Tell me about your tent

[Qubo]

Well I pulled the trigger on a Tarptent Moment and after setting it up in the yard a couple times I debating about sending it back. It's a nice tent over all but not as nice as my bigger Hilleberg. Main problem is I'm 6'4" with a long wide sleeping pad. They say the Moment will fit someone up to 6'5" and while I technically fit its not really a great fit. The sides of my pad touch at both ends which means my bag will touch. Also with the short walls and shallow roof combined with my height I end up at the ends of the tent and the top is only a few inches from my face. And to give my face the most room I have my feet against the wall so I may get wet there. Without having stayed a night in it I would say it's a nice tent and would recommend it to anyone 6ft and under. I'm probably going to send it back and get their Scarp 1 tent. Very similar design but larger. More of a 1.5 person tent. Hope this helps anyone considering it.

 

[rmagnus]

Lots of good tents out there As referenced in this thread. I went with a 2P 4 Season Alps Mountaineering Tasmanian. Like the two vestibules nad massive room for one person. Biggest downside is the weight, but that’s true for most 4 season tents. Plan to s it as a base camp tent this October In Colorado.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I just picked up a Kelty cross canyon 2. Set it up at the house. Seems decent, 1 draw back is the aluminum poles. They seem really cheap. I’m taking it on a 9 day mule deer hunt in September. And a 2 week elk hunt end of September. So will see how it holds up.
Matt

 

[Qubo]

Well thought I'd give you guys an update on my Tarptent situation. I am officially done with Tarptent and will not purchase anything from them. As mentioned before I ordered a Moment DW. On initial receipt I was happy with it overall. Only initial problem is it doesn't come with guy lines even though it is pictured with them. A little cheap but nbd, I can make some. Not the quality of my Hilleberg but also not the same price. I'm pleased with it overall. My seam seal kit said to apply the sealer asap cause the chemicals dry out fast. So after figuring out how to set it up and checking it over and finding nothing wrong I seam sealed it. It was dark when it finally dried so I rolled it up because I work nights and couldn't test it for a few nights. I will admit it was my mistake not blowing up my pad and putting my sleeping bag in there before sealing. But everything seemed good at set up and I wanted to get it dried in for a test night in the yard. Well a week later I set it up for test night. I blow up my pad stick it in there and turns out all four corners touch the wall. I have a long/wide pad but there website specifically says long/wide pads fit and that tall people fit. And to be extra safe I also spoke with an employee before my order to verify that long/wide pads fit and that I would fit at 6'4". I was assured I would fit. I wouldn't call all corners of my pad touching walls fitting. And this is fully taught with the inner made wide, which shrinks the vestibules. But whatever I can make it work. Well turns out not only does wide not fit but 6'4" doesn't fit. I get on my pad with my sleeping bag and in order to keep my feet off the end wall I have to put my head so close to the other wall that the top slope of the tent is 3" from my face at most. And that's with no pillow. If I use my pillow I'm going to be touching it with my nose. Obviously this is going to make a ton of condensation and is very claustrophobic. And my bag touches the sides at the feet still.

So I call Tarptent. I get a different person than the one who said I would fit. They don't apologize for their mistake at all but recommend the next size tent and say if I pay for shipping and my seam seal job is deemed quality they will exchange it. If they have to reseal it they'll just charge me a little for that. I'm upset about this but I don't argue because I sealed it, but I shouldn't have to pay for shipping when they said I would fit and I don't, but whatever, it's $20 and I need a tent for a September hunt and I was still pleased with the quality for price. I go camping for a few days in the mountains with no service. When I get back I have a voice mail from them. The same day it arrived they called and said that the tent had been inspected and sent back to me because while the seam sealing was good and waterproof I got some sealer on the zipper. And while it didn't effect the use of the zipper it was now sticky to the touch and they can't sell a tent with a sticky zipper. He also says that even though the sealer scrapes off with a little work, and that I could easily scrape it off in order to resale it since I don't fit, they can't be bothered with doing that themselves. Didn't even wait for a call back to discuss it with me or anything. Got and email with tracking number for it coming to me just hours after my tracking says it arrived at there place. At no point during my call about returning it did they ever say there was a chance the wouldn't take it back. They just said they may charge me a little to cover a redo or selling it discounted but that it would probably be no issue and I would get a full exchange. So now I'm out $380 for a tent I don't fit in, plus the $20 it cost to send it to them. And to top it all off my September backpacking hunt is now going to be a truck camp, or me hauling a 3 person tent by myself because unless I can sell this thing for a minimal loss I don't have the money for another tent right now.

I get that I shouldn't have sealed it before putting my sleeping set up in, that's a life lessened learned. But the fact that I specifically spoke to someone about my size and they said it would work, and when it didn't they made no apology for there mistake and made no attempt to try to work out some compromise at all because a zipper is sticky to the touch. Just wanted everyone to know about how they do business.

 

[WalkingBird]

I like my Alps Ibex 2. Been using it for a couple years now and it's done everything I've asked of it. I had it in 25 mph winds (the strongest I've dealt with to date) and didn't use the guy lines. Tent never had an issue and slept myself and my 80lb somewhat comfortably, although he would probobly argue that point

 

[Ledanek]

I reviewed the NEMO Hornet UL 2019 with Updates in the comment section. NEMO's Customer Service is amazing with communicating and replacing with a different batch of Hornet UL

I'm constantly getting jinx when I wanted to take it out besides backyard camping....so no "real" adventure to say it was "completely field tested" to be honest

 

[Wyohunt]

my son and I hunt a vaude 3 person 3 season tent with 2 large vestibules. Nothing gets wet, your stuff is right there and you can cook in the vestibules. My son is 6’2 280 and I am 6’ 160. We don’t mind the extra 4lbs versus a minimalist tent. It has never collapsed from snow and maintains its shape in wind. Kifaru makes some kickass tents but they are spendy. Actually, everything kifaru makes is kickass. I would check them out.

 

[Islander]

I'm very interested in this thread as well. I'll be doing my first solo backpack hunt and need to get a solo tent. Since I have a Hilleberg Nallo 3 for 2 person hunts already, and love it, I am looking hard at the Akto. But if I can't find a similar deal for a used one like I did with my Nallo I am considering cheaper options. The Hexpeak is high on my list, but the XL because I'm 6'4". But after reading this I'm looking hard at Tarptents. I haven't heard of these. I am really liking the looks of the Scarp 1. Anyone have experience with this or other Tarptents?

EDIT: My original post was for OctoPeak, but HexPeak is about 35% less cost than Cimarron instead of 20%. Also smaller, less square footage, and 9" less headroom.

You think Tarptent customer service was bad, check out the "warranty" and returns policy of Luxe. I'll hit the important points in advance. You must return your item within 15 days, but only if you have never opened the package or set up the tent. Otherwise it's yours.

If your tent ever needs a repair, it's up to you.

Read some of the reviews on Rslide of these tents before you buy. The Octopeak is smaller than the SeekOutside 4 man Tipi. It is about half the price, but you get material that is not as durable yet weighs more. Plus you get a one year warranty instead of lifetime. And if you do tear it, you are on your own. SeekOutside is legendary for excellent and inexpensive non-warranty repairs. Plus, you get Chinese vs. A lifetime quality tent that is Made in the USA.

From a post I made on another forum: Cimarron vs. OctoPeak (which is more comparable regarding footprint, capacity, etc.

Some folks have quoted a price difference of "2-3 times as much", but for the Cimarron tents the OctoPeak is only 20% less, not 1/3 or even 1/2 the price. For that money I'm going with a company that manufactures their tents in the USA and has a warranty comparable to the price. I also get a sod skirt standard for my money, along with continuous product improvement and development. And then there is the resale value, where guys sell them USED for nearly what they paid new as the season approaches. Luxe canopy is 10.6 oz heavier (comparing Cimarron with Octopeak). Octopeak 82 square feet vs. Cimarron 94 square feet. Same height.

WARRANTY
Luxe: One year warranty, for original owner only. No repairs, exchange only.
SO: Lifetime

RETURNS AND REPAIRS
Our Return Policy states that you have a 15 day window to return items. Your camping gear must be unused and never took out of the shipping packaging or openned. Free from any dirt, dust or grime.

Luxe Hiking Gear has no way to repair a damaged product. Depending on the issue, there may be a simple way to repair the item yourself.

 

[Qubo]

You think Tarptent customer service was bad, check out the "warranty" and returns policy of Luxe. I'll hit the important points in advance. You must return your item within 15 days, but only if you have never opened the package or set up the tent. Otherwise it's yours.

If your tent ever needs a repair, it's up to you.

Read some of the reviews on Rslide of these tents before you buy. The Octopeak is smaller than the SeekOutside 4 man Tipi. It is about half the price, but you get material that is not as durable yet weighs more. Plus you get a one year warranty instead of lifetime. And if you do tear it, you are on your own. SeekOutside is legendary for excellent and inexpensive non-warranty repairs. Plus, you get Chinese vs. A lifetime quality tent that is Made in the USA.

I didn’t know that about Luxe. Thanks for adding that. When I can finally sell this tent/save up my money I’m going to either get the Hilleberg or a Seek Outside. I love that the Seek outside is light weight and bigger than the Hilleberg. And as a CO resident would love to support but I just don’t know if I can do a single wall tent. Not big on bugs during September hunts and like the idea of a double wall for warmth on late season rifle hunts.

 

[JLS]

Good info here. Not sure if I’ll do a tipi, but if do it’ll be a Seek Outside. Still love my Big Agnes.

 

[Doublecluck]

I got one of those marmot catalyst tents, best backpacking tent I’ve ever owned, every time I’ve put it in my pack to go in to the the backcountry I kill a bull before I get far enough in to have to spend the night. Set it up in my back yard once... seemed nice..

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Used super cheap tents the last couple years with no issues. For one person a single vestibule would be fine IMO, but for two people dual vestibules and two doors is absolutely essential IMO. Me and my hunting partner are trying out a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3 this year. Less than 3 lbs, two doors, two vestibules.

How did you end up liking this?

 

[SanJuanDon]

Plex Solo Tent

The ultralight Plex Solo is a sub-14oz one person tent built to meet the demands of long distance backpackers everywhere. Made in The USA.

zpacks.com

 

[Shangobango]

I just read this whole thing before I realized it was old.

@Hilljackoutlaw what did you end up going with?

I went floorless and I can’t see myself going to a floored tent as far as backpacking goes. The weight to space ratio just seems to favor the floorless shelters from what I can see.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I just read this whole thing before I realized it was old.

@Hilljackoutlaw what did you end up going with?

I went floorless and I can’t see myself going to a floored tent as far as backpacking goes. The weight to space ratio just seems to favor the floorless shelters from what I can see.

I ended up finding my tent on accident under the bed in my camper.

 

[Shangobango]

I ended up finding my tent on accident under the bed in my camper.

Hah, awesome!