.....what say you?
Not fussed about budget...I would just like the best/lightest there is.
Will be for late Spring/Summer/early Autumn use only.
Thanks in advance chaps
These guys have always got a great selection of some of the best gear on the market.
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/tents-shelters-c25 (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/tents-shelters-c25)
If you like a little room rather than a coffin. https://seekoutside.com/ultralight-backpacking-tents/
I have a Terra Nova tent which is a very good tent but although one of the most compact it is still quite bulky when packing into a rucksack with everything else needed. It has kept me and my kit dry in some pretty wet and windy conditions. Because of the bulk, I bought a hooped gortex bivvy bag which is lighter and packs away much more easily. The downside is less space inside but I find it worth it if hiking any distance (which I rarely do nowadays).
A friend who fishes with me bought a Snugpak Ionosphere from Tiso for £150 and it is a very good for overnighting.
Having tried several sleeping bags over the years I settled on a Rab down 2/3-season model that has served me well for many years everywhere from overnighting in the Highlands to camping out on the Ball Pass glacier in NZ. It is light and packs very small. An excellent piece of kit and well worth the money.
PS. You will never pack your tent as small as it is in the shop!
You would have great difficulty in finding any tent reviewer for serious hill use who would not give their first vote to the Hilleberg Atko as a great one-man tent. The Enan model is a wee bit lighter but for real all-weather use the Atko has superb build quality and it is a classic that has been used all over the world. That said, if you are a really quite tall then a light two-man might be better. I am not tall but go for space and I have a Nallo2 from Hilleberg which is also a great tent.
Sleeping bags ..... look at the Montane ones as they have a very good value for money range, like nearly all their kit. I have a Montane Featherlight at 860 grams and also a Terra Nova Voyager 800 which is 845 grams. Both are goose down fill so have to be kept dry !!
One man tents are very small, you might do better considering a 2 man? The extra space is useful and with modern tents doesn't add much weight.
I have a Vaude Power Lizard SUL which is rated at 1 - 2 man. It is ultra-light and a really nice tent. There is a new version but I picked mine up end of line for less than £200 but they are now around £430ish. I think they are around 1kg but for me one of the great advantages of it is how small it packs, I was surprised at how big a difference that made to my life.
The Power Lizard was, maybe still is, the lightest two man tent on the market. It is a single hoop design with two small poles either end to add head/foot room. In my view this design is not as easy to get a decent tight pitch on rough ground but I'm camping in pretty impossible places anyhow. I think Vaude rate it as 3 season.
Despite the fact that I got mine cheap if it was to need replacement then I think I'd pay full price for another one and there are very few bits of gear I have that, if a replacement was required, I wouldn't give some alternative solution a try just in case I was missing out.
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj320/caorach/2016%20July/0712-weird-light_zpsklz0d0dd.jpg) (http://s275.photobucket.com/user/caorach/media/2016%20July/0712-weird-light_zpsklz0d0dd.jpg.html)
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj320/caorach/2016%20July/0712-tent-shieling_zpsanh4oniy.jpg) (http://s275.photobucket.com/user/caorach/media/2016%20July/0712-tent-shieling_zpsanh4oniy.jpg.html)
I would also say what are advertised as 2 man tents are the way to go. I don't know what men they were measuring when they came up with the numbers. Hobbits maybe. The weight difference between 1 and 2 man tents would be negligible if you have a decent budget. Get one with a porch as well to put rucksack etc under without having to drag wet gear inside the tent itself.
Thanks for all the suggestions and links lads. Much appreciated
For what it's worth I'd go 2 man as well, I'm not a particularly big guy but if I was trying to get one of my mates to share my 2 man vango banshee it'd be a bit cosy for my liking :gay4 gives a bit of room to get a few things inside and there's room under the fly sheet for boots etc.
I can't comment on everything else on the market but I like it and it's a hundred quid, don't know how the weight compares to other tents but seems ok to me, I don't get too hung up on the weight of gear tbh
A serious mountain guy I have been on the hill and climbed with on and off for 35 years says "The best one man tent you can get is the best lightweight two man tent because you will always fill the space and you will always be more comfortable". He is right :D :D
My Nallo2 is 2.3 Kg but it is a palace with a big sheltered entry porch area. If you are halfway fit and not planning an ultra-light, multi-day traverse of the likes of the GR20 then a reliable roomy shelter is hard to beat.
I know I go on about it but to be very light I use a tarp and a bivvy you can fold a tarp into a tent if you use a thumb stick. If midges are bad you can buy a net that covers the bivvy which is almost weightless.
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Quote from: Lochan_load on June 11, 2017, 11:17:47 PM
I can't comment on everything else on the market but I like it and it's a hundred quid,
I have a Banshee as well and it is a good tent especially for the money. It is a lot heavier than my Vaude but for some people the difference in weight isn't going to be that important, it's only important to me because I'm very wee to start with so an extra few pound here and there soon adds up to something that I don't enjoy carrying. Also with its two hoop/pole design I find it easier to get a tight pitch on rough moorland than my Vaude. One other downside with the Banshee that I didn't really consider is the packed volume and it wasn't until I got the Vaude that the value of having a tent that packs away into nothing became clear as you can then go to a lighter rucksack and that adds further weight savings.
However, if you are not going for major weight saving then the Banshee would save you £300+ on the Vaude at full price and that buys a lot of fishing and the Banshee, if you can carry it, puts you in places like this just the same as the Vaude does:
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj320/caorach/2015_08_18/0818tentsunrise_zpscmit7kdi.jpg) (http://s275.photobucket.com/user/caorach/media/2015_08_18/0818tentsunrise_zpscmit7kdi.jpg.html)
I don't use mine enough to justify spending a lot and would rather put the money to a #4 Winston ;)
I know it's heavier but i only hike to a loch and camp for a couple of nights so weights not as important as it would be if I was doing a long trek or mountain climb. Must also admit I quite like strapping on a heavy bag, if I'm going for a hike I want to feel like I've done one so I'm defiemetley not the one to comment when it comes to lightweight. The vaude tents seem excellent from what I've seen and what others have said on the forum but it's just out of my price range for a tent. I reckon Vaughans advice is best, the lightest 2 man you can find!
Another vote for a 2 man rather than 1 man from me (I'd not like to share the "2 man"!) and a vote for the Vango Zenith which is similar type and price to the banshee. I got a my Zenith 2 man last year after a lot of research and it's ideal for 1 man fishing trips in my opinion and only cost £100. Good wee porch on the side as seen below
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Another point to have in mind is the often very flimsy groundsheets of the ultra-light tents. The total weight is down for a reason and they may pitch nicely on a bit of short clean grass but not on any mixed heathery ground !!!! :( :(
Better to go for good quality under you and a few grammes more than having groundsheet tears and dampness patches.
QED
30 years old, single-skin Gore and still going strong. not cheap when new. not cheap now. buy cheap, buy twice
I don't know how long I have had my ProAction Tiger Paws, 12 years perhaps a few more? It was £14.99 from Argos and is still going strong. I have a new one, unused and unpacked, in the loft which I bought as a backup, just in case, it was down to £9.99 by then :)
Quote from: Fishtales on June 13, 2017, 08:59:31 AM
I don't know how long I have had my ProAction Tiger Paws, 12 years perhaps a few more? It was £14.99 from Argos and is still going strong. I have a new one, unused and unpacked, in the loft which I bought as a backup, just in case, it was down to £9.99 by then :)
so, you bought twice, then? :lol:
Couldn't pass up a bargain Dave :tongue2
I also have two Good Companion tents, the Standard and the Major, that are forty plus years old and still used occasionally if car camping.
Most of the focus has been on the tents and I can't give any info on lightweight sleeping bags as I have an allergy to feathers and so have to use synthetic, which is never the best lightweight solution. However one thing I might add, and which you probably know, is that the mat is also important and it is worth investing in a good one. When I started at camping at lochs the mat was the one place I invested in "the best" (A Therm-a-rest Neo air Xtherm which was certainly the warmest at that time) while everything else was done on a tight budget and I've no regrets about the mat whereas over time I've "upgraded" most of the other stuff.
Quote from: Element on June 14, 2017, 03:11:00 PM
- the inflatable type are SO much better... unless you intend sleeping far away in a wee Howff that is! :D
E.
with you on that one; from experience you can never be quite sure what's lurking on the floor of a howff and it's impossible to puncture a foam mat... :roll:
Quote from: corsican dave on June 14, 2017, 05:58:22 PM
with you on that one; from experience you can never be quite sure what's lurking on the floor of a howff and it's impossible to puncture a foam mat... :roll:
Not unless you happen to have a Cockchafer Bug trying to burrow its way through. As you all know I put the mats under the tent, just as well :)
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