Luxe tent

[Buddy]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any experience of the Luxe Firefly 1 man 3 season tent? It is attractively priced @ $249 and appears very well made-- and only 1.3 kg.
I need to reduce camping gear weight so I can carry heavier camera equipment. Masochistic? Probably!

[woka]

I've never used it, but there was one in Mountain Creek in Hobart not that long ago. Looked pretty good, but definitely not a tent for tall people. Not as well made as the more expensive tents (as you'd expect), but I would still call it good value for the money. They had a few other Luxe tents in there as well.

[Franco]

Hi Buddy
I have a few Luxe tents, not the Firefly, but I am familiar with it. To add to Woka's comments, to get a better idea of the size watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ku0jE53 ... re=channel, the demonstrator is Michael Wong the designer of this shelter. He is 171cm tall. Note that he still has some headroom when sitting up inside. The typical floor plan for a Luxe is for people under 178 cm tall.
The materials used by Luxe are not "state of the art" but very functional, for example note the rather thick (4m water head) floor.
That cross pole design is very strong for the weight and it has no flat spots on top. No direct experience but the multi angled fly should also shed wind rather well.
Have a look at the stills to see why it was called Fire Fly.
http://www.luxeoutdoor.com/eng/catalog- ... th=/12/134
Franco

[Buddy]

Thanks for that guys. Had a look at the Firefly and it would definitely be too short for me. My attention has now turned to Mountain Hardwear Sprite 1.

[woka]

My attention has now turned to Mountain Hardwear Sprite 1.

A very nice tent. I checked this one out as well (last year when I was doing the same as you - reducing weight). I also found this one too short for me, but then I'm 6'2" (186cm).

The tent I settled on is the Mont Moondance I. Pros - very sturdy (the sturdiest of the ones I tried with the possible exception of the WE Dart); lightweight, 1.6kg; well made; has enough head room to sit upright and enough length for a tall person. Cons: still a three season tent; the vestibule could be bigger.

[Buddy]

The Mountain Hardwear specs. say that the sprite 1 is 229cm. or 90" in the old money. Is that really too short Woka? I am 6'1" myself so this is important to me. I will have a look at Mont's site meanwhile-- and thanks.

[woka]

I think it must have been the slope of the tent at either end. I definitely felt the tent was too small - keep in mind my criteria are for me to be in a sleeping bag on a mat and for the bag at my feet to not be touching the tent inner as condensation makes the bag wet.

I was disappointed as this tent is a great design, I like the area inside at the top at the side of your head and the way this makes a small tent with a vestibule large enough for a good size pack.

I don't think the Mont is any longer than the sprite, but it's walls are almost vertical at the ends, which effectively gives more room.

I'd suggest going into Mountain Creek (which is where I tried the sprite, luxe and mont) and try a few out for yourself. Camping World also carry Mont gear and I think snowgum have other brands as well.

[james cav]

I just bought a Mont moondance2. A Little heavier then the 1 but sought of deals with the vestibule problem. I don't know what u could keep in either the 1 or 2,s vestibules as they are so small. Ive only set mine up in the backyard so far but it feels pretty bombproof and has a strong interlinked frame design.
When I was looking for a tent the salesmen suggested that if I had a really good sleeping bag then this tent would serve me fine in the snow. Fortunately I bought a paddy pallin Jujungal a couple of years ago. The salesman further went on to say that the only real difference between some 3 and 4 season tents was the exclusion or mesh. Obviously he was talking about your better 3 season tents. Any thoughts on this idea?

[Buddy]

Mmmm. That's probably a bit simplistic. I would always go for a 4 season tent that had overlapping or interlocking poles. My 2 man tent is a Wild Country Quasar rated @ 160 km/h wind proof and it is of that design. I consider it the definitive 2 man tent. It's saved my life at least once.

[james cav]

This might be a bit off point but how much does the quasar weigh ? I put it at about 4kg. At least thats what a terranova Quasar wieghs. Are they the same thing? It does look super strong but I have to wonder where you were when it saved your life. Ive survived a very strong tasmanian blizzard in nothing more than a $60 carrabie tent (my first ever hike over Black Bluff). Dont get me wrong I was scared $3&#less but we did survive.
I have scince carried a tent that weighs 4kg and i find it too heavy especially for solo walks. You have however got me wondering about the pole design of my new tent. Looks like a trial and error situation at the moment as no one has yet answered my other post relating to in field use.

[Franco]

"The salesman further went on to say that the only real difference between some 3 and 4 season tents was the exclusion or mesh. Obviously he was talking about your better 3 season tents."
The short answer is no. A fabric inner will retain more body heat and minimise the effect of wind and spendthrift but is not going to magically give you a stronger fly.
However there are some "convertibles" that have a "4 season" fly, IE down to the ground and or stronger fabric, that allow for the addition of one or two extra poles and /or a fabric inner. Usually they are not as tough as some but still too heavy for 3 season usage.
A good example of a reasonable all season tent is the Hilleberg Akto for solo or the Nallo for 2. They are not much heavier than a good 2 season tent, yet good enogh for most winter outings. But neither are good for really hot/humid weather nor for 1 meter snowfalls.
Neither are good for
Note that the Akto is 1.5 kg and the Nallo about 2.1 kg. ( expensive... but)
A 4kg tent can be great if you are prepared to carry it all the time but that is more than my pack/tent/mat/sleeping bag/stove and pot combined. Granted it will be fantastic in some situations but a little bit too much for most of my walks. Of course if you always have a partner that becomes 2kg each, still about 3x the weight of my 3 season shelter though.
.
Franco

[woka]

Grrr... I've submitted this twice already and my computer's locked up both times. This time I'll copy it before I submit it!

Basically what I said is that I don't know much about tent design and haven't done a lot of winter camping in Tassie (and none in the Moondance). But I suspect there's more to 4 season tent design that any one aspect - like just the amount of mesh or just the pole design or just the material used. I'd guess they can all be a factor in determining whether a tent is four season.

If the Moondance II is like the Moondance I, then it's a very sturdy and well made tent. My biggest concern for four season use (keeing in mind I don't have a lot of experience) would probably be the gap under the fly, which might be a problem in an exposed area in strong winds.

If I was going out into true fourth season conditions, I'd take my Minaret instead!

[rucksack]

I agree with Woka. I have spent many a wintry night in Tasmania in all manner of tents and survived, but a decent 4 season tent tends to be an altogether different experience. I have had three Macpac Olympus tunnels in a row now, stretching back to 1984 and they have never ever let me down, no matter what has been thrown at them weather-wise. I have used my 3-season Mobi Garden 1.5 DAC (it's OK, I live in Shanghai and it's a Chinese tent, Cordura fly, weighs 1.8 kg & has a full mesh inner) in foul weather too and I'm here to tell the tale, but the comfort factor goes down somewhat, though it didn't leak. I had a very interesting night at Shelf Camp a couple of years ago in the Mobi, whereas the Olympus would scarcely have noticed! Had a close look at the Crux tents in London last year (http://www.crux.uk.com) and the X2 Bomb (3.42 kg) may end up being my next 4 season tent. It's incredibly well made with really first rate materials; well thought out too, with a slightly larger vestibule than it's 'brother', the X2 Storm (2.95 kg). The Crux tents aren't cheap though, so there's the hesitation ... £540 for the Bomb and £460 for the Storm, but they are serious 4 season tents and you get what you pay for. The Luxe tents are everywhere here in China of course, as are almost every other brand found in Australia and then some. I was passing through the Walls last month and there was a chap camped above Dixon's Kingdom and he had an original 1974 Paddy Pallin japara A-frame, sans floor & mesh of course and not a zip in sight. I asked him if it was still waterproof and he said that he didn't know. There you go!

[woka]

I had a very interesting night at Shelf Camp a couple of years ago in the Mobi, whereas the Olympus would scarcely have noticed!

Just out of interest, what was happening with the Mobi in those conditions?

[rucksack]

The Mobi is a modified single hoop tent and it was blowing around a fair bit that night, as the tent's side on stability is more or less what you would expect of a 3 season tent. Didn't leak though and everything stayed dry, although once or twice during the night (I was soloing), I thought that I might have to practise a self-rescue! As it turned out, nothing happened to the tent, or to me, so it was fine. The wind was quite ferocious throughout that night, so I thought - for a 3 season tent - the Mobi was fine. Cost AUD$100 off the shelf in a Shanghai outdoor shop, so can't complain. The tent above me that night at Shelf Camp was shredded and the occupants beat a hasty retreat at first light.

[Buddy]

James Cav,
My Wild Country Quasar weighs 3.2 kg. Maybe the specs. have changed a little over the years, although i wouldn't have thought for the heavier! Saved me in a winter storm at L. Luce near Pine Vly. Tent poles were bending about 300 mm. overhead and the wind noise was incredible. Apparently the Quasar is still used as far as Base Camp on Everest.

[Buddy]

Ended up buying a Sprite 1 after much deliberation.The footprint came from Launceston and the tent from Bogong in Melb. Shop local, they say-would if I could. I am 6'1" and length is adequate but not generous. Build quality is good. I would rate this tent somewhere between a 3-4 season, maybe 3.25. Tent was $299, footprint $49.95. Just have to wait for winter now to confirm rating! Who was it who said "Now is the winter of our discount tent"? LOL. 1.7 kg. with footprint , by the way.