Tent and Therm-a-rest

[Bunnerz]

Aswell as a stove I am looking to buy a decent two man tent to use right through from summer to the snowy winter. The reason for a two man, is that I would like a bit of room to store my bag etc rather than leave it in the tent porch. As for the therm-a-rest, they are alot smaller and lighter than a rolemat and look to be more comfortable!

Im not sure how much I should aim to spend on the two, but I want decent and lightweight equiptment...

Any help on either of the two would be greatly appretiated! Thanks

[fred gordon]

Bunnerz.
I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. Wanted a smaller tent to take my wife and a couple of dogs as well as our gear. Looked at pictures etc for ages. The solution is to go to a camping exhibition or a shop where they have either lots on display or are willing to set up tents for you. watch out in the spring for bargins. I got a great tent with £150 off. Why? It was Last years green!!! Can you believe it? Last year my son bought a similar tent in a sale and got nearly £100 off, so that bargains are out there.
I think you are wise to go for a slightly larger tent. Image being in a small tent with all your gear wet and it still raining outside, nightmare!

[FGYT]

try these guys for Roll mat and down JKT's and sleeping bags at great prices


Alpkit

[oldsoldier]

I am not sure where you could find it there, but check out the Z-rest. I find that a thermarest, if punctured outdoors, is a PITA to find the hole & patch. We were issued the thermarests in the army, and, while in Cuba, shortly went back to the good ole closed cell foam, due to constant punctures. The Z-rest & Ridgerest are both closed cell, & pretty comfy, IMHO

[hillwalker]

Hi Bunnerz

I may be able to help, send me a pm

[Zammo]

Aswell as a stove I am looking to buy a decent two man tent to use right through from summer to the snowy winter. The reason for a two man, is that I would like a bit of room to store my bag etc rather than leave it in the tent porch. As for the therm-a-rest, they are alot smaller and lighter than a rolemat and look to be more comfortable!

Im not sure how much I should aim to spend on the two, but I want decent and lightweight equiptment...

Any help on either of the two would be greatly appretiated! Thanks

Recently I was after a two man tent and after loads of brillant suggestions on here I went for the Vaude Taurus 2:

http://www.cheaptents.com/acatalog/P...oducts_29.html


But it was a close battle between it and this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUDE-Ferret-I...QQcmdZViewItem

[Beer Monster]

They look like good tents. I received a sales brochure from Cotswold Outdoor yesterday and saw that the Taurus 2 is in their sale for £100. Either Dark Green or Petrol Blue.

Whats the venting like on the tent Zammo?

Recently I was after a two man tent and after loads of brillant suggestions on here I went for the Vaude Taurus 2:

http://www.cheaptents.com/acatalog/P...oducts_29.html


But it was a close battle between it and this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUDE-Ferret-I...QQcmdZViewItem

[EdS]

vau de tents are the way to go.

[Zammo]

They look like good tents. I received a sales brochure from Cotswold Outdoor yesterday and saw that the Taurus 2 is in their sale for £100. Either Dark Green or Petrol Blue.

Whats the venting like on the tent Zammo?

Havn't actually got it yet, so glad I saw your link!

My Misses is getting it for me for a B'day present. So I should have it in about a week.

However there is an indepth review here that can answer your question, it is for the Vaude Tarus 2 ultralight, but it seems to be very similar to the normal one.:


Ventilation in the Vaude Taurus Ultralight is very good. The polyester interior walls along with the mesh window on the interior door let small drafts through to move moisture out. The advantage of this and other double wall shelters is that storm protection is achieved by the rainfly, allowing the interior tent fabric to be made of a highly breathable material without worrying about water getting in. The door of the vestibule has four zippers on it so just the top can be opened a couple inches to let air flow through more easily. Even in subzero temperatures I awoke to find little or no condensation on the walls. When condensation did occur it was in small amounts and mainly at the head of the tent where breath vapor had collected during the night.


http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...ht_tent_review

[Bunnerz]

After a bit of a look around. I have found this tent at a great price and it is under 2kg!

http://www.gear-zone.co.uk/eshop/Vau...ht---SS06.html

And as for a therm-a-rest i am going to go for the prolite 3 regular which i can get for £50

http://www.theoutdoorshop.com/Outdoo...roduct=1461401

any comments on good or bad things about these?

[kram245]

Tent looks good, but if you want light, that Thermarest weighs nearly 1.5lbs! Also, they do have limitations as Old soldier pointed out. I do have a Thermarest, but also an old closed cell karrimat which i take at times. Dont discount a 3/4 length mat, you can put your empty bergan under your legs, saves a bit of weight and bulk. It all does'nt sound much, but you start adding up all the individual weights and before you know it your humping a load like an infantryman.

[PhilParry]

I used one of these Tents when I did my fundamental bushcraft course - depends on how much room you really want, but I found that I could put ALL my gear inside, including my rucksack, and sleep comfortably at the same time - also stayed very dry as it rained all of the week....


Regards sleeping mats, yes, the inflatable ones weigh a little more, but they guarantee a good night's kip!

cheers,

Phil

[mrstorey]

There's been a thread on sleeping mats recently, which might help. Here's the link.
http://tinyurl.com/yusv5h

Personally, I think Thermarests are great. I'm getting rid of one of mine at present, which doesn't really sound like a recommendation, but I'd never be without one again.

Warning - cheap ones tend to be less comfortable and far slippier - I used to have a Thermarest copy, and I'd just slide down it during the night if I pitched on a slope, and end up down the bottom of my tent. Gah.

And as for a therm-a-rest i am going to go for the prolite 3 regular which i can get for £50

http://www.theoutdoorshop.com/Outdoo...roduct=1461401

any comments on good or bad things about these?

[Simon E]

Aswell as a stove I am looking to buy a decent two man tent to use right through from summer to the snowy winter. The reason for a two man, is that I would like a bit of room to store my bag etc rather than leave it in the tent porch. As for the therm-a-rest, they are alot smaller and lighter than a rolemat and look to be more comfortable!

Im not sure how much I should aim to spend on the two, but I want decent and lightweight equiptment...

Any help on either of the two would be greatly appretiated! Thanks

Good choice, I have one of the really expensive The North Face tents that my wife and I used 3 month non-stop in Australia. It was really worth the money as it gave us a tonne of room and the orange/yellow is nice and bright on a wet day.

I then got a 1 man Mountain Hardware that was on closeout from REI. Its way too small, and it really only suits when its going to be nice so that you can leave your kit outside. I cant even imagine trying to make a brew in the thing in the rain, its probably just the recipie to shrink wrap yourself

I would reccoment The North Face stuff based on the (limited) experience I have had with mine, although you may want to take a look at the REI branded models, there is also a Canadian company that fellow forumite Jerv has that was fantastic for the money (IIRC it came from a group similar in philosophy to the REI crowd)

[hammock monkey]

hi,
the go-lite is 3 is an absolute beaut, may cost a couple of quid more, but its worth it. I've had a used a stack of tents over the years and it beats them all hands down. only one drawback - no porch. otherwise: far more room inside than any 2 man and most 3 man tents (i'm 6ft1 and i can stretch out fully & sit up with loads of head room), as light as they get, the fastest to put up, easy to find in the dark, hi-quality components, the wind whips round it instead of battering the flat side etc etc.
the coolest thing is you can put it up without using the centre pole in a forest, its got a loop at the top. if i lost mine i'd get a new one straight away, there's nothing out there that compares for me personally.
mat has to be thermarest, i've never punctured mine - i clear the ground for a minute or two before i pitch my tent. accidents can happen tho i guess. dip it in a stream to find the bubbles to patch maybe? but its the kit ive been using for a while now and aside from the hammock or under the stars its 5* comfort

[Bunnerz]

I have ordered the therm-a-rest ultralight regular. 50 squids was a bargain! About the moisture someone mentioned when blowing it up...how much do they self inflate? Would you need to help it along most of the time?

cheers, bunn

[big_swede]

Aswell as a stove I am looking to buy a decent two man tent to use right through from summer to the snowy winter. The reason for a two man, is that I would like a bit of room to store my bag etc rather than leave it in the tent porch. As for the therm-a-rest, they are alot smaller and lighter than a rolemat and look to be more comfortable!

Im not sure how much I should aim to spend on the two, but I want decent and lightweight equiptment...

Any help on either of the two would be greatly appretiated! Thanks

Tents: Hilleberg nammatj GT or the copy Tatonka Alaska. Both are great. If you're camping in snowy winter you will need a big tent porch (you don't won't to go outside cooking in a white-out), I find the porch extemely useful when I'm hiking in mountains or hills and the weather takes a turn for the worse. We used a tatonka alaska during a longer skitrip in swedish lapland this january and I must say I'm very pleased, specially for that price.

Both (as they are similar) are of classic tunnel design, using three arched poles and a lot of guy lines. Both have drying lines in the inner tent, along with pockets in both the outer and inner tent. The tatonka model has a big mesh pocket in the abside roof (like an attic ). The cheaper one (tatonka) maybe a bit on the heavy side for solo trips, but it's a real good buy.

Generally I think it is hard to motivate the use of a winter tent during summer. WInter calls for such so higher standards, i.e. more weight, that I use different tents for different seasons, also for different situations, e.g. I would use a winter tent in mountainous regions.

And for therm-a-rests, don't like em always a risk of puncture, and a ridgerest can't get punctured and is just as light as a inflatable one. (If you want comfort, check in to a hotel )

[Bunnerz]

Thanks for the info but im pretty certain im not gunnu go for a side entrance tent...seems to risky in heavy rain and snow

[big_swede]

Thanks for the info but im pretty certain im not gunnu go for a side entrance tent...seems to risky in heavy rain and snow

EEeeehh, what? Side entrance tunnel tents are used in mountains, and snowy conditions all over the world (even in antarctica). I think tunnel tents are one of the most tested tents there is. I've used tents like that in rain, sleet, snow and blizzards for 15 years, never had a problem, not even in a white out blizzard on spitsbergen.

I think you need to do a bit of reading on tent designs...

Side entrance used in northern norway last year (crappy pic, from setting up a camp, that's why the guy lines aren't used yet, note the snow depth I'm sitting in):



EDIT:spelling..

[Bunnerz]

I mean just for like opening and closing, dont they have quite a bit bigger door? i was thinking that if the rain is blowing in the wrong direction you could have a very went sleep? even if it is only opened for a minute?

[big_swede]

I mean just for like opening and closing, dont they have quite a bit bigger door? i was thinking that if the rain is blowing in the wrong direction you could have a very went sleep? even if it is only opened for a minute?

The door is about 45-50 cm meters wide. I won't get wetter then any other door.

[Barblade]

I was in this position about 18 months ago and ended up going for a Thermarest (I opted for the expedition version which is a little more durable than the new consumer ones) - it was well worth the money and is almost as comfy as the (magickelly) hammock I use in the summer. Usually they only take a breath to start them inflating and they inflate up just enough to keep you insulted from the ground (about 2-3cm)

Tent-wise I went for the Vaude hogan - its a good durable 2 man 3-4 season tent, though like you it's a little snug for 2 people and I use it for stowing gear. It breathes pretty well, is front opening (The inner is zipped separately to the flysheet so no leakage) - but the best thing by far is the shock cord system. The first time I put the tent up took less than 10 minutes. Now I can strike the tent in around 2 mins and pack up in the same time - very useful when theres a downpour. It's a little on the heavy side (~2.8kg) but it's very well constructed and has stood up to some nasty downpours and fairly high winds without even using the guy lines. FYI gooutdoors.co.uk have a couple reduced from £190rrp to £95 - obviously other vendors are available though :P

Hope that helps
Barblade

[gunnix]

I'd use a small tent in combination with a tarp over the front door. A tarp is always useful to take with you anyway (might even be just your poncho).

As for sleeping mat, I use a regular foam mat. It's good enough for me, I just put some sweater under my head and something under my lower back and something under my feet to give me comfort... In an old scouts book I read they dig out pits for the shoulders and for the bottom to make it more comfortable. Though that was perhaps before they used floors in tents..
That Z-rest from thermarest definately looks good kit, might get one myself...

I see to often punctured sleeping mats that I don't want them, though I guess with care you can avoid it...