1 man tent that can fit between drop handlebars

[dobovedo]

Hey all, new forum member here, and new to bikepacking. I've got just about everything figured out except tent. I'm looking for a lightweight, 1 man tent that can be used on my road/touring bikes with drop bars. On two bikes I've got a comfortable 15", but on my best road bike I've got 14" max clearance, and 13" is preferable. I haven't looked at very many brands yet. So far I've seen recommendations for:

Six Moon Designs Solo and Trekker are both spec'd at 15" packed length.
At 14", Tarp Tent Contrail will fit... barely, but I would prefer the Moment, which is spec'd as 20"

I guess I have 3 questions:
1 - are the packed dimensions reliable... I'd hate to buy something listed as 14" and find out it's actually 14 3/4"
2 - any other tent suggestions in this price range that pack at 14" or less, or...
3 - is it the poles that dictate the packing dimensions? If I can secure the poles elsewhere or pack inside a small Revelate Tangle (15"+), can I roll the tents up a bit smaller in a drybag?

Any other solutions? I've seen a lot of references to just using tarps, but I would prefer an enclosed tent. Thanks in advance!

[bmike-vt]

the tarp tent contrail fits between the wide woodchippers.
and it works with my nitto noodle bars (also wide, 46cm)
(soon to be replaced by cowbells).

from Henry Shires when i was researching the moment vs. contrail:

"The Moment arch pole folds to 20" and strut ends fold to 18". The struts can be removed--we insert them through slits in the rear sleeves--and the pole can of course be store separately."

I'd have to dig out the Contrail, but I am pretty sure that the limit is the struts at the rear. You can remove them, but that slows down setup time. Same thing with the Moment.


I found that after I had the Contrail, I could have likely gone Moment, in that the bag would have fit into my sling under my harness, which would have worked out to sitting just below the drops.

[Area54]

The packed length mostly relates to the poles, I pack my poles separately for my contrail - pack them in the framebag with just the tent on the bars (fargo with 46cm chippers and contrail). I've trimmed down the short fixed poles about an inch as well, so could pack to about 8" I think.

[dobovedo]

Excellent. Thanks for the replies about stowing poles separately. I figured that was the case, which opens up a lot more possibilities. Now I just gotta decide which model to go with.

[bmike-vt]

The moment will likely not fit, unless you pull the struts out of the sleeves.

[dobovedo]

The moment will likely not fit, unless you pull the struts out of the sleeves.

That would be OK, I don't mind removing the struts.. setup time isn't all that high of a priority for me. But I will look for a similar tent with the same type of layout before making a decision. Thanks for the input!

[Flounder]

Every now and then I use a Nemo GoGo LE. It's roughly 2 pounds, tiny, and positively bomb proof if weather goes south. Since it uses air beams instead of poles, it gets super small. It pitches in about 90 seconds. I know what you're thinking - air beams?  Put your worries to rest. Cam, the designer and owner of Nemo Equipment is a true genius. This stuff is not just top tier, it defines the top tier.

www.nemoequipment.com

[Flounder]

Here it is on my bars.

[dobovedo]

Air supported = fascinating concept. I'll look around for some reviews, and will definitely consider it. The price is getting a bit steep... was hoping to keep in the $200-$250 range but willing to pay more if it's the best solution for my needs.

Went to REI today and looked at a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1. I took my road bike in with me and while I was there I held up a Thermarest Prolite (Reg) pad which I had already ordered from Amazon and will get on Tuesday. An employee cautioned me that the pad won't roll up near as tight as they come from the factory (machine compressed). He wasn't confident I'd be able to put both pad and a tent (sans poles) on the front. I'm trying to picture the GoGo LE wrapped around the Prolite on the handlebars and stuffed in a drysack... pretty sure it would be too bulky even though the width is fine. I may need to find a tent that packs tight enough to stuff in my Viscacha with poles secured to frame. Then just the pad on front with whatever else fits with it in a drysack.

This is fun stuff... and I haven't even gotten around to riding yet. Kinda like putting a puzzle together.

[RossC]

Air supported = fascinating concept. I'll look around for some reviews, and will definitely consider it.

Mike Hall, the winner of the round the world bike race which concluded recently used one and only had good things to say about it.

I think this is the link:
http://road.cc/content/news/59716-interview-round-world-record-holder-mike-hall-talks-round-world-record-kit

[adelorenzo]

I have played with these Easton tents at the local shop and they are pretty impressive. Less than 2 lbs and packed size of  40 cm. No real world experience though, sorry.

http://eastonmountainproducts.com/tent/kilo1p-tent

I use an Integral Unishelter and it's a great solo option IMHO. The one-pole area around your head and shoulders is quite spacious. A bit heavier but it is burly and packs down small.

http://www.integraltactical.com/product_detail.cfm?id=834&CFID=6640893&CFTOKEN=71712704

[dobovedo]

I decided to go with a NEMO. I debated back and forth between the GoGo and the Moto (12oz heavier and slightly bulkier). I ended up going with the Moto, based on the $239 sale price I found at http://www.basegear.com/nemo-moto-1p-tent.html. Couldn't find anything remotely close for the Gogo LE.

I may decide somewhere down the road (trail) to go even lighter/smaller but for now I think this is a good balance of comfort features and packability. Thanks for all the advice!

Edit: just followed the link back to the basegear site. Looks like I got the last one! (hopefully their stock count is accurate)