One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

bakchr · Post by **bakchr** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:23 pm

We are starting to plan for a July trip to IR for a family of 2 teens, 3 adults. I have not been to IR or backpacked in over 20 years. The 4 ladies have never backpacked, but we did do some day hikes on the Appalachain Trail last summer. We have a Coleman Elite Sundome 6 person tent (12x10ft) that we just got for car camping. My original plan was to buy two additional tents for the IR trip, a 4 person (7-8lb) and a 3 person (6-7lb). My question is I am considering just taking the 6 person tent. The carry weight on that is 20lbs., but I think I could get it to under 18lbs leaving back extra items (battery pack, divider wall, use lighter stakes, boot tarp, LED light and cord system, carry bags). Part of my reason is the expense. I realize that there are good lightweight tents out there in 3-4person, but they are expensive. Looking at good quality tents we can afford I think, 13-15lbs would be total on the two. At that point I started to think, we already have the Coleman and like it, maybe we should just divide up the weight of that and all sleep in one tent. Does that make sense? From what I have read, July is a busy time at IR, and we would only need to look for a single tent site as well as setup/takedown for only one. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Post by **Ingo** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:04 pm

I think I would stick with the tent you have and focus on saving weight (by spending the money

) in other areas. Like you said, leave everything not essential at home. Obviously you don't have lightweight backpacking equipment already, so I would look at things you will otherwise use first. You can easily save a pound per person with sleeping bags, pads, and clothes (nylon and fleece are your friends) and leaving the extras behind. Your assumption that finding 1 good larger tent site will be easier than 2 smaller ones is not necessarily true, but I don't think it's a big deal either way.

head2north · Post by **head2north** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 6:33 am

Another option is to find an outfitter with reasonable rental prices.
I know that MTU and REI offers rentals, but you could check in your local area as well.

MTU - http://www.mtu.edu/student-activities/o ... s/rentals/
REI - http://www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html#Minnesota

Redbad · Post by **Redbad** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 9:12 am

20 pounds is a lot of weight for one person, but if that 20 pounds can be spread 5 ways then you are looking at a load that is more manageable. You will not a light if everyone has a LED head light.

You don't mention your planned itinerary. Keep in mind that many campgrounds around Rock Harbor (and those with access to Lake Superior) have shelters that have space for 6-8 people. With some luck depending on when you go you may be able to use those. I would still bring a tent just in case.

Tent pads at the campgrounds are all around the same size. Group campsites have more tent pads than regular sites. You are not limited to the tent pad as the only place to set up at the campsite.

Take several practice hikes with your loadout and your group to do a reality check. ISRO can be a tough place to learn that you have an incorrectly packed pack.

DonNewcomb · Post by **DonNewcomb** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 7:32 pm

That's a tough call. With enough money you can get a 5-person tent that weighs about 6 lbs. So, a taking 20 lb tent is accepting a big weight penalty. What size and weight parcels can it be broken into and carried separately? You understand that with any luck you won't have to use the tent very much but will find shelters at most campsites?

tree rattt · Post by **tree rattt** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:04 pm

This is a REALLY left feild suggestion ......but well here it is. I know the bugs are bad in july ...it is just another angle take good or bad. BIG BLUE TARP

cheap , light and with practice easy to setup. I say poly tarp, because sil-nylon tarps are pricey. A tarp a few stakes and a little cordage ....poof shelter!

a few clothes pins to roll and close the door..This is our go to winter rig. Or you could do multiple smaller setups. try Utube for silnylon tarp setups ....just to get an idea how to start.If you luck out and get shelters, then you are on easy st

for a minimum of weight. Like I said ......left field.

DonNewcomb · Post by **DonNewcomb** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:46 am

tree rattt wrote:This is a REALLY left feild suggestion ......but well here it is. I know the bugs are bad in july ...it is just another angle take good or bad. BIG BLUE TARP ...

I was actually thinking something along the same line. Only the inland campgrounds are without shelters. You might be able to view the tent as "for emergency use". A light tarp with stakes and a couple of poles and guy lines could do in a pinch. Your hiking poles can serve double duty as tent poles. Have the teen agers jog ahead to tag a shelter and you won't need to use the tent.

OTOH, as long as you can break up the load so that no one is forced to carry too much, 4 lbs per person for a tent isn't too bad. That's about what a Hennessey Hammock weighs.

bakchr · Post by **bakchr** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:13 am

Thank you all for your feedback and suggestions. I know that July is a busier month, so I hesitate to count too much on the shelters. Getting my wife and girls to make the jump from pop-up camper to trails has been one thing, asking them to sleep under a tarp may be too much, too fast! I roughly broke down the tent components. There really are not many components that we could leave behind. The thing that makes the tent so heavy and bulky is the thick tarp like floor. however, I don't believe that we would need any extra ground tarp like we would for some of the lighter weight tents. Also the poles are really heavy and long (2x 11mm 15-16ft.).
Tent - 8.5 lbs
Poles - 5 lbs
Fly - 3 lbs
battery/light system - 1.5 lbs (with batteries) (leave behind)
boot tarp - .5 lbs (leave behind)
room separator wall - .5 lbs (leave behind)
stakes - .5 lbs (replace with lighter stakes)
carry bag - .5 lbs (leave behind)

Gimp · Post by **Gimp** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:24 pm

That's a lot of weight to spread among 5 backpackers, especially considering 4 of them have never backpacked before. How young are the teenagers, and is everyone in a very good level of fitness? Don't forget that everyone will be carrying sleeping bags, sleeping pads, a couple of liters of water, food, spare clothing, etc. With no experience carrying that kind of a load, they're each going to tend to pack far more than they can reasonably carry, just because they don't know better.

Isle Royale is remote with trails that are generally far rougher and more overgrown than the Appalachian Trail where you day hiked. You want their first backpacking experience to be a positive one. I'd suggest that you at least have a trial backpacking trip for a couple of nights so that everyone can get a feel for the loads, and the equipment. Do you have a local REI store or other option for renting or borrowing a couple of lighter weight tents?

I was backpacking on IR with my daughter and niece late last July. It wasn't that busy and there multiple unoccupied shelters at Daisy Farm, 3-Mile, and even Rock Harbor. You can't count on the availability, but if you are a morning hiker like I am and you get to the shelters early in the afternoon there is a much greater chance of finding a one is available. Mid-August is the busy time in my experience.

tree rattt · Post by **tree rattt** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:50 pm

I have seen more than one spot along the trails that people dumped excess gear.

.......if ya can find em its like shopping

NancyT · Post by **NancyT** » Fri May 01, 2015 5:42 pm

Just another thought is Tyvek. It's lightweight, waterproof and easily compactable. We have replaced our tent ground cloth with it. We also us it as sleeping pad protection while in a shelter and as a protector when we only use a tarp instead of a tent. Very economical if you have a friend in the construction business.
Here's a link to buy it by the foot... http://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/she ... -the-foot/

jerry · Post by **jerry** » Sun May 03, 2015 12:35 pm

I vote for tyvek as a ground cloth. Works great for me. jerry

bakchr · Post by **bakchr** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:19 pm

I checked into renting tents at REI. They rent the half dome 4, but the cost for 9 days would be more than half the cost of purchasing the tent. And we would need two of them or at least one and a two person tent. The weight of two of these would be over 14lbs. Our 12x10ft tent has maybe a penalty of 4-5lbs over these other options, but the 6ft height and room for 5 adults along with all the packs/gear seems to be worth trying this option. I have a 10x10 sheet of poly that is pretty light that I might bring along for a footprint, but the floor on this tent is so thick that I might just leave it back.

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One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

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Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents

Re: One Family Tent vs. two smaller tents