I’m thinking about buying the BD Firstlight for me and my wife to use on the PCT next year. Does anybody think this would be a good/Bad tent to use??? Thanks
BULL
Tent for the PCT
system
#2
They get plugged all the time but the Tarptents by Henry Shires continually get positive reviews. I’ve used my Squall for many many miles and can count my nights of discomfort on one hand, and all of those were early in our days together and were due to the learning curve of pitching it correctly. I am quite happy with this reliable product and the service of Henry Shires and his team.
Smack
system
#3
Smack, I was going with the Cloudburst but a friend that hiked the PCT last year told me i should use the Firstlight. But it seems like everyone says it gets wet alot…HUMMM
BULL
system
#4
MSR Hubba…perfect for the PCT.
Was great in all weather…until it blew away in the middle of Nov because of wind storms, but that wasnt teh tents fault.
Lion king
system
#6
Woodrose and I carried a Golite Hex-3 tent on our 2005 nobo AT hike. Backcountrygear.com had some recently.(real reasonable.) 4-season, big, water and windproof,uses a single trekking pole for support column, housed all of our gear and our 60 lb. dog and her gear. We are going to attempt the PCT nobo in 2007 and will definitely use the same tent. We will carry the screened portion and the fly. 5 lbs. 1 ounce on the USPS scale, including all bags, 11 stakes,( We stake ALL of the teather points, big wind come in the middle of the night, many night, eastern mountains; imagine wester wind worse, blow Kinglion hubba to neverland )and the T pole extension. We split the weight, little comparable for a tent comfortable enuff to zero in. Muleskinner.
Muleskinner
system
#7
In the search of the ultimate solo tent I’ve owned several. None of them are perfect but here are my impressions:
HENRY SHIRES RAINBOW
Pros: It’s very lightweight (less than 2lbs). It’s very roomy inside. It has a big side door. One side of the tent is mesh so you can at least see out in one direction.
Cons: It’s not freestanding without hiking poles. It’s single wall. It’s a pain in the butt to set up. The single sleeve pole setup sucks. It takes a lot more time and effort than I am willing to invest in erecting a shelter at the end of a long day.
BIG AGNES SEEDHOUSE SL1
Pros: It has a nice subdued green color that blends in with nature. It’s relatively roomy for one and weighs less than 3lbs.
Cons: It’s not free-standing. The single-hub design requires that you thread the center pole through a series of loops and then stake out the rear corners. The mesh is not very transparent; it’s a foggy green color that obscures the view. It requires too many stakes to tie down the fly and vestibule. The front entry door is not nearly as accessible as a side door. There is not much headspace when you set up due to the A-frame design.
BIG AGNES SEEDHOUSE SL2
Pros:
It’s truly freestanding with a double-hub pole design and a clip-up body. It’s very roomy for one person with gear and still right around 3lbs.
Cons: It has the same ugly mesh as the SL1, same excessive staking requirements, narrow headspace and front entryway.
MSR HUBBA
Pros: It is insanely easy to put up, both the mesh tent and the fly/vestible, which requires only two additional stakes. It’s very well built, much better than the other tents I’ve mentioned. This is a tent I can see lasting for several years. The mesh is a nice black color that is both durable and transparent. It has a big side door that makes entry and exit a cinch. Lots of headroom. It’s only 3lbs.
Cons: It is too narrow. There is just enough room for a person, that’s it. No room for even a water bottle or any other small gear items you want to have with you, unless you aren’t worried about knocking them around at night. You cannot sit cross-legged inside or prop your elbows behind your head without them pressing against the side walls.
CONCLUSION:
In the end I decided to go with the Hubba. If not for it’s narrowness it would be the perfect tent. I am very attracted to the HUBBA HUBBA (2 man version) but it’s just too heavy to carry on a thru-hike. I will probably still buy one for shorter trips and car camping in the future.
THE PERFECT SOLO TENT:
I think the perfect solo tent would either be a 1.5 man version of the Hubba, which would probably weigh about 3.5 lbs but have plenty of room along with all of the other great features, or a HS Rainbow with a truly free-standing double-hub pole setup with clip body, which would probably weigh in at around 2.5lbs since it’s a single-wall.
Erik