School me on tents

I'm going to be doing some motorcycle touring/camping this summer. I need a small, packable, quality tent. There are so many choices my tiny brain is spinning.

Need some do's and donts, recommended brands, retailers, sizes, etc etc.

 

Get one you can stand up in. You'll thank me later!

 

I've got one I can stand up in... It's huge! I need something that will roll up to around the size of a small sleeping bag.

 

This is what I'm going to next:
http://shop.redverz.com/tents/the-series-ii-expedition-tent-yellow/

I should have it before this falls planned trip. Pricey, but it looks like it cures a lot of the tent illls I've had.

I currently use one of a couple different REI ones I have used for regular camping. I'm to the point where being able to stand up is worth the little bit of extra weight.

It's not free standing if that makes a big difference to you.

 

Do you have an REI near you? REI will let you setup anything they have in the store to 'demo'.

I would look for something free standing, it is nice to set it up then reposition it for best placement.
I am not sure what they are classifying as a 'man' these days in tent sizes, but I would get a tent with 2X the men rating as number of people you are expecting to use, so if a 2 people are using get a 4 man.

I have a Big Agnes 4 man that I like, have had it for 4? years. If I had to buy a new tent today, I would look at the REI half/quarter dome tents.

 

I used a Kelty tent for about 2 years worth of racing/track-days after having tried several other brands. I still have it, but I bought a trailer to sleep in now with A/C & heat. I found them to be the best cross of cost vs. quality. It kept me and the wife dry through crazy Florida storms at Jennings.

 

Free standing and twice as big as how many people it's rated for (like LabRat mentioned). If you want all out no weight and minimal foot print get a bivy sack.

 

Check out a site called steepandcheap.com. Great deals to be had on quality gear.

I bought an Alps Mountaineering tent that has been fantastic. Also the boys over at the ADV forum have lots of threads on this and they're pretty hardcore.

Best advice I've read is to get a two man if you are using it yourself and a 3 man for two people. The weight difference is negligible and you'll be happy with the bit of extra room.

 

Yeah pretty much everyone I've asked has said get a 2 man (it'll just be me in there). I've been looking at those REI half domes, they look nice and the price isn't terrible.

Sprinky - holy shit, that's a tent!

 

I have one that I can stand up in that packs smaller than my small sleeping bag. Check again, you'll find one to fit your needs.

 

I've got two mans, three mans, and ultra light solo tents. If I'm riding all day long, I want to live in luxury. I'm done sleeping in glorified caccoons.

 

i sleep in an MSR Hubba Hubba NX with my gf every trackday and race weekend. it was expensive but worth it IMO. our old BigAgnes Fairview2 lasted for about 6yrs with consistent use in all conditions. the vestibule zipper failed, i was tired of not having 2 doors, and the new one feel larger. both of those tents pack to about 6" diameter x 18" long and weigh under 4lbs.

a few important things about tents and camping at the track
- make sure u have a door where u dont have to climb over another person
- newer tents have extra poles to improve headroom, they make a tent feel a lot larger
- a good sleeping pad is way more important for comfort than a good tent

 

I bought a half dome for my trip to Alaska last year. Worked great, plenty of room for me and all my stuff.

 

Get one of those tow behind camper things

 

Same with me. I've prolly got 10 high end tents. Bibler, Integral Designs, Black Diamond, TNF, Seirra Designs(SD), Marmot, etc. A good 1 man, altho small, can still be ok. I used the SD Light Years for yrs and was plenty happy. Still have it. 19sqr foot.

A typical 2 man backpacking/mtneering tent runs around 28-34sqr foot. Yes, if your tent bound(bad weather), a larger 2 man is the thing to have. Easier to change, cook, etc. But it also is heavier and bulkier. So its a trade off.

Heres the SD Light Year at 19 sqr foot of space. A very typical 2.5ish lbs. I could sit up in a light weight camp chair, but thats it. The tent has been disc I thing, but you get the idea. This 2 pole hoop design is very common. Not my pics.

With the rain fly. It has a small vestibule that I've cooked in But ya gotta be careful.


This is what replaced it. Side entrance.
http://www.rei.com/product/865167/sierra-designs-flashlight-1-tent#descriptionTab

A quick search at REI under "backpacking tents" give one about 9 pages of tents. Being a great list of examples where one can compared features, etc.

http://www.rei.com/search.html?ir=q...y:camping-and-hiking|tents&q=backpacking+tent

Having said that, over the last few yrs, theres a been some great advances regarding ultra light shelters(yes weight isn't quit as important on a bike as backpacking, but that AND bulk IS). The use if Silnylon (super thin) has just about cut the weight and bulk by a 3rd or more. Somewhat less durable, but plenty fine if you take care of it.

Free standing do have their advantages. But they are also typically heavier and bulkier when packed up.

Some of the best ultra light tents use ones trekking poles for support, instead of having reg dedicated tent poles. So those are out. I have 3 of those from Black Diamond.

 

I've owned a 2 man REI tent since mid 90's with dozens if not hundreds of nights in it. All conditions. Still going strong. Be sure to keep a tarp underneath to keep you dry and cut down on wear. And as someone said, a good sleeping pad.

 

Yeah. A good light weight ground cloth(that window insulating stuff is super light, packs very small, but very durable). The floor of a given tent will see most of the day to day wear. More abrasion then anything. Especially at the door area. A ground cloth will extent its life 10 fold. A decent light weight sleep pad is a must(inflatable..-super light-packs crazy small-expensive. Closed foam..-super light-packs huge-cheap).

 

Any good quality 2-man should work fine. Mine is basically 5x8 with an outdoor vestibule for shoes and other muddy gear.

Fits 2 people who really like each other, or just me, and ALL my stuff.

 

REI is always a safe bet. they have many brands, if you are a member (do it if you are planning on doing anything outdoors) you get back about 10% on any regular priced item in dividend at the end of the year.

the REI brand stuff is the best bang for the buck. not the lightest, smallest, but great value. plus if you have any problems on the road there are lots of REIs around to trade it out or "upgrade".

where are you going and how light/compact do you want? i have a bunch of four season camping gear and it's great but bulky on a bike. In the last year I've updated all of my camping gear for dual sport use. I pretty much love my current setup. My main concern was volume as I don't care about weight, but space was a premium on a DS bike. I didn't want side panniers or anything (they suck in the woods). I use a large dry bag strapped to the back rack on my bike and can fit a weekends worth of stuff no problem. I ride where there are trees so I am fine with my setup (hammock), but if you are going west where there aren't trees you might get a small tent. And you may have more room on your bike for bigger tents?

I went with a super light hammock/rain fly for my shelter. it's great. packs to the size of a 1 liter bottle, weights nothing, and is very comfortable for sleeping. Two layers on the bottom so you can fit the sleeping pad between the layers (for warmth and comfort) and waterproof in the storms I've camped in. I may get a larger tarp to provide more coverage for cooking/hanging out if the weather is bad.

my current setup:
Warbonnet Blackbird 1.1 DL hammock
Warbonnet Edge 1.1 tarp
thermarest NeoAir All Season sleeping bad
north face golden kazoo summer bag (or mamot Aiguille bag if it's really cold)
MSR stove, cook kit (may look at the jetboil system soon) and water filter
inflatible pillow
REI flex light chair (the bomb)
etc. etc.

whatever tent you get, make sure it's waterproof. seams are sealed (ideally from the factory) and as other mention, get one with a "footprint" or make one yourself with a tarp cut just under the dimensions of the floor (you don't want it sticking out to collect water). IMHO having a large vestibule is great, as you can remove/add clothing there, cook, store things, etc. all out of sight and weather. Always nice to take wet gear off before you get into the body of the tent. As i went thru tents I always moved to tents with larger vestibules. and two doors.

it also depends upon how much time you plan to spend in the tent. On some trips it's strictly overnight accommodations, other trips I've done I knew I could spend a few days stuck in the tent, so space and utility were paramount.

crappy camera shot but camping last year off the bike....

 

There are a lot of people with Funmovers on here thinking to themselves ... "Damn, that's a lot of work."

-jim