Ok, Gonna make this short as I can. Take some time and read up on some tents on outdoor magazine web pages like Backpacker magazine. You will gain a mini education looking at all of the various sizes, prices, designs and materials.

I am very experienced in outdoor gear as are many on this forum. I say stick to the specialized product brands that are the lightweight camping gear experts. So many name brands have great products. I love Cabela's. I used to be a full time sales rep in the Michigan store for some time. I cant say enough about them how awesome they are. They primarily sell customer service, above all else. However I cant recommend any of the big box brands to buy for lightweight gear. They do carry some items, but mostly they are bulky heavy duty designed for truck camping, big expeditions...and not hiking/backpacking. The backpacking community has light weigh down to a science. Every ounce counts when you are hiking up a 1000ft/mile or more incline for miles a day.

I highly recommend the Sierra Designs tent, as mentioned several times before. You cant beat the space vs weight. I have owned and used one all over the country in all conditions and I would highly consider looking into the company. Also MSR, Marrmott and North face to name a few have equally excellent products. stay away from the bulky coleman and sears type stuff. It pays to buy a $300 tent versus a cheap one.

REI.com is a great place to comparison shop. I have never ordered from them, but always scoped out their prices and reviews of products i had on my list. Also, a word on sleeping bags. Same advice. You would be AMAZED at the technology and design of a pricier name brand down sleeping bag, versus a wal-mart or sears clunker. I have a 3 season, down sleeping bag that stuffs into a ball the size of a head of lettuce and weighs ounces, not pounds. I also have owned it for 8 years and used the hell out of it, it still is kickin.

Food for thought!

Check out WWW.CUBGEARSTORE.COM for all of your light weight back country flying needs

tfcub wrote:Check out http://WWW.CUBGEARSTORE.COM for all of your light weight back country flying needs

Really? No opinion on the topic at hand? Just a link?

This is an all time favorite of mine for a 3-season tent:

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/the-north-face/roadrunner-23/

I have 6 tents, but this is the first one I grab when going on a trip. I've wore out/used a lot of tents, and find this one ideal for most uses.

Elk hunting in Colorado several years ago I road out a nasty hail storm in a wilderness area in a Northface VE 25. Yeah, yeah, I know, Northface means expensive. But 12 miles up the trail, you get what you pay for.

For you anti-Northface types....http://www.thesouthbutt.com

As far as lightweight stuff, these guys have really good stuff..

http://www.kifaru.net/tarps_hootches.html

http://wiggys.com/category.cfm?category=5

These guys created a tent that takes the old tarp over the wing one step farther.

http://www.planetent.net/

No offense to the wing tents...I think its a cool concept, but what do you do when you want go flying without breaking camp?

chrisg wrote:No offense to the wing tents...I think its a cool concept, but what do you do when you want go flying without breaking camp?

Good point, also I thought next ~
What happens when there is a good Ole' Midwest thunderstorm overhead and the plane is made of metal and the tallest object around? camp under a lightening rod?

svanarts wrote:These guys created a tent that takes the old tarp over the wing one step farther.

http://www.planetent.net/

Ah, thought it sounded familiar concept. The patent must have been bought by the Germans. Says it ships from Michigan. I found a similar design from a couple living in Canton, Michigan flying from ID2 Plymouth-mettetal airport. I lived 1/2 mile from it in H.S. i was a airport fence kid here. These guys had a product called Wing-In-It. something like that. Must have sold out, but still makes it. This is my guess. interesting concept.

I too got a Big Agnes tent after a rave review in a Backpacker mag...tent of the year or the like. I forget the model, 3 person, vestibule, footprint, the works. I think I have over $400 in the whole set - up. It is around 5 lbs. Broke the zipper the 3rd night out. Piece of shit. The instructions to set it up are printed on the storage bag, and it's a good thing because it's complicated.

The good ones are at AK Tent and Tarp. They are not light.

gb

I bought one of these for my trip to Oshkosh this year. Coleman Sundome. It weighs about 10 lbs. We'll see how it holds up.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Sundome-Tent-10-Feet/dp/B0009PUQG4

The all-time best tent I've ever had is a Eureka Polar Storm. It stands up to just about any type of weather, stays dry and tight, but takes awhile to set up and weighs about 10 lbs. Four poles, two doors, two full-size vestibules.

Out of curiosity last year, I bought a GoLite Safari 3. Weighs a couple of lbs, one pole, and can be used in 3 different ways. Easy to set up, but tends to get a little water in the corners in a storm. It survived the tornado at SnF this year better than my car did.

http://www.golite.com/Product/ProductBy ... c=&lat=&t=

ASW.

Skystrider wrote:Sierra Designs - Clip Flashlight 2 - Less than $150 - 4.5 lbs - 2 person





See review at this link.

http://www99.epinions.com/review/Sierra_Designs_Clip_Flashlight_Tent_HCST017/content_122746015364

I have had nothing but good experiences with Sierra Designs. They just recently repaired zippers on my 15 year old Comet CD for nothing. I also have their Wu Hu 4 person base camp tent. Excellent!

You won't find a lighter,longer lasting better bang for the buck then the SD clip flashlight.Mine has to be at least 10 years old,has 100's of miles and possibly a thousand nights in multiple countries of backpacking.I've bought several of the latest greatest tents over the years to replace it,yet they end up in the gear closet and the clip is the one I go too.I cant say enough good things about this tent and there is a good reason many other models have come and gone in SD's model lineup over the years yet they keep on making it.

If I'm looking to travel even lighter,I just take the fly and a homemade footprint and leave the tent part home.I forget how much weight it saves but it's pretty close to the tarp tents where you need trekking poles for and setup like this it also adds some internal headroom.

While it's recommended doing it to any new tent,I never sealed the seams and never had had a issue with leaks around the seams,and condensation has never been a serious issue either.As far as tents go it's as dry as any I've owned.

While it isn't a true freestanding tent I've NEVER had a problem in heavy weather,from gales while camped on a beach to a summer ice storm high up in the mountains.

The only downside to it is IMHO it's not a true 2 man tent,it's a great tent for 1 man and a dog or a guy and his girlfriend but for me at 6'1 230 unless it's a emergency I cant imagine 2 guys my size being too comfortable in there but then again I havent found a 2 person backpacking tent that would.

Bob, We do have a definate opinion for light weight gear. The Cub Gear Store has the complete line of SIERRA and KELTY tents along with alot of other light weight camping gear such as PRIMUS multi-fuel stoves, lanterns, Gourmet mini-cooking set, Litech coffe and tea press, Prime-lite head lamps, Orion flares/fire starter kits and tie downs. Having been a Guide and Out-fitter utilizing horses and mules and packing everything you can imagine into hunting camps I do understand what the term light weight means. To further explain my family used a U-206 in the Guide business where my wife could haul everything. We now camp with a Super Cub where she had to totally rethink what she could take and be comfortable. If you have any questions please let me know.....and check out our web site. www.cubgearstore.com

[quoteYou won't find a lighter,longer lasting better bang for the buck then the SD clip flashlight][/quote]

I cant say enough about that tent! It is affordable and versatile! I have loved using mine over the years!

I tend to pack for this nowdays.... Waterproof and windproof, and Reno Chick likes it.



Gump

tfcub wrote:Bob, We do have a definate opinion for light weight gear. The Cub Gear Store has the complete line of SIERRA and KELTY tents along with alot of other light weight camping gear such as PRIMUS multi-fuel stoves, lanterns, Gourmet mini-cooking set, Litech coffe and tea press, Prime-lite head lamps, Orion flares/fire starter kits and tie downs. Having been a Guide and Out-fitter utilizing horses and mules and packing everything you can imagine into hunting camps I do understand what the term light weight means. To further explain my family used a U-206 in the Guide business where my wife could haul everything. We now camp with a Super Cub where she had to totally rethink what she could take and be comfortable. If you have any questions please let me know.....and check out our web site. http://www.cubgearstore.com

Tfcub,
I commend you on your website and educating pilots on the joy of using and owning light weight backpacking gear in their aviation adventures. Pilots have so many different interests and experiences / interests. We all cant be experts. Even withing outdoor gear there are so many different sports, we all cannot afford the time /money to do everything. I think you are on to something, keep on keeping on! This is something i think a lot of pilots would consider for their gear list, if only they were educated on the products and the benefit. Maybe could add some youtube videos of gear reviews for pilots!
Post them here and other places to drive traffic to ya, maybe create a blog. Good luck.

GumpAir wrote:I tend to pack for this nowdays.... Waterproof and windproof, and Reno Chick likes it.



Gump

How do you get that in yer plane

Glidergeek wrote:How do you get that in yer plane

External load... On the wallet.

Gump

lownslow79 wrote:[quoteYou won't find a lighter,longer lasting better bang for the buck then the SD clip flashlight]

I cant say enough about that tent! It is affordable and versatile! I have loved using mine over the years!

Left something to be desired at -20F. Won't be doing that again on purpose!. Otherwise, Heck Yeah.