Here's the tent I'm waiting for ... c'mon posties!!

[AimlessWanderer]

Some of you might have read my posts that said I've being having postal trouble. Well, I bought a tent which nearly made it to me but then got turned round to be sent back overseas. Hoping they've managed to intercept it before it goes on a plane back over the Atlantic.


Just been looking for online reviews to keep me excited about it's arrival, and thought this was a good short overview



I love the side access and open views it can give (if it's not chucking it down with rain). A few people have said condensation can be an issue, plus misting through in really heavy rain, but that doesn't phase me. I've ordered a really light Kyham bivi bag which I can use inside if moisture is a problem, or outside if it's a night for sleeping under the stars.

I've also ordered an olive drab Sportsmans Blanket, which is pretty much one of the original space blankets - a nylon tarp with a reflective side, but with a hood. This can be thrown down as a groundsheet if there's a risk of damaging the lightweight bathtub base on the tent or for sleeping out in the open, can be rigged as a small tarp for conjuction with the bivi bag, or of course used as an emergency blanket

All that might sound a bit excessive for backpacking - but that's a lot of different shelter options for all kinds of terrain and weather for a grand total of about 1.6kg (3.5lb) for the tent, bivi and tarp/blanket. I can't wait to get it all together and go for a little jaunt to try them out

[Waterlander]

  I like your new shelter mate, I have something a like. 

Great in the morning to just unzip, and lite the stove for coffee.
Last weekend camping it was bloody hot, so I pitched the innertent only.
If it rains I can pitch the outertent first so my stuff stays dry. 

[Zed]

Nice tent Al    we got a new 8man tent the other week but i still like my smaller tents, when i see tony im giving him one of my tents as got a spare 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Looks like a very versitile bit of kit there mate

[Gareth]

very cool looking bit of kit Al.  

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks guys 

Nice tent Al    we got a new 8man tent the other week but i still like my smaller tents, when i see tony im giving him one of my tents as got a spare 

Congrats on the new tent Paul. I already have a Vango Delta 200, Outwell Arizona, and one of those wierd pop-up jobbies, but none of them are any good for backpacking. I reckon this looks perfect for me, and the addition of the light bivi and space blanket means it might be a bit more suitable for the British climate 

I like your new shelter mate, I have something a like. 

Great in the morning to just unzip, and lite the stove for coffee.
Last weekend camping it was bloody hot, so I pitched the innertent only.
If it rains I can pitch the outertent first so my stuff stays dry. 

Outer first is the only way to go - I can't abide inner first. I've never seen a "fly first" that'll let you pitch the inner on it's own though. What set up have you got?

[Waterlander]

Hilleberg Akto, great little tent from Norway. I must admit my tent is my most valued piece of kit!

[AimlessWanderer]

Hilleberg Akto, great little tent from Norway. I must admit my tent is my most valued piece of kit!

Just Googled it ... Ouch! Twice the weight, twice the price, and only half the view 
Looks like it would be far more stable in high winds though, and not have any of the potential misting problems or bathtub seepage of the Lunar Solo either. Good choice mate 

[Waterlander]

Well, it's quite old all ready and lot's of camping in hot sun shows. But I love it to death.
I'm playing with the idea of making a shelter out of lightweight cotton..
I had one of the first goretex tents by Phoenix, but up in the mountains it got wet inside. After that I travelled around with a Moss tent.

[AimlessWanderer]

I've not heard good reviews at all about GoreTex tents. It all comes down to technical crap I barely understand about how your body temperature has to elevate the internal temperature to several degrees over the outside temperature before it wicks and breathes. Also if there's water on the outside (beads of rain) it doesn't work anyway, because there's nowhere for the internal moisture to be conveyed to ... my brain's hurting just typing this 

Bottom line is they're a bit poo from what I understand

That said, I'm a bit new to all this malarky. I've day hiked many many times, same with car camping - but never done through hikes before (which is what I'm gradually trying to get set up for).

Nearest I've done so far is hike to a bothy, camp out there for the night and come back the next day - that was fun. It was on an uninhabited island in the Scottish Highlands one September. No trees whatsoever on the island, so it was a case of beach combing for driftwood for firewood. Of course most of it was saturated or rotten, and between us no one had an axe or a saw. Four blokes, three 4" fixed blade knives and an 111mm SAK, and four clueless expressions  One broken mast, several scrag ends of half rotten timber, big boulders, brute force, blind stubbornness, and one guys full weeks rations of esbit tabs ensured we got a fire going to keep us through the night and provide breakfast the next day. Great fun 

[Waterlander]

For sure you gonna love it, I rather sleep outdoors then in the Hilton!

I have come to an age that I like to be comfortable tho.

[AimlessWanderer]

For sure you gonna love it, I rather sleep outdoors then in the Hilton!

I have come to an age that I like to be comfortable tho.

Yeah, me too 

I'd have loved to go the hammock route, but on the hike I'm planning (eventually) I'd be struggling to find a couple of trees to suspend one from  I'm desperately trying to balance weight of pack, with the level of comfort I'm expecting and needing, plus the extra little bits and bobs I'll need until experience dictates they're no longer required.

I'm happy so far (on paper  ) with the shelter options (above), and I've got hydration covered too - very happy there. Cooking is 75% there, but there's chance of a rethink yet. Sleep system is also theoretically sound though a little unconventional so needs testing when I get round to that part of the shopping.

Everything is being based around one specific trip which I'm being quite innovative in the planning for. I'm going a little off piste with a lot of the thinking, but in a way that suits both me, and the terrain and conditions I expect to face. No doubt once I've done it my thinking will change in a few ways, but no matter how much conventional tried and tested "wisdom" I digest online, there's a lot which doesn't seem to fit either me or the course, so I'm ending up with a rather different approach ... but that's all part of the fun, right? 

[Grant Lamontagne]

For sure you gonna love it, I rather sleep outdoors then in the Hilton!

I have come to an age that I like to be comfortable tho.

Bob and I stayed at the Hilton a few years ago- it's nothing special, other than the price tag!   

Al, that looks like a great tent!  I can't wait to hear whether it lives up to your expectations or not.

Def

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Looks / sounds like a very cool little set-up!    I'd like some kind of solo or bivy set-up myself, similar to what you've got.  Some bivies are crazy expensive though, so I've been looking into solo tents.

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks fellers  Unfortunately things aren't looking good for the postal intercept, which means I look like having to wait a few weeks for this to go back across the pond so I can pay the guy to resend it and then wait another few weeks before having to pay customs and release fees to get it

 

Looks / sounds like a very cool little set-up!    I'd like some kind of solo or bivy set-up myself, similar to what you've got.  Some bivies are crazy expensive though, so I've been looking into solo tents.

I intentionally avoided hooped bivis as I wanted something I could throw up in bad weather as a respite for a lunch break or so I could change clothing if necessary. I reckon the Lunar Solo is the best compromise (for me anyway) between a lightweight tarp and having the weather and bug protection of a tent. The Sportsmans Blanket (one of THESE in OD/Green) should give me any additional versatility I need.

From what I can glean the Lunar Solo sheds wind quite well, but being ultralight there's always going to be compromises on durability though, which is more reason to have a back up plan. I don't feel like I'll be carrying excess weight though, as in driving rain on rough ground I'll probably need to use a bivi and groundsheet as well as the tent to prevent/counter puncture or seepage below, and misting from above. Using the bivi (THIS one) should also give me some wind protection against drafts whistling through the 360 degree mesh skirt on open ground in high winds.

The theory is right ... I think ... but then again the postal service contacting you when they have something that needs collecting was right in theory too ... 

[Farmman]

From what I can glean the Lunar Solo sheds wind quite well

Stay off the beans and you should be alright!???

Looks like a good bit of kit mate.  Testing it in my back garden?

Good luck with the postage problem.

[AimlessWanderer]

From what I can glean the Lunar Solo sheds wind quite well

Stay off the beans and you should be alright!???

Looks like a good bit of kit mate.  Testing it in my back garden?

Good luck with the postage problem.

That's another reason I didn't want a hooped bivvy   

"Launch Torpedo!!", and Al gets fired across the moorlands in his PJ's ... no thanks 

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Thanks fellers  Unfortunately things aren't looking good for the postal intercept, which means I look like having to wait a few weeks for this to go back across the pond so I can pay the guy to resend it and then wait another few weeks before having to pay customs and release fees to get it

 

Looks / sounds like a very cool little set-up!    I'd like some kind of solo or bivy set-up myself, similar to what you've got.  Some bivies are crazy expensive though, so I've been looking into solo tents.

I intentionally avoided hooped bivis as I wanted something I could throw up in bad weather as a respite for a lunch break or so I could change clothing if necessary. I reckon the Lunar Solo is the best compromise (for me anyway) between a lightweight tarp and having the weather and bug protection of a tent. The Sportsmans Blanket (one of THESE in OD/Green) should give me any additional versatility I need.

From what I can glean the Lunar Solo sheds wind quite well, but being ultralight there's always going to be compromises on durability though, which is more reason to have a back up plan. I don't feel like I'll be carrying excess weight though, as in driving rain on rough ground I'll probably need to use a bivi and groundsheet as well as the tent to prevent/counter puncture or seepage below, and misting from above. Using the bivi (THIS one) should also give me some wind protection against drafts whistling through the 360 degree mesh skirt on open ground in high winds.

The theory is right ... I think ... but then again the postal service contacting you when they have something that needs collecting was right in theory too ... 

I like the design of the Six Moons Solo myself, and I understand about the hooped bivy thing...  When I was younger I had a pretty awesome hooped bivy that was freestanding, made by Moonstone (think they went out of business some time ago) and I used that for several years for short and overnight bike trips.  I still have it, but it's not in the same shape it used to be.  And, now that I'm older I understand the want/need for more real shelter space. 

My wife was also looking at the Six Moons stuff for her ultralight pack gear, but ended up getting one of these instead of the SM Solo.

http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/canopy_tent.html

[AimlessWanderer]

   

The postal intercept worked and I managed to get hold of it today  I'll be looking to get some decent stakes for it over the weekend, and hopefully it won't be too long before I can get out in the hills to try it 

[Gareth]

very cool mate.   Now you just need to camp out for a night in the garden, just to make sure it's all there of course.

[AimlessWanderer]

I had thought of that mate, but you've seen my garden .... it's gravelled  I think either a night at the boatyard or a night at Farmman's is on the cards at some point  Although to be honest I think when I get the pegs etc I'll just head into the hills. That way if the tent goes horribly wrong at least I'll get some practice at shelter improvisation 

[nuphoria]

Finally!

Glad it made it's way back to you Al

[AimlessWanderer]

Cheers Chrissy. I wasn't too chuffed about having to fork out £32 in customs and release fees, but at least I got my new holiday home through in the end

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

We'll needing pics of it soon mate

[Farmman]

Reasonable pitch rates at Boyles Park

[AimlessWanderer]

They accept beer as payment as well don't they? 

[Farmman]

Ah the international payment system. That will do nicely sir.