Updating Shelter for bikepacking

[Bobonli]

Hello. First post here, though I've been reading the forums for some time. I need to update my shelter to accommodate bike travel and would appreciate any advice you can offer. My current tent is a holdover from my hiking days, and weighs just less than 8 pounds. I've tried cycling with it and it's more than I care to lug around. I've read a ton of stuff here and backpacking light, bikepacking.com etc and I think I've narrowed my preferences to:

Tent preferred to tarp. I'm in the Northeast. I like having a floor and doors to keep rain and critters away from me while I sleep
I would prefer something non-fiddly in terms of set up. Not a lot of guy wires and tiny bits to get lost
Long enough. I'm 6f2
Just me and the stuff I need to bring inside at night
3 season-ish. I'm less likely to be out in the woods in the height of summer; I prefer cool weather.
Something with good service life and reputation. I keep my stuff for a long time and take care of it; hence the 17 year old 8 lb tent!
Reasonable balance between weight/bulk and comfort and ease of pitching

I keep coming back to the Hilleberg Atko (3+lbs), Tarptent Moment (about 2.5lb) and Big Agnes Fly Creek (1.5 lb).  Im guessing the Atko is overkill for the occasional overnighter. I've found references, but no hard details, about quality control issues with the TT products. Nothing but good comments about the BA tents.

Am I looking in the right places? Is there something else I should be looking at or taking into consideration? If you have one of these tents, would you purchase it again?

My dilemma is that all but maybe the BA will need to be purchased online, so running down to REI to check it out is not really an option. So I'd like to choose wisely. Thank you.

[RonK]

I've owned a Hilleberg Soulo, excellent quality but heavy, I think the Atko is also in the heavy side for its size.

So I bought a TT Moment DW for bikepacking, but to my dismay the struts in the corners mean when packed it is inconveniently long.

Now I have a TT Protrail. It's single-skin so very light, packs small enough to carry in an anything cage and is fairly well ventilated.

[Eastman]

I, too, used a Hilleberg Soulo when first bikepacking.  Fantastic tents but the Akto would be overkill for your intended use.  Plus they don't vent very well.  I ended up with a TT Rainbow - nice and long and I am also 6'2".  Vents very well.  As RonK points out the poles can mean that it packs a bit long but that is the only shortcoming I can find.

[Allan_333]

Hello. First post here, though I've been reading the forums for some time. I need to update my shelter to accommodate bike travel and would appreciate any advice you can offer. My current tent is a holdover from my hiking days, and weighs just less than 8 pounds. I've tried cycling with it and it's more than I care to lug around. I've read a ton of stuff here and backpacking light, bikepacking.com etc and I think I've narrowed my preferences to:

Tent preferred to tarp. I'm in the Northeast. I like having a floor and doors to keep rain and critters away from me while I sleep
I would prefer something non-fiddly in terms of set up. Not a lot of guy wires and tiny bits to get lost
Long enough. I'm 6f2
Just me and the stuff I need to bring inside at night
3 season-ish. I'm less likely to be out in the woods in the height of summer; I prefer cool weather.
Something with good service life and reputation. I keep my stuff for a long time and take care of it; hence the 17 year old 8 lb tent!
Reasonable balance between weight/bulk and comfort and ease of pitching

I keep coming back to the Hilleberg Atko (3+lbs), Tarptent Moment (about 2.5lb) and Big Agnes Fly Creek (1.5 lb).  Im guessing the Atko is overkill for the occasional overnighter. I've found references, but no hard details, about quality control issues with the TT products. Nothing but good comments about the BA tents.

Am I looking in the right places? Is there something else I should be looking at or taking into consideration? If you have one of these tents, would you purchase it again?

My dilemma is that all but maybe the BA will need to be purchased online, so running down to REI to check it out is not really an option. So I'd like to choose wisely. Thank you.

Have a look into the Big Sky International Soul 1P, Its very light, a dual skin tent, free standing, low bulk, I'm 5'9" and I've got heaps of room to spare, its also relatively cheap for what it is. You can buy it in ultralight or just standard.

[mtnbound]

Take a look at the Tarptent ProTrail. Should be long enough and is quite light (26 oz, though you should get a 4 oz pole to keep it up). Sets up in less than 2 minutes.  Tarptents have a good reputation too.

[bakerjw]

This is what I'm looking at purchasing. It is free standing with an optional pole and is supposed to be able to be set up in a minute or two.

http://www.tarptent.com/momentdw.html

[bmike-vt]

I have the Contrail and Moment DW. I like both. The Contrail (now Pretrial) packs a bit smaller, and is a bit lighter, but the Moment is really easy to pitch, especially after a long day.

Moment Pitch:
https://vimeo.com/130342073

[Adam Alphabet]

If anyone wants I have an older Moment (not DW) new in box with seam sealer and the extra pole. Would sell for $150USD shipped. Just a thought...
PM if interested.
Adam.

[RonK]

This is what I'm looking at purchasing. It is free standing with an optional pole and is supposed to be able to be set up in a minute or two.

http://www.tarptent.com/momentdw.html

As I have previously posted, the Moment DW uses corner struts so packs long at 18".
That didn't work for my bikepacking setup. Be sure it works for you before buying.
I now use a TT Protrail.

[RunRig]

Not that you want to do what I've done, but for now, I've gone for cheap. I bikepack with my son, and I had an 8 lb tent just like you, and went on a few trips. About a year ago, I got an REI Passage 2. Is still kind of heavy at 4-5 lbs, but better than it was (and the Passage 1 should be a bit lighter and even cheaper). But when it's on sale or with one of those 20% off coupons, it's real cheap :-)

[Bobonli]

Having never laid hands on a Tarptent product, can those who have one tell me whether they're suitable for colder weather.

And…..I'm one of those people who always bought the tent footprint to protect the floor. Are these still a thing? Is there any point to it other than to increase sales?

[RonK]

The double wall Tarptents can be used in colder weather, even in snow with the optional crossing poles.

Yes, a footprint is worthwhile to protect the tent floor. For single wall tents in particular, covering the vestibules helps control condensation inside the tent.

Tarptent footprints are just a piece of tyvek and don't cost much. You could easily source your own.

If buying a Tarptent, it may be worthwhile paying a little extra to have them seam-seal it for you.

[bmike-vt]

Having never laid hands on a Tarptent product, can those who have one tell me whether they're suitable for colder weather.

And…..I'm one of those people who always bought the tent footprint to protect the floor. Are these still a thing? Is there any point to it other than to increase sales?

I don't use a footprint with my TTs - I'm just careful with my locations. If I was in really rocky / crunchy terrain I would bring one.

I have used my Contrail into the 20s and the Moment into the teens.

[Bobonli]

Thank you, everyone.

[Bobonli]

Perhaps I'm missing something in the pictures or pitch video for the Moment, but where are these pesky struts that make it difficult to pack? Are they what gives shape to the two ends of the tent?

The other TT model mentioned, the Protrail, as well as the Zpacks tents share a common design that I don't particularly care for: the center pole in the middle of the doorway. I'm a tall guy and not especially graceful. I can see myself bashing into that in the middle of the night. Also some of these have a lot of guy lines. Have you had issues finding enough guy-points?

[RonK]

Yes, the struts are in the corners. You can't see them, they are fitted into sleeves.
You could possibly remove them from the sleeve for packing, but it's fiddly and time consuming.
The Protrail uses no more guys than the Moment DW. The front pole can be angled for easier ingress/egress.
If you can live with a tent with a packed length of 18" then the Moment DW is the way to go. This might work for you if your bike has a flatbar and you can carry the tent in a sling. With drop bars it doesn't work for me, hence some compromise must be found.

[Jdtwowheels]

I use a Six Moon Design Gatewood Cape Tarp (it's also a poncho) 11 oz
And a light bivy bag that is 6 oz (no ground sheet)

Total weight 17 oz
Total cost $180

[Flounder]

I'm a bit of a shelter junkie. I use various shelters for different types of outings depending on the forecasted weather and duration of the trip. My favorite bivy is the MSR AC Bivy. My favorite ultra light and small shelter is the Nemo GoGo LE, which I think is one of the best bikepacking shelters ever. I also really dig the Terra Nova Laser Comp 1 for foul weather and have used that in nasty weather.

Here's the review I wrote of the Terra Nova. http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-terra-nova-laser-competition-1/

I can't say enough positive things about that tent.

[Bobonli]

The Terra Nova looks like it shares design elements with the Moment and Atko. Thank you for sharing.

It's a shame that the UL products don't have the distribution network or market penetration to be carried in major stores like EMS or REI. I'd really like to set up a Moment, Zpacks and Big Agnes next to one another to see what is best for my 6f2in body and see how they pack up. I realize any one of them would be exponentially lighter than the 7 pound beast I have now, but being able to touch and feel is very helpful when making this $ize investment, not to mention being able to avoid the bother of return shipping if it doesn't suit my needs.

[bikelite]

Nemo Hornet 1