Really good video Abbie - one of the best tent overviews I've seen over the years. RU-vid recommended one of your vids a few days ago and I've watched a lot over the last week. I live on the edge of Dartmoor so I guess that's why you popped up. All your videos i've seen so far have made me smile. Ta
Love tents and tent reviews. The slightly embarrassing feeling when you a look at the gear and find another tent you almost forgot while still wanting another one.
Great video covering a few things to consider before shopping a new tent. I´d like to point out the price issue a bit. I see you like the Hilleberg Akto, which here in Sweden cost 550 GBP/640 EUR/6900 SEK. A lot of money? Yep, quite a bit. However, for that money you get a roomy 1,5 person, 4-season tent with great space for backpack, boots and wet gear at a minimum weight for its class. The tent will last you 20-30 years at average use in the most adverse Nordic weather. As a plus it literally only takes a minute to put up in windy conditions and the inner tent goes up with the outer one; this might be a life saver if not just adding a bit of comfort. The price you pay for this is only a few hotel nights. So, what might hurt your wallet when you buy it may be doing the whole trip for you.
I am in the comfortable situation to own 2 Hillebergs (Anjan3 and Enan). I paid without even blinking an eye. But I have a good job, no kids and meanwhile just one hobby left. 10 years ago, the price of the Enan was my months salary. Think about that.
@@kobold90 Yes, in the end we make our own choices based on a number of issues, including money at our disposal. What I want to add to the discussion regarding price is that it is sometimes easy just to look at the immediate cost and not compare it to a wider perspective. Something also worth thinking about.
I'm not too fussed about pockets inside a tent, but a must have for me is a hook in the ceiling that I can hang a lantern from as I tend to be up for a pee at least once in a night! Great guide to tent features Abbie, keep up the good work 👍
I have a Wild Country Zephyros 1EP, got it half price last year in the sales at Cotswold Outdoors. I use it for cycle touring and long distance hiking. With being 6ft, I find there is loads of room inside without feeling hemmed in. Very quick to pitch, once you have gotten used to the pitch style. I use a mix of the included pegs for pegging out and titanium pegs for the guy lines. Really informative video, happy camping :)
Awesome Abbie. I have the MSR Hubba Hubba cause i like some room. Im not a gram weenie & believe that having some luxury while out in the BC forests hiking is lovely. I even carry a Small forest Axe, simply because its important to have. 2lbs ! 😵💫 lol. But again, for my country it is really a safety Tool. I mean IF? i ever came across a not so nice Grizzly, i have Bear spray & a great defence Tool. Im not a Gun guy. OK, lets get back on topic right, lol. My tent is a 3 season there for lighter & way more easy to dry. I love it. To anyone reading thats new to long haul hiking, invest in a great 3 season tent. Its your Home out there. Cheers & stay dry 😉☺
One of my first tents was called the Vango Alpha 300, This was an inner pitch first with two fibreglass poles and a third pole in the flysheet to help form the porch area, although I found that outer pitch tents tend to be better this tent only took five minutes at most to pitch.
Thank-you so much. Watching from New Zealand. Exactly what I was looking for and definitely giving me more ideas on my back packing tent purchase. Loving all your videos Thank-you for making them. I watched your coast to coast yesterday and definitely on my list of hikes to do the next time I'm in the UK . Take care
Great video 😊👍. I like my Vango scarfell 200 did really well on the west highland way and great glen way a few weeks ago. I'm taking it on the Cape Wrath trail in 3 weeks. Not the lightest but stood up to wind and rain on some of the mountains😊👌.
Have just replaced 20 year old one person Lazer with the new 2 person Lazer compact it weighs just four ounces more has a bigger porch and a lot more space inside for no perceptible increase in weight. I seam sealed the ridge line I rarely used the fiddly cover. One thing worth thinking about is where your going to be using a tent regarding the colour also if using it in a hot dry country where there is no chance of being able to get a tent peg in then a free standing tent with plenty of mesh makes sense.
My first tent i used for backpacking, an ebay 2nd hand laser comp 1 :). Since then I bought a tarptent and a hille unna 🤣 but have ended going back to the laser comp for bike packing as its nice wild green colour and light , and a good tent :). I've thought of taking the black strip off for simplification and seam sealing it , I seam sealed the tarptent by hand is it literally a simple task with no obvious risk on the laser comp 1 ? Regards
@@Foxtrottangoabc I just got back from a six day wild camp in Wales, I camped up high on a few occasions the last one was at 655 meters the tent was hit by several strong blasts without issue. I had seam sealed the ridge inside and out. I don't remember ever using the pole cover but guess I must have done in the early years. The two person version has an extra couple of tabs at each end which I've attached guys to. There are tabs attached to the pole sleeve which your not supposed to attach guy lines to directly tho I reckon you could using a bungee loop to, to take any sudden strains all suggestions are at owners risk.
Abbie I can't thank you enough for the effort you put in to putting your content together. This year will be my first thru hike and you've educated me on pretty much everything I need to know. 💚
Great information. Just spent a week in a MSR hubba nx1. Like the fact you can sit up in it easy, long enough for a 6ft lad and can be pitched outter first with the ground sheet. Porch is a little cosy but big enough for a backpack and get some cooking done. No room for washing though. Is light at just over 1kg. But damn £300. Ouch.
Thanks Abbie, you did a great job of summing up the important points efficiently! I could have used a video like this before I spent hours researching this stuff last year - I'm sure a lot of people just starting out will find it really useful. :)
Great vid im sure lots of people are contemplating packing after lock down as opposed to the usual sun sea and sangria. As you pointed out lots to consider when looking for kit . Its a minefield.
What a nice video, my friend! Great backpacking trip! Enjoyed watching, the nature is amazing. Cheers from Russia, Abbie, and welcome to my channel about bushcraft, tips and hacks! Kind regards, Yuriy!
Cool video! This will surely help many people see which direction they'd like to take with their new tent. Also awesome shoutout towards your local outdoor stores :) Stop by and you'll find peeps like me who'll gladly help further towards finding a nice tent for your wild adventures.
Hi David, can I suggest taking a look at the naturehike cloud peak two? Not for tall people, I wouldn't recommend it to those over 6 foot but for those up to that length it's an excellent buy. It's an iglo shapped tent for two, 2,2 kg with everything included, it has two side-entry doors and two vestibules and can cost between a 120-180 euro, depending on where and when you buy it. Could be heavier then what you are looking for but has been my personal go to tent for a while now, even on solo trips and even though I have a perfectly good tent that weighs 2 pounds less. It's just that good imo. One thing I like that might he odd to mention is the way the (inner) tent is stitched. The top 40% is mesh, which is cool because even in those wet Norwegian woods I get no condensation in the inner, but it also let's you peak into the top of the vestibules when you lie down which make the thing look massive. On my own it feels like a palace. Oh, and the sides of the inner can be fully opened, which makes cooking in the vestibule while sitting in the tent easy, and getting in and out of the tent easy. And iglo tents are cute ✌️
I have a tent that's technically an inner pitch first, but you can pitch the outer first. It's just a little bit more of a hassle. The tent is the MSR Hubba Hubba with plus its footprint.
Thanks Abbie 👍 Interesting to hear about the coatings used - I'd lost track of that. I really don't like the way Hilleberg are ripping people off - the Akto cost ~£200 when I last got a tent, now ~£600. With 2 skin tents, I wonder if you can create your own porch by sacrificing some space from the inner lining ?
For non-normal people there is one criteria that automatically rules out 90%+ of tents - can we fit in them? At 198cm I can count on one hand the number of tents I know I can fit in. Inside length alone is not enough as I took a risk with an untried tent that measured 235cm and I don't fit. Curious how people solve these types of tent problems in the internet age?
I took a vango Nevis 200 for a solo trip. I measured the backpack and is a 75 l. Which wouldn't fit in the poarch. So I went for the 2 people. But it's 2 kg. So you think it could be a goo choice for the wild camping in the highlands?
Are there any tent manufactuers who can make tents to our own specifications? I'm fed up looking in vain for a stock tent that ticks all the right boxes for me..:)
The Bivvi bag in your video i have no idea how waterproof it is but normally very light weight ones really do not offer good rain protection. I would say the benefit of a bivvi is low impact on the land as your not putting pegs in the ground and not destroying the view of the countryside for people sensitive to that kind thing. Bivvi is good for Stealth camping also you could argue your not camping in a bivvi if civil trespassing on private land. Quick to set up and put away. Truth is for a good waterproof gore-tex one its going be same weight as some the more high price lightweight tents. I think this year with more people wild camping and people becoming sensitive to wild camping bivving is the way to go for me. All best richard