Practical Expedition Tents

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
I'm after a new 2 person mountain tent for use on a few upcoming expeditions. It will be home for a month in Kyrgyzstan and then heading off on adventures to the Andes, Greeland and Baffin over the next few years. I cant foresee it being used as an high altitude attack tent but more for use in BC, ABC type duties. Its a bit daunting as its a big investment and the choice is so broad. I really want to get something that is; practical, doesn't weigh a ton, has good storage space, will last years and will be livable for extended periods of time. It would also be good if it wasn't total overkill to use in the UK as both my other tents are 1 or 1.5 man and having a bit more space would be nice sometimes. Space to cook and relax when storm bound is a real plus as well. I'm currently leaning towards the eye-wateringly expensive Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT which seems to tick all the boxes but if anyone can offer any personal experiences or recommendations it would be really helpful.

A few of the other option I have been looking at are the; Mounain Hardware - Trango 2, MSR -Fury, Macpac Plateau, Terra Nova Super - Quasar, ALPKIT Kangri, North Face - Mountain 25 etc etc.

Thanks in advance.
 Toerag 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

What about a Kaitum 2? I have one and it also ticks your boxes. Downsides - very long, needs 18 pegs to pitch fully.
 ebdon 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:
If you want somthing for bascamp then i recommend getting a 3 man, not much heavier and loads more comfort. Ive got a n face ve 25 which is excellent im not sure if they make them any more though.
Post edited at 15:06
OP Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Toerag:

Thanks for the reply - did have a look at the Kaitum 2 - I would rather have one large storage/cooking space rather than the small vestibules at both end. The GT version is a bit of a monster! I'm taking it to the far north as well so I think I would rather have the sturdier Kerlon 1800 fabric over the 1200.
OP Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
In reply to ebdon:

Thanks, I will have look at the options for a 3 man - NF do still make one and the MH Trango 3 looks good (although heavy).
 leon 1 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:
I would recommend giving the MSR Fury a bodyswerve. The single side entrance to it is really difficult to get in and out of without contortions and the vestibule is quite small if you have sacks and cooking gear in it. Not what you want when tired. VE25 or Trango are so much better.

Not freestanding but OK for two, double entrance, strong, durable, not over the top for the UK and at a very good price
http://www.needlesports.com/152/products/macpac-olympus-juniper.aspx
Post edited at 15:34
 ebdon 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

I think alpkit also make a 3 man which looks ok but a bit heavy. I have used an msr fury in Kyrgyzstan, i thought it was ok and managed to cook in the vestibule, however this was in the mountins not at bc i imagine it would feel a bit cramped for 2 for exteded periods.
 wbo 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding: We used a Helsport Patagonia 3 man for a weekend a few weeks ago and I was rather impressed with it. Bit overkill for the UK though and very expensive.

cb294 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

+1 for the 3 man basecamp tent. Comfort is important when waiting out crap weather! I actually like hybrid dome/tunnel tents. The new Vaude model looks interesting:

https://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Tents/3-Person/Power-Sphaerio-3P?numbe...

I only have the older, 2 man version, but so far I am very happy with it.

The obvious Hilleberg model would be the Saivo. Again, I only have the 2 person version called Tarra, most bombproof tent I have ever owned.

CB
 leadbeater 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

I have the Nammatj 2 GT. I bought it last summer for much the same reasons as you describe and have been incredibly happy with it so far. There is no getting away from the weight but it's extremely spacious and functions as advertised.
Used in the Andes at base camp and higher glacier camps (up to 5200m). Very stable in bad weather when staked out and tensioned properly.

The sleeping area is very comfortable for 2 and could take 3 if needed (although i've not tried this personally). Space for plenty of gear in the front. Overall, much more tolerable for sitting out bad weather.

I was lucky enough to get hold of it at a discount with the footprint included. Difficult to say whether I would pay RRP for it. I've used a TN ultra quasar on expedition previously. Also a good tent that is easy to pitch and stable. Not sure if there is much weight difference. I prefer the vestibule arrangement on the Nammatj and the materials do feel more durable.
 d_b 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

Whatever you get, make sure it uses common pole sections that are easy to replace. I have been badly burned there.
 MrRiley 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

Can't offer much other than to say I would steer clear of the Terra Nova Quasar - ALL 4 pole sections suffered at least one breakage when the tent was pitched for two weeks in benign summer conditions in Cortina!! Needless to say I won't be investing in another... When I explained the circumstances to someone from Terra Nova they told me that thermal expansion and contraction due to the 20+ degrees temperatures difference between night and day may have caused it!
OP Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
In reply to leon 1:

I thought as much, haven't really hear many great things about the MSR - crossed off the list. The MacPac you mention looks good but I want something a bit more substantial for our use inside the arctic circle.
OP Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
In reply to MrRiley:

I've been reading avlot about broken poles with the Terra Nova tents - not great is it for a 'premium' brand.
OP Tom F Harding 10 Apr 2017
Does anyone have any experience with Lightwave or Crux tents - just found out I can get a discount through some funding we have received.

 leon 1 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:
Contact TRip on these forums. Hes the Crux /Lightwave rep and will give you a straight answer
Post edited at 18:27
In reply to Tom F Harding:

In winter conditions it is nice to have a more spacious tent, ie a 3 person tent for 2, as you have larger sleeping bags and more clothing. Also, in basecamps you tend to spend days in the tent, which calls for more space too. By design tunnel tents are easy to pitch even in severe winds, but their snow loading capacity is not at par with geodesics. Geodesics, on the other hand, are heavier than tunnels, because they have more poles.

Recently, I had the chance to pitch several tents on the Greenland ice sheet:

The North Face VE 25 is a great tent for basecamp, easy to pitch, spacious for two, stands in high winds and endures heavy snow loads.
Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1 is similar to VE 25, but a little less easy to pitch.
Terra Nova Super Quasar is spacious, but threading the poles through the mesh sleeves is a pain even in calm weather.
Fjallraven Akka Dome 3 is neither suited for high winds nor snow loads as the poles bend easily. Another drawback is its small vestibule.
Hilleberg Nallo 2 is easy to pitch in high winds but too small for two in winter conditions and the vestibule is too small too.
Crux X1 Assault is easy to pitch in high winds even though it is semi geodesic. But it is not suitable as a basecamp tent as it is much too small. It has one small drawback which surprised me: The small roof vent has fine mesh, and it cannot be closed to prevent spindrift entering the tent.
 RR 11 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

It can snow as high as the tent. Take a tent where snow doesn’t enter the inside of the tent if you open the door. VE25 is good example, that is why I like VE25 best. The Hilleberg Saivoi is not so good for that reason, though the fabric and the tent it self did stand very high winds and lot of snow, fantastique. Poles didn’t brake
I like also Bibler tents, the yellow (heavy) and robust, I-tent and Fitz Roy, the green one are very thin fabric and light. I have not experience in high wind and heavy snow with the First Light. At high altitude I was little scared, because it is so thin.
I have also a Hilleberg Keron. Can also stand high winds, also very good fabric but no experience in heavy snow. But good comfortable for two.
 vscott 11 Apr 2017
In reply to Tom F Harding:

Had a macpac Hemisphere - very spacious for weight which has been near-flawless on multiple trips, though eventually needed new fly as UV fried original (all tents will suffer same). Self standing geodesic structure so easy to pitch, spacious (v generous for 2, OK for 3 - good for sitting out weather), generally well thought through design (loads of interior pockets, loft, nice muted internal colour), snow valences to keep blowing snow out, generous double porches very useful for storage.
In reply to Tom F Harding:

Drop me a PM about Crux and Lightwave Tents.

If you want a tent to last a long time, go for one with Silcon Nylon Fly, rather than a coated fly.

I would always take a 3 person tent over a two person one, if I was going to live in it as a basecamp for weeks on end. Especially if that base camp was somewhere cold where lots of bulky down gear is required.




OP Tom F Harding 11 Apr 2017
Thanks Everyone for your input, it's been really helpful, definitely ruled a few options out so at least starting to get somewhere! I'm going to see if I can find somewhere that stocks a few so I can have a look. I like the idea of a large 3 man but wonder how much use it would get outside of expedition times. We are going to have a mess/cook tent in Kyrgyzstan so I need to factor that in as well.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...