Tents

Yeah, the BD Skylight is a great tent from the specs I've seen. Personally I'm a bit of a gearphile so I love looking at specs etc. You were quite lucky to get that deal on the BD Two thumbs up

While we are chatting about tents I think the BD Eldorado is right up there with the best all round tents available. On spec the only tents I've seen that compare are the Hilleberg mt tents but their free standing options are heavier.

The Eldorado has been around since before Bibler was bought by BD. It's made from Tod-tex (Tod Bibler) which is essentially gore-tex and is single wall. It week weighs 2.2kg and has space for 2 over 6 foot climbers.

It's a classic go to tent for Alpine climbers facing high altitude/ winter conditions. Check it out on the BD site.

you seem to really like the Black Diamond tents. Have you looked at other makes at all?

Check out this one:

www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/CopperSpurUL2

It has the same space inside as the Eldorado, however is a double wall tent, so no condensation, has two vestibules and only weighs 1,75kg including the footprint.

@Captain, I've seen those tents on the website too. The only issue I'd have is weight, they're relatively heavy, but for the price I think they're good deals. I used the old CampMaster hiking tent (now discontinued) on a weekend on Castle Gorge on the Magaliesberg and was pretty impressed with it. I think they're probably great budget options. (I have 2 car-camping CampMaster tents, and have used several others, and am very happy with them, haven't been wet in them yet.)

hikers delight wrote: you seem to really like the Black Diamond tents. Have you looked at other makes at all?

Check out this one:

www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/CopperSpurUL2

It has the same space inside as the Eldorado, however is a double wall tent, so no condensation, has two vestibules and only weighs 1,75kg including the footprint.

As far as I know, that's the tent Sabine uses.

Looked at most stuff... BA is great for lightweight 3 season but not 4 season. Their String Ridge is good on spec but got poor reviews in harsh weather.

I think you have to look in context of your specific needs. I like the high altitude and winter stuff so prefer 4 season tents. I could list you 10 great tents f from other manufacturers but Bibler was the top of the market long before BD came along. I had them for 15 years and the quality is exceptional. Time will tell for the new lightweight Bd designs. The Skylight is my first...

This seems like a good option: Tadpole 2

@LouisvV it does look decent, but where do you get NF tents from? DueSouth no longer stock NF, what is the price of this tent?

I would also look at The North Face Meso and Tadpole tents as they may be a bit stronger than this...

Check the TNF site for seasonal ratings. This tent has a mesh inner and no snow valences so it may not cope with Berg winter conditions. Waterproofing of fabric is also not high spec so I would have a closer look and try to get some reviews to assess what you can use it for.

Valid points mentioned by ASL, will keep that in mind.

There is a new concept store in Menlyn, and I had asked them if one was looking at some specific gear, would they be able to get it? And the reply was, "we could try". So I will need to find out first if they would be able to bring in tents. I just thought it is an option to look at...

This is the Tadpole 2 @ $289