I'm looking for a sturdy but lightweight 1 person tent, mostly for bikepacking and hiking.
I currently use a six moon designs lunar solo for most solo trips. Last summer I got caught out in Scotland in a storm and had probably the worst planned night out I've ever experienced. It was too windy for the tent, the pegs were getting pulled out and the pole was buckling. I ended up popping the pole out, bundling all the loose fabric up and holding it down so the wind didn't tear it to shreds till the early hours of the morning. Had to forgo an evening meal as it was too windy to cook anything. Fortunately I was in a lightweight bivvy bag, and it was the last night of my trip, but everything not in the bivvy bag was sodden by the morning. Just to rub salt in my wounds, I found out in the morning from a passing walker that I'd been about 1km away from a bothy. Anyway, I'm keen not to repeat this so I want something in which I can sit out stormy Scottish weather, if not comfortably at least without vowing to sell all my gear and never voluntarily setting foot outside the house again.
Other than being able to stand up to the wind, I'm looking for the following:
- I'm 6'3 so needs to be a decent length
- Ideally pitch inner and outer together
- Sub 2kg; 1 - 1.5kg preferred
- Free standing preferred but not essential
- Use would mostly be in the UK from mid spring through to mid autumn. I'd occasionally be using it in winter but not for prolonged periods so I'd probably prioritise good ventilation and lack of condensation over being warm.
Current front runner is the Terra Nova Southern Cross. I've heard a lot of bad stories about TN customer service though which is off-putting.
Others I've been looking at are TN Laser all season (TN customer service though, and not freestanding), Hilleberg Alto (like the TN Laser but slightly heavier, more expensive, better quality?) or MSR Hubba NX1 (looks very good, but not keen on inner first pitching)
Anyone got any experience of these, or recommendations for anything else I should consider?
Thanks for reading this overly long post!