UKH

I'm trying to find a 2 person wild camping tent that is:

* Less than about 1.8 kg
* Genuinely 2 person - to get 2 sleeping mats in that equates to a width of 105 cm - most "2 person tents" fail here
* Going to stand up to British weather (rain, wind, howling)
* Up to a maximum of the £400 mark? Cheaper is better!!
* Ideally doesn't pitch inner first, because then it will be a wet tent
* Good

What should I be buying?

In reply to climbwhenready:

I've been very impressed with my MSR Hubba Hubba tent. Bought it initially to use as a roomy mountain marathon tent, but it has performed amazingly in all weather conditions and it's roomy enough to comfortably spend a day or 2 tent bound with 2 porches and 2 separate entrances. However it doesn't pitch outer first.

In reply to climbwhenready:

Proper solid contender: http://www.tarptent.com/scarp2.html

I believe this fulfills all of your requirements.
- 1.7kg
- Genuinely 2 person (2 doors!, 132cm wide)
- Rated for 4 seasons. Search YT for videos of people in Scotland wild camping with these. Can pitch free-standing.
- I can't confirm the exact price, as it depends on exchange rate. But would be about the £400 mark delivered incl customs.
- Pitches outer first
- _Very_ good

In reply to SenzuBean:

I've seen that... have you got one?

In reply to climbwhenready:

The Zephros 2 by Wild Country would fit the bill. Have got me and the lady in there with 2 mats, although we have the coffin shaped mats, I'm not sure if it would work with rectangular ones.
Way below your budget though so you could get new mats too.

In reply to climbwhenready:

Have a look at the Nordisk 2 man which is similar to Hilleberg's Nallo but much cheaper. Because 'tis the season to be jolly' my brain's forgotten what it's called - but I've got one and I like it.

In reply to SenzuBean:

Not over keen on these external pole arrangement (v. noisy in a wind?) or the tabs permanently attached to the flysheet.

Trekkertent? http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/7-stealth-2.html

In reply to climbwhenready:

Super Voyager 1.53kg
I think this is a hard to beat combination of lightweight and weather resistance.
It does pitch inner first though but I can only say from lots of experience (500+ nights!) that it hasn't caused me and the wife a particular problem. It doesn't take long to pitch and the inner dries out quickly.

The three poles provide a pretty strong structure- not as strong as a TN Quasar 4 pole design but a lot lighter. I have used it multiple times on or near the top of munros in all weather.

I think you can get it for £360. Some tents pics and a shop link below.

http://www.pbase.com/briansolar1/wild_camps

http://www.aboveandbeyond.co.uk/Products/5060122781961/superlite-voyager?ut...

In reply to llechwedd:

Nordisk Telemark??? I've the LW version; really impressed but does suffer from condensation if not kept vented.

In reply to climbwhenready:

Big Agnes do a few tents to your spec bar the outer-first pitching. I've got the Seedhouse SL2 which gives oodles of space for 1.2kg - it's all relative but two can sit up and be comfy for that. It's done lots of backpacking and bike packing, 3 OMMs and a few non-snowy but windy winter trips - all very positive.

Possible down side is the mesh inner (like a lot of US tents) which makes it either well ventilated or just draughty depending on how warm you are but it's stronger than most things at that weight. Not a bank breaker though.

It's an innter-first tent but I've never found it wet - the inner is exposed for seconds and in torrential rain it dries in a couple of minutes, thanks to the mesh.

In reply to climbwhenready:


Not yet - I'm looking at the 1 person one for now. I spoke to Harry and he said there's an upgrade due near the end of the year, so I'm waiting for that as well.

I do have another of their tents, the old single wall Moment. Fantastic tent, so light!

In reply to london_huddy:

I agree Seedhouse SL2 has served very well. Worst feature is when it's raining the outer door lets rain fall in the inner entrance when opened to get in IYSWIM. Have recently bought a Nordisk 2 as I wanted something lighter

In reply to climbwhenready:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I've gone for a Scarp 2 in the end. It has the space for 2 mats and pitches all in one, and gets rave reviews online, so let's see how it turns out...

It was a toss-up between that and the Force 10 Nitro Lite 2, but this one looks that bit more durable.

In reply to climbwhenready:

I reckon you'll love it - have been using mine for about 6 months now solely in Scotland, in both (warm) autumn and winter conditions. It has stood up well, although haven't tested snowloading yet. I have the crossover poles and would definitely recommend them, if not just for the benefits against wind (reduced flapping).

We were camping at the base of Mount Keen just before Christmas (two blokes with overnight winter kit) and suffered particularly bad winds that night - pretty brutal. The tent coped perfectly, although it did highlight something: it is NOT a warm tent. It is exceptionally well ventilated (almost to a fault) which means there will never be condensation issues, but on a stormy night it allows a fair bit to get under the flysheet. If it's raining very hard at the same time, it may result in some ingress but haven't yet experienced that. There are mods you can make to it to extend the flysheet down, closer to the ground which I might look at for next winter.

Make sure you seam seal it - get 3:1 mix of white spirit and translucent silicone sealant (wallpaper paste consistency) and paint it on to all seams and joins. I used a jam jar to mix by shaking. I haven't had a drop of water or any leaking so far.

It's a belter of a tent and reasonable value when compared to the Hillebergs, for example. Only downside is the crosspoles (which I see as essential in Scotland) do make it a bit heavier and a lot slower to pitch/unpitch.

Enjoy!