Hi,

I hike in desert and there are no trees. You can hardly find even good rocks sometimes.
I have never used trekking poles. And I believe I don't need them. So tarps are not that an option.
I need a tent though because there are scorpions, spiders and snakes you don't want to feel near your head.

Could you suggest me some UL solution?


Thanks!

I have a Tarptent Moment, which I like, but you could go lighter with a ZPacks Hexamid Solo and optional tent pole. To name just two ...

There's a ton of options out there. Check out Tarptent, Six Moon Designs, Lightheart Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs, off the top of my head offer tents woth floors. Many will pitch with trekking poles OR a carbon fiber pole purchased separately I'm sure I'm forgetting some gear makers.

Edit: tents aren't really UL, most weigh between 1 and 2.5 lbs so I'd call them 'lightweight '

Edited by COHiker on 05/03/2012 08:42:24 MDT.

You really should check out these tents after months of research I settled on the Revolution 2P Porch. 2 wall, 2 door, 2 vestibule, freestanding, quality construction - they are great. Their reviews are consistently high. See the BPL state of the market 2010 for UL tents. There are extensive comments here regarding late and non-delivery. I have read them all and talked to the owner directly - they now have their own factory, I am told, so I took the gamble and ordered one last week. I'll see what happens.

The Evolution sounds awesome, first time I've heard of that tent. Basically exactly what I'm looking for. Hopefully their turn around is decent, now.

Unrelated: I have an REI Half Dome 2 Plus... Split up between two people, which I do 95% of the time, it isn't that bad of weight, and since I own it already, it is the cheapest option I have right now. Quite a well designed tent for the most part.

But has anyone ever heard of replacing the poles of this tent? You could easily cut down half a pound or more doing that.

Edited by Scalawag on 05/03/2012 14:51:08 MDT.

It's great that there is such a community OL :)

What I didn't mention is that I need some 2 person solution. I'm sorry I forgot.

John, your tarptent moment is quite a nice option:


I think however there is that Big Agnes UL Creek 2P which weights 100 gram more but is much more roomy and versatile. Also 2 walls.

ZPacks Hexamid Solo

WOW! This one is really UL :) 300 gramm including everything. I don't know how good it will be floorless, but it's nice option!

While looking at Tarptent products I found this one:


This is something I want. But it's 1.15 kilo! Which is not UL. Maybe I'm searching for impossible? And I need to sacrifice room/safety/privacy/etc... ?

Daniel, thank you for pointing out these manufacturers. The lightest option of Six Moon Designs is 1.1 kilo which is 200 gram more than BA UL Creek 2p. I see there is more room in their tents though. But we (me and my wife) are small (5'5"). Checked out other options. Those are either tarps, or tents>1kg.

Derrik, googling the tent you mentioned I found this one: http://bigskyproducts.com/big-sky-revolution-2p-shelter.aspx
Is that you were talking about? Need to know which parts to choose and cannot understand how to calculate the total weight.


So currently I think about purchasing Big Agnes UL Creek 2p. It's 960 gram and is double walled freestanding tent.

Edited by tauneutrino on 05/04/2012 01:45:04 MDT.

I live in the desert too, but in the US.

Not familiar with creatures in your part of the world, but I would venture to guess they are not much different or more venomous than what we have where I hike. Snakes are mostly nocturnal and are more afraid of you, than we of them. With a few exceptions, most scorpions in deserts are not deadly.

Given that, I never sleep in a tent or tarp if it is not raining or the rare snow storm.

Occasionally I will set up a shelter in wind.

My current go to shelter is a zPacks Hexamid solo. You can get a 1 oz carbon fiber pole from zPacks too, but it is quite flimsy. I purchased a much sturdier pole from Bocca Lutura (sp?) at 3 oz.

But if you prefer an enclosed shelter look at zPacks, Mountain Laurel Designs, Six Moons Designs, and Tarp Tent. I have dealt with all these companies and they make quality UL shelters.

Gregory
Freestanding is a bit of a buzz word.
some freestanding tents need as many or more stakes to set up (particularly if you don't want the walls touching each other) than many non freestanding...

Franco

Agree on a snakes part. If you don't step on them in the dark, it's OK. Scorpions is much serious thing. There are lots of them. Yes, you won't die from it, but it's unpleasant thing for sure. On my wedding one of guests was bitten by scorpion. I understand that when you sleep in your bag, scorpions and snakes mostly will pass you by.

I'm not searching for a freestanding tent. It's not that important. Just wanted some good vented UL tent for 2 person.

BTW, if you remove the rain fly from that BA UL tent it weight goes down to 1 lb. or so. After May there are no rains in desert. Until November.

"BTW, if you remove the rain fly from that BA UL tent it weight goes down to 1 lb. or so."

Big Agnes calls its fast fly weight at 1 lb 11 oz.

--B.G.--

The inner net tent for my Fly Creek UL2 weighs about 15.5 oz. I don't know what the poles weigh, but I'll guess at least 8 oz. So the inner + poles + 4 stakes would weigh at least 25 oz or so. My Fly Creek UL2 (including poles, inner, fly, stuff sacks, and 8 stakes) weighs right around 40 oz.

Also, calling it a 2-person tent is optimistic. I like mine, but it would be very cramped for 2 people. For 1 person and a dog and gear, it's perfect. The high fabric walls on the inner might be good for you to help block blowing dust.

edit: Weighed my poles at 10.6 oz.

Edited by johnnyh88 on 05/04/2012 09:14:16 MDT.

That pics of a fly creek ul 3 not a ul 2. Good size for 2 people though.

Edit: I' m a dope...It's a ul 2. I own em both and got mixed up.

Edited by Davea95 on 05/05/2012 10:36:36 MDT.

Under 3 pounds-2 person-pricey-freestanting

SUBJ.

Even too pricey. What is floor size of this tent? Can't find it.

Edited by tauneutrino on 05/04/2012 13:58:36 MDT.

Greg,

When I ordered my tent I called the owner Bob and he worked through the options with and calculated the weight and price. I did not order any pegs, stays or groundsheet, but did order the ultralite poles.

Do hesitate to call him. He is very helpful.

There is also an annual rent review here for 2011 I think and it give the Big Sky tents a high quality rating for construction. This influenced my choice significantly.

Derrick

Look at the Tarptent Stratospire 2. A pole-supported double wall tent with 2 vestibules and lots of room since your packs are in the vestibules.