Anonymous
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Im looking for a year round backpacking tent, 3 person and not ridiculously expensive. Any particular brand that pops out? |
marks
 Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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I'm a big fan of Marmot, MSR, Mountain Hardwear, Big Agnes and Sierra Design tents. Here are a few examples of what I'd recommend for a good quality, mid-price, 3 person tent. I personally like lots of mesh for summer camping.
What type of camping / backpacking are you doing?
Thanks,
Mark |
jjuran
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Im not sure what you mean by what type of camping/backpacking (pretty amatuer here), but I want to do some week long - thru hikes of upwards of 200miles. Again, I am getting into the camping/backpacking scene, so anything you can help me with would be much appreciated. I would like to be able to camp all four seasons, but realistically spring,summer,fall. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
| Posted: November 6th, 2009 Edited: November 6th, 2009 | Quote, Reply |
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jjuran said:
Im not sure what you mean by what type of camping/backpacking (pretty amatuer here), but I want to do some week long - thru hikes of upwards of 200miles. Again, I am getting into the camping/backpacking scene, so anything you can help me with would be much appreciated. I would like to be able to camp all four seasons, but realistically spring,summer,fall. |
I was referring to car camping vs 5 miles vs appalachian trail style backpacking. Obviously if you're hiking less than a mile you don't care if your tent weighs 15 lbs. For 5 miles+ you want your pack well below 40 lbs (and extreme ultralite hikers will push it much lower).
A week long 200 mile thru hike is far from amateur. Most backpackers that are going for hikes above 20 miles are extremely concerned about weight.
I wouldn't purchase a 4 season tent at this point. They are much heavier, and aren't ideal for anything less than extreme cold conditions / mountaineering expeditions.
So all the examples above are appropriate if you're three people. I personally use the:
which is under 5 lbs, has a large vestibule (vestibules are an excellent feature to look for btw because it allows you to store gear without using up valuable sleeping space) and tons of mesh (making for excellent summer camping).
Finally, I do recommend getting the ground tarp (increased durability) and before you do your 200 miler make a small repair kit (you can also buy them but this isn't necessary).
Just for your interest (not recommending this yet). Lots of thru hikers push ultralite to amazing levels by using shelters instead of tents and using their hiking poles as poles.
For example:
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jjuran
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I meant week long trips and possibly a 200 mile trip. Not in the same trip haha. Thanks for your insight. When "they" say its a 2 or 3 person tent, is that true to most peoples standards. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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jjuran said:
I meant week long trips and possibly a 200 mile trip. Not in the same trip haha. Thanks for your insight. When "they" say its a 2 or 3 person tent, is that true to most peoples standards. |
Without a vestibule never (because you need room for your gear). With a vestibule yes but you'll be shoulder to shoulder. So it really comes down to how much you like your fellow tent mates lol.
But yes, when weight counts it's not bad. I climbed Mount Rainier recently with a 2 person tent, tons of mountaineering gear and another guy (both grown men) and we had plenty of space.
Mark |
jjuran
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Thanks alot for your input. If you arent a salesperson. . . you should be. Thanks again. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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jjuran said:
Thanks alot for your input. If you arent a salesperson. . . you should be. Thanks again. |
Haha ... I'm shopping for a car today. That really reminds you what "sales people" can be.
I own Spadout (so I guess that kind of makes me a salesman). That being said everyone that works here are outdoor enthusiasts and actually know what they're talking about so let us know when you have future questions.
Also the way we get paid is by the total amount of sales that Spadout refers (regardless of which products). So we have no bias towards one product or another.
Thanks,
Mark |
jjuran
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Thats awesome. Keep up the good work. I love the site. I refer people to it all the time when they are in need of finding some nice outdoor gear and they to are impressed with your work. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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Thanks a lot for referring us! That's greatly appreciated. |
chadcummings
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so mark, any idea how much money spadout has made off of me? |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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chadcummings said:
so mark, any idea how much money spadout has made off of me? |
Lol, lets just say you're a VIP around here. |
chadcummings
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i was afraid of that. add some more tri/tt and cyclocross complets or frameset and and yeti as-r 5. it may cover your next trip. |
Ruze23
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Haha actually we do have Yeti's AS-R 5 listed - check the dropdown on Jenson USA for the 2010 model.
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chadcummings
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oh gee great. what about van dessel gin and trombone 'cross frameset? know anything about that brand?
oops. looks like i jacked another thread. |
jjuran
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what is the major difference between a 3 season and 4 season tent? |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
| Posted: November 17th, 2009 Edited: November 17th, 2009 | Quote, Reply |
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jjuran said:
what is the major difference between a 3 season and 4 season tent? |
A true 4 season tent is exclusively designed for hardcore conditions (think tons of snow, extreme winds, freezing cold on the side of a mountain). It has very little ventilation, little or no mesh, relatively heavy and will probably out last you in an epic storm.
Now all these characteristics also makes it just about the worst choice for anything except Mountaineering grade adventures (esp. the limited ventilation & extra weight not to mention extreme cost). So before you start things where your friends think your a masochist stick with 3 season tents.
BTW you can use a 3 season in the winter. You just can't have 3 feet of snow stack on top of it.
Here's a few 4 season tents for your interest though which are the top of their class;
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brettbrown
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I was looking at the EV 2 and the Bibler Fitzroy. I emailed both BD and HM lookng for an answer as to how much wind they can withstand. BD claims they never tested for wind speed and MH never replied. Do you have an opinion on one of the other? |
jjuran
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Perfect! Thanks for the information. Was not sure if there was some reason a 3 season could not be used in the snow. I made up my mind by the way and am going to take your recommendation on the MSR hubba hubba. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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brettbrown said:
I was looking at the EV 2 and the Bibler Fitzroy. I emailed both BD and HM lookng for an answer as to how much wind they can withstand. BD claims they never tested for wind speed and MH never replied. Do you have an opinion on one of the other? |
I've actually talked to a few companies about the use of wind tunnels. Very few actually do it. Nemo (not joking) straps tents on the top of a truck and increases their speed (while monitoring it with video cameras) until the tent is destroyed. Not a bad low budget solution.
I haven't used EV2 or the Bibler in the field so I really shouldn't talk. I did see both at OR last year though. The Fitzroy is exactly what it says. Real well built, no frills, basecamp tent. I've actually been built by the whole Bibler (which is owned by Black Diamond if you didn't know) design. I love simplicity and they embrace it. |
marks
Cred: 20957 (Admin) Joined: Mar 05 |
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jjuran said:
Perfect! Thanks for the information. Was not sure if there was some reason a 3 season could not be used in the snow. I made up my mind by the way and am going to take your recommendation on the MSR hubba hubba. |
Great choice. Get the ground tarp (that way your tent will last longer). Also which your bored read the manual on how you can set it up w/ just the fly and poles (making a sweet, ultralite shelter). |
blackfriday
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Are you deadset on single wall tent and only those two? EV2 is really a very COZY two person tent. Most people would say EV2 is a luxury single person tent. I used Marmot Alpinist on Aconcagua high camp and it stood up against some shitty situation. If I was to do it again, I would rather have my Trango 2 with vestibule so I can cook inside. Also, take a look at Hilleberg. They are bomb proof! |
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