Tents

[remington]

I am looking for a good, solid, yet lightweight tent that can be used in all 4-seasons. This means hot summers and cold winters. What would you recomend?

[HPshooter]

Hi, This is from the perspective of an ultra-light backpacker...

Google tent tarps or check the REI site:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000& productId=4332897&parent_category_rn=40003488&vcat =REI_SEARCH

the picture is not great, but you get the idea.

I could go on and on about how a tarp is better than a tent, but there are hiking forums for that.

But main reason I would recommend a tarp over a tent is that a tent is always a tent. A tarp can be a tent, a ground cloth, a hammock, a sail, you name it. You are limited only by your imagination.

The second reason I recommend a tart rather than a tent won't be found on your hiking web forums. A tarp, rigged as shown in the link above (and a lousy picture it is!) allows one to see out - even in the rain - a full 360 degrees. A tent does not give you protection from anything but rain. In fact, it is more a trap than anything.

In fact there's a Far Side cartoon where two bears are outside a tent and the one says to the other, "The part I love is the gooy filling."

No doubt your first and second questions will be: 1. What about snakes? and 2. What about mosquito's.

There are several great solutions to these. One that doubles the weight of the system and weighs almost as much as a tent is a net tent that hangs under the tarp. It has a traditional tent "bathtub" floor in it.

I prefer something that resembles a huge no-see-um sock that hangs from a line under the tarp and fits over my head and torso and cinches loosely around the sleeping bag with a draw-string elastic cord.

Of course, a tarp requires more outdoor skills than a tent. (gear and skills are inversely proportional - fewer skills you need more gear: more skills, less gear) You'll have to learn the sheet-bend knot, clove-hitch and some others. You'll also have to practice pitching it in the rain and for the rain. (With practice, you can set up a tarp from under the tarp while staying relatively dry!)

But if you HAVE to HAVE a tent for your BOB, go with a Bivy Sack.

Just my $000,000.02.

[brisco]

Check this one out, not a bad price either.
http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0032960516916a&navCount=1&podId=003296 0&parentId=cat20103&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&c mCat=MainCatcat20075-cat20103&catalogCode=QT&rid=&parentType=index&inde xId=cat20103&hasJS=true

[remington]

The more you know, the less you need. Yeah, I like the idea of a tarp. Lightweight certainly but what about winter?

[Weezin]

Thanks Brisco, I'll check that one out .

I"ve had a Eureka tent for 20 years and its dry and secure in 60 knots of driving rain.
But a 8 1/2 lbs. its getting to be a little too much in my back pack as I am getting close to 60.
It's ironic, the older you get the more stuff you need to carry to be comfortable. Still like 20 mile walk in's, the fishing always better.
Have been thinking about a couple of Lama's to pack my gear in.......
...............................Dennis............. .......