budget lightweight tent question

[gairym]

afternoon all,

(apologies for pretty much copying/pasting my previous post but it said what needed to be said and so why change a winning formula???)

i'm looking to get a new tent for bikepacking and i've found two which look to fit my needs and was wondering if anyone on here has any experience of either/both and, if so, are they any good???

they are:

1. Coleman Rigel X2 - (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coleman-Rigel-T ... 35&sr=1-13)

2. Gelert Solo - (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00322QRQE/r ... B00322QRQE)

surely the Gelert is too cheap to be ant good?

any thoughts....?

is there anything else out there that i've overlooked?

cheers for any input, gairy.

[griffdowg]

Just note that the coleman is single skin so just like using a bivi. You will get condensation. Nice and light though. That Gelert one looks ok for the money.

Tents are an offset between space and weight (then price!)

someone more experienced will be along shortly with the merits of a tarp and bivi bag

G

[Bearbonesnorm]

Ah tents great :D

The Gelerts aren't a bad tent. The weak point is the fibre poles which have been known to break but you can buy a 'make your own alloy poles' kit from Vango for about £20. You won't be able to sit up in either tent which may be a concern and as griffdowg says the Coleman is single skin so expect condensation.

Take a look at Vangos range of tents, something like a Banshee 200 can be had for just over £60 if you shop around ... or just buy a tarp and do it properly

[Pawel]

I'm using ferrino nemesi 1 http://www.ferrino.it/en/homepage/produ ... si_1_ss12_

it weight 1493g without repeiring kit and compresion sack

[Bearbonesnorm]

If I were after a budget solo tent then I'd spend my cash on this.

http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-x- ... ent-783203

[gairym]

thanks for getting back to me so fast fellas.

re: the Gelert/Poles issue - Do you think they'd be worth replacing before i even use the thing (i.e. do you think they're likely to go within 10 days of everyday use)?

re: condensation - i've never used a single-skin tent (only ever a regular double-skin or my hammock/tarp combo) and so don't know what to expect. would it be really bad or just a little damp come morning?

re: sitting-up - yeah, i'm 6' 2" and so am pretty much resigned to the fact that i'll never fit comfortably into any portable housing system!

re: tarp/'doing it properly' - the reason i'm not considering more seriously the idea of a bivi bag and tarp is that by the time you combine the weights of the two things (around 500g for a bivi bag and my 3m x 3m DD-Tarp is 700g) needed i'll be carrying as much weight as carrying a tent (if not more - depending on which tent i choose) without all the benefits of a tent - no?

i appreciate the minimalist hardcore-ness of the bivi/tarp approach and am more than happy for you to have a go at convincing me that it's the way forward as i'm open to the idea but just need convincing of it's practical merits.

re: Ferrino tent - yeah, it looks real nice but it's the price of the lightest tent i was considering and the weight of the heaviest (if weight were not such an issue i think it'd be a great choice).

re: Karrimor tent - again, looks like it's much better built than the Gelert but it's a fair bit more weight than both of the tents i was looking at

crap.....now i'm just confused!

i'll think i'll wait until i hear what there is to be said in support of the bivi/tarp route before i do any more thinking on this one.

cheers all, gairy.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I know the Gelert has had a redesign over the last 18 months or so, maybe that included doing something about the pole issues. I don't think it's a case of everyone breaking, just the odd one.

Anyway you don't need a tent, you already have a tarp It's surprising what you can get a 3m x 3m tarp to do with a single pole and some practice ... a shelter with groundsheet and door isn't out of the question.

Condensation will depend largely on weather conditions, a still, cool night will allow much more to develop than a warm breezy night. Also the surface area of your shelter will have an effect, the smaller it is, the less chance water vapour will have to escape ... ventilation is key really, sleep with the doors open and open any vents, cook outside, try not to breath and you might just not drown

[gairym]

s8tannorm,

ok, i've been doing some reading (including the howies short ride article) and i'm up for thinking more about the bivi/tarp combo option.....

let's say i go down this road - do you think something like the alpkit hunka xl (i'm a tall fella) would be adequate for my alpine needs???

i've read a few reviews which badmouth many of the cheaper (lighter) bivi bags saying that none of them are truly waterproof/breathable (which isn't confidence inspiring) but used in combination with my tarp it shouldn't be an issue.

do you happen to have any links which show possible tarp origami ideas?

gairy.

[Matt]

Night 1 ( I had the Bivi )


South Downs Way short ride Feb 2010 by fantasticmrmatt, on Flickr

Night 2 (well morning after night 2) Gelert Solo was dead


South Downs Way short ride Feb 2010 by fantasticmrmatt, on Flickr

To be fair to the tent, it didn't break of it's own accord. Just obviously not that robust.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Gairy - I've no experience of kipping in a Hunka but lots of folk here have. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them. I've yet to find any bivvy bag that won't produce a little condensation inside if the conditions are right ... that includes eVent and Goretex bags too.

I'll do some sketches of a few different folds and post them up. To keep you thinking here's a pic of a DD 3m x 3m tarp.

[Bigface0_0]

Here's my gelert Solo.

Its Small inside but not great if it was raining hard as I dont think i could change clothes in it...

Gelert solo by Smanley2009, on Flickr


Gelert solo by Smanley2009, on Flickr

No comments about my Mates Terra Nova, It was dark and very late when we arrived and it was his first time pitch

Wild Camp by Smanley2009, on Flickr

[Anthony]

That is a shocking pitch!

[gairym]

i appear to have gone a bit mental today!

this morning i ordered a shiny new sleeping bag and now, not only have i bought a new piece of kit, but i've also committed myself to doing my 10 day TransAlp solo bikepacking trip using a Bivi/Tarp combination!!!

(i went for the alpkit hunka xl)

i did a lot of reading and decided (after finding my information saturation point) that if i'm supposedly tough enough to take on that kind of challenge then the least i can do is man-up and do it properly sleeping under a tarp!

s8tannorm, those sketches would be great and that photo looks perfect. i need to do a lot of test trips (weak excuse to get out lots) and try out a few different possibilities.

cheers all for your input.

gairy.

p.s. i'm coming over to good old blighty in late april (for the Dyfi Enduro) and so if anyone fancies a 1-2 day jaunt in wales around those dates then i'd be well up for meeting some like-minded folks and seeing how others do things, share some stupid stories and general have a laugh - will post about the possibility nearer the time.

[royAB]

Have used the Gelert one in wind & rain. Getting in and out is a bit of a hassle and the stuff sac is on the tight side, but other than that a bargain!