Bushwalk Australia

Hi all,

I had a response from Macpac the other day on a query I had made about getting a Microlight tent in another colour (I am not fond of the green as it blends in too much with the surroundings; fine on the overland track, not so fine if you are base camping in the scunge of the South West & want to find your way back to base easily). They could not help out with this request, but went on to mention a new range of tents are on their way - very exciting for fans of the integral pitch / quality Macpac designs, especially new free-standing models . Following is a quote from Nick Roberts (Macpac - Australian Retail Support Manager):

"A new tent range will be finding it's way into stores in March and includes old favourites as well as some new models including a free standing Alpine tent. A redesigned Microlight will be available as well. The new Microlight will be free-standing and lighter than the current model. There will also be a 2 person version in the range which weighs in at approx the same weight as the current model. The fly colour is yet to be confirmed but I believe is still a green although I'm pretty certain it is a lot lighter than the current colour and a lot more visible. Unfortunately current manufacture minimums allow us to manufacture in one colour only unless massive sales are forecast for a seperate colour. The current wish among the majority of our customers is to blend in more with the natural environment they are exploring. Of course this is not the wish of all our customers but one that we must cater for
I'm sorry but specific details of the new tent range will not be available until the final production run around late February due to the design and manufacture cycle specific details will only be confirmed once the tents are actually made."

Hope the range is as good as it sounds, pretty exciting as I have been wanting a good free-standing tent for a while now to replace my Minaret.

Cheers

Stuart

Any word on the new tents?

waiting, waiting, waiting...I might have to find another brand soon as I am in need of a new lightweight tent.
Anyone heard nay news on when this new lineup might be coming out, if ever!!!???

Hi Stu,

stubowling wrote:waiting, waiting, waiting...I might have to find another brand soon as I am in need of a new lightweight tent.
Anyone heard nay news on when this new lineup might be coming out, if ever!!!???

I also have been waiting for the lightweight version of the Microlight to come out.

I quite like this tent, http://www.wildearth.com.au/vango-heliu ... p-389.html it is rated at 4 seasons, double skin and only 900g-1000g, The cost is very reasonable at $320 +GST.

I am not sure how it would handle Tasmanian conditions but it might be worth a try.

Tony

That's a real nice looking tent. The Vango stuff certainly seems popular enough in the UK, and if it's up to Scottish conditions, it certainly should be up to ours. My wife just bought a vango pack- nice pack, though we've yet to use it in earnest.

I'd be tempted to go for the 2 person tent for 300 more grams though. Plenty of room for gear that way.

Thanks for the link Tony, they look pretty good, tho several reviews have canned them based on their low height of 83cm;
pity, looked pretty good otherwise, maybe vestibule a little small?
Hoping Macpac get something ideal together pretty soon!

Here are the facts on the new macpac tent range. We're not expecting any new colours of the microlight, the redesigned free-standing 1 man version of the microlight has been shelved for the time being. We are expecting the the 2 man version of the macrolight (the freestanding design) in over the next 2 months, which will be in the same colour as the microlight and should weigh in at around 2.1 kgs.

r3volution wrote:Here are the facts on the new macpac tent range. We're not expecting any new colours of the microlight, the redesigned free-standing 1 man version of the microlight has been shelved for the time being. We are expecting the the 2 man version of the macrolight (the freestanding design) in over the next 2 months, which will be in the same colour as the microlight and should weigh in at around 2.1 kgs.

Thanks for this. Can you let us know where you got that information from?

Actually I work at a macpac store. Not going to say which one.

r3volution wrote:Actually I work at a macpac store. Not going to say which one.

Thanks for letting us know... don't forget that forum rules require you to state your associations with any commercial interest when commenting on products/services you work with.

But more importantly, it's good to know that it's coming from what should be a reliable source. I think readers like to know this, otherwise it might be just another guess based on rumours, etc.

Pity the 1 person free standing model has been shelved, you would have sold a heap of them.
Do you have any photos of the 2 person macrolight?
2.1 kgs a little lighter than my Minaret (2.6 I think, total) so may be an option?

Son of a beach: Glad to help make sure there's accurate info out there. I've posted that I work at a macpac store previously, but yeah fair enough mate, you want I should put it in my sig?

Stubowling: Yeah, personally I think its a bit of a bummer, a 1 man would have been a nice alternative to the MSR hubba in terms of size & weight. No photos of the new macrolight, though having heard descriptions and seen a product sketch it seems to have a 2 pole set up with each pole arcing across and back to the same side, so you should have 2 pole intersections and way more max headroom than a dome design. It seems a little like the old Fairydown assault/attack tents, but without the third pole across the middle.

tents are on the way...keep your eyes peeled (and cash in pockets for now) for a great intro deal...

Thanks blacksheep, can't wait to check the out!
It's like waiting for Xmas as a child
Any pictures yet?

stubowling wrote:Thanks blacksheep, can't wait to check the out!
It's like waiting for Xmas as a child
Any pictures yet?

...yes.

oh, and there is a bit of a surprise addition in the new line up also...something for when you want a bit of room , still want quality (like alloy poles, torrent floor) and stability (using geodesic principals), and when you pack the whole toothbrush (as opposed to the sawn off uber light version...)... you can even sleep in a seperate room under the same roof..
( I must be getting soft, but i can this being my prefferd tent for many trips.)

blacksheep wrote:oh, and there is a bit of a surprise addition in the new line up also...something for when you want a bit of room , still want quality (like alloy poles, torrent floor) and stability (using geodesic principals), and when you pack the whole toothbrush (as opposed to the sawn off uber light version...)... you can even sleep in a seperate room under the same roof..
( I must be getting soft, but i can this being my prefferd tent for many trips.)

Age has a way of softening you up. My wife and I actually discussed the pros and cons of owning a caravan the other day. 20 years ago I would never have dreamed of even camping within 5 miles of caravans.

TCP- a caravan is going a bit too far for me...being able to get dressed standing up is a wonderful thing tho.

That's what the space outside the tent is for.

Any news yet. Are the new tents on the shelves or what

For one thing Macpac's www playing up abit. I need info

See: http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2686&start=30#p27662

I just spoke to Macpac in Brisbane. Mid October the new range will be launched. Unfortunatley no more Celeste in the range