UKH

Hi!

I'm after a new 2 person backpacking tent. The basic use cases are me and my girlfriend trogging across bits of the highlands, possibly in winter, and possibly also one of us being on a car camping trip without the other and not wanting a gratuitously huge tent that fills up loads of boot space and takes ages to pitch.

Hence, while there's obviously a trade-off between a lot of this stuff, our requirements are probably:
* big enough to be spacious for 1 person and cosy for two
* solid enough to survive reasonably rough conditions (but not necessarily Cairngorm plateau in a hoolie or the South Col or anything like that) and also not fall apart after three outings
* preferably usable in the snow in a pinch
* as light as possible (ideally less than 2kg)
* as cheap as possible (definitely under £400, preferably closer to £200)
* preferably have a porch that you can cook in (with the door open, obvs).
* preferably not too much of a faff to pitch.

Stuff I've looked at so far includes Wild Country Zephyros 2, MSR Hubba Hubba XN, Alpkit Ordos 2, Mountain Hardwear Hylo2, Vango F10 Helium 2...

Any thoughts or suggestions from the resident tent gurus?

Thanks!

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I do have the MSR Hubba Hubba and have been quite impressed with it. Just under 2kg I think, have used it quite a few times. A slight drawback is that the fly sheet doesnt come down quite as low as you would like (2 or 3" above ground). It does have tensioner straps to get it as low as pos.
Easy to pitch and free standing. Pitches inner first but it is poss to pitch it outer first if its wet. Pretty pleased with it overall - got the footprint to go with it too (groundsheet should last longer).

Steve

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Zephros 2 is pretty good, Light, low profile, quick pitch, but very very cosy. If one of you is skinny, and neither of you carry mahoosive rucksacks it will suffice.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

There a sale on at Terra Nova. If you can live with a second hand tent, you'll have £100+ of your budget to spend in the pub. But, you'd probably have to fight the hoards from here. You know what climbers are like, cheapskates the lot of 'em.

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/sale/tent-sale/

In reply to steveb2006:


We've got one and are big fans. I wasn't confident of it withstanding much wind but it's been pretty good, though it hasn't been subjected to the full Glencoe yet.

OP, it ticks your boxes if you don't want to take out a second mortgage on a Hilleberg.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I have the Hubba Hubba and it's first outing was in 40+mph winds in a snowstorm. It held up amazingly well and was easy enough to put up without being able to see my hands!
I do get ripped into by other outdoor geeks (colleagues) though as its not "waterproof". HH is 1200mm and legally to be waterproof it should be 1500mm. It holds water off just fine though.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Second hand Hilleberg Nallo .......

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I have had a Zephyros 2 for a few years. The pole snapped after light use, and Wild Country quoted an extortionate amount for replacement. I will not be replacing it with another Wild Country tent.

In reply to Piskobrod: > I have had a Zephyros 2 for a few years. The pole snapped after light use, and Wild Country quoted an extortionate amount for replacement. I will not be replacing it with another Wild Country tent.
-A statement uttered by many over the years.

In reply to Ramblin dave:
Haven't used it myself, but was very impressed with a mate's Ordos 3. Quality excellent, space to weight ratio amazing. I'm also a fan of a free-standing design like this, as I sometimes camp places with poor pegging options. The 3 is ample for two of them and the dog, but would be tight or 3 adults as porch storage would be tight for 3 packs. I therefore suspect the Ordos 2 would be only just OK for two adults and kit, but the 3 is so light for its size I'd probably plump for that anyway!

I have a Hubba Hubba "copy" from Luxe Outdoor, also good quality. The design is excellent from a space/usability/weight point of view, but I agree with comments about a slightly too short flysheet. In high winds, I'd want more guy points, though mine did survive Storm Desmond halfway up the Brecon Beacons on a night I got knocked over with a backpack on during the walk in. Survived being blown inside out on top of me, though one pole was bent. I have no idea why we didn't turn back and camp at the bottom, seemed like fun at the time...

My mate used a Zephros 1 that same night, with no problems at all. Even got at least 10 minutes more sleep than I did. Which means 10 minutes sleep.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

The suggestions for the Hubba Hubba surely haven’t read that you’ll be using it in winter... mesh inner doesn’t really help that. Drafty and cold.

I have a F10 Xenon 2 UL... absolutely brilliant tent, and weighs next to nothing.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Terra Nova Southern Cross

In reply to martinturner:

The NX verson of the Hubba Hubba does have a lot of mesh on the inner (making this version even lighter - but as you say potentially draughty) , but the HP version which I have does not have a mesh inner.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I have the Zephyros 2 and do like it. Light at 1.8kgs and if you split the poles / flysheet between two then that's hardly noticeable. It pitches quickly (fly and ground together) under 5 mins once you get the knack and is reasonably solid/waterproof. Definitely cosy for two though I would say .

The only negative against your list is the 'porch' as it is little more than a small gap between inner and outer and wouldn't be great for cooking unless at a push. I don't think you would want to be using it to cook in rainy conditions as wind could carry water straight into the tent (though there are openings are on either side of the tent so you can use the side with best shelter).

You will get more features, lighter, better weather resistance elsewhere but for me the Zephyros 2 ticks a lot of boxes without going mad on the budget.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Thanks for all the advice - that's certainly plenty to think about! I hadn't really thought about the mesh vs more solid inners, although winter wildcamping is probably going to be the minority of the use, so in a pinch we can just sleep in belay jackets and balaclavas...

Final question - are there any obvious options that I've missed? I'd looked at the Big Agnes Seedhouse, on the grounds that I like the idea of being one of those people who bore on about how great their Big Agnes tent is, but looking at (eg) the 1500mm hydrostatic head on the groundsheet, I'm guessing that they're optimized for a somewhat drier climate than we get in the UK...

In reply to Ramblin dave:

my vote is for the MSR Hubba Hubba NX!

I Have 2, one in green and one in white, the green keeps the light out better for sure!

Also my white one had a 13 stone drunk mate belly flop it, granted it broke a pole and put a 1 inch tear in the fly, it still stood up and kept me dry in reasonable winds and rain! and after a patch is perfectly fit for use!

Plus, its hard to go wrong with anything MSR!

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Had a similar list when needing a new tent the other month, replaced my TNF Tadpole which has been amazing with a Force Ten Xenon UL, and after several trips now it has been absolutely fantastic. Spacious, light, easy/quick pitching, I have swapped the bag for a 5 litre dry-bag and save even more pack space.

James

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I've had a Zephyros 2 for several years, no problems with durability or poles, copes well all conditions. However, I mostly use it solo and there wouldn't be much space for packs/cooking if there were two of you inside.

Saying that it is ridiculously cheap for the weight...