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Main Boards => Gear => Topic started by: jarrowlad on 22:33:44, 10/07/06

Title: 1 man tent
Post by: jarrowlad on 22:33:44, 10/07/06
I'm new to the board so hi toall.
I'm looking to buy a one man tent for solo backpacking in the lakes.
it's to be used at high level as well as on camp sites.
needs to be light and stronf.
been loking at terra nove laser and hilleberg akto.
has anybody got any real life advise?
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: titaniumdude on 14:36:30, 31/07/06
never used the laser so cant comment on that though it looks like a pretty good lightweight summer piece of kit.

The akto is ace.  I have been using this for a while.  It pitches in seconds (simultaneous inner and outer, good for pitching in rain or snow) and once up will stay up.  If you think you will be using this in extreme weather you even have the option to 'double pole' and add extra lines.  This is an excellent piece of four season kit.  The only possible gripe is that due to the extreme water resistence of the fly, condensation may be a problem.  I get around this slightly by pitching the head end (the end that gets the modst condensation) facing the direction of the rising sun wherever possible.  It only weighs 1.5kg and packs small.  The best price your likely to find is at Field and Trek or ultimate outdoors. Pricey I know, but it will last for years and the venting has been improved in the 2006 model. :)
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: titaniumdude on 22:20:46, 15/08/06
This link will probably expire pretty soon, but for 85 quid this looks like an utter bargain for anyone looking for a solo tent on a budget.  1.75kg, but I bet you could shave a bit off that weight with a bit of mesing.

           http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/125204?Ref=1758
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: summitzero on 14:36:33, 26/03/07
The Hilleburg is a very good tent but for a fraction of the price, more so now as its in nearly every sale id say the NorthFace tadpole, it ticks all your needs.

I used this tent all last year for my walking and it still preforms great.

Some pics of it in action (not as sad as it sounds)
walkingforlife.piczo.com (http://walkingforlife.piczo.com)
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: solo backpacker on 18:02:15, 26/03/07
the only piece of advice i'd give is weight is key, especially if your truly solo backpacking, you already have a load of weight, you don't need more

have you considered a bivvy bag? proper one thats made to be completly sealed? light weight and small pack size
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Snowman on 09:22:10, 27/03/07
I have a Hilleberg Nallo 2 which is Hilleberg's 2 person tent and am assuming that the Akto is simply the 1 man version.   This is superb in that it's lightweight and simple to put up.   The inner is normally attached to the outer, so that even in wet weather you can erect the whole lot without the inner getting wet.   In reasonable weather conditions you can use just the outer, although of course you'll need a groundsheet and you won't get any insect protection.

I also have a gore-tex bivvy bag (like solo backpacker), but mine will stay where it is in my wardrobe.    I spent a night in it on a lone trip in the Pyrennees a few years ago, and while the early part of the night was fine (mine has a loop over the head end and a mesh so that you can sleep open but keep insect free).   However about midnight a thunderstorm of apocolyptic proportions started and I had to seal the bag.    Being September it was a warm night, and having to roast in a sealed bivvy bag for the next 6 hours does rate as one of the worst night's sleep (or rather not) I've ever had.    However I'm sure others have excellent experiences so make your own choice.

The above is real life experience, but I'm very seriously considering an alternative for 3 season trips.   There's a website that sells really ultralight stuff, mainly bivvy tents (sometimes called tarps), but you can buy inners etc.  I've worked out that two of us can stay out while carrying only a quarter of the weight of the already lightweight Hilleberg.    Their stuff is well priced for lightweight gear too, which often comes at a premium.    I would have thought that for summer trips in the Lakes, provided you find a fairly sheltered spot, some of this stuff might be ideal.    I'm anticipating a summer trip myself where I'll be forced to stay out and am seriously considering getting some kit from here:

http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's used their gear.

Cheers, S.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: solo backpacker on 20:27:23, 27/03/07
Snowman - Fantastic resource, thanks

I've heard good reviews about the GoLite Hex 3 Shelter but I assume it'll still be near the weight of the Hillberg you used.

I still love staying under tarp with a bivvy bag (see pictures in the pictures section) but I find that the extra addition of a goretex bivvy bag (mines ex army, not a full bivvy bag, just a goretex cover for my sleeping bag) makes up a fair amount of extra weight. For one person I would deff go for a Hennessy Hammock in wooded areas (still not convinced you can pitch with poles), more than one then deff Hex 3.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Snowman on 08:57:49, 28/03/07
You're welcome SB.

I'm thinking more in terms of the Golite Lair 2 (plus 2 Golite groundsheets) which comes in at a total of 450g, whereas the Hilleberg Nallo absolute minimum is 1900g.   OK I know I'll need a couple of the lightweight groundsheets which increases it by 90g each.

I like the idea of using this with my gore-tex bivvy, but that adds another 800g as opposed to the 90g groundsheet.   Now I go back a while, to when a two man tent was made of canvas with wooden poles (imagine what that weighs wet), so any backpacking was done with a (sort of) waterproof sheet, which we then called a 'bivvy'.    We'd stretch this wherever we could, so the idea of sleeping out with just a waterproof top and a sleeping bag isn't too alien to me.   Whether I'll feel the same way now ... ?    But I'll give it a shot and if I get fed up I'll abandon the trip and head for the nearest pub.

I too have been looking at the Hennessy hammock, but like you have been a bit worried about using it outside woodland, and some of the places I expect to be I know there won't be many trees around.

Cheers, S.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: solo backpacker on 19:53:09, 28/03/07
its funny how things happen, my wife has just started looking for the perfect two man tent for us to use together on backpacking trips. b'day in may has spurred her on. i'll let everyone know how our search gets on.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Snowman on 09:08:46, 29/03/07
Well good luck with the new tent SB.

I would say that the Nallo 2 is an excellent tent, although I'm not quite sure I'd pay that much for it now (I was a bit flush at the time).   If you have the cash the next one up (I think it's the GT) has a much larger porch, but of course weighs a bit more but does give you space for your gear and cooking if the weather is bad.    One of the features of the Hilleberg's that is not often observed is that the fly material stretches slightly, so you don't get the flapping in the wind that you get with other tents.

There's a lot more choice in lightweight tents these days (I bought mine about 6 years ago), and the Hilleberg is probably the Rolls Royce, but how many people need a Rolls Royce?   I thankfully didn't have so much choice so your search could be a long one.

Cheers, S.

Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Mr. Blister on 12:10:32, 18/04/07
Oh no, I feel like a right doughnut now!

There I was, on Sunday, at a local car boot sale (high class me, you know  ;)) and I saw some chap seeling a Hilleberg tent for a fiver!!!!

I sneered at it and walked on by!

May the Gods strike me down!  :'(
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: walkinggirluk on 12:27:41, 18/04/07
Oh no, I feel like a right doughnut now!

There I was, on Sunday, at a local car boot sale (high class me, you know  ;)) and I saw some chap seeling a Hilleberg tent for a fiver!!!!

I sneered at it and walked on by!

May the Gods strike me down!  :'(
Oh no way  i bet you kicked your self £5 was that all.  Which one was it or did you not ask.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Mr. Blister on 08:27:30, 19/04/07
No, didn't ask, just glanced at it, thought: "Nah! Not for me!" and walked right on by.

I buy the complete series of Tripods for a £5.00, so the day wasn't a total loss  ;D
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: titaniumdude on 13:14:24, 19/04/07
Snowman - Fantastic resource, thanks

I've heard good reviews about the GoLite Hex 3 Shelter but I assume it'll still be near the weight of the Hillberg you used.

I still love staying under tarp with a bivvy bag (see pictures in the pictures section) but I find that the extra addition of a goretex bivvy bag (mines ex army, not a full bivvy bag, just a goretex cover for my sleeping bag) makes up a fair amount of extra weight. For one person I would deff go for a Hennessy Hammock in wooded areas (still not convinced you can pitch with poles), more than one then deff Hex 3.
SB.  I've managed to source one of those ex army gore tex bivis for 35 quid and I am seriously considering buying it.  Sounds perfect for damp bothies.  My question is howver how do they perform if used on their own for the odd night.  The bag is certainly big enough for me and a good amount of kit ( I suppose a small backpack stored at the head end would compensate for the lack of a hoop).  I know they're not like the commercial ones (such as the TN jupiter) as they are goretex all round, but I suppose a mat/groundsheet underneath would protect against ground wet.  Would you trust it for the odd night or 2 during the summer?
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Snowman on 09:52:46, 20/04/07
Oh no, I feel like a right doughnut now!

There I was, on Sunday, at a local car boot sale (high class me, you know  ;)) and I saw some chap seeling a Hilleberg tent for a fiver!!!!

I sneered at it and walked on by!

May the Gods strike me down!  :'(


Oh dear.   And you could have got at least £10 selling it on ebay.

Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: Mr. Blister on 10:34:50, 20/04/07
Thanks for that Snowman.  :-[ I might go back and see if there this weekend, but don't want to appear desperate - dashing from stall to stall - "Where's the tent! Where's the tent!"  ;D
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: summerfield on 23:13:35, 09/05/07
I have the tera nova solo and found it an excelent tent for both summer and winterish condtions being only a single pole it can be a bit unstable in high winds with it almost flatening unless you get the tension right. i also have a hilberge haleg (or something like that) which was brought nearly 15 years ago and is stil as good as new. in short i dont think you wil be disapointed with either one.
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: solo backpacker on 09:20:01, 10/05/07
titanium dude - sorry i missed your earlier post for so long. not sure how the bag would cope on its own, its pretty lightweight material. in a bothy you'd deff need ground insulation. on a hot summers night you'd have no problem heat wise (although i don't think i'd get in mine without a long tshirt and trousers on!). i use mine directly on the ground with an inflatable sleeping mat inside the bag and my sleeping bag on top of the mat. this one seems to be gortex all over.

i'd be tempted to try staying in it with just a silk liner for the warmth / comfort factor?
Title: Re: 1 man tent
Post by: titaniumdude on 12:06:29, 10/05/07
Cheers for that SB.  Yep the bag doesn't look like it would take a kicking from the elements and I am looking to use it on it's own.  I thuoght that using a bag inside would be great for use in bothies or shelters, but someone has pointed out another possible problem which I am trying to work around.  This is in another thread. 

Maybe I just need to try it on it's own and if I get wet well what the hey.  Only planning to do this during summer.