Been getting all my research done and I think I've found a good double skin tent. https://www.millets.co.uk/tents-camping ... green.html

Anyone use one of these before?

Looking for something to fit me at 6ft 1 in!

Thanks!

Not used one, it's probably brilliant and not too heavy in the great scheme of things BUT it's far heavier than a shelter needs to be and will take up much more room. Have you considered something like a Lunar Solo? I'm John would show you his.

Have you looked at this selection? https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... -tents-c74, includes the Lunar Solo that Stu mentions. There's one person's thoughts and journey on going light at http://www.backpackingnorth.com/ultrali ... -overview/, it's backpacking rather than bikepacking but the principles are the same.

As with your sleeping bag question: light, compact, cheap - pick two It's a somewhat frustrating process as you won't know what you really want until you've bought several pieces of kit and discovered their weak points or those "features" that don't work for you. There's also a difference between summer and winter gear as well as depending on where you do most of your riding/camping, I'd use completely different kit for a winter trip in the northern hills and fells to a summer ride in gentler terrain.

Following Bob's link to ULOG, the SMD Skyscape might be worth a look. There's two versions, one lighter and one heavier. Both are very roomy and will feel more like a tent than a Lunar. Just remember that you'll need to add the cost of poles as they both come without.

Light: https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... ent-p10299

Heavier: https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... ent-p10300

For a 1 person tent my first thoughts are it’s too heavy, too small and too expensive for what it is.

I second a suggestion of a six moon designs Luna solo. And then a very nice carbon pole from bearbonesbikepacking shop.

I hadn't picked up on the size of the OP's suggestion - it's just 800mm high which is little more than the height of a kitchen worktop. Given the OP's height that's going to be awkward to sit up in. You also need to take in to account the space taken up by inflatable mats if you use one. We've a Terra Nova LaserComp and it's fine when using a Karrimat but with an Exped inflatable mat you are 80mm or so closer to the ceiling and it becomes even more claustrophobic.

I'm assuming that the OP is looking at double skin tents because of condensation issues. Condensation is only really a problem with single skin tents when you can't avoid brushing the tent material but single skin tents can have a bigger internal volume for the same or less weight precisely because they are single skin. Obvious when you think about it, a double skin tent is effectively two tents in one. The "semi-single" nature of designs like the Lunar Solo increase ventilation whilst also keeping bugs out. Looking at the design of the tent linked to by the OP there appears to be very little options to increase/adjust ventilation so I think it would be prone to condensation.

A while ago my wife and I were looking for a new 2 person tent to replace a Vango Spirit 200+ 2 man tent (no longer made but there are similar designs in the range), double skin but the tunnel design means it's very prone to condensation, and it weighs 3kg! The choice came down to an MSR Freelite or a Big Agnes Copper Spur. There was very little difference between them in terms of weight, etc. but the BA won out partly because it had an extra 60mm headroom. We'd the opportunity to check a friend's one person version of the MSR and even at 180cm (5' 11") I would touch the ceiling when sat up. We split the tent between us when riding, about 750g each (we've the optional footprint as well).

Edit: Just remembered about Trekkertent - Stealth One http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html is 570g (plus poles) and £180, there's one or two on here who have one.

Seems ok for me but you can get better for a cheaper price
as to how far you want to go on the reduce the weight of all your kit i am a bit MLEH on it as the best weight saving option I could do is to change the bike - probably cheaper as welll than getting all the lightest gear as well- so why worry about the extra 1/2 kg on it
I tend to be aware of weight without trying my utmost to reduce it to as little as possible,- that said my summer set up is a more than 1kg lighter than winter and i cannot say I notice it when riding the bike
YMMV

Seems ok for me but you can get better for a cheaper price
as to how far you want to go on the reduce the weight of all your kit i am a bit MLEH on it as the best weight saving option I could do is to change the bike - probably cheaper as welll than getting all the lightest gear as well- so why worry about the extra 1/2 kg on it
I tend to be aware of weight without trying my utmost to reduce it to as little as possible,- that said my summer set up is a more than 1kg lighter than winter and i cannot say I notice it when riding the bike
YMMV

If you want to save both money and weight ... just buy a tarp and stop being soft

almost evangelical there

If you want to save even more weight ... just use a bivvy bag and stop being an artisan

Hehe. Loving the replies. If I wasn't scared of forest monsters and mythical beasts coming to get me then I'd love to bivvy. Maybe when I'm more brave, happy to admit I'm not ready for bivvy yet.

I'll look into these suggestions tonight though. I was told a single skin tent isn't ideal, I did use JCs lunar solo which had to have the top and bottom guy ropes propped up by a 2ft stick from the woods floor to create a little extra length under JC instruction which worked really well, then I kicked the bottom one down mid way through the night by accident of course.

I love the pack of the Lunar solo, and the cheaper 150 quid one looks good too. Since I'm new to this I just want to get my choice right first time if possible. I don't want to buy a 50 quid tent to only spend 250 later on anyway.

"forest monsters and mythical beasts" - I shouldn't be replying on Stu's behalf but his usual wise response is: YOU are the monster in the forest so there's nowt to worry about

oooh I'm an artisan tarpist now am I . "made in a traditional or non-mechanized way using high-quality ingredients". Curiously I was contemplating taking my t**t this weekend - I know, I've mentioned the T word, nuffin to do with the rain but mainly because it's marginally easier to erect when I am in a potentially overly-refreshed situation..... luckily Stu reminded us of the DBS Rule above so I've snapped out of it.

RIP wrote:"YOU are the monster in the forest so there's nowt to worry about

.

Completely valid point!! Still would like a tent. For now. Someone recently gave me a bivvy bag too, so I guess I will....one day.

Absolutely 'Goat - what works best for you at the time is the thing to take. If you went with a tarp now there'd be no suffering to look forward to . You'll get used to (*) the ribaldry on Here .

(*) or run away screaming before that.... (**)

(**) Whatever DID happen to The Man From Towcester I wonder?

Actually, you're not the scariest thing in the woods ... it's possibly me but more likely Tony

I will just say that I can't quite understand the logic of a tent in these situations as a few metres of silnylon is unlikely to do much when faced with a large axe or very sharp knife ... the two things I believe most often carried by nutters who patrol the woods at night on the off chance of bumping into a lone bikepacker

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Actually, you're not the scariest thing in the woods ... it's possibly me but more likely Tony...

Only if the wood isn't flat

Greetz

S.

RIP wrote:
oooh I'm an artisan tarpist now am I . "made in a traditional or non-mechanized way using high-quality ingredients".

Indeed. I was thinking more "An artisan is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional... ", for example, someone with the ability to turn a rectangle of waterproof material into a myriad of different shaped shelters to cover every eventuality of weather (and beastly interuption...)

Speaking as a relative newbie I think the tent thing is because we're used to being closed in by 4 walls where as Stu says it offers no protection what so ever , the thing I like about a Bivi bag is when you've dossed down somewhere close to civilization it takes a lot more for you to be seen by anyone from a distance away than it does with a tent so in reality your less likely to get murdered

middleagedmadness wrote:...the thing I like about a Bivi bag is when you've dossed down somewhere close to civilization it takes a lot more for you to be seen by anyone from a distance away than it does with a tent so in reality your less likely to get murdered

I know someone who was run over in a bivvy bag once! It was at a 4-wheel-drive trials event and he'd bedded down in a field of longish grass in an ex-army cammo bag. Luckily he was relatively un-injured!

Love the stories that crop up in This Place . Blimey. "relatively" - what? relative to being, say, run over by a Challenger tank?!

I had a close shave under a tarp in a field too. Blinkin' farmers think they have a right to drive tractors all over their(*) land!

(*) don't start me off again .

psling wrote:

middleagedmadness wrote:...the thing I like about a Bivi bag is when you've dossed down somewhere close to civilization it takes a lot more for you to be seen by anyone from a distance away than it does with a tent so in reality your less likely to get murdered

I know someone who was run over in a bivvy bag once! It was at a 4-wheel-drive trials event and he'd bedded down in a field of longish grass in an ex-army cammo bag. Luckily he was relatively un-injured!

Ah Jesus you'll put the poor fella off all together , murdered by axe (or knife) in tent ,run over in Bivi bag or as Stu ,Scott or Mike will tell you held under siege by shotgun wielding banjo playing country folk when having a kip in a empty house

*sells what bikepacking stuff he has*

...read any good books lately?

If you can wait till apparently next month when it's released, the new Tarptent Aeon Li
Looks like it could tick a lot of boxes, seems to be like an SmD solo with improvements
Edit..escape goat, apparently the Aeon is for tall users too...

Fat tyre kicker wrote:If you can wait till apparently next month when it's released, the new Tarptent Aeon Li
Looks like it could tick a lot of boxes, seems to be like an SmD solo with improvements

It looks great but I'm not convinced that the Aeon Li has sufficient venting for some of the conditions I've camped in.

Fat tyre kicker wrote:If you can wait till apparently next month when it's released, the new Tarptent Aeon Li
Looks like it could tick a lot of boxes, seems to be like an SmD solo with improvements
Edit..escape goat, apparently the Aeon is for tall users too...

Just seen that. Fits up to 7ft, is there going to be no UK supplier?