it's chucking it down.

I'd agree that free-standing is over-rated. The Hubba Hubba (and our Tarra bunker-class tent) are free-standing but it's frankly a meh for cycle touring. Handy for marginal pitches, yes, but they have to be pretty marginal indeed for it to really matter. We've pitched our Kaitum on 1" thick turf over a shingle beach where the pegs were no use, but still managed fine by using rock piles as anchors.

I'd also agree that crawling around in a tent is a Really Good Idea before you shell out for it. If that's not possible pitch indoors first to test it, so you can send it back. If that's not possible, test pitch outside on a big plastic sheet and use a different set of tent pegs, again so it can be sent back unblemished if it isn't quite what you had in mind.

Pete.