Author Topic: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?  (Read 6299 times)

gunwharfman

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #15 on: 13:40:32, 04/01/21 »
My rucksack weighs 1.07Kg, is 48L and most importantly for me is comfortable to carry all day. The heaviest bit of equipment is my tent. I carry a water bladder in my rucksack with about 2.5L in it and can feel a heavy at the begging of the day. My food weighs a bit but I don't tend to carry a lot (nuts, chocolate, etc) because I try to rely on getting to a pub or restaurant each day and eating the main meal there. Other than that my carry weight is the accumulated amount of everything else. I always manage nowadays to keep my total weight to about 8-10Kg.

motorlaunch

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #16 on: 20:36:59, 07/01/21 »
Agree with NeilC


[size=0px]It's the weight of your overall pack that matters, so it depends on what else you're carrying.  


How many days do you plan to be out. My usual food averages 650g per day and I normally only carry 500ml of water as I expect to come across water most of the time. When walking ridges I might carry more.

addyeddy

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #17 on: 07:37:01, 08/01/21 »
I quite happily carry a 3kg tent (either my Banshee XD300 or Erebus 3+) if I'm going away for multiple days, as comfort becomes more important as I get older. I'd rather ditch a few tins of beer, and carry a better, more spacious tent.


I also have a great little Banshee 100 Pro, for shorter trips , that's about 1.5kg, never seems to have been produced commercially, that was an ebay bargain!


I fancy getting something in between the two for 2 to 3 day trips, and am heading towards the Coleman Batur 2,simply because I know how good their blackout bedrooms are!

Birdman

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #18 on: 11:04:03, 08/01/21 »
For me there are a few rules to enjoy my walking/ camping:
1) I want to be able to get a good night sleep
2) I don't want to be cold
3) I don't want to be hungry/ thirsty
4) I want to be safe (i.e. carry the gear I need for the conditions I'm facing)


When I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, I've met quite a few people who were having a rotten time in what was for me one of the best parts of the trail: the North Cascades in Washington state, with beautiful autumn colours and tons of blueberries. But it was cold and wet. You want to have dry clothes and an adequate sleeping system and a tent that keeps you dry. And enough food! I met a few hikers who were really not enjoying themselves because they were cold and wet all the time, just to save a few kg. Such a shame not to enjoy this!











Seriously, you are doing it wrong if you are not enjoying this!
My travel and walking reports: https://www.hikingbirdman.com/

weston.front

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #19 on: 13:39:12, 20/01/21 »
The most cost effective way to cut the weight of your pack is simply to carry less stuff.  Yes it is possible to spend £100's on lightweight gear but simply packing wisely will save you lb's and £'s.
.

When I was in the scouts in the 80's the rule of thumb was to be able to carry up to 33% of your body weight max.  However I guess this assumed someone not already carrying too much before putting on the pack if you see what I mean... For me at 5'11" that amounted to a max of 21 kg
.

So for example, here are some things I've ditched since I was in my teens : spare shoes, clean clothes for every day, emergency bivvy bag, mug and cooking pan (I use one for both).
.
Another idea - with your current tent can you set it up with just the fly and a footprint groundsheet? 
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cpcnw

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #20 on: 16:42:59, 20/01/21 »
I had a Saunders Spacepacker [Mk1 I think] for years and used on cycling trips and backpacking. It weighed a tad over 2kg.

I sold it last year and it fetched a good price as it was in superb condition however I always felt it was a tad too cramped and that always came up in conversation with my partner when we used it.



The plus point where;

2 Entrances
2 Porches
2 kg

I think I paid about £80 for it on ebay quite some time back and it sold for close to that many years later.

I remember trying to find a replacement that was a touch bigger [after spending ages unsuccessfully looking for a Mk2] and realised that there are some equations with tents that seem to hold true. You can pick any two of these only.

Lightweight
Features
Reasonable Price

If anyone knows of anything I can replace my Saunders with please chip in :)



 
« Last Edit: 17:50:27, 20/01/21 by cpcnw »

weston.front

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #21 on: 18:06:45, 20/01/21 »
[quote  If anyone knows of anything I can replace my Saunders with please chip in :)

If you want a good space to weight ratio then tunnel tents are your best design.  Single hoops like your Spacepacker (a design ahead of it's time) offer the lightest footprint : weight ratio but I suspect your partner is looking for a greater area of headroom, thus consider a two pole tunnel.  If you then want good value then look at the range available from Wild Country.  Owned by Terra Nova but they use cheaper slightly heavier fabrics and come in much cheaper.  They have a number in their 2021 range which would be likely to meet your stated requirements all at around £220.
Failing that I've read good things about the tents from the US Tarptent people,  but avoid anything pre-2020 as they seem to have been ironing out some design issues before this point.  Or finally, do as your friend did and buy second hand and trade up to a Terra Nova - Starlight or Voyager.
Following the road less travelled : westonfront.wordpress.com

Peak

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #22 on: 18:20:18, 20/01/21 »
Have you considered the offers on Aliexpess ?, tarps and tents at great prices. I have the Aricxi tarp at 340g, more room than most 1 person tents and around £25, ok for 3 season use. Check out the Lanshan range as well.

gunwharfman

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #23 on: 19:53:56, 20/01/21 »
Or Naturehike, their version of a Tarptent is so cheap you could buy nearly three of them for the same money.

cpcnw

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #24 on: 20:43:27, 20/01/21 »
I knew about Wild Country but haven't looked them up for a while. The Foehn 2 looks the ticket although more than I've ever spent on a tent. Not that I'm adverse to the investment as long as it lasts. I've also hovered over 2nd hand Voyagers on ebay several times. It's the porch space that's the problem. Guess I was spoilt with the Saunders.

I already have a TN tarp to go with my TN Jupiter bivvi and both are great. However this is about practicality for two - its not easy convincing 'her indoors' to be 'her outdoors' lol!

weston.front

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #25 on: 21:10:02, 20/01/21 »
Compare the prices to those you'll see on the Hilleberg website and that should help you feel better  ;) .  Or show her indoors the cost of the different option and she may be happier with something more modestly sized.  Personally I'd go for all the space to mean you are both happy and comfortable.  I always compare the cost of a tent to the current cost of B&B, at the moment that's around £85 for two people so even a £500 pays for itself in less than a week.
Following the road less travelled : westonfront.wordpress.com

cpcnw

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #26 on: 22:13:04, 20/01/21 »
There's an Aricxi 2 man that looks very similar to the Lanshan 2 Pro and around £70 amazingly light too. Not sure how good Silnylon is as no experience myself but interesting all the same especially as there are some UK reviewers. Just wonder how much of a battering it would take up in the lakes?


Point taken about B&B costs :)

richardh1905

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #27 on: 09:27:03, 21/01/21 »
There's an Aricxi 2 man that looks very similar to the Lanshan 2 Pro and around £70 amazingly light too. Not sure how good Silnylon is as no experience myself but interesting all the same especially as there are some UK reviewers. Just wonder how much of a battering it would take up in the lakes?

Hmm, 15D (D=denier) silnylon is pretty thin - might be OK for summer use. I wouldn't mind betting that the fabric will be in your face as well.

Silnylon is amazingly tough, a lot stronger than polyester, but as I said 15D is VERY thin - my tent has a 40D silnylon fly. Not sure what the quality of the fabric used on a £70 tent would be, either.
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cpcnw

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #28 on: 09:29:43, 21/01/21 »
@richardh1905 - what tent have you got?

If just found another that is 20D which I think fits my criteria better.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001066889248.html [nofollow]

Comments?

richardh1905

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Re: Is 3kg going to be too heavy for a backpacking tent?
« Reply #29 on: 09:32:52, 21/01/21 »
The older version of the Wild Country Helm 2 is going cheap at the moment, as they have intorduced a newer variant, the "Compact", with shorter pole sections, so retailers are flogging off the old stock.


This tent also caught my eye, but I'm not in the market. Looks like a real toughie! https://crux-outlet.online/product/g1-ionix?shop=1
I bought a Lightwave tent from this outlet summer last year, have been very pleased with it.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

 

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