1 person tent (from REI topic)

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1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by Ingo »

torpified wrote: Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:10 pm I think I also said this last year: I'm ready for a new tent! My big agnes Flycreek 1p is getting threadbare, and the older and more decrepit I get, the more attractive a tent with a side entrance becomes.

The Flycreek is semi-freestanding, and has a mostly-mesh inner tent you can use without the rainfly if you're audacious enough to bet against overnight rain. Thanks to this, I was once able to witness the Perseid meteor shower from a slab next to Sequoia National Park's Precipice Lake, made famous by Ansel Adams https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot ... tails.aspx. It felt like there were meteors going off in my head. This has left me irrevocably committed to (semi)free standing double-walled tents with mostly-mesh inners.

What's in the running:

BA Tiger Wall 1p. Concern: a bit leaky?
Nemo Hornet Elite 1p. Concern: also a bit leaky?
Nemo Hornet 1p. Concern: a crushing 2 oz heavier than the Elite.

Here they are in an REI comparison: https://www.rei.com/CompareProduct/User

I'm leaning toward the plebeian Hornet---but I'd be grateful for advice, gut feelings, premonitions, etc.
Have you considered TarpTent? I'd look at the Notch (trekking poles) or Moment DW (has pole). I have a 2p version of the Notch (not currently made) and really like it. You couldn't use your REI dividend, of course, but there's always something else you "need" :).
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by Bobcat1 »

If you can wait until July, you can request a check from REI instead of using it at REI. Then you could buy the tarp-tent.
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by torpified »

Thanks for the tarptent lead! I've thought about those, but have two hangups:

1. They're not free standing, so it seems like you have to stake them out really well to get a taut pitch. A fair bit of my camping is in really rocky surrounds that make planting stakes a challenge.

2. Even if I could get them staked out, because they have just a few anchor points, I'm not sure how they'd hold up in howling winds/torrential downpours. Have you tarptent users had good luck with bad weather?
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by Ingo »

(1) I can't speak to where you camp, so won't try and talk you into non-mostly-freestanding, but I have seen pics of them in pretty rocky places. I typically don't camp in places where it's anything more than an occasional annoyance finding a spot for a stake. There's plenty of discussion on backpackinglight.com (and others) about them.

(2) While I haven't used mine in extreme conditions, it's held up well in thunderstorms and some steady IR winds. One thing I like about TT is the minimal number of required stakes--but there's plenty of guy outs and tie downs to really secure it when needed. And it's a lot less likely to tear because of the fabric and quality of construction. Some will say the Notch is a little hard to set up, but my 2p ver isn't at all once you practice it a couple times.

One other thought is that with TTs it isn't as easy as most to just throw the fly on or off, since in most designs the fly supports the inner tent. It looks like the Bowfin might be the exception. But it may be worth chatting with the owner (Henry) if you're at all interested. He seems to be very candid about his products and what they're good for--and not.

Was just throwing it out there--have fun shopping!
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by Base654 »

I bought the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 two years ago. Although it is a two person tent it weighs less than the tiger wall, but like you said, mo side entrance. I drop my poncho at the door and crawl in and out. no fuss no muss. and I love spreading out my gear.
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by booyah »

FWIW, Tarptent rainbow is free standing when used with trekking poles.
They go at the head and foot to keep the tent spread out
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by Tom »

My BA Copper Spur has served me well. I went with the 2man (which, let's be honest, is really like 1.5) because I like to have a little more interior room after a 5-day Minong rain-out, and was willing to carry the weight if it meant more comfort on a rainy afternoon. With the dual side doors and vestibule/fly, you can have all your gear under one side and still use the door on the other.
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by booyah »

If you're not particularly tall, I've been eyeing this for a while personally...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MCT6QSM

Not freestanding, but one trekking pole and its under 2lbs if you go by trail weight.

If you are set on freestanding, they have this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K84DZ88/

at 2.6lbs trail weight.
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by torpified »

thanks, all! It's nice to have options. I'll report back on how this drama turns out. (Last year I went into REI intending to convert my dividend into a tent, and emerged with a sackful of new darn tough socks instead . . ..)
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by hooky »

I have read a couple of great reviews of the REI Flash. It seems to be pretty well received.

https://www.switchbacktravel.com/review ... lash-air-2

https://sectionhiker.com/rei-flash-1-air-tent-review/ Compares it favorably to a TarpTent.
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by DonNewcomb »

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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by IncaRoads »

torpified - any decisions yet on your new tent?
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Re: 1 person tent (from REI topic)

Post by torpified »

IncaRoads wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 11:11 am torpified - any decisions yet on your new tent?
Though this thread left me Tarptent curious, I converted my dividend into the plebeian 1P Hornet. But I haven't gotten a chance to use it (the tent) because I'm in CA under a shelter-in-place order, and I'm leery of camping in my yard because it's teeming with nature's most menacing wildlife: the banana slug.

It seems like things are slowly opening up, and I'm a handful of miles from a system of trails and back country camps in the local mountlets. I'm hoping, once we're allowed to overnight in the woods, to give the tent a testdrive.

Pictured: from Nov 2019, the view of one of the local backcountry camps through the front door of my Flycreek.
IMG_4300.jpg
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