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my experiance with an unbranded military surplus bivvy was mixed. some nights i was really cold, others fine. the main problem was waking up drenched in my own sweat, on top a days worth of cycling funk. i always felt disgusting in the morning and i had to throw the sleeping bag after each tour. lucky most of my tours were by the sea so i could have an early swim/wash.
i probably wouldnt bother with the bivvy again, but then again i cant see myself going on another solitary camping tour. if i go on another tour im gonna go with other people and share the burdon of a much bigger tent. if i do go on my own im taking the credit card.
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What's the difference between a tarptent and a tent?
They all look just like tents to me?Tarptents are single-layer. Which means that there's about half as much cloth to carry around.
The downside is that they're more prone to condensation, which means they need to be more ventilated, which means they're colder.
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The difference between a bivvy and even a very small, single-skin tent is immense, because you're not in contact with the fabric (other than groundsheet) in a tent. Much more restful, as you don't get soaked in condensation.
Looking at the reviews of the Gelert and lanterne's experience, it seems I was lucky with mine. OTOH, the only real problem reported seems to be the poles - I'd be inclined to just bring some gaffa tape with me as the tent itself is reported to be dandy and there's nothing to touch it for anywhere near the same price.
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OTOH, the only real problem reported seems to be the poles.
Racist
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The difference between a bivvy and even a very small, single-skin tent is immense, because you're not in contact with the fabric (other than groundsheet) in a tent. Much more restful, as you don't get soaked in condensation.
.Better comfort but barley any extra space for cooking sitting up e.t.c That was what I was referring to. Sorry to be unclear.
Looking at the reviews of the Gelert and lanterne's experience, it seems I was lucky with mine. OTOH, the only real problem reported seems to be the poles - I'd be inclined to just bring some gaffa tape with me as the tent itself is reported to be dandy and there's nothing to touch it for anywhere near the same price.
B&q sell some alu tubing that I've looked at for potential tent pole replacement should a section snap on the tent I use with my girlfriend. Not certain it's correct but a bit of checking and you may be able to repalce you fire glass poles with some alu ones using this.
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CHeck out Coleman for a fair priced tent. Nicely made and good pole structures.
If you are feeling flush, I had a North Face Sunburst, a few years back now, still going strong and packs incredibly small for the space it provided. Probably not called that now but there will be something else.
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re: tarps. Tommy, as stated l think they're too much of a compromise for UK climate. If l was somewhere less rainy/windy l would likely be more inclined to a tarp. you really need to keep an eye on the weather and ground water! our climate is just too irrational. thats not to say folk don't prefer em, l've seen them on OMMs, 3peak challenges but it looked grim. comfort isn't about HTFU. after a days exertions l want to get out of bad weather, be able to sit up, stretch, change out of wet clothing, sort out rucksack/panniers, write, map read, cook, sleep well, cuddle your partner, do bike maintenance if the weather is atrocious and you cant be arsed going anyway, whatever.
tarping grew out of the USA weight-weenie crowd but tents have come a long way, matching the weights of tarping but with all the benefits of tents
when you add up the weight of tarp, bivi, poles, net, guylines+stakes, thicker mats/warmer sleeping bag, extra clothing, its close if not heavier than a sub-1kg tent, eg, laser comp or contrail.re: gelert.
wild camping and cycle touring is something l do a fair bit of so like gear that suits my needs, terrain, durable and light, etc. My experience with this tent stems from a mates's exp and horror stories on the trail. as with anything, manufacturers specs can be misleading but l doubt their hydrostatic head, seam and stitching claims, fabric durability, etc, match the similar claims of a higher quality manufacturer. the poles are sh*te, poor design, the usable dimensions are cramped, exacerbated by the fly taper, no headroom, the acute angle of the fly makes the porch space next to useless, poor ventilation, bad condensation. if it worked for steff, then all power to him/her. granted my tent cost 10x but l would say its infinitely better - even the original vango you fancied is a massive change from this! like l said, pop into an outdoor shop and compare it to a midrange tent like a mountain hardware or vaude and feel the difference.IMHO, it would be a serious mistake to use this tent touring, eg. scotland or above tree line, ok for nice summer days by the lake like the one pictured in the above posted review.
ives, from your update, campsites are generally found on lower ground and sheltered so the gelert might suit you fine. however, l would still get the vango!
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A second shout for Golite. I used a Hex 3 a few years ago. Great space for such a small package, plenty of room for two and lots of headroom. Quite pricey though.
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re: tarps. Tommy, as stated l think they're too much of a compromise for UK climate. If l was somewhere less rainy/windy l would likely be more inclined to a tarp. you really need to keep an eye on the weather and ground water! our climate is just too irrational. thats not to say folk don't prefer em, l've seen them on OMMs, 3peak challenges but it looked grim. comfort isn't about HTFU. after a days exertions l want to get out of bad weather, be able to sit up, stretch, change out of wet clothing, sort out rucksack/panniers, write, map read, cook, sleep well, cuddle your partner, do bike maintenance if the weather is atrocious and you cant be arsed going anyway, whatever.
tarping grew out of the USA weight-weenie crowd but tents have come a long way, matching the weights of tarping but with all the benefits of tents
when you add up the weight of tarp, bivi, poles, net, guylines+stakes, thicker mats/warmer sleeping bag, extra clothing, its close if not heavier than a sub-1kg tent, eg, laser comp or contrail.re: gelert.
wild camping and cycle touring is something l do a fair bit of so like gear that suits my needs, terrain, durable and light, etc. My experience with this tent stems from a mates's exp and horror stories on the trail. as with anything, manufacturers specs can be misleading but l doubt their hydrostatic head, seam and stitching claims, fabric durability, etc, match the similar claims of a higher quality manufacturer. the poles are sh*te, poor design, the usable dimensions are cramped, exacerbated by the fly taper, no headroom, the acute angle of the fly makes the porch space next to useless, poor ventilation, bad condensation. if it worked for steff, then all power to him/her. granted my tent cost 10x but l would say its infinitely better - even the original vango you fancied is a massive change from this! like l said, pop into an outdoor shop and compare it to a midrange tent like a mountain hardware or vaude and feel the difference.IMHO, it would be a serious mistake to use this tent touring, eg. scotland or above tree line, ok for nice summer days by the lake like the one pictured in the above posted review.
ives, from your update, campsites are generally found on lower ground and sheltered so the gelert might suit you fine. however, l would still get the vango!
thznks for that.
Maybe I will go for the Vango then -
if you were touring by bicycle would it be a good idea to bring your bike inside the tent for security? would this then require a massive tent? are there tents specifically designed for cycle touring?
yes, there are! they range from the single berth one Nhattack posted to offerings by established manufacturers like MSR, or Wild Country, a sub-division of T-N.
I like to wild/stealth camp. when in urban areas or s24o's, l cover the bike in a tarp. if really dodgy area, l can just manage to fit the bike in but have to take both wheels of. in another thread, theres a motorbike disc lock with a motion alarm which l might try in future.
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re: tarps. Tommy, as stated l think they're too much of a compromise for UK climate. If l was somewhere less rainy/windy l would likely be more inclined to a tarp. you really need to keep an eye on the weather and ground water! our climate is just too irrational. thats not to say folk don't prefer em, l've seen them on OMMs, 3peak challenges but it looked grim. comfort isn't about HTFU. after a days exertions l want to get out of bad weather, be able to sit up, stretch, change out of wet clothing, sort out rucksack/panniers, write, map read, cook, sleep well, cuddle your partner, do bike maintenance if the weather is atrocious and you cant be arsed going anyway, whatever.
Wet ground was my biggest fear. I have a good tent for two but am just investigating one person shelters hence the research. The light weight tents may be as light as a trap set up but they are very expensive.
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wild camping and cycle touring is something l do a fair bit of so like gear that suits my needs, terrain, durable and light, etc. My experience with this tent stems from a mates's exp and horror stories on the trail. as with anything, manufacturers specs can be misleading but l doubt their hydrostatic head, seam and stitching claims, fabric durability, etc, match the similar claims of a higher quality manufacturer. the poles are sh*te, poor design, the usable dimensions are cramped, exacerbated by the fly taper, no headroom, the acute angle of the fly makes the porch space next to useless, poor ventilation, bad condensation. if it worked for steff, then all power to him/her. granted my tent cost 10x but l would say its infinitely better - even the original vango you fancied is a massive change from this! like l said, pop into an outdoor shop and compare it to a midrange tent like a mountain hardware or vaude and feel the difference.
IMHO, it would be a serious mistake to use this tent touring, eg. scotland or above tree line, ok for nice summer days by the lake like the one pictured in the above posted review.
As I think I mentioned earlier, my experience was with the old design, which was even cruder - single-skin and porchless in fact. Ventilation wasn't too much of a problem and neither was waterproofing, despite a proper Snowdonian cloudburst or two.
Absolutely agreed about the porch space on the new version, but I'm generally in the middle of nowhere, so happy to leave the bergen covered in a waterproof cover outside and treat the tent as a much more comfortable and very cheap bivvy. In general, I'd say it's often worth buying an el-cheapo version of something first simply because it's much easier to decide which design features you care about once you've actually used something of the same general sort a bit.
My Solo was given away a couple of years ago when I moved house, otherwise I'd have offered it to the OP as a freebie. If I were buying again, I might well get something posher.
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^ http://www.tarptent.com/scarp1.html this one? Looks interesting
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Yeah thats it. I'm part of an American backpacking website, backpackinglight.com, where is literally leading the way in terms of technique and findin the best kit in the world. Imight transfer a bit of the product knowledge over on to this website for the tourers sometimes, like the best stoves (and those that give off the least c02 etc) - its excellent, and on the site the tarptents get universal praise.
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looks nice these! Can't find the models you mention though, maybe they've changed name? (or I'm blind, happens a lot). If you got a sec you mind pointing out which one it is you got?
Hiya, yep they're good fun - recently had a go on a fixed cycle/climbing tour around dartmoor. Less than 5 minutes from it being inside my backpack to fully erected with groundsheet and me lying inside it -all at night without needing a torch..
It's the Varrie tent kåta according to this website.
melon
mr_tom
Steff
!Nhattattack!
TheBrick(Tommy)
velodrama.co.uk
EB
la_lanterne_rouge
Bobby_Dids
cyclopath
koks
kboy
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Lightweight tent recommendations?
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Why are you so against traps la lanterne rouge?
I've been looking at ways of reducing my load and short of spending big money (150+) on a very small light weight tent I'm struggling. Most of these light weight tents also seems so small they are no better than a bivi but heavier and more expensive. I have not bought a light weight tarp yet but have done some practice pitches with a cheap trap the same size as a light weight one to try out some diffrent systems and it looks promising, add a mosquito net for a midgy area. No field test yet so I can't comment on real world purformance. I'm still undecided though so would like to hear your opinion. (3 season camping mainly)