bikemig 

Looking for a good quality one person, 3 season tent. I'm also thinking about some of the smaller 2 person tents as well (sometimes I've seen them described as 1.5 person tents).

I think I want a "conventional" tent with a fly and an inner but I'd look at other tents as well. Ideally the vestibule would work to let me do some cooking in bad weather. Weight matters but it's not everything as I want the thing to be able to hold up in a storm.

I'm leaning towards the MSR Hubba NX 1 but I'm curious to see the tents that others are using and why they think it works as a good tent for bike touring.

Within reason, my budget is flexible.

jefnvk

I'll lend my support to buying a 2 person tent, if ultralight isn't a concern. Nice to be able to keep gear inside with you in foul weather or to have a bit of extra room sitting out a storm, and if the need ever arises, you can fit a second person in. My Eureka has held up well over the past 14 or so years, but I have no idea how their new stuff compares to what I have (the model has changed quite a bit).

mrv 

Crazy Guy has a forum just on tents, if you've not stumbled across it: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/foru..._id=9305&v=217

If any users of the MARMOT TUNGSTEN 1P chime in to this thread, I'd appreciate hearing your opinion. https://marmot.com/products/details/tungsten-1p

I'm currently using a 2-man REI Passage2 tent. It's 5lbs. More space than I need to sleep at night, so I'm thinking of also getting a 1 person tent. Either an REI upgrade or the Marmot. Looking forward to the responses.

prathmann

Really like my Eureka Spitfire-1. Plenty of headroom for sitting up while reading or when getting dressed. The vestibule space is pretty small if staked down normally, but if you prop up the end of it with a stick or pole you can turn it into more of an awning with plenty of room for cooking while staying inside the tent.

markjenn

I'm also a proponent of getting a 2-person tent even if you're by yourself. The extra weight isn't that much and having some room for gear and moving around in the tent makes a BIG difference in comfort. I think the tent mfgs size tents on what's possible, not what's comfortable.

I've got a MSR Hubba Hubba and it has served me well. Two must-have features: 1) free-standing so you can move it around a bit after it is erected; and 2) clips rather than sleeves for tent poles.

- Mark

cyclo.man

If you have possibility to buy from Europe, check out Decathlon's Arpenaz 2 tent is really price/performance product... I use it in my tours and i am glad...

gerryl

I've been using Sierra Designs tents for a few years now, all have been good. Last summer I bought a Flashlight 2, ( there is a one man version), used it every day for 3 months with no problems, it appears to be quite durable. However it's a single wall tent, this year they have a new tent called Light Year 1, double walled, affordable and at a little over 2lbs seems to be quite light. I was able to pack my 2 man tent, except for the poles, in one of my front panniers with room left over for other stuff as well.

bikemig 

Good to know about the Flashlight 2. It's a 4 lb tend which isn't terrible for a 2 person tent.

SD has interesting (and unusual) designs. It's just two poles near the high end and a small hoop at the floor, right? How did it hold up in a high wind? What about rain? The awnings look neat for views but you have to zipper up the inside right in a driving rain I imagine.

indyfabz

I would describe my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 as a 1.5 person tent. Nice and light (2.25 lbs. packed as I recall), but not much headroom. If you are tall (6'2") and want to be able to dress easily, I'd look at something else. My BA Seedhouse SL2 has more room for body and gear, but it's at least 1 lb. heavier.


The point was made in a recent tent thread that part of the decision comes down to what role you envision for your tent. If you see yourself hanging in the tent for long periods and would like more space while doing so, you probably want to go with something a bit larger. If your tent is merely a place to crash out of the elements and/or you don't mind being in a smaller space should you have to hole up during inclement weather, then by all means for something smaller and, presumably, lighter.

markjenn

I had one of the earlier SD Flashlight 1-one tents and it was very compact and light. It handled a few windy nights just fine and being lower-profile is probably good for this. But I felt a little like I was getting into a coffin each night. The lower height of the tent at one end meant that anything you put near the foot of the tent was almost irretrievable, at least for a 60-yo like me. And as I said earlier, I'm not a big fan of tents that require staking down to stand because invariably the place I wanted to put the tent had a rock, tree root, etc. right where I wanted to put a stake (or the ground was so hardpacked I needed a big hammer to be able to drive a stake, totally negating the weight advantage of a lighter tent). And being able to pick up a tent after erection to re-position is awfully handy (e.g., campfire smoke path, noise concerns, other tenters, something on the ground you missed, etc.). Most of my tenting is in good weather and I simply want something that goes up quick and where most nights I don't have to drive a stake or put up a fly. If the weather is awful, I'm heading for a hotel.

Having said all this, tents are a personal choice and one man's poison is another's pleasure. Making lemonade from lemons, I see SD describes the Flashlight as "gloriously non-freestanding".

- Mark

52telecaster

I've got a 2 person kelty. I don't know 2 people who could fit in it but its great for 1.

52telecaster

It also defies gravity!

gerryl

You're right, the Flashlight needs only two straight poles and a small hoop at the end, sets up very fast. The tent help up extremely well in very windy conditions, there are extract tie downs if you anticipate very windy conditions. For the first 2 weeks of my 3 month trip it rained pretty much every day so I can say with confidence that it is indeed water proof.

Every time I got caught in seriously stormy conditions, I was lucky enough that if there was a risk of rain coming in one side of the tent, I simply zipped up that side and opened up the other.

The only thing that you have to be aware of in single wall tents is condensation, ventilation is very very important. If single wall isn't your thing, get a more conventional double wall tent, like the Light Year.

gerryl

I ran into the hardpacked ground problem this past summer in France. I however travel with a pretty good hammer- aka a U-lock.

Ty0604

I love my Eureka Spitfire 1 (aka the "Solo" on some websites). Got in on sale for $80 but it retails around $110. When my gf goes with me we can share it comfortably but we're both pretty small. It packs down pretty small (see the second photo) and doesn't weigh much.

Eureka has great customer service IMO too. They replaced my tent last year after a raccoon tore a hole in the side of it.



The 13L bag is too big but REI didn't have any 10L bags and Sea to Summit doesn't make a 10L bag to my knowledge. Think it goes from an 8L to 13L. The tent and rain fly are in this bag. About the size of a soccer ball.

NoShiftSherlock

I love my Nemo Galaxi 2P. It's a bit heavier, but it's easily countered by just splitting the load a bit.

reppans

I have an older SD Clip Flashlight 2 (rare WP/breathable single-wall) and recent BA Fly Creek UL2, but now only use a SMD Gatewood Cape w/ integral Serenity NetTent. Multi-tasks as a rain cape, packs far smaller and lighter, fastest/driest set-up/take-down, most room/versatility when it counts. Not free standing... if that's important, but neither are my others.

berner

I have two Eureka one person tents that have given good service for years. The only criticism is they are heavy compared to what is available today. A Big Agnes catalog arrived in the mail unasked for but I'm glad it came as the new tents are truly superlight. https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Pr...ent/filters/20 Weights of the new crop of tents are half or less of my old tents, say about 1 1/2 or 2 pounds. And it is not only a question of weight either. The new designs and fabrics will also pack smaller. They do cost more as we might expect and that is the age old balancing question between performance and cost.

robert schlatte

Take a look at Alps mountaineering. I have a Mystique 1.5- it is very roomy. Very nice quality tent but not the absolute lightest but inexpensive.

Squeezebox

For some of the backpacking tents you'll have to figure out something for a pole(s). LightHeart, Tarp Tent, there are others. And Zpacks for super light and super expensive. I'm sure you've looked at Rei. My Copper Spur is great.
Look at Campmor also.

BlarneyHammer

I like my Fly Creek 1. It has more room on the inside than you might think. You can fit all four panniers in the vestibule, the ceiling is high enough to sit up, and it's wide enough to roll over. It's also held up well over 15,000 km of bike touring and 5,000 km of backpacking.

Disclaimer: I'm 5'5".

BigAura

I recommend Big Agnes fly creek UL2. I can easily get all my gear inside, and I can sit up, which is why I prefer a 2-man tent. Mine weighs in at 42.3 ounces including all pegs and stuff sacks. It packs small too (3.8 liters). It's a quality tent so it's got a heftier price tag. I bought mine using the 20%-off REI spring sale. It's worth it to me because I'm 90-100% sleeping in it when I tour.

fietsbob

Basically , Can You sit up and Put your shoes on in the tent, and are you OK with leaving your Panniers on The Bike at night?

A 2 person may be better if you answer No to Either Question.

bikemig 

There's no question that Big Agnes has some really lightweight tents. But the material is pretty thin on some of these tents to get them that light. How has the tent held up in bad storms? Do you feel like you have to use extra care in setting the tent up and taking it down? The Fly Creek UL 2 looks awesome in terms of weight to size but when I looked at one in the store, I was concerned by how thin the material was.

Doug64

Regardless of what tent you have, it can be packed much smaller using a compression sack.

The blue compression sack contains a Sierra Designs Lightning 2 (old design) 2-person tent and rainfly. The yellow/green sack is my sleeping bag.