One person tent recommendations

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Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
Looking for some tent advice from the good folk here.

I'm after a lightweight (1kg or less), one person tent, capable of handling a day or so of rain and with reasonable vestibule space for a large rucksack. So far the Nordisk Telemark, Tarptent Moment DW, or Hilleberg Enan seem to tick the boxes.

Can anyone shed some light on what would sway the decision towards any of these, or towards something completely different? Its a long time since I bought a tent, with my last purchase being a heavy, leaky, 2-person, Argos job.

The criteria:

* When: May to September use, possibly a month either side.
* Where: wild camping in forests, grassy slopes, European Alps, some arid, mostly alpine, between 500-2300m.
* How: not intended for "living" in as such. Simply overnight hillside shelter for me and a large amount of kit in fair/good weather.
* Extremes: needs to be able to handle rain for a day or two at a time as it will likely be my only shelter when grounded due to weather fronts. Also likely to be used in somewhat exposed areas so in moderate winds. But no need for snow, blizzards, sub-zero temps, storm force wind capability.
* Weight: Light weight is vital with no more than 1kg being the goal. But not getting obsessive about shaving off weight if it increases the likelihood of a drenched, collapsed tent.
* Duration: likely used for 3-7 day stretches, freshening up for a day or two in hotels/huts, and repeating for anywhere from 2-6 weeks.

Some of the +ve and -ve on the tents listed above seem to be:

* Tarptent Moment DW - heard good things about Tarptents and was looking more in this direction. But watched a youtube clip of it not coping well with moderate winds. Popular in the US but seems unheard of over here.
* Nordisk Telemark - seems to be highly rated and I haven't seen any negatives about it. Condensation issues?
* Hilleberg Enan - seems to be the newest model of all, so assumed it might be a step up from the Telemark. Did read a complaint that the new fabric is very noisy in light winds.
 ablackett 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

No idea about any of the ones you mention above, but if you go to any mountain marathon me and a good portion of the field have one of these. http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/laser-competition-1-...

under a kg, pretty good in the wind if you pitch it right, waterproof as far as I have tested it, the porch is big enough for a back pack (just), you can squeeze a second person in there fairly unconfortably!
Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
In reply to ablackett:

Cheers for that. I looked at the Laser earlier but it seemed the Telemark was usually mentioned more favourably in comparison. Will have another look at the Laser.
 Bob 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

I've used the Laser comp in "interesting" conditions on the Scottish islands without problems. Should be good enough for your described use.
 olddirtydoggy 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

I've been using the TN Laser Comp for ages and it's been great. In strong wind it moves around and hugs the body a bit so a sheltered pitch in bad weather would be a consideration. Some of those other tents on your list might be more stable.
 adam clarke 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

I've recently invested in a Nordisk Telemark (2 man standard/LW version) to replace an old Terra Nova Laser and happy to report that in my opinion, it beats it hands down in every way. Smaller pack size (longitudinally), pitches like a dream compared to the TN, the integrated corner poles work really well in extending the usable floor area, the tent retains its shape a whole lot better, and the adjustable inner/porch compartments work really nicely.

I got the 2 man version to use primarily for solo wild camping (since it's easily light enough), but will also be using it for mountain marathoning.

One of those bits of kits that just seems really.. good - I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
In reply to adam clarke:

Excellent. Thanks for that (and for the other replies).

I think the Laser was my initial starting point but the Telemark did appear to be an improvement. I'm not sure the Enan, which seems an evolution further, would be superior enough to justify its slight extra weight.
 johang 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

Another vote here for the Telemark 2. I recently invested in one, and have used it twice over the past week; once at the top end of the pennine way, and once on the OMM.

Both times thoroughly impressed, no issues with stability, ultra fast pitching and plenty of space inside (for a small lightweight tent). As far as I can tell, it beats the TN hands down on design (and also price?).
 Ally23 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

I have a moment DW and its pretty good for all that require.

As for the you tube you mention the tent wasn't actually pitched correctly the end poles should be at an inward angle, rather than straight up. When pitched correctly is will handle a fair bit including snow. You can add 4 extra pegging points on either side of the doors for worse weather s well.
Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
In reply to johang:

Out of interest, what made you decide for the 2 instead of the 1?

Have been looking at them online and the weight difference is negligible so I can see the advantage in the 2. Is the 1 just a bit too snug and coffin-like?
Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
In reply to Ally23:

Damn. That makes the choice harder again. Do you have any experience with the Laser or Telemark by any chance? I'm finding doing a comparison between the Tarptent and Nordisk brands difficult: quite different design ethos.

Ultimately I'm sure each is good but given the investment, I'd like to get it "right" the first time.

 Ally23 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

Cant help with the other two unfortunately.

My brother uses force 10 helium 100 (1.1kg IIRC ) most of the time, pretty underrated I think as its stood up just as well as mine when we have been out . Only down side is the porch could be bigger but a good bit cheaper to buy.
 Bluebird 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:
Hi, I have the Laser Ultra which I loved but managed to damage the fly in a 50-60mph storm. Prior to hat it was bombproof? Testament to the design. I replaced with the Enan and it is simply superb. Love the vestibule to cook in and it's a piece of cake to put up. Can't rate it highly enough, build quality and weight all superb.
 Andypeak 26 Oct 2015

> My brother uses force 10 helium 100 (1.1kg IIRC ) most of the time, pretty underrated I think as its stood up just as well as mine when we have been out . Only down side is the porch could be bigger but a good bit cheaper to buy.

Ive got the 2 man version and am very impressed. They are however very loud even in light winds.
Pan Ron 26 Oct 2015
In reply to Bluebird:

Good to know. How do you rate the noise issue with the Enan?
 OwenM 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:
I've been using a Tarptent Notch since the summer, it use's your walking poles as uprights so it only weighs 700g. Better head room than the Atko/Enan and lazer's but the inner is quite narrow approx 2ft 6ins at the waist tapering towards the end. Under the fly is a triangle 2ft at the widest point by the length of the tent (7ftish) on both sides. Used it in heavy rain and wind but not both at the same time, so far it's stood up very well.

Down side, you have to order from USA so by the time they've added carriage and import tax it came out quite expensive. It total I think it came out at £232

The nylon used for the ground sheet is quite slippy.

Another make I've been hearing good things about is Trekkertent made in Coventry.
Post edited at 20:17
 sid68 26 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

I have a Nordisk Telemark 2UL; been used a dozen times this year. At 880g I thought it gave the best weight saving option for a 2 man tent although 2 adults would be very snug and little room for kit. Cooking would be very difficult unless the inner was collapsed down. However, used solo there's amble room for kit and cooking. Also, surprisingly stable in winds considering it's floppy light weight design and material. Only downside seems to be excessive condensation during colder months due to poor air circulation so I just leave the outer and inner doors zipped open a little. Hope this helps.
 Bluebird 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

Not noticed any noise issue with the Enan per se. Tent tensions nicely and easily so never noticed a particular propensity for noise over other tents of similar materials.

Any noise is most likely drowned out by the noise my UL downmat makes when I'm in my sleeping bag, infernal thing!

Warm and toasty but squeaky!
 Gazlynn 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

Just to throw another tent into the mix if you can consider uping the weight a fraction I recommend you look at the MSR Hubba tent.

I've have owned lighter tents, terra novas and the likes and they were like sleeping in a crisp packet and in my experience were not up to the job 40 - 50 mph winds.

good luck

Gaz





Pan Ron 27 Oct 2015
In reply to Gazlynn:

Cheers All.

Will be looking towards the Nordisk Telemark or Enan I suspect. Tarptent is a worthy contender, as was the Hubba and Laser too. But Telemark may just edge them.

You can all say "I told you so", or take blame, if I'm unhappy with the choice.
 johang 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:
In honesty it was because there was a 2-man going cheap at the time, but I can't really see any point in getting the 1 man. Weight and pack size for the TM2 are so small anyway that any further reduction in pack size/weight just isn't worth the space lost internally.

As an aside, condensation may have been more than for other small lightweight tents as ansim5 mentioned, but we were never wet inside. The flip side is that it is dead easy to dry out when you get the chance - both the inner and outer seem pretty hydrophobic.

We fit 2 of us in there (both around 5'9") during the OMM with plenty of space - no spooning required, although it may have made sleeping a little warmer.

I think my main remark would be that it is so quick to pitch and strike - maybe 5 minutes if you're not very practiced both ways, and it feels pretty sturdy instantly (for a sub-1kg tent).

Hope this helps
Post edited at 14:19
Pan Ron 27 Oct 2015
In reply to johang:

Not that it would really be a concern for me, but I did just notice that the 1 person (no doubt due to the smaller profile) has a higher wind-resistance rating than the 2 person. But as you say, so little different in the weights, the extra room, and being able to sit up, could swing it.
 Root1 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid. Room for two plus storage, and weighs less than 1Kg ..
Its a stable pyramid design and use a walking pole as a tent pole.
I got one in Cuben Fibre which is brilliant, but they also do a nylon
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/index.php?cPath=47. They do an inner tent but I had a one custom made in the UK.
 johang 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

That sounds like a reasonable assumption. TBH I didn't even consider the wind resistance rating at point of purchase, but even so, I can't really fault it. Our first camp was on top of the small hill just before the first mountain hut from Byrness. At 460m with no shelter no problems were experienced, but it wasn't blowing a proper hoolie either.

Then again, if it was, I'd probably have the good sense to go and pitch elsewhere...
 Siward 27 Oct 2015
In reply to David Martin:

What about these?

http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html

Tempted myself. Made in Scotland!

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