Base camp tents

[Moondog55]

Just thought i would start a new discussion.
While we do concentrate on walking trips and keeping the weight down my recent plans have seen me looking at bigger tents.
Personally in a base camp tent height and the ability to dress standing are becoming more important as I get older and stiffer.
These tents are different to car camping tents, weight and small packing dimensions are still important.
I was going to use my old Paddymade Era, but I was looking on ebay recently and I am beginning to think that a cheaper dome tent makes more sense.
A 4 person (or bigger) cheap dome tent will be easier to dress in, be more stable and weigh the same as an old-fashioned cotton tent. Domes; even cheap Chinese/Taiwanese made stuff; have inherently more stability than an A frames.
i am thinking of buying a cheap second hand dome and I've bid on one.
Even if I do have to sew in some guy points I think it will work better.
Comments?
There are some wonderfully spacious and strong tents on the market, some of them, even those designed for Everest and Antarctica, would not be out of place in Australia for schools and larger institutional groups in winter.

[Franco]

how about a tipi ?
look at the 5-6 man Kifaru/Ti Goat/Seek Outside or maybe Golite Shangri La 5.
They can take wind and snow, have headroom and are still "portable".
A multi pole dome tent big enough to stand up is going to be around 10kg plus...
Franco

[Moondog55]

That's true Franco, but 10 to 15 kilos spread amongst a group of a dozen or so is only a kilo to a kilo and a half per person, and on a long trip/ stay the benefits can outweigh the mass / cost.
For instance the use of a group fly in summer. When I took my pre-teen kids I always packed a huge flysheet. 4m * 3m Shelter from the sun and light rain and a place to gather for dinner and board games.

[ninjapuppet]

Seeing as you have a pulk, weight won't matter much on snow. A guide in baltistan used these heavy but locally made geodesics for basecamp. $80 from memory and theres no doubt they can take a beating

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[Stew63]

If I had the money I'd buy the Hilleberg Saitaris 4 person basecamp tent - my dream tent. It's combines both tunnel and dome tent features.
I'm hiking and skiing with 2 growing kids so I need a bigish tent.

The Saitaris - one day will be mine... Oh yes it will be mine!

[ninjapuppet]

The Saitaris - one day will be mine... Oh yes it will be mine!

Sure beats the long standing tunnel vs dome debate! Hilleberg's answer: why not combine them.

[Moondog55]

I was thinking something just a tiny bit bigger

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Yurtini ... lt,pd.html

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Hoopste ... lt,pd.html

[Franco]

Saitaris..
Can't really stand up inside it , at least if you are over 125cm...
but if you can carry a 6 kg tent, the design is solid.

Those MH tents look the part for you Moondog.
173 cm height for the 3 kg Hoopster is probably a good compromise between height and weight.
Franco

[Mountain Rocket]

Sure beats the long standing tunnel vs dome debate! Hilleberg's answer: why not combine them.

I have always held the view that a well designed dome tent will trump a (well designed) tunnel tent in extreme weather, but at a significant weight penalty.
However a tunnel tent offers the best weight to storm protection. Combining the two is obviously the best of both worlds.

Sorry for the digression.

[Moondog55]

Dome tunnel hybrid is exactly what my Fairydown Plateau is, too small to be a multi-use shelter tho.
I just got a really cheap 4-man tent via evil-bay, simple generic 2 pole silver dome, it will be interesting fixing that to counter a high Plains blow, but I think I can do it using simple string theory engineering

[Stew63]

What about this the 'Varanger' by Helsport of Norway comes in this the 10-14person model, the 8-10person models or the smaller 4-8 model - suitable for chilly scandanavian winters.



Or the Helsport Lavvu line of tents.

[Moondog55]

That's great
Call it a tipi or lavvu that would work well, looks like it will handle an Arctic winter but I certainly can't afford it ( in fact I'm afraid to ask how much it costs )

[Stew63]

MoonDog did you win that tent you bid on?

[Stew63]

That's great
Call it a tipi or lavvu that would work well, looks like it will handle an Arctic winter but I certainly can't afford it ( in fact I'm afraid to ask how much it costs )

Yeah, yeah, I know - me either but just dreaming... Back to reality for me now

[Franco]

I like that protected entry of the Varanger.
The Luxe Oudoor Nashorn could be an affordable version of that ;
http://www.luxeoutdoor.com/eng/catalog- ... th=/12/134
Franco

[Moondog55]

Yes Stew I did $22- so I started work already by putting it up in the back yard

[Moondog55]

Just send Wildside a quick email, price enquiry, if I'm lucky they will have one to look at

[Kinsayder]

That Helsport Lavvu is awesome! I'd hate to lug it out into the hills but a fireplace in a tent!!!

[Franco]

Kinsayder
In a few weeks I will be posting some pics on a much lighter version of a fireplace in a tent...
If I remember I will use that heading..
(nothing to do with TT BTW...)
Franco

[ninjapuppet]

I picked up a Kifaru 8 man with the medium stove last year http://www.kifaru.net/tipi_8man.html

Then picked up a used TiGoat vertex 6.5 off ebay a few weeks back at about 1/3 the price of a Kifaru. Even brand new, the TiGoat is still much cheaper than the Kifaru. The Kifaru is nice but in all honesty, I dontthink its worth it over the the Titanium goat.

They make really base camp tents, especially with the stove. You still need a really good sleeping bag because the the stove only lasts about 40 minutes if filled with wood. once the fire dies, it will get as cold as any tent but its really fun with a group of mates in winter when it gets dark at 5pm and you have another couple of hours with to kill. The 8-man is really nice with 4 people inside, and the vertex 6.5 is only really good for 3 people with gear.

I wouldnt call them ultralight by itself, but I just get mates to help me carry fuel, food and other gear so its actually not bad. I'm planning a week in Northern kosciuszko once the snow hits. Llooks like perfect country for these types of tipis.

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[Kinsayder]

Wow, I had no real notion of such things. I watched a youtube video a while back that featured one but the guys in it were a little odd and I thought it was simply a part of that oddness. To see that that might be faintly common (having never encountered one in the hills before) is a nice thought. Being somebody who uses huts quite a lot, being huddled around the fire at the end of a good days hiking is a great way to wind down.

[Moondog55]

Franco Would that be the little stove you made from a couple of gastronorm baine-marie trays??
I was toying with the idea of making a small stove from an old gas bottle but haven't yet, getting a suitable small diameter flue has held me back more than anything else.
Out of curiosity what would you use for the pass through port, fibreglass cloth or silicon sheet??

[photohiker]

I just got a really cheap 4-man tent via evil-bay, simple generic 2 pole silver dome, it will be interesting fixing that to counter a high Plains blow, but I think I can do it using simple string theory engineering

haha. very good.

[Franco]

Moondog
I still have that two tray stove and another that I made from a water pitcher, but I am waiting for one that is professionally made.
In fact the guy that makes them knows of my stove and that is why he is sending me his (maybe out of pity or something...)
The shelter should come with a stove jack but I do have one from TiGoat.
I was about 5 minutes away from buying a Golite Hex for $70 when after thinking about it for a few days someone beat me to it.
Anyway I am looking forward to play with the shelter and the stove and will post when I get it all together.
Franco

[Moondog55]

Franko what are you using as a stove jack?/ Silica fabric,fibreglass or are you using an old fashioned double plate in galvanised steel??

[Franco]

This one :
http://www.titaniumgoat.com/pipe-parts.html
(under sewn in stove boots)
I Think that is made out of silicone.
Franco

[Moondog55]

I just received word from Tim Campbell that he will have a couple of those big Luxe pyramids in stock in a few weeks, i won't have the money but they look OK for the asking price

[Moondog55]

This one,

http://www.luxeoutdoor.com/eng/catalog- ... th=/12/134

[Franco]

here are some pics of the Nashorn in use :
http://www.luxeoutdoor.com/eng/catalog- ... selfid=146
Franco

[Moondog55]

I wish I hadn't spent all my money already.That is a lot of tent space for the money and I like the way they have the internal draft/sod cloth sewn in.