Companion forum thread to:

State of the Market Report: Two-Person Double-Wall Tents (2010)

Nice report Ray.

If anyone is interested, Big Agnes has on sale brown custom Seedhouse SL2 tents for sale (new) for 40% off. www.bigagnes.com under Specials.

Somehow the MSR Hubba Hubba HP was left off of the BPL Scoring Chart, despite being "the best shoulder season, non-extreme winter tent I've ever used".

Edited by wandering_bob on 11/02/2010 22:38:25 MDT.

Bob, I noticed that too. I guess the HubbaHubba HP must score a 6 on a chart that only goes to 5... kind of like amps that go to 11 ;)


Nice report Ray, thanks for the effort. It's good to see the mainstream slowly lightening things up. I've been pretty impressed by the MSR and Big Agnes tents I've seen lately.

Edited by JacobD on 11/03/2010 08:44:31 MDT.

Call me crazy, but I just don't consider mesh to be a "wall". To me these mesh inner tents are nothing more than than a tarp with a mesh inner tent.
That said, it is good to see a couple true double wall tents in the lineup.

Crazy,

It's a wall because you can't move through it, even if it is mesh. It will prevent you from touching the outer fly if wet from condensation. It can also be decent at blocking a little wind.

ha, I like that...

Thanks for catching that. I shot the missing row to Addie. But if you want to see it:

2, 4, 4.5, 4.5, 5, 5, Yes, 4.5, 3.5, 3.92, 4.4

Plus it looks like the Specs table is not linking, at least on my browser. We will look into it.

Ray

Edited by rayestrella on 11/03/2010 09:58:50 MDT.

I'm a little disappointed that several double walled options didn't make it. LightHeart Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs and Alpinlite all make tents that can fit two people and are double walled (a mesh inner and a rain fly). They are all much lighter than most of the tents listed here. Are you planning on doing a report on single person double walled tents? If so, then maybe you could include offerings from those companies. To be honest, most of the tents listed in this review are just too heavy for me.

Can you please list the weight of tent in the chart (not just a ranking). I think this would make it easier to get a quick summary of the tent. Thanks.

Ross,
Per Raymond (posted above) the Specs Table is not linking.

That (currently broken) Link

"Download a full specifications chart of all the tents here."

is found immediately after the photo gallery.


I agree, it is essential.

I think it should be included in the article.

Edited by greg23 on 11/03/2010 10:14:12 MDT.

I'm with Tim in that I don't think mesh should be considered true double wall. The whole point of the double wall is to keep moisture off you and your gear. I found this report to be interesting and useful, but it was not what I was hoping for when I saw your last week's newsletter promising this week's article.

I have a Stephenson's Warmlite 2R which is a true double wall less than 4 lbs, and they have a lighter version which is a little shorter. I'd like to see a comparison of true double walled tents.

Man, you can't win for losin' around here...

Some here say a tent with a mesh inner is not a true double wall. Others point out that a number of double wall tents with mesh inners have been left out. In the latter case, there are a lot of tents which are shaped tarps with mesh inners that have bathtub floors. Just because with some of these combos the fly and inner tent are sold separately, why would that disqualify them as double-wall? In addition to those already mentioned, I'd include the SMD Haven and the GoLite Shangri-La 2 with nest. These are just as much double-wall tents as those listed in the report--assuming, of course, that a net inner qualifies as the second wall!

Edited by hikinggranny on 11/03/2010 11:44:09 MDT.

"...assuming, of course, that a net inner qualifies as the second wall!"

The reviewer includes many tent bodies with "mostly mesh" walls.

Why didn't he include "XZY"? Maybe in Part Two another 26 tents can be highlighted. ;-)

Good work Raymond.
Thanks. Sincerely.

Edited by greg23 on 11/03/2010 12:39:42 MDT.

So are the crazy shipment problems from Big Sky fixed? Haven't heard anything about them for a while? Everybody give up?

"The whole point of the double wall is to keep moisture off you and your gear."

It does. In fact, droplets of condensation will likely not make it through the mesh as it is so fine. It also protects you and your gear because you don't bang the fly.

Shall we have a discussion on what constitutes truly freestanding? I'm in the mood.

Hey all - sorry about the specs table - the code was poorly written (by me). And Ray got me the spare line for the table, so other than the debate about all the tents we left out, things should be good!

Warmly,
Addie

I'm not taking a position, just pointing out that from either point of view there are problems! I am not a double wall tent fan! I'd rather have my condensation accessible where I can wipe it off!

While I like the idea of a tent to keep my dog confined at night (I know, he could go through the wall any time he wanted, but he doesn't know that!), I'm seriously considering a tarp. If I could find a two-person bug net that, with a tarp, would be significantly lighter than my GG Squall Classic, I'd switch now!

Edited by hikinggranny on 11/03/2010 12:39:29 MDT.

>

Actually the 2R and 2C are not true double wall tents. Only the center is double, the ends are single wall, and while fairly good at limiting condensation aren't perfect. Not as good as my other winter tent, from Hilleberg, which is a full double wall.

Agreed the Stephenson's tents are not fully double walled. They also don't stop condensation from dropping on you, or you brushing up against the condensation, so even in function they don't act like double walled tents (mesh or otherwise)

Curious the Haven wasn't reviewed. Oh well, so many tents, so little time and money!