Tents

Yes I use the MSR 2 person Elixir as well - stood up very well to a very strong wind, bit cold for some as it does have quite a bit of mesh - but is not cheap. In my opinion a great tent as it has plenty of room for all my gear and I like the fact that the walls is very straight due to its design.

LouisvV wrote: Hi all.

I am looking for some suggestions for a family member who wants to get into hiking and obviously some future berg trips as well.

What tent do you guys suggest for a family of 3? Their child is only 2 now, but they would want to have the flexibility of sharing for future hikes as well.

Also consider the Outdoor Elements Sunny 2. It is spacious and very durable. Made for our harsh conditions. And despite the fairly square sides it stands up to wind really well because it pitches rigid. 9.5mm poles so strong and comes with a full footprint. Not the lightest option around but offers exceptional value-for-money. Have a look on the Drifters website.

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ruthtbl wrote: For those of you who might be interested, I recently made a video review of my Black Diamond Mirage tent which can be viewed here:

NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with the brands (Black Diamond in this case) or companies (Mountain Mail Order in this case) that are featured in my reviews. The gear that I review has been purchased and used by me, and the reviews are my honest personal opinion.

Very cool thanks...
I also have a Mirage and it's a really nice tent.
And then I met the KWay Nerolite. For a lot less money it offers a lot. In my humble opinion it is much better value-for-money.
Obviously depends what your needs are. Then again I'm sure we'll all agree that once your a BD fan it's all over. From headlamps to through climbing to tents just simply an amazing brand.

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I have also recently purchased a K-Way Nerolite. Yet to test it out in very trying condictions, but impressed so far.

Somewhere further back in this thread, someone (ASL I think) made the very astute observation that with hiking equipment you can have any two of the following three attributes:

• Lightweight
• Strong/Warm
• Cheap

i.e if it's light & strong it won't be cheap, if its strong & cheap it won't be light, and if it's light & cheap it won't be strong...

If I was escarpment hiking with my wife and children under 12 my priorities would be: Strong > Lightweight > Cheap (i.e. I'd push the boat out and get the strongest, lightest name-brand tent I can possibly afford). Same with sleeping bags.

My current tent is a Cool Mountain II (2-person/4 season) which is cheap, strong and not so light, but has served me well on the few hikes I've done with it. Although it is billed as a two-person tent I have yet to learn how to share the limited space with anyone.

360 Deg Cool Mountain II tent
The All weather blanket from Outdoor Warehouse fits perfectly under the groundsheet.



Shock cord about 250mm, tied double through the grommet, and looped around the end of the pole that comes through the webbing.

I wanted to add a few guys to the tent, over and above the 2 that are supplied. I had already attached 4 extras to the loops for the toggles to keep the fly sheet doors open.
I stitched some re-inforcing behind the loops on the inside.

From inside:


From outside:


I attached some shock cord to the top of each guy, approx 200mm tied into a loop. This pic shows one of the extra guys under a good bit of tension, the tent is not really pitched taut or properly.

Seam-sealed all the seams afterward

Papa Dragon
Next time your tent is up, could you add a longer view so we can see where you have placed these new attachment points please?
How many pegs do you use now?

Also, does anyone have an opinion on which way up to use the groundsheet with reflective material on one side? I've always put the reflective side down to keep the cold out, but see from the pictures above that Papa D seems to use it to keep the warm in...

I found a great article done by Phillip Werner of sectionhiker on various types of tents in the lightweight category.
Link to sectionhiker article

My specific conundrum is to get a lightweight solution for a family of 4 (dad, mum, a 3 year old and a 5 year old).
The only real option I found was products by Tarptent in their 3 man and up range - but they are US based and will cost an arm and a leg (which I need to hike).
Do anyone have any recommendations towards a family solution for a sleeping arrangement?