Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Pick my new tent!!!

OK guys heres the deal. Looking for a new BP tent. Heres what I got to have.
1, I'm 6'5", its gotta be long
2, tent for 2, not 1 1/2
3, I'm in the PNW, its wet, most of the time anyway. Tried a Shangri-la , didn't work for me
4,A larger vestibule would be nice but not mandatory.
5, As lite as possible
6, cheap well OK, I'll bend on that. It would be nice if REI has it, they have 20% off right now

So what tent do I need? I'm ready to buy and looking for experienced opinions.
THANKS!!!

Have you looked at the Black Diamond tents? I really like the light house. Its really spacious (87"x 51"), light, and roomy vestibules. I have never owned one but Brad has the firstlight so maybe he could comment on the waterproofing of the singlewall.

Kenai,
Doesn't Brad run a BD light house?

Speaking of Brad, not seen him around much of late...

Yea I think he does. I remember him saying he had it in some pretty nasty stuff.

You didn't say whether you wanted a 4 season tent or not. That being the case, here is one that meets all of your stated criteria.

http://www.rei.com/product/728308

I have an older version of this tent with the same floor dimensions. I'm 6' and run a long bag. I'm also not thin... I've taken several trips with my sons, ranging from overnighters in the White's of New Hampshire to 4 nights in Denali last year. One's a teenager and the other in his mid 20's. Good ventalation, room to keep some gear and still not feel claustraphobic and relatively lite weight. For the money and footprint it really is hard to beat for a budget 3 season tent.

It's what I'd buy if on a budget and didn't need 4 season use.

Food for thought.

Mike.

I really like my BD lighthouse, especially since I just got the vestbule for it. I should have bought it sooner. Leaving Friday to spend a few days in it and test out the vestibule somewhere besides the backyard!

Given your requirements, and the fact you live in the PNW where it WILL be raining a lot, I'd look here:

http://estore.websitepros.com/1764795/-strse-62/Nallo-2-GT/Detail.bok

It meets all of your requirements except the cost, which you said you could bend with a little. It's a true four season shelter with real double wall construction, and still weighs only 5lbs. Hilleberg construction has to be seen in person to fully understand. They're just plain impressive. A drive up to visit the store would be worth your time IMO.

The external pole system which allows you to pitch the tent at a comfortable pace during a down-pour or blizzard makes the tent worth every single penny. If you've ever raced to get a tent pitched on an unprotected site during a real drencher, you know how that goes---------you've got a quart of water inside your tent before you can get the fly on. Especially if running solo.

If floorless with a stove isn't your thing, then I can't endorse Hilleberg tents strongly enough. There are both freestanding and semi-freestanding models in all shapes, sizes, and weights. The website is worth a look. Look at the specs and decide what you want without glancing down at the prices. Once you've decided, save up until you can buy the tent. You won't regret it. I've got my 20% REI coupon too, along with over $200 in dividends, and it's frustrating because I'd really like some gear that REI doesn't sell!!

Good luck, and go crawl inside some tents at the stores before making a decision. A tent that looks good on paper may not, once you've crawled inside.

I just bought a new tent, was looking for a large two man or small three man, with two doors and two vestibules, and light enough to pack into mountains after sheep. So I'll share my analysis.

I ended up with the Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 3; found a good deal on ebay. Hasn't arrived yet, but it looks good on paper.

Other tents I considered:

REI Half-dome mentioned above. At 20% off it is darn hard to beat, for half or even a quarter the price of the competetion.

Marmot Aeolos 2P. At REI Outlet and other places for a little over $200. Nice looking tent, and the steep end walls would add effective-length, though I'm not sure how the steep walls shed high winds, if that is a concern.

REI T3. Looks nice, light, vestibules are not very big. You can get 20%, but unfortunately it's the T2 that's on sale.

REI sells a Sierra Designs Vapor Light 2XL for tall people. I wanted two doors and it was too pricey for me, but maybe it would work for you.

Seems like there are many, many great options. Just balance price, features, and weight and you'll find what's right for you.

I know the Black Diamond Epic fabric tents are highly thought of, and I believe that they are great shelters, but for weeekend-weeklong use in the Pac Northwest I'd really steer toward a double wall shelter. You can find them for nearly the same weight with equal (or better) breathability and more vestibule space. Add a vestibule to any BD Epic shelter and you aren't all that light anymore (relatively speaking); and your overall price total gets pretty high too.

As far as what REI carries, I'd look hard at the Mountain Hardware spire 2.1 for a slightly cheaper option, and the Big Agnes String Ridge 2 for a little more. The String Ridge gets you better fly coverage, a better ventilation system, more space, and a more usable vestibule. Both roughly 5.5 lbs with 4-season features. I recently purchased a string ridge and am very impressed by the layout and quality (plus it's 90" long for the tall fellows like yourself--I am 6'2"+ and fit with a bit to spare, so I'm guessing it would be just long enough for you).
You can pitch it w/ footprint, poles, and fly only for @ 3.5 lbs.

There are definitely a number of good tents on the market that will suit your needs, but I strongly suggest a look at the string ridge.

I would look elsewhere than the BD Lighthouse. I have one and really like it. However at 6'-2" it is a tight fit, length wise, for me. At 6'-5" I think you would have problems, especially if you want to fit 2 people.

The MH trango 2 and MSR Fury do give you a couple more inches of length (and are very bombproof, time-tested designs), but unfortunately you give up 2+ pounds (more for the trango) of extra weight...

I agree about the double wall construction, that should have been in my original post but I overlooked it.
I have looked at the string ridge, its on my short list.

I like the BD lighthouse, but I think its a little small for me.