This tent is made for camping...

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rifraf
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby rifraf » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:07 am

Further to my NSW to WA trip, I was glad of my bivvybag (Macpac Cocoon) as
many places I camped I was of the opinion I'd struggle to find ground space
for a two person tent (I've a Macpac Minaret).
Many of my sites had spiky matter poking through the sandy soil and I
was grateful to only have to find enough room (approx 6x2.5 ft) to lay my inflatable (no longer)
bedroll.
I found it inconvenient enough to air and dry my tarp, cocoon and sleeping bag without
mucking around with a wet, be it condensation or rain, tent to try to dry and pack.
I'll be contacting Macpac NZ shortly to find out if they will be returning the bivvy's to
their catalogue.
Mines done its dash now and the seam tape is delaminating badly and no longer waterproof. :cry:
Cant whinge too much as its around 17 years old now.
The last of them was e-vent and I'd love to find some reviews in case a secondhand one appears.
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Aushiker
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby Aushiker » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:28 pm

Tarptent Scarp 1 in flight mode at Walkers Creek, Litchfield National Park.

Image

Currently using the solid interior but that is really too warm for the conditions experienced so far, i.e., around 20 C at night.

Andrew

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il padrone
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby il padrone » Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:31 pm

rifraf wrote:Many of my sites had spiky matter poking through the sandy soil and I
was grateful to only have to find enough room (approx 6x2.5 ft) to lay my inflatable (no longer)
bedroll.
Use a cheap closed-cell foam mat under your tent floor to give protection from the spiky stuff. Sweep the site first of course to remove as much as you can.
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rifraf
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby rifraf » Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:59 pm

il padrone wrote: Use a cheap closed-cell foam mat under your tent floor to give protection from the spiky stuff. Sweep the site first of course to remove as much as you can.
Great advice, especially as to owning a closed cell foam mat which you also offered in my Mudgee to Mildurah thread.
I think I'll stick to bivvying at this stage but will be replacing my self inflating mat with
the closed cell version as per your suggestion.
I must try out the Minaret though soon before age kills it.
I just worry too much that I'll not be able to put it away correctly and not get it to fit
into its bag.
Theres a dog where I'm currently staying so with plenty of doggy doo on the lawn,
here is not the place to attempt a practice run.
Said same doggy is responsible for me needing to buy some new Northwave Drifter shoes
that no one appears to have in size 43 at the mo.
Bloody pets, you wouldnt feed em! :x
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christophers94
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby christophers94 » Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:18 pm

Hey guys,

Thinking of doing a bit of touring when i finish school and will need a tent amongst other things.
On the cheaper end of the scale the Bikamper from Topeak has cought my eye. What are your opinions on this tent. I'd be doing touring in the warmer months so a 4 season tent would not be needed. I like the idea that the bike is part of the tent so when sleeping you know it would be harder to be stolen, but then again if you want to leave it set up and go for a day ride this would require packing it up.

Keen to hear opinions.

Thanks Christopher

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il padrone
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby il padrone » Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:36 pm

Don't fancy rolling my nice, comfy new sleeping bag against my bike's dirty, gungy tyres, rims and chain :o :roll:
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christophers94
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby christophers94 » Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:58 pm

Don't fancy rolling my nice, comfy new sleeping bag against my bike's dirty, gungy tyres, rims and chain
Oh yes i see the point but it's my understanding that the wheel goes on the outside in a pocket and doesn't enter the tent, i don't see how you would get a dirty sleeping bag from the chain.

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il padrone
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby il padrone » Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:04 pm

Not with the Topeak Bikecamper I recall...... ah, whoops, I'm thinking of a different variant of the same theme. Yes the bike is outside the tent.

But my bike wouldn't work in the Bikecamper with my front low-rider racks and the mudguard - I only take the front wheel off for maintenance or rarely for transport by plane.
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Aushiker
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby Aushiker » Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:17 pm

christophers94 wrote:On the cheaper end of the scale the Bikamper from Topeak has cought my eye.
Cannot see the point of it .... 1.63 kg claimed weight for a single person tent that requires mucking around with the bike and removal of a wheel to put it up and then reassembly of the bike. Cannot see how this is anyway close to being an advantage over a "normal" tent. Lot of hassle for no gain. Plus if you want to use your bike ....

For $200 US I reckon you can get yourself a much better "proper" tent ...

Edit: I think it is also a single walled tent ... welcome to the world of condensation unless of couse you plan on mountain biking up a mountain with this tent. Ventilation is looking pretty minimal as well. All up a crap spec from what little info Topeak provide.

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christophers94
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby christophers94 » Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:12 pm

Oh yes i see thanks guys, i might give it a go just because i will be able to get it cheaper.

However i do have the tubus ergo lowrider rack and front mudguard so it might just be for the mountain bike, with none of these.

What other tents around that price range or a bit more would be recomended?

Thanks.

Christopher

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KenGS
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby KenGS » Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:54 pm

If you are after something inexpensive I got one of these http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/BYR ... cle-2-tent
Of course you get what you pay for and it has some minor design flaws. But this one did its job in wet and windy conditions last spring.
--Ken
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby polishbiker » Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:25 pm

Quick update on Tarptent Scarp 2 model, have been using it for about 4 months (daily), still a great tent but the other day i noticed that one of the internal zippers keeps splitting when zipping, luckily the other one works well, and to make it more fun the outer zipper on the other side did the same, if i zip it down gently and carefully it works for now.

Going to email tarptent when i get home in december and see what they say.

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby kb » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:56 pm

You can sometimes get a bit more life by gently squeezing the zipper with pliers.
Image

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby elStado » Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:32 am

I've just got back from a 2 week trip in France. I have to say that the light weight zip does seem a bit fragile, it also needs some sort of tag so you can grab onto it easier. I've also found the floor to be super slippery, even with some patches of silicon. On the slightest incline my mattress was slipping all over the place. need to put some silicon gripper patches on the mattress too to stop this from happening as it's quite annoying.
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby RonK » Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:13 am

So, the downside of ultralite tents emerges quite quickly.
There have been negative comments on crazyguy about the pitfalls of touring with ultralites, the MSR Hubba Hubba and Vaude Hogan in particular.
This type of tent is great for bushwalks, which would rarely last more than a week.
But they don't stand up to the rigours of daily use over extended periods.
So, how you intend to use it is something else to consider when you select a touring tent.
I'll stick to my 1p Hilleberg, even if it is as heavy as your 2p ultralite.
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby WestcoastPete » Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:41 am

I've been using my hubba hubba for touring and hiking and car camping for three years now and it's still going strong, although with a couple of holes made by an animal trying to eat its way in and resealed seams in June. It's seen me through storms and heat on all sorts of dodgy surfaces, used with a footprint. I'm living in it at the moment, and don't find that I slip down it at night with it oriented head above feet, using a thermarest Prolite plus.

Having said this, it's a bit much for a solo trip; I only brought it because it's what I have and normally I travel with someone. I'm interested in tarp camping and hope to experiment with this soon. Otherwise, a hubba, hilleberg or tarptent single would be on my shortlist.

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby Wingnut » Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:39 pm

I'm on the hunt for a 3-4 season freestanding single man tent atm. I already have an Exped Vela 2 & Orion but I've been eyeing off the Exped Mira 1 or the OP Goondie 30D, but now considering going the extra for a Hilleberg Soulo if I can find one at a good price...

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby elStado » Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:53 pm

Packing away my Tarptent Scarp 2 (timelapse)

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby elStado » Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:50 am

My basic user review of the Scarp 2. I've just managed to get somewhat settled since getting back to Oz a few weeks ago. Finding a spare hour to write a blog post has been difficult recently.

http://velophileaustralia.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby Aushiker » Wed Oct 10, 2012 6:35 pm

Just came across the Brooks Foray 2P tent which weighs in at 1.4 kg. The report on the Foray atBackpackingLight is quite positive. Looks like a real option if you can get over the yellow colour.

Image

Image

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby RonK » Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:12 pm

Aushiker wrote:Just came across the Brooks Foray 2P tent which weighs in at 1.4 kg.
It's a dead ringer for the Vaude Hogan Ultralite
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rifraf
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby rifraf » Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:30 am

Aushiker wrote:Looks like a real option if you can get over the yellow colour.
Andrew
Look at me, look at me.......(kath & kim talk).
Certainly not for the stealth camper in that fluoro colour.
Is it just me who prefers green for some seclusion? :oops:
I suspect that one of the reasons I have always preferred my bivvybag to my tent is
that the tent is some sort of purple colour whilst my bivvy is green. :idea:
Camping wild sort of dictates a preference for not standing out (for me).
I can do without uninvited guests whilst I'm free camping.
I don't mind socialising when I am at caravan parks but I find it unnerving when strangers
manage to rock up unannounced when I'm miles from civilisation well off the road and/or beaten track. :|
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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby polishbiker » Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:03 am

polishbiker wrote:Quick update on Tarptent Scarp 2 model, have been using it for about 4 months (daily), still a great tent but the other day i noticed that one of the internal zippers keeps splitting when zipping, luckily the other one works well, and to make it more fun the outer zipper on the other side did the same, if i zip it down gently and carefully it works for now.

Going to email tarptent when i get home in december and see what they say.
Well emailed the Oz distributor about the zips, got a quick reply with some options.
A minute ago i tried one of the suggestions and the zips work just as good again, wish i knew this trick way before! haha

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby just4tehhalibut » Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:47 pm

rifraf wrote:I can do without uninvited guests whilst I'm free camping ... I find it unnerving when strangers manage to rock up unannounced when I'm miles from civilisation well off the road and/or beaten track. :|
You should try getting woken up while freecamping in your camo tent, the neighbours are shooting duck right on top of you and you're just waiting for a bullet through the tent wall. Great.

Anyway, on the theme of "this tent is made for camping ..." what about for freecamping you use a tent in disguise as opposed to camouflaged? For example the VW tent. Surely for those group rides like the Great Vic this is the tent that'll stand out in the tentland, you'll never lose your way back. But on the banks of a river it'll look like a parked van, not some random in a tent. You may get more privacy. http://www.firebox.com/product/3644/VW- ... n=TextLink
And there are probably other disguised tents that might work, the outhouse tent not being one of them.

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Re: This tent is made for camping...

Postby RonK » Tue Nov 06, 2012 5:24 am

It may be spring, but here in southern New Zealand it's still cold, with daytime temps frequently as low as 5C, and heavy frosts and sometimes even snow overnight.

But my 4-seasons Hilleberg Soulo has keep the cold southerly wind out, and I've been able to stay warm and dry.

And being single-pitch, it's so quick and easy to pitch and strike.

This is the kind of tent you've just gotta have for touring in cooler places.
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