Anyone care to share their recommendations/experiences (good or bad) for a small bikepacking tent for one person and some gear? I've been researching models/materials but can't see the forest for the trees anymore.
I count on using it about 20 nights/year, bikepacking only, no trekking on foot or by car. I already have a cotton Vango force 10 tent for that and it's solid like a rock but unfortunately equally heavy and unwieldy.
Requirements: - Lighter is better but not an absolute dealkiller provided that it stays under 2.5 kilo tops; - Space for one person to stretch out (5ft 11) without hitting the walls; - Compact so I can easily carry it on my bike/in a bag, no bundles longer than 40 cm; - Pitchable by one person, doesn't have to be freestanding and I can deal with stakes and guylines; - I'm hard on gear so it has to be tough; - Discreet colour, I usually trek solo in relatively deserted areas and don't want to advertise my (and my 8k Euro bike) presence; - It HAS to have inner netting and a solid groundsheet. Those are not negotiable, I've dealt with snakes and scorpions without issue but can't abide insects;
In mitigation of all the above: price is no factor. I count on using it as a 3-season tent, no winter conditions.
Materials wise I've compared Dyneema fabric (how about abrasion resistance?) and the classic silnylon which I know is susceptible to sag, misting through and doesn't dry as well as dyneema. Don't get me started on tent models...
The bikepacking specific versions of the Big Agnes Fly Creek or Copper Spur 2 person tents would be worth a look. I have the Blacktail Hotel because I wanted the storage vestibule and don't care about weight. It's pretty nice it all comes in a bag that attaches to your handlebars. I can fit the additional 'footprint' in the bag as well. Nemo also has the Dragonfly bikepack tent with similar features.
I'm not sure where you are based, but finding camping gear hasn't been easy for the last year and a half.
Edit: I have borrowed the Copper Spur 2 in the past and was very comfortable as a 6' person with a 25 x 78 sleeping pad and a bit of gear.
Already thanks for the input! I’m based in Belgium but do most of my multi day touring in Spain, France or Italy. The issue will be to actually be able to buy something, as many companies seem to produce in China and getting stock is a serious headache and will likely continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
I asked the same question on a trekking forum and got various answers, just FYI: - MLD Solomid or duomid in dyneema seems to come highly recommended. For the tent and inner it’ll set me back about 1.2 k euro after taxes and duty. Also, some users don’t like the inner nor the (all but inevitable) condensation. 5 months lead time, that’s still doable but if it gets pushed back by 3 weeks I’m in trouble with a planned trip.
-Spin-off of the condensation discussion: the Crux x1 raid. I already own some Crux mountaineering gear and can attest that it’s very high quality, had completely forgotten about their tents . The tent uses a special fabric (not goretex), is closed, single wall. Users swear that there’s no condensation except in sub freezing conditions (hoarfrost), which will not apply. Costs about 600 euro, weight is ok and I can have it delivered in 3 days. However, the pack size is a tad too large (45 cm) only a bit but knowing myself and my little obsessions, enough to start grating in the longer run.
- A couple of ex-military guys pointed me to the Carinthia micro tent and swear by it. It’s…errr…extreme. Really a souped up bivy. Coffin size, claustrophobics need not look. But -so they say- perfect ventilation even when closed like an oyster (gas permeable membrane), totally waterproof, extremely durable and in summer you can open it up and just leave the insect mesh. Very discreet, due to colour and the fact that it’s about 1.5 ft high… Also crazy expensive for what it appears to be, about 750 euro but available right now. Dunno, ticks the boxes but I’m beyond the age for application to join some special forces outfit and it simply looks a bit too niche.
This where we’re at right now, any additional input welcome!
However, a bathtub floor with a net tent covered by a 10-12 foot tarp would do the trick, like the Six Moon Designs NetTent. Uses two trekking poles for structure.
@Joe: thanks, I didn't know that company but their products look very interesting. Of course SOL due to out of stock....familiar story.
Zpacks also have some interesting stuff.
Turns out that I happen to know a poster on the trekking forum where I posted the same question, we were in the military together, a looonngg time ago. He lives 70 miles from me and is still into bushwalking, owns a ton of gear (8 tents but 4 instant disqualifications due to pack size), 3 tarps, 2 bivies.....go figure) and proposed to simply let me test some stuff and see what I like best as according to him every tent/bivy is a compromise with weak and strong points and at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that I get along with it.
One thing to consider is how your sleeping gear is going to get along with your tent. I use various quilt sysmtems, one being an old Elightened Equipment Prodigy. You don't exit such quilts from the side like when you zip open a conventional bag; rather, you kind of squirt out the top. (Unless you want to unstrap a band or unhook it from the pad.) My winter tent has a front door and it works great with quilts. Just unzip the door and shimmy my way into the vestibule. My three season tent for warmer nights or when I go with another person, is an older Copper Spur 2 with the rainbow doors. It is kind of a pain to exit from the top of the quilt and then exit out of the side of the tent. Still, a good tent, especially when two doors makes things easier for two people.
@wanderer: Good advice. Bikepacking.com is a great resource. I’ve been using a Big Agnes Copper Spur (bikepacking version) 1p tent for the past few seasons and it’s a great option. Durability has been top notch, but I always use mine with the groundsheet that’s made for it. It’s worth the extra money. I believe, since my tent was made, Big Agnes has begun to offer the model in a less bright color way (which is about the only negative on my personal tent).
I use a Big Agnes copper spur 2 uls bikepacking model. I'm also 5'11. The tent packs very small. I has doors on both sides and vestibule area on each side. It is stable and very weather proof.
