Replace Chrysalis Tent?

I just bought a Gossamer Gear G4 backpack and I’m working towards reducing my weight. I have a 20 degree sleeping bag that weighs 1 lb. 13 oz. I currently have a REI Chrysalis ul solo Tent/ Rainfly is 2 lbs. 14 oz.
This is my tent,


I know this is a topic that has been asked and asked and asked again. But I feel like by being very specific you guys can help me find what I need. I’m getting a lighter tent.

So 3 questions!
Should I replace it? Can I reduce enough weight to make a difference? If so what do you suggest?

Requirements and other tidbits.
Im 5’10” and 145#s so could be on the smaller side.
I don’t use trekking poles so it can’t be a tent that uses them
I typically camp in 20-40-degree weather (overnight low). I don’t camp in the heat of summer or the dead of winter. 14 degrees is the lowest I’ve ever camped.
I should be able to at least sit up in it. I don’t mind if it tapers down for to the feet. I don’t need a lot of room beyond that.
I don’t mind mesh; in fact, I prefer it so I can see out. But I so want to be able to zip it closed to keep the bugs out. I’ve seen some “shelters” that are just a tarp.
I’d prefer one that doesn’t require a stake as every now and then I camp on rock.
Cheaper the better. $200-300 would be nice… $375 max
I don’t want to make it myself.
I camp ~12 nights a year.

Last year’s models are great.

I don't know a lot about different tents, but I do know you can often rig something up in lieu of stakes. Tie off to small boulders for example. On sand or snow, you can use buried anchors. You could use climbing nuts. Etc.

Again, a reason for buying (or replacing, if you're lightening up) the pack last, after your other gear is complete.

Check out tents made by Tarptent.com. Judging from your budget, you're not in the market for cuben fiber tents from zpacks. Others to look at include Six Moon Designs and Lightheart Gear.

The companies who make tents that use trekking poles sell poles for those who don't use trekking poles or, like me, need the trekking poles for getting around while the tent is set up.

http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php/tents/lightheart-solo-tents/product/view/5/1

I just bought the Duo and it's very roomy. You could squeeze a third person in and put a dog under the vestibule! The solo would save you about a pound and you can buy it with aluminum poles, rather than using the trekkers. Even with the poles you should be under 2. If you use ti stakes they're 2 oz., a visqueen groundcloth, another 2. You might end up right at about 2 lbs. and you'd have a palace. Under your budget, too. Mine is going again this weekend and we just love it! It'll be on a cliff overlooking a gorgeous lake tomorrow night, can't wait!
Look at the Tarptents, too. I've heard and seen lots of good. Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 would save you some weight , but not a ton for the money compared to the Lightheart. A pound is a good amount of weight savings if you truly need to save weight. We do, as my wife and I only have so many miles left in our knees. It's nice to have a tent that incorporates the trekking poles that are extending our days on the trail, good that you don't need them.

Thank OM. The pack kinda sort of is last or at least I thought it would be. The Gossamer is a upgrade from a 5# REI pack that I have had for 10 years. It was just way to big and heavy. Everything will fit in the new pack. I'm just wondering what my options are to shave another 1# by replacing the current tent. I'll keep the old one as a loaner. I'll check out the ones you mentioned. Thanks for your help.

Apart from the weight, is anything else you don't like about the Chrysalis ?

Generally speaking tents that use trekking poles need a bit more skill in setting them up correctly than the others, particularly compared with freestanding tents.
Not difficult for many but it is for some.
As pointed out you can get "substitute" poles instead of using trekking poles , some remain competitive in weight after adding the pole weight to it.

I'd look at the Tarptent Moment DW. Great shelter, choice of inners, no trekking poles needed, 34 oz.

First off, thanks so much for really complete details! It helps a lot to know so much about your situation (and makes me, at least, more willing to have a look ...).

So you have a 46 oz tent, and are considering replacement. Obviously you want to save more than just a couple of ounces, or it's not worth the money and hassle, right?

Further, you don't use trekking poles, so you would need a carbon fiber pole (or poles) instead if you got a tent that used one or two separate pole(s). Figure about 2 oz per pole depending on length, added to the weight of the tent. Making it more complicated is whether your existing tent weight includes stakes or ground cloth; I'll assume neither.

Given your price point, I would stay away from Zpacks. Mountain Laurel Designs sells their Cricket tent is $315, but I suspect that particular design will work better with for a person that uses two adjustable trekking poles.

You might consider a couple of offerings by Six Moon Designs. For example, their Lunar Solo is 24 oz at $215, add 2 oz and $30 for a carbon fiber pole. If you're not too tall (torso not long in particular) and you can sit up in it comfortably, I like the design of their Skyscape Trekker better, same weight $20 more expensive. BUT --- it requires two such poles. No problem for someone using trekking poles, but for you that adds weight. I'd consider the Lunar Solo. http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/LunarSolo.html

Someone already mentioned tarptent.com, and in particular the Moment. Unfortunately it's only 10 oz lighter than your current tent. That's something, but ...
I would ordinarily be more inclined towards their Notch or ProTrail tents, but both require a couple of poles, jacking the weight and cost up for you.

Overall if it were me I'd be looking at the Lunar Solo. This tent has been around basically forever, so you might well find a used one somewhere (or other options used of course). BackpackingLight has a for-sale forum, though you might need to be a member (?).
Whiteblaze.net has forums for things requested to buy and for things to sell.
And of course, this site does too.

Given your other requirements, my suggestion is that you give up on the freestanding issue. My personal experience is that I can always find someway to put up a non-freestanding tent. Sometimes it gets a little tricky, but the vast majority of times it's no problem.

There are a lot of choices in the 2 pound +/- a few ounces. Personally, I do not buy new tents until my current one wears out, which my Tarptent Moment (old version) has! So I too am looking for a new tent. A few observations:

Moisture management- single wall tents are lighter but condensation is in the tent with you. If considering a single wall pay close attention to ventilation. You will likely be packing a wet tent most of the time if you hike in an environment where night temperatures regularly fall below dew point and night are calm. In drier, windier conditions single wall tents work very well. If however, your style is to sleep in and not leave until the sun hits your campsite, the tent dries out quickly with a bit of sunshine. Does not work for me because my style is "crack of dawn" hiking.

Advertised tent weights: If camping on rocky terrain, be careful about weight statements. If the floor is fragile enough that you have to use a footprint, that total weight of the tent is not as light as you think. Ditto for stakes and tie-outs. These are not included in most listed tent weights. You may have to buy new tent stakes. The stakes that came with my Tarp Tent broke the first time I used them. My new stakes are slightly heavier but they work.

Bulk- some tents pack down smaller than others. I like to have my tent inside my pack, because I do a lot of off-trail and worry about ripping the tent if it is on the outside. Tent poles are the factor that determines the length of the stuff sack. Also, too small a tent bag is nothing but frustrating - thankfully the Tarp Tent bags are plenty spacious.

Ratings on tent reviews- Those numerical ratings are only valid if the weighting factors they use are exactly your criteria. Weather-worthiness for me is my top criteria. Most of the reviews only attribute 20% of the total numerical rating to this. Equal rating is given to "livability"- a pretty squishy idea that equates having a mesh pocket as rating more livability than staying dry! Take those "reviews" with a grain of salt.

Cost- I would never set an upper limit to considering a tent. Find the tent that works the best. If it is several hundred dollars over your limit, then see if you can find similar features or qualities in a lower priced tent. If patient, you can often find the more expensive tent on sale. In the same concept, do not set a hard and fast weight limit. A pound difference - yes that is significant. A few ounces, not so much.

As for overall weight reduction for backpacking, I find that cutting down on food or water that is carried is easier and cheaper. On a 10-day trip, if I reduce the daily weight of my food by 1 oz, that saves 9-10 ounces at no cost. If you hike where there are lots of water sources, a 3-4 oz Sawyer squeeze filter will save weight if you then do not carry water between water sources.

PS - I am still undecided on my replacement tent. Right now looking at MSR Hubba NX, Tarp Tent DW Moment or Notch and Big Agnes Copper Spur UL (looked at this at REI and did not like the flimsy feeling, but need to determine if that is just my anxiety and not realistic). One big requirement for me is a detachable fly so I can remove the dry tent and shake the fly out separately. I may limp along another season by simply sealing my leaky floor by painting on seam sealer. I have already replaced two tent zippers.

I would consider replacing your tent with a tarp. You can buy very nice tarps weighting around 1lb or less and capable of sitting entirely in the outer pocket of your Gossamer Gear G4 (how do I know it... I own one too).

If you're camping in an totally tree-less are, then you'd need to add at least 1 hiking pole to your setup, but if you could be sure you'd find at least 1 tree - you wouldn't need no extra poles, just some longer rope to tie-out 1 end of your tarp to it (and stake the rest of the tarp to the ground).

+1. My bag is way too tight to mess with packing it on the trail. I stuff my tent and fly loose into my pack.

And BrRabbit, respectfully, you're a bit late to the discussion. Tarps have been discussed at length. One of the major downsides is the lack of protection against bugs unless you add a bug net and some weight and expense along with it. Others have reported they let in blown dirt and sand.

I cannot imagine stuffing a wet, dirty tent into my pack! If the tent bag is too small, just replace it with a larger sack, or at least use a plastic garbage bag. Or just get a large square of waterproof rip-stop nylon and roll the tent in it like a burrito.

I have read that it is better to roll up a tent if it is made of certain coated fabrics. Repeated stuffing causes the waterproof coating to break down sooner. I recall that sil-nylon does not have this problem, but many other light tents are made with fabric that is better rolled than stuffed.

Good to know. I'll look for or make something bigger.

I don't use the stuff sacks that come with tents. Like others said, they're usually too small. Also, even if you pack the pole bag separately, those sacks usually force you to store them vertically, which isn't always practical. But most important, if it's rained during the night, using a single sack means that a relatively dry inner tent gets put into the same sack as the really wet fly. So, if you don't get to dry it during the day, the inner tent will be wet by night. Yuck.

I get two smaller stuff sacks, and store the fly in one, and the inner in the other, to solve all those problems.

interesting, I hadn't heard that. I wonder if that applies to other materials, like rain coats. Is there any preferred way to put them in your bag or pack? I had a friend of mine once tell me that she had heard it was better to stuff than roll, but I think she was talking about sleeping bags, not tents, I don't remember. Any case, I can get a rolled tent in the stuff sack easier than stuffing it

I've been using a Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 and a Fly Creek 2 for the past several years. Unfortunately I don't have experience with Tarptents and such, so I can't make a good comparison, but I have been very happy with these. They spec out as lighter than your Chrysallis, though I don't know if it is by enough to justify making the change. They do work best with staking, as they are only sort of "semi-freestanding", but the stakes they come with are pretty small and light. It comes with poles, no need for trekking poles. You can also use these tents "fast pack" style, just the footprint and fly and it works ok, though I never tried it that way in rainy weather and it wouldn't keep out bugs. My only question on fast-pack is whether it is less stable in wind without using the inner body, I don't know from experience.
I used the 2 person Fly Creek for a 20 day trip with quite a bit of rain, and again for a really stormy night in North Cascades, both trips sharing it with my partner, and it worked quite well. On the other hand, very strong wind in the open desert of Death Valley did make it collapse on me (no lasting damage) recently. However, despite the intense all-night wind, the stakes did not pull out at all (I was surprised: it was powerful)
It sets up pretty easily, and doesn't take up much room in the pack (like Daisy, I prefer to keep my tents inside for security). I do think the Big Agnes Copper Spur has a nicer layout, particularly the side entrance, and looks like maybe the pole set-up is more robust perhaps, but Fly Creek was on sale . REI often seems to have it on sale.
I suppose there are ways to get shelters with a little less weight, and nice roomy tarps are very appealing, but personally I find Big Agnes is easy to set up and reliable and was light enough to really help me get my weight down.

I'm not sure if it was serendipitous or not but it seems I will be replacing the the Chrysalis for another reason! I now have a 10 inch hole in my rain fly where the "look out" portal used to be. We had some minor wind on this weekends trip and it just blew away. I think I have narrowed my tent down to few from REI (gotta take advantage of the 20% coupon!). I'll post a new topic.