Tents

30 Jun 2009 18:37 #489 by fatshark
Tents was created by fatshark
My hiking tent of 10 years has finally given up the ghost.

Can anyone recommend a good 2 - 3 man hiking tent for the Berg? You know all the usual specs, lightweight, waterproof, double seal etc etc. Not going to be hitting the Himalayas or Antarctic any time so don't want to spend much more than about R6K. Something like one of those old Challengers from Outdoor Warehouse, or a Cadac Isodome (but really struggling to find one at the moment). The K-way Makalu seems a reasonable product, but I'm a bit wary of K-way, anyone got one who can advise based on personal experience?

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01 Jul 2009 11:20 #490 by Magan
Replied by Magan on topic Re:Tents
I have the Ferrino Blow : 2-man, 3.2kg. Best tent I have had. I've sat out rainy days & nights in the Berg, not a drop in it. Windy days in the South and I felt secure. Hot days in Giants & was well ventilated.

It has a snow flap, entrances on both sides, tassels with eyelets to roll up either / both sides of your flaps. Duraluminium poles, snap together easily. 2 air vents on top. Lamp holder + map / book holder inside. 2 ropes available to secure tent in event of strong wind. I've noticed that with lamp on at night, tent is barely visible from a couple dozen metres away.

Only one small issue : 2 men and full bags at feet and it becomes a touch cramped for space.

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02 Jul 2009 00:36 #491 by intrepid
Replied by intrepid on topic Re:Tents
Most of the time I use a 2 man Hilleberg Nallo tunnel tent. It's an amazing 2.5kg and has an enormous vestibule (enough for several packs and cooking). To this day I have not seen anything that has beaten it's weight for the amount of space offered. It has weathered some very vicious winds where the rocks holding down the pegs sawed through the guy ropes because of the fluttering, but the tent was fine. The disadvantages have been the large footprint - not a problem on the escarpment or in Lesotho, but can be in tight Little Berg campsites or in caves. Being a tunnel tent it does tend to flap noisily. Also, they don't come cheap and are not for sale in South Africa.

I have used or know that the following tents are used successfully in the Berg:
North Face Merlin, North Face Tadpole, MSR Hubba, Kway Treklite, Kway Makalu, e3 Eclipse, the old Sunseeker Isodomes and various technical models of Vaude and Ferrino (the exact models of which I don't recall).

I think that most technical tents available in South Africa will see you through 95% of Berg weather (my opinion). There will be times where some of them will not handle extreme winds, snow blizzards, hard hail or cloud bursts that well (where you start to get worried but you survive in the end), and in some cases they may even fail totally (ripping or soaking through).

Not all of the tents I've mentioned above are actually meant for absolutely anything the Berg can throw at them. While 3 season tents are fine all year round in the Berg (in terms of insulation and webbing of inner tents), I have heard unsubstantiated reports of even MSR Hubbas being ripped in strong winds.

Some of the considerations I have when buying tents are a strong wind resistance (shape, material and poles), that the fly sheet goes all the way to the ground (or at least snow flaps), and that the gap between the fly sheet and the inner tent is big and sturdy enough that the inner does not keep touching the outer due to flapping. This is where I have seen many tents fall short.

I have been considering Black Diamond and Mountain Hardwear tents, since some of their models are not an overkill (like being designed for Everest), but are reasonably affordable, lightweight and can handle the most extreme Berg conditions with ease. I don't have any experience with them, but if those models fit your budget they are worth looking into.

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.

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02 Jul 2009 08:52 - 02 Jul 2009 08:54 #492 by black 90
Replied by black 90 on topic Re:Tents
I've got an Xped Sirius...friend of mine brought it over for me when the rand was weak; last year.

Very happy with it so far...Google it and read the specs. I'd go so far as to say it comes close to the Nallo that Intrepid uses (- if ANYTHING can in fact come close to a Hilleberg), as far as design goes.

Nice thing is you can pitch it 'fly only' / 'fly first, then inner' / 'inner only' / 'as one unit'.

Very clever little design features added like two way zipping on all zips, vents can open all together; or just netting etc etc. nice space between inner and outer.

From experience, I wouldn't touch K-way again - If only for their copied designs from better brands :angry: .

Fatshark, A mate of mine still has one or two 'new' Cadac Isodome 2's if you're keen?
Last edit: 02 Jul 2009 08:54 by black 90. Reason: spelling

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03 Jul 2009 02:17 #493 by intrepid
Replied by intrepid on topic Re:Tents
black 90 wrote:

I've got an Xped Sirius...friend of mine brought it over for me when the rand was weak; last year.

Very happy with it so far...Google it and read the specs. I'd go so far as to say it comes close to the Nallo that Intrepid uses (- if ANYTHING can in fact come close to a Hilleberg), as far as design goes.

Never heard of that brand before Mike,interesting...it is quite similar to the Nallo. I actually have the Nallo GT, which has an extended vestibule, roughly 2/3rds of the length of the sleeping area.

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.

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03 Jul 2009 06:25 #494 by DeonS
Replied by DeonS on topic Re:Tents
I've got one of the old Back Packer base camp tent, I think similar to the Iso Dome tents, a bit heavy - 5kg - but split over 3 people it's not to bad.
Used it in a heavy thunder storm with hail with not a leak.
How is the e3 tents? any good?

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03 Jul 2009 19:39 #495 by intrepid
Replied by intrepid on topic Re:Tents
Deon, I only know of people that have the one-man e3 tent. Its rather small (little head room) - though I guess its supposed to be compact - and the fly sheet does not go all the way to bottom (no snow flaps either)...have fun in a blizzard I'm thinking :laugh: .

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.

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13 Jul 2009 03:01 #502 by Serious tribe
Replied by Serious tribe on topic Re:Tents
Hi Intrepid

Here is a brochure for the xped sirius.

I am in australia for a while, and saw one of these in the local hiking shop. I don't have it yet, i usually use an isodome, but this is lighter, and i like the idea of putting up the inner first.

Karl

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13 Jul 2009 03:07 #504 by Serious tribe
Replied by Serious tribe on topic Re:Tents
the file was to big. hopefully you can still see the details

Karl

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13 Jul 2009 17:57 - 13 Jul 2009 19:12 #505 by intrepid
Replied by intrepid on topic Re:Tents
Hey Karl, thanks for the info. Am enjoying this thread. Certainly one of the features to look for in modern tents is the ability to pitch the outer independently of the inner, so that one can quickly pitch in bad weather without getting everything else wet, and vice-versa, that one can pack up most of the gear under shelter.

Yesterday I pitched a 2-man Marmot Zonda to test. It’s impressive, with a reasonable vestibule and its maximum weight is only 2kg! While it is a 3 season tent, without some of the hardier features, it’s probably great for October-May, and for mild winter conditions, in the Berg. It is reputedly tougher than the MSR Hubba series because the material actually allows for some stretching. Will hopefully be using it in the Canadian Rockies in 2 weeks time.

Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Last edit: 13 Jul 2009 19:12 by intrepid. Reason: typo

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