UL or LW tent for Tas - not winter

[gingerninja]

New member here looking for advice for a UL (or LW) tent for use mainly (only?) in Tas during non winter months for maybe trips of up to 3/4 days max. May occasionally go longer, this may develop as per travelling in winter but just not yet. My search for the perfect tent has been centred on double wall, dyneema fabric, and mainly tents using trekking poles most likely - I run with fixed length Black Diamond poles. Tarps are a maybe but would need groundsheet + mesh or bivy anyway so thinking that means tent anyway

My currrent list:
Tarptent Notch Li - with partial solid interior. Seems the best so far
Tarptent Moment DW - not dyneema but think it may be also be good in bad weather
MLD Solomid or Trailstar - including innernet
HMG Ultamid2 seems too expensive and echo 2 fiddly/lots of pegs & guylines
Hilleberg akto seems maybe a good option for winter and enan should be good rest for year but seems condensation can (is?) a big problem

I expect to be avoiding snow, but not necessarily wind and rain. I'd appreciate any advice that will help me make the best decision


Thanks
Lance

[GPSGuided]

Tarptent Moment DW - not dyneema but think it may be also be good in bad weather

I have this tent and love it as it's one of the easiest tent to pitch whilst staying decently solid and functional in my little experience. Otherwise the consensus is that this is not the tent for extreme weather conditions although I have always avoided such. Tarptent Scarp 1 is the consensus model for extreme weathers and good enough for 4 seasons.

[gingerninja]

Thanks GPSGuided, the moment did catch my eye in it's super easy setup and that scarp 1 sure does look sturdy. I'll add the scarp fo my list, well looks like top of list for winter/bad weather

[Al M]

You should also consider some of the Big Agnes tents like Copper Spur Hotel HV UL 1 & 2, Spur 1 & 2 Platinum if further weight saving is needed, which have more poles crossing over for wind stability and are quite light weight even though they come with own poles.

https://www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Collectio ... pur-Series

I havnt used the latest tarp style tents but some designs might struggle in the weather stability stakes with ultra light weight trade off resulting in less poles crossing over, huge flat square slabs presenting into the wind and inside netting close to the ground vulnerable to rain drip splash back etc but solid side options can address that. Some good review accounts in an earlier post here viewtopic.php?f=15&t=27888

[slparker]

i use a copper spur in Tassy but if i plan to camp in an exposed alpine area, or am sure of little insect or possum visitation, i will take a mid and bivy that i bought on the market on this site. just in case wild winds come up.
i had an akto but found it too small, hot and overkill for most of my walking. easy to pitch and very stable in high winds though.

[north-north-west]

Akto can feel cramped and there can be more of an issue with condensation, but it's about as bombproof as a tent can be without weighing a tonne.

Scarp I has two doors, more usable space inside the inner, breathes better and, with the crossing poles, handles weather well enough (it survived hellish conditions for over 24 hours on Eldon Peak). Downsides compared to the Akto are the vestibules (two smaller instead of one larger and, for me at least, less efficient), and less sturdy materials. I have both and choose depending on how likely really bad weather is.

Having just one tent means there will always be a compromise.

[Drew]

Jumping on this thread instead of starting a new one...

I'm planning do walk the Arthurs with some friends in Jan 2020 (to be decided if we'll attempt the whole traverse or just do Western). I'm hoping for some advice on shelters.

My main tent is a Tarptent Stratospire 2. I'd like to take this but unsure if it's adequate for the potentially nasty conditions. Despite having used it quite a bit over a couple of years I still haven't used it in really bad weather so I'm not sure what it can handle. It does have extra side panel tie-outs added.

Another option is my old Mont Moondance 2, which is sturdy enough but heavier than I'd like and very cramped for two (especially if tent-bound for a day or more).

Given it's a year away there's plenty of time to look out for second hand bargains on other shelters. Perhaps a mid. I can't justify spending big on something for 4 season use as I know it won't get much use.

So, any thoughts on the Stratospire's suitability would be appreciated.

Friends who are coming have Triplexes which we suspect aren't quite up to the task either. At this stage the numbers aren't settled so it's possible I'll be sharing and possible I'll have a tent to myself. I won't be making a decision until that's decided.

Thanks!

[wildwanderer]

Does the stratosphire have extra guy attachment loops? Also peg loops to secure the fly to the ground to prevent wind getting underneath?

Its amazing how a 3 season tent can be fortfied against wind by adding more pegs and guys. Tarp Tent's sil nylon and poles are good quality and strong.

For snow the dip in the stratosphire doesn’t look to promising.

[Drew]

Does the stratosphire have extra guy attachment loops? Also peg loops to secure the fly to the ground to prevent wind getting underneath?

Its amazing how a 3 season tent can be fortfied against wind by adding more pegs and guys. Tarp Tent's sil nylon and poles are good quality and strong.

For snow the dip in the stratosphire doesn’t look to promising.

There are two guys from the tops of the poles that pull the ridge line nice and tight. Then there are two panel lifters, which are normally pegged out with poles (up to the pole and then down to the ground). In this photo I used branches instead. If I wasn't sharing the tent then I might not have extra poles to use, which is something to consider.

The fly doesn't can come quite close to the ground but some wind will always come under.

I've been snowed on in this tent but only a few centimetres (which was fine).

[wildwanderer]

For snow its a heavier fall and snow accumulation on the top of the fly Id be concerned about. You could potentially wake up every couple hours and knock it off.

For a dual trekking pole tent comparison I have camped in high winds with people using a Zpack Duplex. That handled winds over 80km/h+ very well on an unprotected summit in the Australian Alps. Though it was very noisy in high wind. So perhaps look at the guy setup on the zpack duplex tent and see if you have at least as many guy attachment points with the stratospire (and across the same sections of the tent that could receive wind load)

Having long good gripping tent pegs well anchored is very important. If a peg comes out all bets are off in high wind.

Also have a chat to henry from tarp tent. He should be able to give you some advice on what the stratospire can handle.

[ChrisJHC]

Hey, Lance, just to make your job harder, why don’t you elevate your thinking and look at hammocks?

Have a look at Tier Gear - a Tasmanian vendor who makes good quality gear.

Note - only enter this void if you like extended periods of good-quality sleep!

[norts]

Western Arthurs doesnt have alot of large trees . You would have some issues with places to hang.

[Franco]

Hey, Lance, just to make your job harder, why don’t you elevate your thinking and look at hammocks?

Have a look at Tier Gear - a Tasmanian vendor who makes good quality gear.

Note - only enter this void if you like extended periods of good-quality sleep!

In the same vein, everybody at home should switch to a very hard ,firm, mattress for the best quality sleep.
Works for me so it should for everybody else too.

[johnrs]

Heh Drew
I would not take a Stratospire on to the Warthurs,
It can get real wet and real windy although the platforms are generally in sheltered positions.
Like 80-120 km/hr!
There is a BOM station at Scottsd Peak, have a look at the monthly summaries.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJD ... test.shtml

May be something like a WE second arrow or Scarp (or Atko)
John

[andrewa]

Hey, Lance, just to make your job harder, why don’t you elevate your thinking and look at hammocks?

Have a look at Tier Gear - a Tasmanian vendor who makes good quality gear.

Note - only enter this void if you like extended periods of good-quality sleep!

My experience of hammocks was that they were v comfortable, but cold, as you need insulation underneath. The total weight of hammock plus top and bottom quilt for me was a bit more than a Zpacks hexamid, a light inflatable sleeping mat, and a light quilt, so the hexamid combo won for me, as I could also cook in it.

A

[wildwanderer]

My experience of hammocks was that they were v comfortable, but cold, as you need insulation underneath. The total weight of hammock plus top and bottom quilt for me was a bit more than a Zpacks hexamid, a light inflatable sleeping mat, and a light quilt, so the hexamid combo won for me, as I could also cook in it.
A

Not to mention if you have a big wind. I cant imagine it being comfortable in a hammock. and the tarp would be vunerable to blowing away unless you could set it really low.

[north-north-west]

If you stick to pitching at the formal campsites:

Cygnus - very sheltered, Strat will be fine.
Oberon - ditto.
High Moor - a little shelter but really fairly open. It can get rough there.
Haven - sheltered. No problems.
Promontory - reasonably sheltered spot near the eastern end. Will be OK.
Rosanne - Sheltered except from east. Should be OK.

Altermative sites such as Fortuna, Square, Venus, Juno ((or is it Vesta?) all have reasonably sheltered spots. Someone else can give a quick assessment of the EArty sites, but in the WArthurs High Moor is the only main spot where the tent might cop some really nasty wind.

A hammock will not work. There simply is not suitable support for one, either at the formal sites or elsewhere.

[legend]

I think the Strat would be fine in the authurs. I've had mine in +100 kph winds under North Ramshead on the NSW main Range. You'll not be getting much sleep though in such winds (I challenge anyone in any tent to go to sleep in these conditions).
The secret is to peg it out properly - I put extra loops along the vestibules and peg this down to stop wind from coming under the tent and prevent it from ballooning.

[Drew]

Thanks all for those replies and different perspectives. 2 votes of confidence for the Strat and 1 against! I'll continue to ponder it then. If it's only me using it without extra trekking poles for panel lifters then it might not be up to it. If I took extra poles then it wouldn't weigh much less than the Moondance so I could take that instead, or consider lighter solo options.

[Franco]

By extra poles do you mean something like the trekking pole outside the tent as in this photo ?

1326223436_54946.jpg (59.75 KiB) Viewed 24055 times

if so I would not bother.
I think that was done by some lunatic playing in his backyard , not something I ever done in the bush with mine.

[Drew]

By extra poles do you mean something like the trekking pole outside the tent as in this photo ?

1326223436_54946.jpg
1326223436_54946.jpg (59.75 KiB) Viewed 156 times


if so I would not bother.
I think that was done by some lunatic playing in his backyard , not something I ever done in the bush with mine.

Yeah, like this (excuse for campsite porn).

I feel like it could make a big difference and I tend to do it whenever I'm pitching in exposed spots. But as I mentioned earlier, I haven't used the Strat in anything really nasty yet so I'm not sure how it goes with/without these.

I think the Strat would be fine in the authurs. I've had mine in +100 kph winds under North Ramshead on the NSW main Range. You'll not be getting much sleep though in such winds (I challenge anyone in any tent to go to sleep in these conditions).
The secret is to peg it out properly - I put extra loops along the vestibules and peg this down to stop wind from coming under the tent and prevent it from ballooning.

legend did you do something like this in such strong winds, or just the extra vestibule pegs?