Ultra light tents

[Scabutz]

HardtopManual said:

Have a look at Wild Country Zephyros. I have the 2-man. Wait for a sale and they can be had for sub £80 and you can get the weight down with some targeted upgrades.

They are going for £97 at the min. They are quite heavy though at 1.8kg. When you say upgrades do you mean to the tent or with other kit (i.e. have an ultra slight sleeping bag). Seems I can swap to titanium peg, but that only saves 65g over the aluminum. Could I get lighter poles?

[HardtopManual]

ti pegs, lightweight poles and lightweight guy lines.

You also have the option of leaving the inner at home if you want to go super-lightweight.

[ExocetApe]

Have you checked Aliexpress? Look for 3f UL offerings and Naturehike. Both offer light weight at a fraction of the cost.
If you use trekking poles it widens your options as well to save even more weight.

[Gad-Westy]

Scabutz. Did you go for a Terra Nova Laser in the end? I'm eyeing one up at the moment.

[Scabutz]

Gad-Westy said:

Scabutz. Did you go for a Terra Nova Laser in the end? I'm eyeing one up at the moment.

I haven't yet. I dont need it till October so still considering my options. I looked at the AliExpress ones mentioned above but am not sure about them.

This place seems to be the cheapest

https://www.uttings.co.uk/p107763-terra-nova-laser...

I am veering closer to the Wild Country Zephos though. Its considerably cheaper and is only 600g heavier. I am 6'5'' and was 94kg at my lightest of recent years. 600g is a big poo for me. If I was 67kg racing snake that 600g would me a big difference.

[Gad-Westy]

Scabutz said:

I haven't yet. I dont need it till October so still considering my options. I looked at the AliExpress ones mentioned above but am not sure about them.

This place seems to be the cheapest

https://www.uttings.co.uk/p107763-terra-nova-laser...

I am veering closer to the Wild Country Zephos though. Its considerably cheaper and is only 600g heavier. I am 6'5'' and was 94kg at my lightest of recent years. 600g is a big poo for me. If I was 67kg racing snake that 600g would me a big difference.

Cheers. I'll check out the wild country stuff. I quite like the look of some the MSR offerings too. My requirements are a little different to yours though I still want to keep weight and size right down. I need one for wild camping for landscape photography so it needs to be able to deal with typical UK mountain weather but also have just enough room for me and a bit of gear.

[tenohfive]

Scabutz said:

I am veering closer to the Wild Country Zephos though. Its considerably cheaper and is only 600g heavier. I am 6'5'' and was 94kg at my lightest of recent years. 600g is a big poo for me. If I was 67kg racing snake that 600g would me a big difference.

I fit into your racing snake category and have taken fit, much heavier and more muscular types than I out in the hills wild camping. Never mind the percentage, extra weight in my experience (which includes some fell running and a few mountainous ultras) hurts everyone equally. I wouldn't dismiss it quite so quickly as you are there, especially when you're looking to move fast. Even traipsing through the hills with 1/3 my bodyweight in camera and wild camping gear that weight takes a toll descending (that dirty little secret no-one tells you - uphills are the easy bit.) Never mind going cross country down fell side at speed.
I'm not saying go minimalist, I just wouldn't be quite so blaise based on my own experiences (of watching other, heavier people suffer more than me.)

My personal approach when wild camping and on ultras is to be militant, strip everything back to within a gram of the lowest possible weight - then add back one or two things that'll either make life easier or a bit more comfortable. Keeps me from going too far either way.

Anyway. Tents.

Wild Country is the budget arm of Terra Nova. They trickle down the designs. The Zephyros is an old but fairly tried and reasonably well regarded design amongst wild campers. OutdoorsMagic forums may have contenders for other new, budget designs too.I seem to remember seeing some really good feedback on Six Moons Designs tents too.
I went for an Alpkit tarp/walking pole pyramid setup for a 600g shelter plus a bivvy bag. Think it works out just over 1kg all told. I've also got a Wild Country Hoolie 3 but that's for wild camping with the wife and kids, and it's palatial by comparison.

A company worth a look is Tarptent - they're a US brand. If I ever can justify it I'll be getting a Scarp 1 or Scarp 2.
https://www.tarptent.com/product/scarp-1/
The Scarp 1 will just about fit 2 people, as long as your friend is a bit of a racing snake (which may be handy for future team events.)

Last time I looked into MM's the TN Laser's were common, as were Nordisks. Neither are cheap.

If I were you I'd have a chat with PH member andy_s, I think he's done the GL3D before IIRC, has a background in MM's and he's a very nice chap to boot. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you what most others are putting up at the OMM etc. I'm sure there will be a few common high end designs, and probably a common budget tent often in use.

Edited by tenohfive on Friday 18th January 21:46

Edited by tenohfive on Friday 18th January 21:48

[Toaster]

I have had Hilleberg for years and they are also up there with Tents to Trust

http://gb.hilleberg.com/EN/about-our-tents/choosin...

This may make you smile if you have a Dog or want to take a Dog with you

http://gb.hilleberg.com/EN/images/houndsofhilleber...

Edited by Toaster on Sunday 20th January 15:28

[chandrew]

Toaster said:

I have had Hilleberg for years and they are also up there with Tents to Trust

http://gb.hilleberg.com/EN/about-our-tents/choosin...

This may make you smile if you have a Dog or want to take a Dog with you

http://gb.hilleberg.com/EN/images/houndsofhilleber...

Edited by Toaster on Sunday 20th January 15:28

We're also big Hilleberg fans. They are certainly not cheap but have taken us through some truly rough conditions including sand storms and snow.

For many years we had one of their black-label tents (a Keron 4 GT) but since the children have grown a bit we now use 2 red-label tents. (Nallo & Kaitum GT). They are good but the Keron was at a noticeably different level.

Our weakness is cycle touring so it's pack-size not weight which is the key factor. There are light tents in the range but not as light as has been mentioned above.

As noted you might find it easier to take out weight with a good down sleeping bag / mat.

For me one of the best things about the Hillebergs is how easy they are to put up at night in a gale.

If you're only going to use it a few times I suspect they might be overkill. If you're going to use them for a long time in tough conditions they might make sense.

[Shanter]

If there is no significant difference in price, then it is better to choose the tent that weighs less.

[Scabutz]

tenohfive said:

Scabutz said:

I am veering closer to the Wild Country Zephos though. Its considerably cheaper and is only 600g heavier. I am 6'5'' and was 94kg at my lightest of recent years. 600g is a big poo for me. If I was 67kg racing snake that 600g would me a big difference.

I fit into your racing snake category and have taken fit, much heavier and more muscular types than I out in the hills wild camping. Never mind the percentage, extra weight in my experience (which includes some fell running and a few mountainous ultras) hurts everyone equally. I wouldn't dismiss it quite so quickly as you are there, especially when you're looking to move fast. Even traipsing through the hills with 1/3 my bodyweight in camera and wild camping gear that weight takes a toll descending (that dirty little secret no-one tells you - uphills are the easy bit.) Never mind going cross country down fell side at speed.
I'm not saying go minimalist, I just wouldn't be quite so blaise based on my own experiences (of watching other, heavier people suffer more than me.)

My personal approach when wild camping and on ultras is to be militant, strip everything back to within a gram of the lowest possible weight - then add back one or two things that'll either make life easier or a bit more comfortable. Keeps me from going too far either way.

Anyway. Tents.

Wild Country is the budget arm of Terra Nova. They trickle down the designs. The Zephyros is an old but fairly tried and reasonably well regarded design amongst wild campers. OutdoorsMagic forums may have contenders for other new, budget designs too.I seem to remember seeing some really good feedback on Six Moons Designs tents too.
I went for an Alpkit tarp/walking pole pyramid setup for a 600g shelter plus a bivvy bag. Think it works out just over 1kg all told. I've also got a Wild Country Hoolie 3 but that's for wild camping with the wife and kids, and it's palatial by comparison.

A company worth a look is Tarptent - they're a US brand. If I ever can justify it I'll be getting a Scarp 1 or Scarp 2.
https://www.tarptent.com/product/scarp-1/
The Scarp 1 will just about fit 2 people, as long as your friend is a bit of a racing snake (which may be handy for future team events.)

Last time I looked into MM's the TN Laser's were common, as were Nordisks. Neither are cheap.

If I were you I'd have a chat with PH member andy_s, I think he's done the GL3D before IIRC, has a background in MM's and he's a very nice chap to boot. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you what most others are putting up at the OMM etc. I'm sure there will be a few common high end designs, and probably a common budget tent often in use.

Edited by tenohfive on Friday 18th January 21:46

Edited by tenohfive on Friday 18th January 21:48

Thanks for this. Good points about the weight and I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss weight savings

Started looking at it again now training has started in earnest. The Zephyros is good value, it's 1.4kg but looking at the pole & peg weights I can strip that back by 200g easily for another £40-50. Having said that the same pegs and similar poles are used on the Terra Nova Laser so I can also get 150g shaved off that for not much. I have my eye on some 2nd hand ones on ebay at the min. Hopeful I can get a tent in at about 800g for a couple of hundred quid.

Also looking a 2nd hand decent sleeping bag. Although there are no minimum requirements other than they say they may insist on 2 season if the weather is bad, its hard to get anything below 900g without spending hundreds. Especially as I need the larger size bags.

Was watching some people on YouTube and the balloon bed seems to be the mat of choice. 100g.

Also been looking at bags. Consensus seems to be that the OMM classic 25 or 32 is the go to choice. Decathlon have some good bags also and they are very cheap. Also have a 10 year warranty, although the cynic in me thinks that's just marketing BS. Its easy to offer long warranty when something is so cheap, plus most people will have lost their receipt after 6 months. They are 200-300g more than the OMM as well so silly to squeeze the tent and sleep system so light to only add it back on with a cheap backpack.

[AlfaPapa]

Scabutz said:

Also looking a 2nd hand decent sleeping bag. Although there are no minimum requirements other than they say they may insist on 2 season if the weather is bad, its hard to get anything below 900g without spending hundreds. Especially as I need the larger size bags.

Was watching some people on YouTube and the balloon bed seems to be the mat of choice. 100g.

Also been looking at bags. Consensus seems to be that the OMM classic 25 or 32 is the go to choice. Decathlon have some good bags also and they are very cheap. Also have a 10 year warranty, although the cynic in me thinks that's just marketing BS. Its easy to offer long warranty when something is so cheap, plus most people will have lost their receipt after 6 months. They are 200-300g more than the OMM as well so silly to squeeze the tent and sleep system so light to only add it back on with a cheap backpack.

Getting exciting now!

For sleeping bags, have a look at Alpkit. I use a Pipedream 200 (545g, £165) with an MSR E-Bivvy (180g) inside my tent which is usually more than warm enough (I am small and sleep cold) with the added advantage of the bivvy keeping the down dry. I was too hot during last year's GL3 Day, as i hadn't factored that it's valley camping and I'm used to camping a fair bit higher. The pipedream is heavier and a little colder than my partner's half-zip custom made pHD (affectionately referred to as the "Unicorn Down Sleeping Bag"). My running partner has a Pipedream 400 (and a bivvy). The 400, once lofted is quite substantial. I have spent hours looking at her massive slug-like inflated, incumbent self taking up masses of the tent whilst I try to get to sleep envying her ability to drop off as soon as she is horizontal regardless of storms raging, sheep munching etc.

Stuff off a balloon bed, I don't know anyone who has had a decent night's sleep on one - any lumps and bumps in the ground or rocks will burst the thing and blowing it up when you're exhausted and hungry?
I like to be warm and comfy so have a nice full length Thermarest Neoair which handily fits inside the bivvy. Twice the weight of the balloon bed, but it's not going to pop in the night, it's easy to inflate and you'll get more than twice the amount of sleep.

Bags - you have got to try them on and have an embarrassing trot around with your kit weight inside. I have an untrendy Montane Dragon which is a vest fit, 20l sack which I can easily fit my MM kit into. My running partner prefers the OMM 25. A lot of praise for the Ultimate Direction packs from friends, I found them too big for me (straps sipping off my shoulders, back length too long).
If you're up in the Lakes any time soon, The Climbers' Shop do weekend loans of UD bags which is highly recommended.