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22-Apr-2010 11:13:24 AM
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I'm looking for a good, solid tent for one that can deal with winter conditions. Any recommendations?
also, got a question about bivys, since I never had one before. What are you supposed to do for your bag(s) if it starts raining?
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22-Apr-2010 11:18:23 AM
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My pack comes with a little raincoat all of its own... If everything inside is in a dry bag does it matter if it gets rained on though?
Regarding the tent, how tall are you? How many people do you need to fit?
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22-Apr-2010 11:24:44 AM
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You've asked a very broad question.
A good solid tent for winter conditions is often called a hut. Are you planning on travelling far and need to carry it?
Are you going to Antartica or Queensland in winter?
In my experience when it rains you get wet. What "bags" are you refering to?
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22-Apr-2010 11:47:59 AM
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I reckon bivi bags are only good when you are above the snow line. If its raining they suck, although you can usually crawl under a rock, a big tree or a picnic table and get a dry nights sleep.
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22-Apr-2010 11:51:03 AM
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some good info on this ski.com.au thread
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22-Apr-2010 1:47:39 PM
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Sorry for the confusion folks.
No mountaineering or snow, I'm just after something for camping, backpacking, bushwalking that could cope with heavy rain. I was in araps a few weeks back and my (borrowed) tent got nice and leaky on me when it started raining. Waking up in the middle of the night with a spongy sleeping bag is...unpleasant. I'd prefer it if it was light as well.
On 22/04/2010 widewetandslippery wrote:
>In my experience when it rains you get wet. What "bags" are you refering
>to?
My backpack, gear, clothes etc.
On 22/04/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>Regarding the tent, how tall are you? How many people do you need to
>fit?
167cm, and just me. unfortunately.
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22-Apr-2010 3:42:50 PM
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It's a silly place to go looking for a tent, but about 3-4 years ago I picked up a "Toread" tent from Nightingale Electrics in Spencer St. It cost me $190.
It's a chinese-made low dome tent but an attempt to produce an expedition-quality ripoff of something at the level of the better-made US/European brands - good quality poles, zips and nylons, tape sealed, snow flaps. Two vestibules and sleeps 3-4. A bit heavy for normal backpacking but would make an excellent winter base camp. Mine has been rained on a fair bit and shows no sign of leaking.
If you're in Melbourne wander up and have a look.
A former forum member expressed the view once that a tent costs you around $2 per night. i.e. a $100 tent will last about 50 nights and a $500 tent might last 5 times that long. Ya pays yer money and takes yer chances ...
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22-Apr-2010 6:53:14 PM
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For a tent - it depends on how much you're going to be using it.
If you are hiking Tassie, NZ or further afield where you need a real 4 seasons style - I suggest exploring the stores and read the specs online - do your research. I own a MacPac Minaret that I bought second hand for 250 and it's awesome - but it's a hiking tent; there's a major comfort compromise - for that I have a Kmart dome with a vestible where you can leave your boots and bags and fit three people..
If you're looking at one you can just carry with you on weekends in the blueys or gramps etc. - I recommend a Dome Tent; you can either get a cheapy at KMART which will last you for ages but be a bit heavier or get a better one which won't be that much different.
Pros of the Dome:
- easy to put up on your own, just jam one of the poles in the dirt, stretch it out, takes about 15 mins in most conditions.
- Higher roof so you don't sit up and shake water all over your tent (no matter what they say, your breath & sweat always leaves a film on the roof of your tent - and if it rains, it will seep a little)
- In good conditions a Dome won't even need to be pegged down - just chuck your pack in and that should weight it down. And in bad conditions peg her out, and use your gi ropes
- Though it won't be that great for winter, it's always good to have a decent inner fly so that in the summer months you can discard your rain-fly and let the wind keep you cool.
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22-Apr-2010 7:44:02 PM
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On 22/04/2010 Nooj wrote:
>I'm looking for a good, solid tent for one that can deal with winter conditions.
>Any recommendations?
>
Fair dinkum 4 season tents come in a number of styles, basically heavy and lighter!
If car camping, then heavier is OK; but if hiking, then lighter is better and often costs more to achieve the same degree of robustness for lighter weight. If you are not in a hurry then consider 2nd hand, as some reasonable buys can be obtained...
>also, got a question about bivys, since I never had one before. What are
>you supposed to do for your bag(s) if it starts raining?
For many years now I have spent more time in bivy baqs than in tents. While hiking I have found a garbage bin liner (plastic bag), to be adequate to store stuff in. If your rucksack has a dri-bag liner then the garbage bag wouldn't be needed.
In my experience a bivy bag in wet weather is really only comfortable for about three days, as by then moisture seems to ingress while you enter or exit the bag, to the extent that your sleeping bag will be damp. Take every opportunity in such conditions to dry stuff out!
For motorcycle camping I still mainly use a bivy bag, but find that part of packing gear on a bike is better if a good quality dri-bag is used, and I also find this adequate for storing extra gear outside the bivy bag, though still use a garbage bag for my boots!
When I have used a tent (luxury!!), I still tend to use a bivy bag for extra warmth and waterproofness, but it is overkill, ... unless of course you are using a cheapo 'fair weather tent'.
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23-Apr-2010 9:42:32 AM
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For car camping a cheapo tent with an added blue tarp is the way to go.
If you intend doing extended foul weather carrying your load camping you will be spending big $. If you are going to buy a good tent having the kmart special and only using the good tent when really required will save you many $ in the long run.
That said in most of Australia a light tent fly and/or a bivy bag suffice. Depending on conditions a light fly in rain can provide more protection for yourself, equipment and sanity.
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23-Apr-2010 5:05:46 PM
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can't believe the hemming and hawing i've been doing, but i think i've finally decided on getting a blackwolf mantis 1, which could be potentially about $80 if no one else bids on it. I'm looking for a bivy bag as well. It appeals to my lazy side, I hate setting up tents.
The price is a pretty big consideration for me, I'm no mountaineer (yet) and I'd rather spend money on my rack and not where I'm sleeping...
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23-Apr-2010 5:16:48 PM
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Nooj wrote: 167cm, and just me. unfortunately.
Oh yeah - don't be too hard on yourself; one day you'll find someone to share the tent with, even if it's just a mate who will carry half the tent for you!
But that one night you do find that someone special, you'll be kicking yourself you've only got one of those pissy one-man jobs.
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23-Apr-2010 6:32:55 PM
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Those Black Wolf Mantis tents are like coffins. Getting in and out of one in heavy rain would suck.
Go buy a cheapo dome tent and get a tarp. You will be set.
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23-Apr-2010 6:55:31 PM
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Might be out of your price range if you're looking at an $80 tent but check out the Exped Venus II.
http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-and-tramping/tents/exped-venus-ii-tent.html
Its 3-4 season tent so can handle snow if you ever need it to. Plenty of space for two people plus gear, not too heavy and has lots of nifty little features that makes using it a pleasure.
I have one, and its been through thunderstorms, blizzards etc and it's never let me down.
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23-Apr-2010 7:02:07 PM
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The way I see it, there are light tents (popular in America) and solid tents. If you're heading somewhere with bad weather, the extra kilogram or so is well worth carrying. I reckon you can't go past Macpac for a solid tent. If you are only going to Wilsons Prom then a light tent will be adequate.
Bear in mind that a light tent means you will need to carry a separate ground sheet to avoid ruining the floor.
I'm very happy with my Minaret. It's a sort of 1.5 person tent. Heaps of space for trips where weight doesn't matter, but I can squeeze two in for a hard trip in the South West. My next bushwalking tent will be a Macpac. Of course I have a cheap tent for car camping.
JamesMc
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