tent advice for newbie please!
Hi,
I am looking for a tent that I can take tramping for my two kids and I to sleep in on an overnight tramp. this is something i want to do more and more as the kids get older. They are 6 and 4. I went on a hour tramp (2 hour with my daughter) last year and it was great. My son wants to join us this year. When I go tramping I will be going with a mate, and between us we will be taking 2 tents, all the food etc. The kids might take their pillow/clothes but that will be it.
I have narrowed it down to two options:
http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents/en-us/p2590_Kiwi_Camping_Nimbus_3.html
http://www.equipoutdoors.co.nz/contents/en-us/p2588_Kiwi_Camping_Hooligan.html
The nimbus 3 is going for $150, the hooligan for $175. The hooligan will be more spacious and has a better vestibule with groundsheet. If my wife decides to join us at some stage we can all sleep in the hooligan. The only issue is the hooligan is 2kg heaver than the nimbus 3 (7kg as opposed to 5kg).
Now what I am wondering, is will that 2kg kill me on a 2hr tramp considering I have my two kids gear? Is the extra 2kg that much, it doesn't sound it, but i could be heaps after 2 hours of walking/stopping. i am relatively fit if that matters. if i go for the hooligan will i curse that 2kg?
any advice greatly appreciated!
22 comments
Way too heavy, if you are carrying a tent that is 3 kgs for more than an hour it will squat you, like a pumpkin......
Why not the Macpac Minaret, 2.4 kgs, easily fit 2 people possibly 1 adult and two smaller children, stable, waterproof etc. but, it is $700 which is a lot of cash. A lot of tramping clubs used these for group trips because they are quite light for the amount of protection offered.
http://www.macpac....g-tent-minaret.html
or the 3 person Citadel, 3.5kgs but plenty of space for 3 people, strong etc etc $1200
http://www.macpac....s/citadel-tent.html
I sometimes use a Macpac Microlight and it is a great wee tent, the quality is good, and for me at 1.4kg easy to carry.
Normally I use a tarp unless Im doing a tops trip.
Navigator South Takaka 4-person tent on special at $89.99
I have one of these and for what I use it for its brilliant.It would take a lot of pack space though and it weighs in at 4kg on the nose.
If the 4 of you were going you could split the poles and pegs to your lovely wife and carry the rest quite well but to carry this on its own would be pushing things.
I had the Opanake but sold it as to small but it was a lot lighter.
We used both tents as a quick overnight stay while on holiday The Opanake was very tight with a queen sized airbed inside and in 120kph+ winds it would move so much it rocked the bed. Could put it up in under 10 minutes by torchlight though.
Both tents could be made lighter by buying alloy poles for them You would have to buy several sets and mix and match and probably cut to fit though.
One thing we have all made our own assumptions on is the type of trip you plan. What is your intended 2 hour each way destination?
I remembered today that i actually have this:
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/46138-Kelty-Zenith-2
in my garage with a broken pole. Is this worth fixing and taking?
I used it once for an overnighter myself then when drying it out the next night in the backyard a pole broke (wellington wind). don't want something that will break 2 hrs from the car! We wont be going in nasty weather though so that may be the answer? would this be good enough?
Plenty of Web chatter about Kelty 2 being okay at the budget end. Just be aware of it's limitations.
Don't know how much replacement poles cost, but most outdoor shops have them.
Might want to consider light-weight toughened aluminium tent pegs ?.
Do your sums before you splurge. Torpedo 7 (NZ) lists Kelty 2 for $79.99, but has sold out.
Have fun !.
FCO in Lower hut have a good selection of pole sections and Dwights in Wellington can get most as well.
Provided it isnt one of the end sections that broke its a simple matter of untieing the shock cord sliding the sections off till you get to the split one then sliding the new section on followed by the other sections and re tie the shock cord. You may have to trim the new pole section to length and to do this use a new hacksaw blade with the highest number of teeth per inch you can get cut gently and finish with fine sandpaper. If its an end section you might have to swap the end piece over as well. It wouldnt suprise me if the Kelty is identical to the Wanderer tents sold by FCO in which case they will have a complete pole.
A far cheaper way to get pole sections is to troll the $1 auctions on trademe for a tent that has the same poles. People wont pay much for old tents but often there are enough good pole sections to fix you tent for a dollar or 2.
How long are the poles? I might have a way to convert it to alloy poles cheap but they must be the same length or shorter than what I have here and the pins on the end must be the same
Im also in Wellington
another way but not as quick
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Aluminum-Bar-Tent-Aluminum-Rod-Tent-Pole-Tent-Accessories-for-1-2-person-Tent-2-pcs/1097328395.html
You would have to compare measurements but it could be an alloy pole upgrade to the Kelty (its normal for alloy poles to be thinner but must be the same length)
Ive brought a trade me tent simply for spare parts, I needed a bathtub floor to upgrade the bug net I use with my tarp. I cut it out and sewed it to my net. $10 tent made my $50 net so much better.
There is a good review of tent designs for 20-3 people in the latest Wilderness magazine, November edition.
Check these out:
tarptent.com
Awesome featured and stable tents but with a high focus on weight reduction. Cottage industry so the after (and pre) sales service is second to none.
I'm looking for a light weight 2 man tent that's a reasonable price. Any suggestions? I'm hoping to spend $200max but I'm not sure if that's realistic?
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| Forum | Gear talk |
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| Started by | papalazarou |
| On | 28 October 2013 |
| Replies | 21 |
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