Ultralight 3-man tent advice

[Tystevens]

All,

I'm looking for a new backpacking tent. I'm thinking I'd like to get a "3-man" tent, as most of my backpacking in the next few years will likely be either on Scout trips (a 2-man tent w/ another leader is not the way to go) or my 8 and 7 yr old kids who are getting old enough to try it out. Obviously, I'd like something pretty light, as I'll probably be carrying the whole tent when I go with my kids. But price, and especially durability, are issues as well.

I'm more or less down to the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 and the Marmot Limelight 3 at this point. Trail weight for the CS is reportedly under 4 lbs; the Marmot is a shade under 6. Floor space is about the same for each. I'm seeing the CS for $300-400 on sale right now, while the Limelight is going for $209 at backcountry.com.

I like what I'm seeing on the CS, and I'd love to have a tent that light, but I'm concerned about the light fabrics. Big Agnes doesn't publish their material specs, but I expect the floor is only 20 or 30d nylon, compared to 70d on the Limelight. I'm willing to pay for lighter and better, but I don't want to pay extra to have something that won't hold up in the long run. Anyone have a few years' experience with an UL tent that they'd be willing to share?

Edit: I suppose the Marmot doesn't qualify for "ultralight" status. So I guess my question is whether to go UL or just 'light!'

[PG Rob]

I have a Copper Spur UL3 and it is an awesome tent. It's self supporting, has plenty of room, surprisingly durable, has 2 zippered doors and lots of vestibule space. I also have the Fly Creek UL3 which is a pound lighter, but only has 1 door and less floor space... It's worth a look.

[Bo_Beck]

All,

I'm looking for a new backpacking tent. I'm thinking I'd like to get a "3-man" tent, as most of my backpacking in the next few years will likely be either on Scout trips (a 2-man tent w/ another leader is not the way to go) or my 8 and 7 yr old kids who are getting old enough to try it out. Obviously, I'd like something pretty light, as I'll probably be carrying the whole tent when I go with my kids. But price, and especially durability, are issues as well.


You might also take a peek at a Six Moons Design Lunar Duo. It's an extremely roomy 2 person tent. I've slept in it with another person and we still had space to put most of our gear inside as well. 2 doors, and 2 vestibules and best yet......41ounces! The weather conditions were extreme desert monsoonal. 30 mph winds with gusts to 45. Rain all night blowing sideways. Stayed dry, and tent remained upright and intact. Downside....large footprint (if you want to use the vestibules) and requires anchoring. Otherwise i'd opt for the BA CS3!
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents/LunarDuo.html

[Tystevens]

I have a Copper Spur UL3 and it is an awesome tent. It's self supporting, has plenty of room, surprisingly durable, has 2 zippered doors and lots of vestibule space. I also have the Fly Creek UL3 which is a pound lighter, but only has 1 door and less floor space... It's worth a look.

Good info Rob. I've looked at the Fly Creek, but I think I want the 2 doors and the extra space of the CS. I've been lugging around an 8 lb 4-season tent for the last 12 years, so under 4 lbs sounds great to me. I just am having a hard time imaging a tent with a floor made from the same weight fabric as the body of my current tent. Do you use a footprint with your Copper Spur?

[Tystevens]

You might also take a peek at a Six Moons Design Lunar Duo. It's an extremely roomy 2 person tent. I've slept in it with another person and we still had space to put most of our gear inside as well. 2 doors, and 2 vestibules and best yet......41ounces! The weather conditions were extreme desert monsoonal. 30 mph winds with gusts to 45. Rain all night blowing sideways. Stayed dry, and tent remained upright and intact. Downside....large footprint (if you want to use the vestibules) and requires anchoring. Otherwise i'd opt for the BA CS3!
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents/LunarDuo.html

Thanks Bo. That tent looks interesting. Does it have a mesh enclosure? I'll spend a lot of my time in the Uintas, and need the mosquito protection. I've been toying with a hiking pole supported shelter or one of the Tarptents designs, but I've never had a tent that wasn't fully self-supported.

[ratagonia]

Good info Rob. I've looked at the Fly Creek, but I think I want the 2 doors and the extra space of the CS. I've been lugging around an 8 lb 4-season tent for the last 12 years, so under 4 lbs sounds great to me. I just am having a hard time imaging a tent with a floor made from the same weight fabric as the body of my current tent. Do you use a footprint with your Copper Spur?

The full-weight floor on most tents will last 10 years or so without maintenance, except maybe when you make a mistake and set it up over a sharp rock. The lighter floors are great. In those same 10 years, you might have to glue-patch something once in a while, or clean the ground more carefully before you pitch your tent. Your choice is that, or carry extra weight around for ten years.

"Footprints" are a crazy scam to add profit to a tight not-so-profitable tent market. Let's see, your tent floor will last 10 years on its own - but if you buy this other thing for 30 bucks, then your tent floor will last TWENTY years! And it only weighs a pound!!!!

I use a tent a lot, and toss down a piece of fabric when car camping. Those blue tarps work fine - cut to size if you like. Don't bring them when you backpack. My tents wear out because the zippers fail from the desert sand. In a lot less than 10 years.

Tom

[Bo_Beck]

Thanks Bo. That tent looks interesting. Does it have a mesh enclosure? I'll spend a lot of my time in the Unintas, and need the mosquito protection. I've been toying with a hiking pole supported shelter or one of the Tarptents designs, but I've never had a tent that wasn't fully self-supported.

Yes, fully enclosed no-see-um netting.

[Tystevens]

I have a Copper Spur UL3 and it is an awesome tent. It's self supporting, has plenty of room, surprisingly durable, has 2 zippered doors and lots of vestibule space. I also have the Fly Creek UL3 which is a pound lighter, but only has 1 door and less floor space... It's worth a look.

Rob,

I headed over to a retailer to look at these tents during lunch today, and can't get over how small of a package the Fly Creek UL3 makes ... just remarkable. Since you happen to have both of these tents, what do you think? Is one more sturdy in wind or bad weather than the other? Any opinion on the practicality of 1 large door vs 2 smaller doors? I guess initially I was in favor of the CS because it doesn't taper down toward one end, providing a little more space and the ability to sleep head to toe if one were inclined, and I like 2 doors when sharing the tent with another adult. But for many of my trips (solo or w/ my kids who sleep on or under me anyway), the Fly Creek would be fine. And I can find it about $40 cheaper to boot. Heck, the Fly Creek is so light and small, I might just carry the whole thing myself on scout trips and tell the other leaders to get their own tent!

[PG Rob]

Rob,

I headed over to a retailer to look at these tents during lunch today, and can't get over how small of a package the Fly Creek UL3 makes ... just remarkable. Since you happen to have both of these tents, what do you think? Is one more sturdy in wind or bad weather than the other? Any opinion on the practicality of 1 large door vs 2 smaller doors? I guess initially I was in favor of the CS because it doesn't taper down toward one end, providing a little more space and the ability to sleep head to toe if one were inclined, and I like 2 doors when sharing the tent with another adult. But for many of my trips (solo or w/ my kids who sleep on or under me anyway), the Fly Creek would be fine. And I can find it about $40 cheaper to boot. Heck, the Fly Creek is so light and small, I might just carry the whole thing myself on scout trips and tell the other leaders to get their own tent!

I use both for different purposes. I tend to use the Fly Creek more for family outings and the Copper Spur more so for other outings. This is due mainly to the door configuration and the fact that the Fly Creek is more narrow at the feet, and I would rather have a little more room when with friends. The Copper Spur seems to have a better stance for bad weather, but I have been in plenty of bad weather in each and have not had a problem. Another note on the Copper Spur... If you go with kids, you can fit four 72x20 inch air mattresses in width wise and stuff 4 kids in. I do this with my 11, 10, 8 and 6 year olds which all sleep in 5 foot bags.

[Wasatch]

A good alternative for a tarp is some Tyvek, super light.

[Glenn]

+1 on Wasatch's recommendation for Tyvek as a footprint. Very light, easy to cut/prep to match your tent, and cheaper than the manufacturers' footprints. If you do this, be sure to wash your footprint in a large washer with no soap to soften it up.

BTW, I have a BigAgnes Slater UL2+ and it's awesome. Wouldn't be large enough for an adult and two kids, but very nice for taller hikers. I use the extra space for storing my gear.

Note that the Fly Creek UL2 and Slater are not truly free-standing; you do need to stake down the rear floor. However, the new Fly Creek UL3 is free-standing. I think the Copper Spur offers better space for three since the walls are more vertical than the Fly Creek.

[Tystevens]

Thanks for the input all. I ended up coming across the Golite 3 man tent. Comparable to the Copper Spur in size and headroom, 2 doors w/ vestibules, a little heavier weight floor and fly materials. It is about a pound heavier but still under 5 lbs for a 3-man tent, but it was only $199. So I decided to give it a shot. We'll see how it goes.

[phillipgallagher]

Looks like a good choice. I would have advised on trying a sixmoondesigns tent because. They are definitely really lightweight but still extremely durable, but I'm not sure if they have a 3 person tent available to be honest. I've only used their 2 person ones.

[Tystevens]

Yeah, we'll see how it goes. In the end, I didn't want a trekking pole supported tent, and I definitely want the room for 3 people. The Golite tents have only been available for about a year from what I can tell, so there isn't a lot of info available. But for under $200, if it doesn't pan out, no huge loss, I suppose.