1 or 2 man tent
- Thread starter Rzrbck918
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The Hedgehog
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Do you want to be 1 man in a 2 man tent? Or do you want to be one of 2 men in a 1 man tent?
2 person UL is a 1 person tent. I know, I know, I’m as bad as anyone, oz are pounds, but if you get socked in that tent for 3 days, you might not want your gear pressed up against the wall of the vestibule, wetting out, and you not able to roll over in your confined space.
It’s more than that though. Room in a tent is nice for the extra couple oz. I have a MLD Duomid (15.5oz) and the HMG Ultamid 2 (18.7oz). I prefer the HMG for the extra headroom and width. I’ll pay 3 oz for that.
It’s more than that though. Room in a tent is nice for the extra couple oz. I have a MLD Duomid (15.5oz) and the HMG Ultamid 2 (18.7oz). I prefer the HMG for the extra headroom and width. I’ll pay 3 oz for that.
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Duck-Slayer
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2 person tent all the way! I don’t think they should even offer a 1 person tent lol
I have had the Meir Lanshan ultralight 2 person tent for my last 2 hunts, I don’t mind it. It works….Matt
bucdoego
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One I hadn't considered. 2.8 lbs (plus walking sticks you will likely have anyway), so fairly light compared to other options in this price range (~$170). Good one, Slayer!2 person tent all the way! I don’t think they should even offer a 1 person tent lol
Matt
Duck-Slayer
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Your welcome, I just discovered it this summer. Figured I would give it a try. It’s definitely does the job for August and early September hunts. Not sure how well it would do in the wind or crappy weather.
Matt
bucdoego
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I believe that your thinking regarding strong winds and/or strong storms fit for all but the most expensive (dyneema), ultra-light tents. My Marmot Tungsten 2P is available in a UL version that would have similar weight, etc., but cost twice as much. It would also be less durable.
I'm not changing up my tent anytime soon, but I would look hard at your solution, if I was considering it. All the 2P options, offering 2 doors and two vestibules would get a look.
AvidIndoorsman
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Depends on what you are doing and your tolerance.
If you hunt CO in September who cares I’ve spent more nights under the stars then with any shelter.
If you don’t like hunting bad weather who cares, you’re just gonna walk out so a $200 whatever tent is fine you’re just getting it to fend off a 20 min shower at 2am.
Now if your actually dealing with weather you want something that’s work. So it’s snowing or raining when you walk in so starting off wet + variable site conditions tundra grass, rocks, tundra, hard clay etc…
Tarps and tipis, anything floor less are absolutely garbage in my opinion. You can’t un-wet the ground, you want a floor and an impermeable ground cloth, tarp/contractor bag, tyvek, etc.
1.5 person rating per person minimum if it’s going to be crappy weather, 1 for 1 works if you are very conscious about your gear and are packing light.
Aside from dumb tents, you have two options tunnels, Hilleberg or rectangle basically everyone else.
Hilleberg are great but are usually heavier because they use two poles. Solid option if weather sucks.
Every other tent is the exact same design; square base, double Y pole that hooks into each corner with a cross at the top for the vestibules. Generally speaking the differences between them are how sturdy the poles are, tent material, clips for the rain fly… hardware in general.
There are a crap load of options, here is a ranking of most to least bomber which is also a heaviest to lightest, of some popular tents.
Stone Glacier
MSR Hubba Hubba
Big Agnes Copper Spur
Mountain Hardware Aspect
In the last 3 weeks I destroyed an MH aspect, snapped a pole flattened it. They don’t have enough guy lines/ attachment points, IMHO chitty tent for wind.
Also destroyed a Coppur Spur, fly shredded broke 2 poles. That was probably sustained 30mph winds with much higher gusts… decently tough tent tough.
MSR Hubba Hubba, bent the crap out of the poles but otherwise survived, I think would have been fine with better stakes. Definitely tougher than the copper spur.
Haven’t used a SG but they look considerably stronger than these there and are likely a better, bad weather hunting tent… probably on par with Hilleberg square tents.
If I was hunting really bad weather I’d go with a Hilleberg tunnel model.
Best bad weather tents are dome mountaineering tent, after trashing tents, last week used a mountain hardware trango 4 person tent for 2 hunters. It weights like 10-14 lbs but was great for terrible weather, dealing with wet gear… etc.
IMHO if your a backpack rifle hunter, and are actually going to get into bad weather and hunt it I’d get an SG/Hilleberg or similar 2 person.
If you don’t think you’re going to backpack hunt really tough conditions all the time I think the MSR Hubba Hubba or BA copper spur is the way to go. My MSR has been amazing for October rifle hunts in CO/WY/MT, and I stole my buddies Copper spur 3 man all the time for 2 person hunts.
The MH aspect also would be something to look at if your willing to be more judicious in camp site selection, it’s way lighter.
If your backpacking ends around mid October then definitely look at the various Ultra light trekking pole, tarp, tipi etc options.
Also consider that you need to match shelter with sleep system, floorless means a tougher pad and/or maybe a synthetic bag.
If you hunt CO in September who cares I’ve spent more nights under the stars then with any shelter.
If you don’t like hunting bad weather who cares, you’re just gonna walk out so a $200 whatever tent is fine you’re just getting it to fend off a 20 min shower at 2am.
Now if your actually dealing with weather you want something that’s work. So it’s snowing or raining when you walk in so starting off wet + variable site conditions tundra grass, rocks, tundra, hard clay etc…
Tarps and tipis, anything floor less are absolutely garbage in my opinion. You can’t un-wet the ground, you want a floor and an impermeable ground cloth, tarp/contractor bag, tyvek, etc.
1.5 person rating per person minimum if it’s going to be crappy weather, 1 for 1 works if you are very conscious about your gear and are packing light.
Aside from dumb tents, you have two options tunnels, Hilleberg or rectangle basically everyone else.
Hilleberg are great but are usually heavier because they use two poles. Solid option if weather sucks.
Every other tent is the exact same design; square base, double Y pole that hooks into each corner with a cross at the top for the vestibules. Generally speaking the differences between them are how sturdy the poles are, tent material, clips for the rain fly… hardware in general.
There are a crap load of options, here is a ranking of most to least bomber which is also a heaviest to lightest, of some popular tents.
Stone Glacier
MSR Hubba Hubba
Big Agnes Copper Spur
Mountain Hardware Aspect
In the last 3 weeks I destroyed an MH aspect, snapped a pole flattened it. They don’t have enough guy lines/ attachment points, IMHO chitty tent for wind.
Also destroyed a Coppur Spur, fly shredded broke 2 poles. That was probably sustained 30mph winds with much higher gusts… decently tough tent tough.
MSR Hubba Hubba, bent the crap out of the poles but otherwise survived, I think would have been fine with better stakes. Definitely tougher than the copper spur.
Haven’t used a SG but they look considerably stronger than these there and are likely a better, bad weather hunting tent… probably on par with Hilleberg square tents.
If I was hunting really bad weather I’d go with a Hilleberg tunnel model.
Best bad weather tents are dome mountaineering tent, after trashing tents, last week used a mountain hardware trango 4 person tent for 2 hunters. It weights like 10-14 lbs but was great for terrible weather, dealing with wet gear… etc.
IMHO if your a backpack rifle hunter, and are actually going to get into bad weather and hunt it I’d get an SG/Hilleberg or similar 2 person.
If you don’t think you’re going to backpack hunt really tough conditions all the time I think the MSR Hubba Hubba or BA copper spur is the way to go. My MSR has been amazing for October rifle hunts in CO/WY/MT, and I stole my buddies Copper spur 3 man all the time for 2 person hunts.
The MH aspect also would be something to look at if your willing to be more judicious in camp site selection, it’s way lighter.
If your backpacking ends around mid October then definitely look at the various Ultra light trekking pole, tarp, tipi etc options.
Also consider that you need to match shelter with sleep system, floorless means a tougher pad and/or maybe a synthetic bag.
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Rzrbck918
Well-known member
Thanks for the perspective and information. I appreciate the range of options and think I will probably look at the more weatherproof options since my luck tends toward the dramatic.
To each his own but I disagree with much of what you say. I solo backpack hunt Colorado mid-Oct through mid-Nov with a tipi hot tent and wouldn't do it any other way. I have set up in a downpour; on top of 8 inches of packed snow; been snowed on every day for 7 days, etc. I also run an inner nest when the weather is expected to be wet that has a bathtub floor so my sleep system has always been dry no matter the ground conditions. If there isn't snow on the ground or the weather is expected to be dry, I can leave the nest and save 22 ounces. The stove dries out the majority of the wet and dries out clothes, gear, etc. If necessary, I have cut pine boughs to add an extra buffer against the wet ground and reduce the amount of mud/dirt that gets tracked around. I run a foam pad and a 15-deg down bag and am comfortable down to low single digits. It sheds snow very well and I have run it in 30-40 mph winds with no problem with stakes and guys. It just comes down to planning and common sense.
I do agree with the size rating. A 2P tent is really just a 1P setup with a little room to store gear inside and out of the weather. 3P is just barely accommodating for 2P if they pack light or stow gear outside. Just my $0.02 so YMMV.
AvidIndoorsman
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AvidIndoorsman
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Hunt Adak and get back to me on floorless tipis.
OP wasn't asking about hunting Adak. Hardly applicable to hunting in the lower 48. Given that logic, hunt Antarctica and get back to me on 1P/2P cold tents. Sheesh .....
AvidIndoorsman
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I definitely go full send with my opinions, but at the same time always open to having my mind changed.
You'll notice I started all the "why my ... sucks" threads. My biggest pet peeve is people that bullshit about how great gear is a skirt the downsides.
Not saying that this is you, but in the hunting/camping sectors tipi/hot tent folks have a massive bull shit problem.
Sure, they work for some types of hunts, yes having a stove in some circumstances can be great... but they have some massive problems, until I see people own that I'm gone be the guy on every HT thread crapping all over them.
Re-read my post I'm not ra ra-ing any gear, I broke 3 tents this month...
How bout them apples
Sheep in the rain
The kid drew an exceptional Sheep tag this year. Late summer we took a hike to get better familiarized with this area. Never been here before. There was a possibility guides may hunt the area. Turns out of all tags drawn for this hunt, my son, is the only Alaskan, to get this tag. We busted...
www.hunttalk.com
Was bs-ing with some guys getting back from kodiak at ANC, apparently their SG didn't do much better than the BA copper spur and only the hille stood up to the elements. Someone in their group had a hot tent and it flew off the hillside on day 1.
So yeah tents, all depends on the rest of your sleep system and how easily you can bail on your hunt/how much you are relying on that piece of gear. Notice in the linked posts they were using bivies + tarps.
Relying on a tipi can really be hanging your butt out. "Well if you have a careful and use all the guy lines, and..." is a lot of risky caveats to a piece of survival gear working IMHO. How about your buddy falls in the river, gets soaked, storm rolls in and you need to make camp right then and there in a funky spot?
Just about everyone has a BS problem when they talk about what their "top X" is. That's called having an opinion based on individual experience. Everyone has different experiences and yours isn't any more "right" than someone else's. Lumping all tipi tent folks into one category of massive bullshitters is a bit presumptuous. And yes, I read your "disclaimer" about not saying it applies to me. Anything that starts off as "it's not you, but ..." really means its about me and anyone like me.
Any tent (or any piece of gear) is going to have massive problems when used in a situation that they were not designed for. Under your logic, unless the conversation starts out as "I like X but here are the 25 reasons why it work everywhere ..." then that person is being a BS'er. Rather than setting out to crap all over everything you disagree with, offer your experience, good or bad, and let folks make up their own mind as it applies to their needs. If you have run a tipi under a set of conditions where it failed, then describe it. If those conditions apply to the reader, they can factor that into their decision making process.
User error? \sarcasm
But seriously, here is a great opportunity to lay out the tents and why you selected them, why you thought they would work, why they failed, and what you can take away as a lesson learned. Great info for someone looking to buy a tent. You original post had a lot of this info which I found useful. Didn't necessarily apply to my needs or mesh with my experiences.
So the hot tent (tipi??) flew off the mountain because it was a hot tent? No user error in the mix? It was perfectly pitched, perfectly staked and guy'd, perfectly oriented to the prevailing winds, etc.?
Yep, relied on my tipi tent on hunts that were deep and steep. Have done it with standard domed 4-season tents as well that were heavier, took longer to setup, and didn't perform any better or worse relative to rain/snow load shedding, and didn't afford the option to run as a hot tent. Just my experience though. Have to set any of them correctly to make them work under the weather conditions. I don't consider that a risky caveat, just paying attention to the details. If your thought process is just throw it up any old way and hope it survives, then you are going to have failures. Maybe even break 3 tents in the process.
If I have a buddy that falls into a river and a storm is rolling in, I would prefer to have a way to heat up that tent and dry my buddy and his clothes out with or without the complication of a storm dumping rain/snow on top of me. If not that, then make sure I have a down sleeping system and quick-drying layers where body heat can dry everything out. Great video on that by some survival folks but I can't find it off hand. As with everything, just my $0.02. YMMV
AvidIndoorsman
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Use the search tool, its really not you.
Folks buy stuff, make it part of their identify and then throw reason out the window. Think Ford/Chevy guys, utter sillinesses, year to year model to model one maker will have various improvements or benefits over the other.
I don’t have a preference other than, it working and knowing the downsides so I can decide whether those are deal breakers. Search my pack thread for example, also it’s kinda great because 1/3 the users can’t read directions and apparently the [insert pack] is perfect.
Like I said in my first post if everything is dry, out of the wind, and has soft soil it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any type of shelter.
What’s tough is when soil sucks and you’re having to struggle to make anchors.
When your only option is soaking wet grass/tundra/ or wet snow.
When you can’t readily escape the wind, or you get caught.
Those are the situations where it matters. I’m sure the guys on Kodiak were in a spot were exposed, I bet they struggled to get the tipi flush with the ground, wind got under the edge and it flew. Point being another type of tent in the same conditions was totally fine, also probably weighed 3x as much.
Sounds like you have a decent amount of experience, so I’m sure you are pretty good as setting up your tent securely and picking a good spot. Do you think people who have little camping experience can safely use a tipi in the ways you do? Is it a good entry level shelter?
Have you had to erect on one the fly? Like set it up in high wind? How did that go? When would you or would you not choose it?
I’ve used hyperlight, the ML duomid, 4 or 5 backpacking tents and a couple of different 4 season mountaineering tents.
It’s just ridiculous to state that a floorless tipi is in the same class as 4 season mountaineering tent. Do you need a 4 season mountaineering tent for hunt, absolutely not.
Both are way different than a wall tent, which waaaaay better than both in lots of ways but also hundreds of lbs.
Lots of different shelters that are great for various applications, some that are decent for a wide variety, all have their downsides.
But yeah I’m sticking with my statement, tipi folks yesh… apparently they are perfect with no flaws and if an issue is pointed out it’s user error
. Take your own advice and be honest about the downsides.Basically the trajectory of every tent thread.
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AvidIndoorsman
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MH Aspect, failed because it doesn’t have enough guys. 100% not user error, it was setup in a decent spot and with the prevailing wind. Wind changed, big gust, poles snapped.
BA Copper Spur failed because it was up high in a cirque. Tent was in the lee of a big rock, but having looked at the report should have been set up 1500ft and 2 miles lower.
MSR, ended up being set up kinda sideways to the wind. We should have gotten out in the rain and turned the tent 60 degrees. Also could have dropped down a mile and significant elevation. That being said held together awesome until the guys ripped out of the tundra.
Not sure what the wind speeds were exactly garmin said 25 knot sustained with higher gusts. We were getting pushed around when we were packing up so whatever strength of wind knocks you around.
BA Copper Spur failed because it was up high in a cirque. Tent was in the lee of a big rock, but having looked at the report should have been set up 1500ft and 2 miles lower.
MSR, ended up being set up kinda sideways to the wind. We should have gotten out in the rain and turned the tent 60 degrees. Also could have dropped down a mile and significant elevation. That being said held together awesome until the guys ripped out of the tundra.
Not sure what the wind speeds were exactly garmin said 25 knot sustained with higher gusts. We were getting pushed around when we were packing up so whatever strength of wind knocks you around.
AvidIndoorsman
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Snowy states what I’m driving at in a far less pugnacious manner, but I like to argue on the internet as stress relief so…
Post in thread 'Tent Brand/Configuration Likes and Dislikes'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/tent-brand-configuration-likes-and-dislikes.275934/post-2613114
Post in thread 'Tent Brand/Configuration Likes and Dislikes'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/tent-brand-configuration-likes-and-dislikes.275934/post-2613941
Post in thread 'Tent Brand/Configuration Likes and Dislikes'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/tent-brand-configuration-likes-and-dislikes.275934/post-2613114
Post in thread 'Tent Brand/Configuration Likes and Dislikes'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/tent-brand-configuration-likes-and-dislikes.275934/post-2613941
D
Deleted member 16014
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Hey careful pulling up 5 year old posts, I stand by those ones but I might sound like an idiot in others ha.
