help picking a 2p tent for backpaking

Hi there,
I'm planning a backpacking trip in Iceland for 2 weeks in the next August... And since my tents it's getting old and lost it waterproofness I'm willing to purchase a new one...
My question is... In you opinion what's the best deal in the market?

It will be a 2 people trip, I was thinking in a tent weighting no more than 2.5 kg... and one key feature it must have is that can be easy setted up in rainy conditions...

I took a first look at marmoot grid and vaude Taurus Ultralight XP but they seem a bit small, in my opinion...
I've considered marmoot grid plus but the tent is a bit heavy, don't you think?

Well I hope you can help me out in this decision

WP

Forget best on the market. Think about where you are going, what conditions will be likely when you go, and functionality under those circumstances.

It looks to me that you have already thought about this some. I have no experience with either tent but have had very positive experiences with Marmot brand gear.

Perhaps someone who's been to Iceland will speak up with their experiences to make suggestions.

Indeed Lori...
I was wondering if anybody could share some knowledge about tents and camping in rainy/windy weather conditions...

I have no experience with either Iceland or this tent, but it is where I would start looking.

http://www.hilleberg.com/home/products/nallo/nallo3gt.php

Where are you?
Both tents you suggest are serious mountain tents and pitch outer first, which is great for a wet climate, but almost non existent in the USA. They are also pretty tight, so you had better be really cosy with your partner. They are both over your suggested limit of 2.5 kilos. You will probably need a free-standing model as the ground tends to be extremely rocky in Iceland. Tying out guys to rocks may be your main method of making it wind resistant.

What I meant was not to be redundant, but to be specific to Iceland - that is not the same "wind and rain" as we have in the United States, which is where most of us on the forum are from.

What little I know about Iceland suggests that you are already pointed in the right direction with a four season tent.

Hilleberg, North Face, and Mountain Hardware also have good tents for that kind of thing, however, not at all sure what you are looking for in terms of budget or weight. The tents you selected appear to be less expensive than some of the "expedition" style tents.

In Portugal...
Been reading about Marmot Alpinist and liked the reviews... but its hard to find in Europe

I'm a big fan of Henry Shires' Squall II (two persons, two pounds). I would use this a point of comparison in looking at other options.

I'm also a Tarptent Squall 2 fan! It was my original lightweight tent and I still use it when taking out a grandchild (I find it's best to take them one at a time). However, I question if it is sufficiently wind-resistant for Icelandic conditions.

For greater wind resistance, you might want to look at the Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid (you can buy a netting inner for it) which Andrew Skurka used on his epic Alaska-Yukon expedition.

From what I've seen of Iceland in pictures and from descriptions I've read, you're going to have rain, high winds and little or no natural shelter. In other words, extreme conditions!

I second this notion. Henry Shires tarptents are raved about. I personally use a hammock...you should look in to it.

But if I was to go back to ground Henry Shires it shall be. Lightweight and functional. Other tents for similar cash will be heavier and have more bells and whistles, do you like bells and whistles? If so I really enjoy my Marmot Twilight 2P, bells and whistles and weighs around 5 pounds with everything.

I just went through the same prediciment myself. I looked up so many tents I was starting to dream about them at night! If your looking for a tent that easy to set up in the rain your most likely going to be looking for a single wall tent. In the end I went for the 'Bibler Ahwahnee Tent'.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Bibler-Ahwahnee-Tent/dp/B0001EQA4A

Being able to set up from inside the tent gets you out of the rain. The big factor that turned me onto this tent is the two full zip down doors and the option for 2 vestibules. 2 full zip down doors takes a 4 season tent and still lets you use it in the summer.

That being said, I'm sure you can find other awesome tents for less money. Depends on how much use you plan on getting out of it!

My wife and I use a Tarptent Squall 2 as well when we backpack together. It's a fine tent.

If we didn't already have this, however, I'd buy a Lightheart Gear Duo. www.lightheartgear.com
Possibly with the Wedge option. I have something like the wedge on my Lightheart Solo, and in fact don't tend to use it much, but I think that's more about my personal style of hiking.

Key good things about the Lightheart Duo:
(1) It's virtually a double-walled tent, but still pretty lightweight, both it and the squall 2 are right in the 2 pound range.
(2) Each person having their own side-entry door is better than a single end-entry door. Easier to get out of, and at night if I want out I generally disturb my wife just trying to get to the zipper on the Squall 2.
(3) The height is in the middle where you want it. With the Squall 2 design, one tends to sort of scoot their butt up towards the door in order to sit up.

None of these things is such a huge factor that I'm going to dump the Squall 2, but --- I like my Lightheart Solo a lot, and if starting fresh I'd get a Duo for hiking with my wife.

Nearly everyone seems to forget that the OP needs a tent for Iceland, which means extreme conditions! High winds, rain, no trees.... Our favorite North American tents just aren't going to cut it!

Taking a clue from the Oregon Mouse observation...
can I suggest the Tarptent Scarp 2 with crossing poles ?
That is an integral pitch shelter (inner and fly up together) , larger than most doubles (can take 3x 50cm/ 20" mats) and with decent headroom too 111cm (45")
The extra poles give you a freestanding option and add to wind resistance, so you can use them or not according to the situation.
Tent and stakes is 1.7kg , the extra poles are 390g so under 2.2kg total adding the recommended pole guylines and two extra stakes
This video may give you a better idea of its size :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCGp9MVDo...mp;feature=plcp
(Henry Shire originally designed the Scarp 1 for a planned trip to Iceland, and that is how TT got into 4 season shelters...)
Franco
franco@tarptent.com

I used the Lightheart Solo on the CDT last year; it's quite a windy trail, certainly more so than the PCT or AT. There are a total of 8 guy-out points on the Lightheart solo, I would expect something similar on the duo.

While it handles wind fairly well, 8 guy-out points on a lightweight tent don't make it a tent that's great for very high winds, but IMO no tent that's reasonably lightweight, 3-season design is going to fare all that well in super high wind. While the CDT can be quite windy, I was almost always successful at site selection such that I didn't have huge winds coming at me at night. I suspect that all tent sites in Iceland aren't wind tunnel experiences either.

But at the end of the day I think it is going to come down to biasing more towards wind stability/strength vs. weight. If the former, I'd suggest looking for things that are sold as 4-season tents as a starter.

I had to choose tents for field work on Santa Rosa Island, which has an absolutely balmy climate (never below freezing), but often experiences ferocious winds- 60 mph is not at all exceptional. I went with North Face VE-25s and they did very well, although one crew member did manage to wreck one by pitching it in a very scenic, but highly exposed, location. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that specific model (weight was not a major consideration for us) but the principle applies.

A VERY simple answer for me!

http://cascadedesigns.com/en/msr/tents/experience-series/hubba-hubba-hp/product

The MSR Hubba Hubba HP is not available in North America, which is a ridiculous pity but shows how much the UL fad has been overly influential here in the USA.

The HP is a tent I'd own if I could get one... will absolutely meet your requirements and weighs just under 2kg.

From BradMT
but shows how much the UL fad has been overly influential here in the USA.
By the look of it ,it has had the opposite effect..
(the HP version is lighter than the standard HH)
Franco

True, but it's not available in the US... only offshore, where the fad is less pronounced.

If I were doing this, I would contact someone in Iceland for expected weather conditions and needed gear.

http://www.mountainguides.is/OvernightTours/BackpackingTours/ref=ob2

Personally, I don't like tours, but I'd be willing to pay a reasonable amount for advice on the best places to go.

From Brad :
.True, but it's not available in the US... only offshore, where the fad is less pronounced

Well we must have a different sense of logic.
To me you sell oranges where there is a demand for oranges or oranges are a fad...
Since in your mind the LW lobby is strong in the USA, that is where MSR should sell the LIGHTER HP.

On the other hand if you mean that MSR may have less competition in LW shelters in Europe, that is partly true. However Terra Nova and Lightwave , for example, are based there.
A s you well know from another forum, where the nostalgia brigade dominates and all American designed shelters are deemed to be crap and all European shelters are just great , that mentality also exist in other countries , it is the grass is always greener on the other side mentality...
I sometime tell people that my pasta dishes are better than the ones from my family in Italy because I use imported ingredients ( Italian pasta, Italian tomatoes, Parmesan Cheeese...)

Franco

Sorry, my reply is both response and a question.
I've used the Kelty Kashmir 2 for years and it's the best tent i've ever used. Was 70degrees in my tent during sleet/snow storm in Sequoia '08. It's getting old and is a bit heavy for backpacking. I'm looking for a comparable tent that is lighter. Suggestions?

Hi,
I am new to the forum and stumbled upon it because I am in the same situation as the OP. I was in Iceland for 2.5 months in 2007 and I used a Marmot tent that weighted a tad under 5 pounds. I am going back this summer and I have gone much lighter since then. I use a hammock most of the time now in NA so I also need a new tent.
Tarptents are tempting, either the Scarp or DoubleRainbow, but mainly due to my lack of knowledge in these tents I am hesitating.
I am currently leaning toward a tent no one has mentionned here, the Big Agnes FlyCreek UL2. 2lb 2oz. From the comments I got, it would hold well in the winds.
My other options are an Easton Kilo 2P and a Mountain Hardwear SuperMegaUL2, all around the 1kg mark.

My 2c.
MartinD

Is Iceland the new "hot" place to trek?

I really like my Big Agnes FlyCreek UL3. Constructed very well and is a very roomy 2 man. The UL2 is very similar. On the downside, the material is very thin and you need to be a little careful with it to avoid punctures, only one entry/exit (although that never bothered me), and I find the Fly Creeks run a little tight for how many people they are made for. I'm a big guy though.

I would say it is the "coolest" place to trek

Can you elaborate a little on how the FlyCreek has performed under hard conditions? thx

Lets see...I've seen some solid rainstorms in it at the Wind River Range. Rained a little at least every day. A couple days saw some good downpours. The tent performed well; only thing is after the wetting of the rain fly, you will need to tighten up the guy lines. That is critical to maintain good ventilation in this tent and to keep the interior dry. Although it did get windy in the Winds as well, we camped in the trees so the wind was never a real factor. I would say I might be a little leary of taking the thing into really strong winds; the material is thin. I have had it up on the White Mountain Crest (California), however I carried a strong tarp with me to stake down over the tent in the up wind direction just in case. As it turned out, the winds were not too bad where I found campsites. I like the tent. but if you were going into and area known for strong winds at the time of year you are going I would probably look for something beefier.

If you are in rain AND wind AND if there are no trees (I recall Iceland being so far north is more apline so few trees, then you are going to have horizontal rain. I'm not sure the Fly Creek is good in these conditions. It would be nice to have two doors so if horizontal rain is coming in on one side, you can use the other door.

I have a Tarptent Moment. I do not worry about its strength, but it does have pretty severe condensation problems. It actually is well designed for wind.

I have a 2-man 4-season Mountain Hardware tent, but it is nearly 6 pounds. It is definitely bombproof in really bad conditions and has two doors.

Why don't you just wait and buy a tent when you get to Iceland? That way, you at least know what the locals use.

If you saw the price of anything in Iceland, you wouldn't propose that solution:)

Hiking gear is cheaper in the US than most if not all other countries.
Most is economy of scale (volume) combined with lower taxes/rents/wages than European countries or say Australia/NZ
Note that you can even buy European made goods (not just Asian sourced) for less there then you do in Europe..
Franco