1P tent recommendations

[BasicUtahrd95]

Really solid build and from a great company, I know the owner is active on here and customer service is great

I have bought one tent per year the past 4 years trying to figure out what works best for me. I have spent at least 14 nights in each of the following: six moon designs lunar duo, kifaru paratarp, sea to summit telos tr2, and now the Argali owyhee 1p. For my style of backpack hunting the Argali Owyhee has by far been the best solution for the following reasons:

1. Versatility. I have the tarp, the insert, and the center pole. The ability to choose what components I want to bring based on the style of trip is invaluable. For fair weather trips where I am moving camp every day I just grab the tarp and run it with a bivy and a trekking pole. If I am setting up a base camp and am expecting some bad weather I can grab all the components and be ready for anything the lower 48 can throw at me while having access to both trekking poles throughout the day. Plus, the ability to store the insert and the tarp separately when wet is huge.

2. Room. For me (6’1” tall 190 lbs) the owyhee has the PERFECT amount of room for one person plus gear. I use the long rectangular thermarest neoair xlite nxt sleeping pad (another long journey of too much money spent) and still have room inside the insert for gear, plus backpack and weapon inside the vestibule. The vestibule does get pretty tight with a backpack and a bow, but it is workable. Without the insert, I have no issues fitting everything inside, there is much more room.

3. Silpoly exterior. If any of the tents you are considering are made of silnylon, cross them off the list. Silpoly is vastly superior in its ability to hold its shape in the rain. I got rained on every single day of my week long early season elk hunt and never had to deal with sagging tent walls and never had to readjust stakes or tighten guy-lines because the tent never changed shape in the rain.

The Cons:
1. Within the first 10 nights of use I busted two of the aluminum carabiners that attach the insert to the tarp in the corners. One just stretched out so it doesn’t lock correctly, but is still useable, the other broke in half. Because of the way the insert attaches to the corners of the tarp I was still able to attach the insert to the tarp using the provided 2mm cord, so the failures were not critical. I have yet to repair the tent and have spent at least 7 nights in it since the failures without further issue. I have not reached out to customer service yet, but I will. Another issue concerning build quality is the stakes. They are very light and prone to bending. So far, I have been able to bend them back in the field (smash it with a rock until it’s straight enough), and continue to use them.

2. Like most trekking pole tents, it can be finicky to pitch, especially in uneven terrain. This is a lot of the reason I busted the carabiners mentioned above. I was having a difficult time getting everything as tight as I wanted, so I just started yanking on things until they broke. This is more of a learning curve and setup time thing than anything. If you don’t mind spending a few extra minutes getting it setup, it can be pitched in a variety of places with a relatively small footprint.

 

[rclouse79]

Durston Xmid. I have owned a lot of tents. This one is my favorite and second place is not close.

 

[EdP]

I've got a Kuiu SummitStar. I got the whole package, tent fly, nest, and floor. There is plenty of room for me but I'm only 5'8". More importantly, there is plenty of room for my gear with the extra space inside the nest and under the vestibule. It has a tall pole at one end and a short pole at the other. You can use a treking pole for the tall pole or buy the pole. The nest gives you a tub floor and protection from condensation on the fly. It is harder to lay out and set up than a tent with a sewn in floor, but it works nicely for me.

 

[Roosterstraw]

Durston just released his new tent. It looks pretty good for a 1person free standing tent.

 

[Highhuntin]

Copper spur 1p for me it’s small and space for gear would be nice but the weight savings is worth it to me.

 

[huntsd]

go 2p. I run a 1p and its too small

 

[Beendare]

I have a bunch of Tents and tipis- yep, I'm a registered gear whore.

This Tarptent Double Rainbow is awesome....and you won't find better quality. 3 season probably not 4 season. It's a palace for one at about 2.5#.
Unpacking- what a mess ^

Here is a better pic

 

[MOwhitetail]

Durston just released his new tent. It looks pretty good for a 1person free standing tent.

I’ve been keeping my eyes out for when this one finally got released. I’m not a fan of trekking pole tents but this looks like it checks all my boxes.

 

[Bobrobheimer]

I second the Durston Xmid. I have the 1p and 2p solid. The 1p is a great tent for just me. Very livable, pretty light, not too too big a footprint. I would like to get my hands on a pro perhaps at somepoint for when I want the inner bit save some weight. I use the 2p for when I have one of my kids. It’s big for just me but can be nice. I think from here the only potentially lighter and more easily placed set up would be a dcf tarp and light bivy.

 

[dwent]

Another vote for the Durston. Not many outdoor gear companies structured like his. Look at the products reviews on his site. He responds to every meaningful criticism and where appropriate implements changes to the product at a lightning rate. They can do this because they are consumer direct and maintain lower inventory, so they don’t have to plan or work around annual product cycles. Dan is a true outdoorsman, even if not as a hunter.

 

[Felton]

MLD Duo mid. I have a nest if I need it. Flourless if I don’t. I bring a carbon pole instead of my trekking pole as it’s only a 3.2 oz penalty.

Easy enough to set up and it’s ultra light weight.

 

[4th_point]

Anyone got any good suggestions?

Yes, figure out what you really need or value most.

Or, be prepared to buy more than one tent!

For example, a 2P is great for extra room but besides being heavier it might have a taller height, which is not desirable in high winds.

Likewise, a 1P might seem cramped, but may also be warmer due to the smaller volume.

For material there's no clear winner. I have a DCF 1P that I really like but I have no dilusions that it's as tough as a silnylon tent.

DCF is light and doesn't absorb water.

Silnylon may absorb water but is strong. Silnylon is still used for floors due to the strength.

Silpoly is a good compromise in many ways but not the lightest or strongest.

 

[logan123]

Came to parrot Durston.

Will likely get rid of all my other tents once the X Dome comes out in a 2P. The Xmid1 is bomber. His stuff is beyond reasonable.

For compare, I also have a Nemo Kunai and a Sea to Summit Telos TR3.

 

[cubdriver84d]

I really like my Locus Gear DCF Khufu as a simple single trekking pole mid. Exchange rate for jpy is pretty good right now.

 

[FrankAbagnale]

I have a double rainbow and a durston xmid. Both great. The double rainbow is a nice tent but heavier than the xmid. I prefer the durston because of weight. Great tent!

I’d sell you my double rainbow if you’re interested!

 

[bradmacmt]

Durston just released his new tent. It looks pretty good for a 1person free standing tent.

I don't do trekking poles, so the XMid is out for me. When Dan makes a solid interior available for the X-Dome 1+ (I asked, he plans to) that will become my hunting tent, though I may get it in DCF.

My current hunting tent is a BA Copper Spur UL1. I've used several variations going back ten years, and have ridden out some awful weather in them. Great little tent really, though I wish it had a solid or semi-solid interior.



I also have a Nemo Hornet Elite 1P. A surprisingly storm worthy tent. I've used various Hornet 1P's going back to when it was first introduced some years back.



My favorite single wall tent is the Tarptent Rainbow Li.



I recently got a Tarptent Aeon Li but haven't used it yet. I've never done a Mid and wanted to try one.

 

[4th_point]

I like the Notch Li from Tarp Tent. It's well under 1.5 pounds with DCF and mine has a solid interior and DCF floor. Setup is fast and it's a true double wall, but it is by no mean spacious.

I don't think the comparable 1P model from Durston in DCF is available with a solid interior and it is a hybrid, so some interior panel(s) are the fly itself with the interior permanently attached to the fly.

I like having a true double wall, as I use the fly by itself as a glassing shelter instead of separate tarp.

I also have a Stratospire 2 and had a Stratospire 1. The Notch is easier and faster to pitch than the SS1. Haven't used the SS2 yet.

 

[dirtshooter]

Has anyone just gone with a SO nest and tarp combo?

 

[MOwhitetail]

Has anyone just gone with a SO nest and tarp combo?

I’ve looked into it with my guardian, but for the weight of that and the nest I can use a double wall freestanding tent.

 

[dirtshooter]

I’ve looked into it with my guardian, but for the weight of that and the nest I can use a double wall freestanding tent.

I see. The reason I ask is SO had blem redcliff half nests for dirt cheap so I bought 2 for the redcliff so I was just thinking of a way to use them outside of the redcliff similar to just putting a bivy under a tarp