Reviewing the Big Three - Part 3 The Shelter

One of the heaviest items in any hiker's repertoire is their shelter.

As a general rule,  the lightest shelters available are tarps whilst tents are heavier and take up more pack space. I did plenty of bivouacking with tarps and ground sheets as a teenager but my personal preference does not include sacrificing an enclosed shelter for space and weight savings so I will be discussing single and double walled three season tents only.

Now I rarely share my tent. Hiking with family or close friends, I might be persuaded to split the space to share the weight, but generally I hike with people outside that circle. Therefore, I must bear the weight of my shelter solo.

I own a Tarptent Double Rainbow. Unlike my sleeping bag, I agonised over its selection. The advice gleaned from OutdoorGearLab was largely responsible for my choosing this tent over the many others of more mainstream and mass produced tents and I feel that its review is highly reflective of the product's capabilities

Tarptent Double Rainbow:

The Double Rainbow is, in my very biased opinion, is an aesthetically attractive tent. It just looks so good pegged out in the field or bush.

At 1250 grams, it is a two person tent. It is prone to condensation, as is common for single walled tents. The optional breathable liner (which weighs an additional 110 grams) does mitigate this somewhat but not entirely. Running an absorbant pack towel over the silnylon interior helps to dry it off. So too does pegging it with maximum ventilation and it is capable of good ventilation as there are wide swatches of noseeum mesh across both side entries. Although the breathable liner does make it inconvenient to quickly wipe condensation away as you either have to fasten it whole or in part, or try to work around the fasteners.

The Double Rainbow is not snow rated and I have never taken it out in anything more than rain and wind. It handled both quite well on the 3-4 night trips for which I have used it.

A 1350 gram two person tent (including breathable liner) is by my estimation hardly a heavy tent even when it is used solo as mine is. There are many ultralight advertised tents that weigh similar or more for less space.

Tarptent is a small American company established in 1999. It has three sub-800 gram configurations requiring one or two walking poles for support.

The Tarptent Moment DW is a single person, double wall tent that is advertised as weighing only 960 grams and requires only two stakes. Exchanging the noseeum mesh for solid mesh increases the weight to 1020 grams. The tent is also freestanding and snow loading capable with the optional 200 gram crossing pole.

Tarptent Moment DW:

However for US$295 plus shipping, this is at most 350 grams less than the Double Rainbow (including breathable liner). For an extra UD $95 I can get both the no-see-um inner and solid inner to substitute depending on whether it will be cold and windy.

The newly released model, the Protrail, has a similar construction to the very tried and tested Contrail, and requires a walking pole support at its A-frame entry. It requires either an additional pole or optional 24 inch (61cm) pole at the rear A-frame which gives it a more 'stormproof' configuration. I understand it to be a 'performance revision' of the Contrail with the same US $209 price tag. It is advertised at 740 grams (excluding walking pole or additional pole weight.)

Tarptent Protrail:

This is a visually appealing tent with a huge weight saving but I am concerned about the cold, condensation and being flattened in an unexpected storm. It also takes a little skill to erect.

Yama Mountain Gear's Cirriform single person models are similar in structure to the Protrail but with the option of selecting a single or double wall, and cuben fibre or silnylon for the fly and/or tent floor. Cirriform DW would address my concerns regarding the cold and condensation as it has a net fly. Selecting the 0.5 cuben fibre fly, silnylon floor tent with rear pole and all guy lines and tent pegs would provide a significant saving as it weighs between 650-700 grams.

Yama Mountain Gear's Cirriform DW:

However that saving would be at US $432.54 plus shipping, double that of the Protrail. It has less venting than the Protrail and reviews are mixed as to its quality.

Z-Packs are also know for their ultralight cuben fiber tents. The Hexamid Solplex is a 1 person, two walking pole configuration that weighs only 459 grams for US $535.  The Hexamid Altaplex is a more recent model that is taller, requires only one walking pole and weighs 536 grams for US $565. Both tents have the option of 0.51 oz/sqyrd or the heavier (and more durable) 0.74 oz/sqyrd cuben fiber. Poles are available for them instead of waking pole use

Z-Packs Hexamid Altaplex:

The Protrail and Cirriform have similar structure that are designed to have at least one walking pole and a small rear pole. The Altaplex also requires one while the Solplex requires two. I only rarely hike with a walking pole and usually only one at that. The weight savings associated with these designs would be partially lost again on carrying a walking pole when usually I carry none. 

Moving back away from walking pole supported lightweight tents is the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1P l. This double walled tent is advertised as having a trail weight (poles, fly and tent body) of 482 grams and packed weight (trail weight plus stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, instructions and packaging) of 936 grams. Assuming this places the actual weight at around 800 grams, this would weigh approximately 550 grams less than my Double Rainbow.

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1P:

Reviews of the Fly Creek, however, indicate that while freestanding, it does not withstand wind particularly well and rain will enter the tent upon egress through a front only entry. In fine weather, it would be a shelter of considerable weight saving but at a RRP AUD$419.95 does not appear to be suitable for trips expecting more inclement weather.

I am still considering my options for downsizing my current shelter configuration. My tent is not particularly heavy but there is room for improvement. While I certainly am curious about the cuben fiber tents, they are expensive and not always particularly easy to pitch.  Alternatively, the easier to pitch Moment DW does not offer much weight saving nor does the lighter Fly Creek tent offer much stability.

I am not satisfied that the weight savings to be gained from the any of the designs above necessarily justify the investment at this time. I will persevere with my Tarptent Double Rainbow for the time being until I can find a tent more befitting my needs.