Am I missing something here? UL tents. Calling Franco!

[Alittleruff]

Ok... browsing UL tents. I came across the Big Angus Fly Creek tents. They are very light, but quite pricy. Lucky there is a sale on. But... something niggles at me. Tarp tents are mentioned on this forum and well, given a rather good plug.

So looking at the BigA Fly creek 2- 1kg- $500. Floor space- 90 x 66 (foot width) 60 inches (That is 228.6cm x 167.64cm (foot) and 152.4cm)
The Scarp 2 TT- 1.7kg- $369. Floor space 132cm x 218cm.

Ummmm

The Cloudburst 3- 1.48kg. $369. Floor space 157cm x 218cm.

Gosh.. the Tarp tents are looking rather affordable, but seem to be a tad bit smaller. Can anyone enlighten this newbie? Franco?

I would like to buy a tent (probably 2 down the track, so our three kids can sleep in 1, and us adults can cozy up together in another). I'm looking at light weight tents, because kids being kids, we will need to carry most of their gear too.

Help muchly appreciated.

[whitefang]

The tarptent prices are in US dollars and shipping needs to be added too.

[Strider]

The Cloudburst 3 is only single skin too.

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[walkerchris77]

Tarp tents rock. Wish i had one. I wonder if the nice folks at tarp tent would send me two tax invoices. One with the real amount and one with a cheap amount to show the wife.

[n5750547]

http://www.terrarosagear.com/net-tents

I've seen some people use these and they seem happy with them. I would probably make my own tarp (or ask if they can make it for me) that fits it perfectly and can use the same trekking poles

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[Franco]

All of our products are sold directly from TT USA, therefore prices are in USD and you need to add postage to that, about $60 for a Scarp 2.
You also need to seam seal it yourself or get TT to do it for you ($30USD)

On paper the FlyCreek 2 may appear to be bigger, it isn't .
This is why :


The given dimensions are the floor width and length at the corners .

With the Scarp pretty much all of the floor space is usable, not so with the Fly Creek because on three sides the mesh inner slopes inwards.
The peak height of the FC2 is 96cm, 114cm for the Scarp.

You may also want to consider that you set up all TT shelters fly first (fly and inner for the Scarps) so if you set up or take down in the rain you don't get the inner wet.
Also the Scarp 2 has two entry points/vestibules.

(note that the vestibules are smallish but you can store a 70L pack out of the way in there, they will be on the doorway in the FC2)
The design allows a drip free entry so you don't get rain onto the floor either, that helps with views and condensation management.
(in wind blown rain , well use the other door...)
Contrary to the BA description, the Fly Creek 2 does not work in "freestanding" mode, you need a minimum of 6 stakes to keep the shape and have the fly not touching the inner.
In the end you need to work out which design you like best.

[Alittleruff]

I quite like the look of that Scarp. How much are we talking Franco?

Love that all the floor space is usable, due to almost vertical walls. Love the space outside for packs. It would be nice to have it a smidge wider and a smidge lighter though? Ideas? Are they easy to set up?

[whitefang]

With current conversion rate and shipping the Scarp 2 is about $608AUD. When you would have to spend $500 on the Fly Creek the extra $100 for the Scarp is worth it. I own a Tarptent ProTrail and the quality of the tents made by TarpTent is excellent.

[Sandbars]

My second favourite piece of gear is a Stratospire 2. Light enough for one, big enough for two and a dog, uses my already carried hiking poles. You can widen the floor at a cost of a couple of inches of height, double vestibules rock.

(bonus never mentioned by tarptent: if you have the misfortune to be tent-bound in a thunderstorm, you can amuse yourself by having leech races - you can see where they are through the fly!)

[kitty]

My second favourite piece of gear is a Stratospire 2.

+1 SS2 (and SS1 for a 1p)

[Alittleruff]

And in first place..... Sandbars?

No hiking poles. Budget conscious, because I'll be fitting out our family of 5. Love the look of the Tarp Tents........... but oh. BIG purchace. I'd have to go hiking, ALOT to justify it But each hiking trip would be comfortable!

The Big A Flycreek tent is still on the agenda, even though it is probably second best. It might get us out there initially.

[Strider]

If you want something to get out there initially, go cheap. That way when you decide it doesn't work for you you haven't spent a fortune finding out!

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[kitty]

I agree with Strider! (as someone who has spent quite a bit on multiple tents in an attempt to find the "perfect tent" (for me))
Get something cheap to get you out there.
See if you can see some of the tents you have in mind set up in the shops and get into them - with another person - then imagine two persons worth of gear in the vestibule/s.
Also you could put in a WTB in the marketsquare - there might be someone wanting to sell one of the tents you want.
Happy gear hunting!

[corvus]

G'day Alittleruff,
Welcome to the mystery of what to buy One thing you omit from your enquiry is where do you intend to go initially and how old are the kids ?

[Sandbars]

And in first place..... Sandbars?

Ha - my favourite piece of gear is my Katabatic quilt - as spruiked in your other thread!!

Also - have you seen the thread about Mt Franklin in April? That would be an awesome place for you to see and play with some gear before you commit.

[icefest]

(bonus never mentioned by tarptent: if you have the misfortune to be tent-bound in a thunderstorm, you can amuse yourself by having leech races - you can see where they are through the fly!)

It doesn't even need a thunderstorm, you can have leech races at any time of year.

The ss Is so surprisingly good in wind too.

[Alittleruff]

Thank you for alerting me to the Mt Franklin get together. I'd really like that. Missed out earlier this year, so I'd be keen next year.

Just wondering.... left field, go long... but what do people think of the Kathmandu UL Lansen tent?

My kiddlets are almost 2 years, 6 years and 8 years and all quite tall for their age. My hubby is over 6 foot tall.

Initially, thinking the prom. It was great when I was pregnant with #1, and we have often stayed at Bear Gully (cheapskate I know!) with the family... but glamping in an old Jayco Dove. Might like to go back up to McCallister springs with the family when the kids are a little older, and just do the Mt.Howitt walk and chill. The 5km walk in is probably enough to wear them out (I'd be carrying our youngest, which is why UL would be ideal, we would still be carrying a lot of extra weight).

[DanShell]

Just wondering.... left field, go long... but what do people think of the Kathmandu UL Lansen tent?

I have had Kathmandu tents in the past and they are ok but not as UL as the TT range. The UL Lansen is not an integral pitch and obviously has its vestibule at the end rather than the side and weighs 1.8kg. On comparison to a TT Stratospire for instance, it is integral pitch, has vestibules and entry on both sides, larger floor space and is lighter......but its going to be dearer.

[GPSGuided]

...but its going to be dearer.

All thanks to our Fx changes.

[Alittleruff]

Well I thought I'd have a decision by now

Anyways..... I have a couple of glitches. If I get the tent I really want, I will have "spent all my cash' guilt, and then I'd be most likely to go cheap on sleeping bags. Probably not good. I think TT's are out of my price range for a beginning hiker, and I want something that is easy peezy out of the box ready to go. Yes, I don't want to run around with a toddler while I try to seam seal a tent. Which is probably an easy enough job... away from little helping hands.

I keep coming back to the Big Agnes FlyCreek Ul. 2 person... just in case we can wrangle a sitter and a night away. $499.50. Still a lot of coin. And very narrow at the foot room.... footsies...LOL. For the weight of 1kg

Then there is the Lansen from Kathmandu. Cheaper. $350 if I am part of their club (oh boy, that I'm not, and what a sales gimmick). The whole thing looks like something that you would find on an air strip. Can't work out if the cocoon shape would be cozy, or if we would be stepping over each other and tripping up getting out. 1.72kg

My local lovely Tom, down at Mountain Design has one tent left. A Marmot, Trail Light 2 Person. It is $244.95, which includes pole weight and footprint. Much heavier at 2.4kg . But something tells me it would get us out there and start enjoying it. Much more floor area, compared to the BA's. The kathmandu Larsen is difficult to work out the floor size, because the figures show overall including the vestivals. Head height is also quite reasonable in the Marmot. Might be a good beginner tent??? What do you think?

[Sandbars]

http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/explore ... ent/SPA2MT

if you are going to 2.4kg - then what about this at $179??

The other suggestion I have, is to join a walking club and hire a tent for your first few trips out? Or (lateral thinking here... ) ask walkon if he has a vango banshee200 for sale cheap??

[Alittleruff]

I really don't want to be carrying a 2.4kg tent... just saying.

Wasn't that Banshee 200 on the buy/sell section for quite a while?

[Sandbars]

I dont think it ever hit the buy/sell formally - it is the tent that walkon found in Walhalla and was gifted by the owner - which is why I thought it might be a beginners bargain!

The other thing I found was this:http://www.equipmentlibrary.com.au/wpcproduct/lansan-light-2-person/ weirdly one of the tents you were looking at - a try before you buy option! (and I found what I was looking for: an option to get into the snow without forking out $$$ on a snow worthy tent, just in case we only ever snow camped once!)

[Alittleruff]

Hiring is an awesome option! Thank you. It won't work well for us, the hire store is in Northcote and we are 2 hours one way from there... so buy the time we paid for petrol and time out from our company... well we could have brought the items at retail. One of the downsides of living in the country, but there is so many up sides I wouldn't have it any other way.

I actually had a little fun with the sales team at Kathmandu today, and we set up the Lansen UL. Actually looks better than I thought. Fantastic that you can hire them... that indicated that they are fairly sturdy to me. Not a lot of room for gear, and packs would be at the entrance way... we would need to clamber over them. Thinking it over carefully because it was a fair bit under $300!

Ummmmm Go with a lighter, bigger tent option with the heavy price tag, or a slightly heavier tent with a better price tag..... I'm sure you have all been here before!

[sim1oz]

@alittleruff - we live in Melbourne and I am happy to show you our Tarptents (Hogback, Double Rainbow) if you want to see them and climb inside. Franco may be happy to do the same. PM me if you are interested. Last April we had a nice little shelter exhibition going at Mt Franklin with Franco's and my tarptents, a hammock, and a few other lightweight tents.

With the Aussie dollar so low, Tarptents have become more expensive relatively speaking. When we bought ours the Aussie dollar was over US$1 so Tarptents were actually far cheaper than anything I could buy here and lighter as well. Also, I can get them set up in about 2 minutes so the kids are happy to help and don't have time to get bored. We have used them for a few years now and I would buy them again even at their current price. Weight becomes very important when walking with young kids as you can occasionally end up carrying all their gear as well as your own if they run out of steam.

It all comes down to personal choice, choosing where you want to spend the money for quality/less weight and what you might be happy to wait and then upgrade down the track. One way to save weight and money (so you can get a better quality shelter or other item) is to buy rectangular el cheapo sleeping bags and then open them up as quilts to be shared between two people. For later Spring to early Autumn camping when the weather is mild you don't really need a super dooper sleeping bag, and you can always upgrade if you want to move to 4-season gear. Our kids seem to enjoy all of us snuggling together as our special tent treat. And when it is warm they often throw the quilt off anyway. The same logic could be applied to any gear. Work out what your priorities are.

We started slow and upgraded our gear as needed, choosing the lightest weight and best quality we could each time we made a purchase. From memory, we bought the Tarptents, inflatable mats and cooking gear at the start. We borrowed packs for a while, then bought our own. For our kids first overnight walk, they used their schoolbags. Once we worked out that they liked packwalks, we invested in packs for them which can be adjusted as they grow. We hired a 'snow' tent and clothes to try out on a snowshoeing trip before we bought gear. Once we were doing things in winter, we bought down sleeping bags. Our range of gear has expanded over time to suit a wider variety of weather conditions.

Also, if you are planning to get any gear from overseas, bear in mind the latest projections that the Aussie dollar is likely to drop further.

[Alittleruff]

thankyou Sim1oz! I'm curious to know how many children and adults do you share your tent with, ages? And which tarp tent do you bunk in together in?

[Moondog55]

Buy cheap to get started as you've said this isn't for snow use previously
Carry a heavier tent and compensate by not walking as far, you'll still get out there and learn as you go and then your next tent purchase will hopefully be closer to the sweet spot.
A large tarp set up as a group sunshade / rain shelter can go a long way to making cheap tents user friendly too and a medium weight polyester fly can be found on sale at Rays/Anaconda cheaply and if you leave the steel poles behind the weight isn't bad

[GPSGuided]

I think TT's are out of my price range for a beginning hiker...

It's a good investment though and you can always hang around here and wait for secondhand offering. But be assured they attract attention and go quickly.

[Alittleruff]

Bandaid............. rippppppppp

Made a decision. Too much time thinking and researching.

In the end I've ordered a Big Angnes Copper Spur 3 person tent. These came in at 1.8kg packed weight. 4.1m2 floor space. The fly creek version was 3.62m2 a tad bit lighter, but I liked the two door openings for the copper spur and the little compartments.

Price- $424.96 and included a free ground sheet.

Still thinking of getting the Kathmandu tent... then we have all 5 of us covered. The two big kids in the Kathmandu tent, and us adults and the baby in the copper spur.

Mostly, for us adults it is a lot to carry. I'm not thinking that the big kids will carry any more than 3-5kg. And our baby, weighs 15kg and needs to be carried. So going light, isn't actually going light for us, we will be carrying loads... it's going light so we can go with our children and share the experience with them.

[Hiking Noob]

Wow, that Kathmandu is impressively light seems odd that the floor has such a good WP rating and the fly is only 1500mm.

T7 have the Marmot Carbide with footprint for $250 but it it is a bit heavier-
https://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/5M ... -footprint