Author Topic: Tents for one......and a dog.  (Read 5859 times)

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #30 on: 20:47:30, 24/09/19 »
I reckon finding a 2M strip of suitable land will be easier than a 3M one. 

225 cm interior length is the same on both, should be ok for a 6 footer.


Being able to squeeze onto a small bit of flat ground can occasionally be critical to the success or otherwise of a wild camp. Was certainly the case when I camped by the shore of Loch Coire an Lochan on the north flank of Braeriach in June - the loch was surrounded by bouldery chaos, but I managed to squeeze my modest tent onto the only small flat bit of grass available. A stunning spot, too - Trip report HERE if you are interested.


And do be careful when going off the inner measurements - does the inner slope down at a steep or shallow angle - if the latter then this will encroach upon sleeping space. I wouldn't have thought that this would be too much a problem in the Helm, as the ends look pretty steep, but I'm not so sure about the Makalu.


PS - the tent by the lochan is the one that broke at the peak.
« Last Edit: 20:52:25, 24/09/19 by richardh1905 »
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

alan de enfield

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #31 on: 08:11:09, 25/09/19 »

Alan,  what make of 'essential' kit do you carry (tent, bag, stove etc)? It might help give me an idea of what to be looking at.  No probs if it's a hassle to post it up, but no harm in asking. :) 


Tent = 2-man Chinese copy of the MSR Hubb-Hubba at £75 instead of almost £400. Quality exceptional. Weight 1.88kgs complete with extra pegs, spare nipples, wooden toggles and pole joint repair kit.

Bag = Berghaus 65 litre for 3+ days and a Regatta Advance 25 litre for 1-2 days.

Stove = Gas 'mini' 'rocket' type that screws directly onto the gas cylinder. Boils 1 litre of water in 4 minutes 30 seconds and uses 15g of gas. A 100g gas cartridge will boil around 7 litres. Stove weight 45 grams

Cooking Pots = Titanium 750ml 'pot' and small Titanium Frying Pan

Sleeping bag = OEX Helios Down bag  (+3*C / -3*C / -19*C)

Sleeping mat = Exped Down mat 7M

Food = 2000Kcal per day, typical menu would be - Breakfast Porridge, Lunch Flapjack bar (+ Cup of Soup in Winter), Dinner Scrambled Egg, Ham & Potatoes, Rice Pudding, Supper Cocoa sachet, Small bar of chocolate, 3x Brew-Bags (Tea bag, dried milk, sweeteners) Extra Flapjack for mid afternoon 'pangs' Total = 590 grams











My tent is green but same model.

« Last Edit: 08:15:18, 25/09/19 by alan de enfield »

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #32 on: 08:44:19, 25/09/19 »
I may have asked this before Alan, but what is the make and model of your tent?
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #33 on: 08:49:42, 25/09/19 »
If you are looking to pinch a bit of weight on short trips, mwad, consider leaving the stove at home. And the bowl, spoon, mug, pans etc! Oatcakes, dried sausage (kabanos, salami etc), squirty or smoked cheese, vegan pate in a tube makes a satisfying calorie packed meal. And those porridge bars for breakfast (eg Stoats - yum). Dried fruit and nuts for the trail. All high calorific content.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

alan de enfield

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #34 on: 09:21:09, 25/09/19 »
I may have asked this before Alan, but what is the make and model of your tent?

It is a Wolf Wise but I think the same tents are sold by 'others' (typically 'Mongar' by Naturehike)

Prices vary Mine was £75 from Amazon but there are dozens of different prices on ebay from £90 upwards

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Naturehike-Mongar-2-3-Person-210T-Double-layer-Tent-Camping-Waterproof-3-Season/233343986493?hash=item365462ab3d:m:mbyjSTW_pU4zNfyCj7ik0yA

I actually ended up with two for £75 when they sent me a free of charge replacement because one of the pole nipples was the wrong size (I replaced it for about £2 with a nipple off ebay)

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #35 on: 09:56:02, 25/09/19 »
Thanks - not the one for me, but interesting, nonetheless.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #36 on: 12:33:05, 25/09/19 »
All this talk of tents is making me look again.


I do like the look of the Nordisk Svalbard SI, but I've just spotted the Terra Nova Southern Cross 1 for £400.


https://www.uttings.co.uk/p122703-terra-nova-southern-cross-1-tent-43scr10/#.XYtPtG5FwdU
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Man wae a dug

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 81
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #37 on: 15:50:42, 25/09/19 »
@GWM - Yeah, I'm thinking one of everything (except socks, ye need spare dry socks) will suffice for a couple of nights camp.  Might need extra boxers when I tackle the WHW though. lol

@richard - I'll have a wee look at your report later, thanks.
I'm still no nearer a decision but did manage to find out that both my favourites can  probably be pitched outer first due to the way they join the fly sheet. I'm assuming it'll be a simple case of clipping them onto something as I've seen on pitching vids for other models.  
I done some cursory research into the poles on the Makalu as well, Yunan seem to get a good press so I'd be happy enough risking the gothic arch thing. But thanks for drawing my attention to it.
I'm now trying to work out which of the two have the steeper sides. The Makalu (from the photo) seems to come up a little way before curving to the top, but it's not as high as the Helm. The Helm seems to curve up more or less from the floor, but it's height might lessen the angle (if my long forgotten physics...or maths is correct).
A decent pitching vid of the Makalu would help me! As a consequence, even though I reckon it looks tougher the fact I could get a tent half the price plus a half decent sleep system for the same weight looks like winning the argument. I just wish I knew if the Helm could be pitched outer first as well as both together (keeping the interior dry would be so much easier if it were), that could probably settle it once and for all.
The packed length is not an issue now, only the Nordisk would be substantially smaller.

As for food, yeah I'd be happy enough with cold sausage etc....or a huge slab of cheese! :) But, I need my tea through the day and coffee in the morning. But I'll happily eat out of the pot so I've saved on the weight of a bowl already.  ;D


@Alen - Thanks for posting it up, nice to see what the weight you mention looks like, I appreciate it.  O0 I'll have a look at the sleep system, stove etc later. I felt the hubba hubba wasn't for me (inner pitch first) but that looks a cracking tent for the money.  
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #38 on: 16:30:10, 25/09/19 »
Why don't you ask Terra Nova about pitching outer first? Their customer service is pretty good.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

alan de enfield

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #39 on: 17:37:35, 25/09/19 »



@Alen - Thanks for posting it up, nice to see what the weight you mention looks like, I appreciate it.  O0 I'll have a look at the sleep system, stove etc later. I felt the hubba hubba wasn't for me (inner pitch first) but that looks a cracking tent for the money.


Just for info (correction) the Hubba Hubba (and its copies) are EITHER pitch inner first, or pitch fly-sheet first then you can pitch the tent 'in the dry'.

If it is a warm and dry night you can just pitch the flysheet ONLY to 'keep the dew off you', just use the 'footprint' (230g) or even pitch it for your lunch break / afternoon nap (it literally takes 3 or 4 minutes) if the Sun is too hot.

Man wae a dug

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 81
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #40 on: 17:43:32, 25/09/19 »
I did.   They replied 'To confirm the Helm 2 pitches outer first - outer and inner together'.  I reckon the additional 10cm height will make a difference as well, even at the Helm 2s 105cm sitting up perfectly straight could be tight.  Reckon that's the decision made though (unless I spot something competitively priced but lighter in the interim), time to do a little online price comparison and decide whether to gamble on waiting for sales. 

Are Terra Nova/Wild Country pretty reputable tent makers then, I'm assuming the Helm 2 will be tough enough for Scottish 3 seasons?  F10 Makalu defo looks like it is.

Thanks again for the advice. (still not had a chance to have a look see at that wee report). 
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

Man wae a dug

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 81
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #41 on: 17:45:03, 25/09/19 »

Just for info (correction) the Hubba Hubba (and its copies) are EITHER pitch inner first, or pitch fly-sheet first then you can pitch the tent 'in the dry'.






Aw naw!  Might need to look again now.  :-\  lol




Thanks for the info Alen. O0
Be ye man or bairn or wumman
Be ye gaun or be ye comin
For Scotlands pride no Scotlands shame
Gether yer litter and tak it hame!

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #42 on: 17:46:20, 25/09/19 »
You do need the footprint to pitch the Hubba outer first, I believe.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12712
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #43 on: 17:47:06, 25/09/19 »
Terra Nova/Wild Country are a reputable manufacturer who offer a good after sales service - I was able to get an equivalent replacement pole for my 1990's Trisar.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

alan de enfield

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
Re: Tents for one......and a dog.
« Reply #44 on: 18:28:35, 25/09/19 »
You do need the footprint to pitch the Hubba outer first, I believe.

Indeed you do - but - the "Mongar" (etc) come with a footprint as part of the package / price.
The MSR footprint is £35 extra to the tent price (£445 at Cotswold)

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy