One person free standing tents

[Reflex]

Hey all,

Where do you put your backpack and stuff in some of these one person free standing tents like Copper 1, Quarter Dome 1??

Is the coffin like dimensions worth the weight shedding?

Thanks

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

No experience with the tents you're looking at, but I can usually find space for my pack in the vestibule and if not I'll just leave it outside. I am one to appreciate some extra space and routinely use a shelter that's technically a two person shelter even when I'm solo, etc. so personally I don't like to sacrifice space to save weight, but instead I like to keep the weight low by going for a tent that offers a good balance of both weight and space through design - perhaps single wall or non-freestanding, and / or through the use of lighter materials, etc.

[Reflex]

Thanks Aaron! How much does ypur tent weigh total with all accessories to pitch it?

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

For solo use I've been using a previous version of the Hexamid Twin from Zpacks - the tent w/floor, stakes, and stuff sacks weighs 18.2 ounces pitching it with trekking poles...optional poles to guy out the head and foot ends just for more space add about 2 more, and if not taking trekking poles optional dedicated poles would add another few ounces on top of that. No issues with space solo...can fit two if needed...it's not free standing however, but I've only had this be an issue on one occasion.

[toejam]

Tent vestibules are for backpacks, and they can usually be crowded in enough to keep rain off. You can hang food, etc., in a tree or leave outside in a bear canister if required. Your extra clothing can be a pillow. Put your stove by your feet, and you have an empty backpack. If you are sleeping on a Z-Lite folded in half, you might put the empty backpack under your feet.

I like a small tent - I'll spend a lot of time with it on my back and I'll be sleeping when I'm in it. My light tents haven't been free standing, and my "freestanding" tents require the fly to be staked out, so they are not really free-standing.

[Reflex]

thank you gents.  What weight do you all carry for weekend stuff? What weight before water and food? What weight with water and food?

My stuff is right now 10.5lbs without backapck, tent, sleeping bag and pad and food and water.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Reflex

[HappyHour]

You are always going to pay a weight (and price) penalty with a freestanding tent. But unless you will be camping on rock or wooden platforms, you don't need a tent to be freestanding, it's just a convenience. 

If you want to maximize space and minimize weight, you should get a tarp or tarptent. They are fussier to set up with a taut pitch, but this skill can be mastered with a few practice sessions in the back yard. Basically you are substituting skill and knowledge for weight, and this is the key for getting your base weight (everything but food and water) down to 15 lbs or less. 

[toejam]

23 hours ago, Reflex said:

What weight do you all carry for weekend stuff?

I don't weigh my pack often. Last year I had a base weight of 15 lbs. Then I add a lot of food (usually too much), maybe crocs, a Z-Rest pad, a book, maybe bring the dome tent instead of the light one, in winter the heavier sleeping bag, a lantern, next week I'll have a pair of loppers and a folding saw - I usually talk myself into something extra that's not really necessary. In my mind, if I stay under 30# I'm happy. On a long weekend in the winter I may be closer to 40#.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Haven't weighed my entire pack in a while as well (it's either too heavy or not when I pick it up), but I'd calculate around 15lbs with camera and fishing gear. For food I usually take around 1.25lbs a day and round up to a final number, (Would start higher until you figure out what's best for you), and water just depends on how much I'll need to carry for that trip / section / how often I feel like stopping to filter more that day.