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Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

 Page 1 of 3. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 47
Author
Tents?

jens
9-Feb-2004
10:31:48 AM
I'm looking to buy a tent for some fun under the stars. I'm not sure what to look out for, but I don't mind spending a bit extra for quality. Generally it'll be for Australian conditions, but I also intend on giving mountaineering a go later this year.
I like the idea of the Bibbler single skin, but it might not have enough ventilation for those hot summer nights. The other option could be the Hammerhead by Mountain Hard Ware. Not too keen on buying two though. Does anyone know about these or other tents? I am open to suggestions.

tmarsh
9-Feb-2004
3:06:52 PM
Many tents that are capable of withstanding high alpine conditions are also poorly ventilated in summer.

Here are some more to consider:
Macpac Olympus
Macpac Minaret
Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow
Marmot Nutshell
Salewa Sierra Leone

All of them are 'rated' as being suitable for continuous snowfall. The Olympus is the most expensive; the Sierra Leone is the least expensive. Of them all, I'd probably say the Sierra Leone is the best value, and the best all-round tent. It is heavy though - 3.6 kilos. But for that weight you get a pretty big 2-person tent with dual vestibules and good ventilation. The Macpacs and the WE tent are all available with a siliconised nylon fly that decreases the weight substantially - 3.0kg for the Olympus and 2.5 for the Minaret.

All of the tents I've mentioned are stocked by Bogong in the city. And yes, I work for Bogong.

Cheers,
tim

nmonteith
9-Feb-2004
3:29:02 PM
I have a Macpac Miniret which i am not that happy with. The problems i have are as follows...

It is not self supporting - thus if the ground is rocky/peg-proof then you have to try and tie the thing down to logs/big rocks ect to make to stay up. This is a very real problem. In summer in the Gramps the ground can be impossible to peg and thus the tent sags and leaks even when held out by guy ropes attached to trees.

The tent feels much more like a 1.5 person tent. Two people have no room and the vestibule hardly fits anything. A single half emptied pack struggles to stay dry and blocks any chance of people getitng in and out of the tent.

Romfrantic
9-Feb-2004
3:32:50 PM
Yeah, I agree with the Minaret....good tent but pity about some aspects - it doesn't ventilate that well even in winter snow camping!, and yes the vestibules are very small....best suitable for use by one short and one tall person inside, as one side is shorter than the other.....yes, I'm the short one and only just comfortably fit the short side with my gear ;-)
James
9-Feb-2004
5:48:45 PM
I have a Macpac Olympus & wouldn't buy another one (although I expect to have this for many years to come). Its roomy & well ventilated (2 doors+ 2 vestibles) but heavy, strong but will not cope if the wind shifts during the night. I have used Bibler tents in the mountains & these are awesome, really the best. But they will be crap if you're not in the snow. I recommend buying 2 different ones. If you are mountaineering in NZ you don't need a tent.
JohnK
9-Feb-2004
6:26:25 PM
I have a Fairydown Assault II. When I bought it two years ago it was one of the lightest 2 man maintaineering tents on the market and it has survived gail force winds and a snow blizzard and is still like new. Has some great little features like small plastic windows, air vents, lots of storage pockets and a lot of space in the vestibules areas. Saved a bunddle by getting it mail order directly from NZ (they are an NZ based Co). In my experience dome tents are also likely to be stronger in adverse conditions. Other brands I looked at inclded Siera Leone and the Kathmandu range which at the time appeared to be great value for money.


bob
9-Feb-2004
6:38:24 PM
www.msrcorp.com

go to the tent schon then thay have a tent finder on the page go to it and put in what u are looking fore

if you read all that is desplied about the tents you will fined that some dont need to be set up with the tent ie you can seprate the fliy and the tent so u can have just tent or just fliy it's reall cool there a reall good desine im geting one as soon as i get enath money

bob

mousey
9-Feb-2004
10:17:07 PM
yeh i''m with james- 2 different tents is the way to go.
i'd recomend spending the dollars on a very high quality snow tent (bibler I-tent gets my vote) and then for summer camping and bushwalking you can pick up a little 2 man dome for $100 from the local camping shop. these are not exactly superdooper quality but they do the job suprisingly well- small light and easy as to pitch

jens
10-Feb-2004
9:24:22 AM
Has anyone have any user beta on the Hammerhead by Mountain Hard Ware?

nmonteith
10-Feb-2004
9:37:15 AM
The Hammerhead appears to be a 3-season tent. I used a Mountain Hardware Trango 2 tent in Baffin Island a few years back. It felt mega sturdy in high winds (3 poles instead of 2) and had heaps of inner room for 2 people and good vestibule space. Not sure how it would work in the summer heat though!

jens
10-Feb-2004
10:44:45 AM
Mighty mouse might have a point then, two tents might be better then. I hear the Bibbler I-tent can come with two entrances, this might solve the ventilation problem, as long as they have fly-screens in them.
I'm used to a swag, so having the views of the sky at night is always a nice touch, might have to look at a convertible one.
I like the weight of the bibbler though, 1.9Kg and no mucking around with a fly. Also, you can climb inside to set it up, for when the weather catches you out.
Too many things to consider. Two tents might be the go, but costs are now a consideration.
Great info you guys give me, keep em coming!
M
10-Feb-2004
8:58:41 PM
I have a sierra designs tiros convertible. It is a great tent. It is truly convertible. For hiking you can leave some of the poles and the vestibule behind. I think it is also pretty water proof without the fly so you can probably leave that as well in good weather. It has four poles so it is quite rigid and free standing. It also has an internal guy system for high winds. I have never used it in extreme conditions but it is supposed to be excellent. It also has excellent ventilation for hot weather.
The only problem is that I am not sure if you can still get them but I would recommend checking out sierra designs tents.
Also before you buy try doing a google search for the tent you are interested in and reviews

Sticky
12-Feb-2004
10:35:51 AM
I don't recommend the Macpac Olympus. A couple of years back we were stuck up at Hell Gap on Mt Bogong - when the winds changed, the tent just couldn't hack it. I'd get a dome tent, the more pole crossovers, the better. The Macpac Hemisphere is a better tent, but for that money you could get the Bibler.

Never tried the Bibler, I don't have that sort of money, but the Sierra Leone is surprisingly versatile and strong. I've got a titan-tex Krapmandu Mountain Plus, and that does the job nicely, too. Good in the snow (and the orange colour lets lots of light in) and lots of ventilation for a hot Pines morning sleep-in. The vestibule is really small though - not good for cooking in the snow and wind.

I'd check out the Fairydown tents though - everything they make is top notch.

Good luck
Kyle


nmonteith
12-Feb-2004
11:32:18 AM
Yellow coloured tents are not good if you want to sleep in when camping in sunny Australia!
joemor
12-Feb-2004
12:12:18 PM
yep yellow is bright in the mornings... tho it feels like the day is going to be all warm and nice, even if its hailing outside....
JohnK
13-Feb-2004
5:27:34 PM
Not sure if this is of any use at all to you but came across it whilst surfing the net. These guys do mail order from NZ and have a special on at the moment on tents. Think this model is green in colour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAIRYDOWN PLATEAU
Designed to withstand the most demanding alpine conditions. FAIRYDOWN PLATEAU
Online special ONLY - offer available until 31 January '04 or when stock runs out
www.fairydown.com

DESCRIPTIONS/SPECS
The Fairydown Plateau is a solid, 2 to 3-person 4-season alpine tent built to withstand the most demanding alpine conditions with multiple pole intersections, Stormtech fabric and two large vestibles this is the tent for extended alpine adventures.

DAC Superlight SL poles
Stormtech 75D Polyester fly fabric
2 - 3 person
Internal area: 3.0 m sq.
Vestibles: front 1.15 m sq. and rear 0.6 m sq.
In use weight: 3.9 Kg
TO PURCHASE
Price: was $999 NZD NOW $699 NZD
Order via e-mail - info@mainlandoutdoors.co.nz

alrob
14-Feb-2004
3:30:06 PM
just a point about macpac, they have just outsourced all ranges of products, with tents now being made in vietnam.

nmonteith
16-Feb-2004
10:34:12 AM
sigh ... another company bites the dust.

jens
16-Feb-2004
5:12:23 PM
Could be worse, they could make them in Nepal.

I heard That items made in China are not so bad, but I don't know about Vietnam. My guess is that it's somewhere in between these two extremes, in terms of quality.

mousey
16-Feb-2004
5:18:53 PM
Vietnam isnt too bad- i was over there last year for a month and while there is always the dodgy tourist crap, i came across a lot of good quality gear

 Page 1 of 3. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 47
There are 47 messages in this topic.

 

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