Bushwalk Australia

Hi
I'm looking at buying a Ghost UL2 for lightweight hiking tent but a bit concerned about the style of the fly. Any feedback or advice would be appreciated!

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/ghost-u ... 50841.html

Thanks
Kaz

Looks fine. What are your concerns?

A

I would consider it suitable for mainland, below treeline, 3 season use. My main issue if planning trips outside these parameters is the minimal overlap of the fly over the inner and the height of the lower edge of the fly, especially at the rear of the tent. In more exposed areas wind driven rain is likely to reach the mesh and enter the tent. On the other hand the high fly and small gap with the inner will assist ventilation in warm, high humidity situations. I also have some concerns about the level of waterproofing on the fly, but especially the floor. 1200 mm head height is considered the minimum for a waterproof fly but decent floors are usually at least twice this.

It would not be a design that I would personally choose for the simple reason any gear left out is basically at your door so you are needing to climb in over it when entering and exiting the tent. Add to that the comments Mark made and I would be looking at other options.

ideally when you're buying tents. buy ones that are designed in places where the weather matches where you are going to be walking... it will be made for the weather conditions... so many american tents are made for relatively fine summer weather with minimal rain or wind, if thats not the weather you're expecting find a tent designed by people who understand your weather conditions...
in NZ for example, quite a few of the tent designs made for overseas conditions fail here, they break, don't keep out enough rain, water comes through the floor... not enough vestibule space to keep things dry in horizontal rain... etc etc.

that tent material, including the floor isnt waterproof with a rating of 1200, and its very thin material that will damage easily on rough ground, often tents made in america need an extra "footprint" sheet under the floor to cope with rough ground

Fabric Tent Floor: 20D Nylon Ripstop 1200mm PU/SIL

theres a big trend to go ultralight with gear now, but you need to be careful you're not going too light for the conditions you are going to be in, or your gear won't last very long.
you could buy a more solid tent for the same money. ultralight gear is often expensive for what it is.