Any Recommendations for a 1p Trekking pole tent?

[RidgeReaper2002]

Hey guys I'm in the market to purchase a 1p lightweight trekking pole tent. I have looked at the Argali Owyhee, Durston Xmid 1, Six Moon Skyscape, etc. I would appreciate honest feedback from actual users of these kinds of products. My primary use for this style of tent will be during early-season archery elk and mule deer hunts. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[MuleyFever]

They all work. Just find the weight and features you like and buy one. Its all preference. Check out Tarptent and the 1 man mids by companies like Mountain Laurel Design and Hyperlite Mountain Gear.

 

[carsonkeys]

I used the Mountainsmith LT for my September elk hunts and loved it. For the price, it punches well above it’s weight class.

It’s a 2p shelter, however, I liked that as I could keep all my gear out of the storms, cook in there, etc.

Big fan.

 

[Lukealoop]

I’ve been down this rabbit hole and landed on the mountain laurel designs duomid. They use a #8 zipper compared to most others that use a #6 or smaller. This is especially important if you get the dyneema version of these tents and dyneema fabric does not stretch and therefore puts more pressure on the zipper. I’ve used my duomid on 3 northern bc stone sheep hunts riding out some intense storms as well as tons of nights in lower bc as well. I originally bought the nest from MLD to go with the tent but have now found myself just using a borah bug bivy with it to save weight. With stakes and everything it’s right at 1.5 lbs

 

[Grady.J]

The Tarptent Notch is worth a look. Having double doors and vestibules is really nice, even for a solo shelter. If you aren't married to the trekking pole shelters, I also have the Scarp 1 and love it.

This year I'm planning to use an Argali Rincon and borah bivy, similar setup to Luke above. I bought it before the Owyhee came out, the weight savings on the owyhee is tempting, but i think the extra space will be nice.

 

[Lukealoop]

The Tarptent Notch is worth a look. Having double doors and vestibules is really nice, even for a solo shelter. If you aren't married to the trekking pole shelters, I also have the Scarp 1 and love it.

This year I'm planning to use an Argali Rincon and borah bivy, similar setup to Luke above. I bought it before the Owyhee came out, the weight savings on the owyhee is tempting, but i think the extra space will be nice.

One tip that I’ve found to be helpful with the Borah bivy (especially if you get the silpoly version like me) is to use some seam sealer or something similar and apply a few beads or dots on the inside of the bivy where your sleeping pad rests on it. This creates some grip and helps keep the pad planted on the bivy, otherwise it’s like a slip n’ slide if you’re on anything but flat ground and is super annoying and makes it a lot harder to get a good nights rest.

 

[RidgeReaper2002]

I used the Mountainsmith LT for my September elk hunts and loved it. For the price, it punches well above it’s weight class.

It’s a 2p shelter, however, I liked that as I could keep all my gear out of the storms, cook in there, etc.

Big fan. View attachment 848787

That's pretty sharp! Kinda looks like a Kifaru supertarp

 

[Dpevey]

I used the Argali Owyhee with the insert this past year. I was happy with it. Liked the vestibule to keep my pack and bow covered.

 

[taskswap]

You're going to get 12 opinions from 10 people on this one LOL. The Xmid is sort of the gold standard / "OG" for ultralight 1-2P trekkers. Just to speak for an alternative, I went with a Zpacks Duplex and I'm more or less happy with it (wish I got the Zip but...). Ventilation is often a challenge with these things, but the Duplex has almost too much - if you're anywhere windy on silty/sandy soil, be prepared to get plenty of dust/dirt blown into the tent. And it does take practice to get a perfect "pitch". But I love the "bathtub" design, the floor is durable enough that I usually don't bother with a ground-cover, and it sets up fast once you know how.

Nearly all the tents I've seen in this category focus really heavily on the ultralight aspect, and sometimes that comes at the cost of convenience. For the Duplex, if your site isn't perfectly level it's challenging to get a good pitch, and like many others I added "corner loops" to the floor section so I can tie those out separately when they aren't laying out nice on their own. I also added loops on the head/foot walls to be able to tie those out separately which gives another foot of head room when you're sitting in it. This all added an ounce or two but was worth it IMO. It's still half the weight of my second-favorite alternative.

If you don't always travel with two trekking poles, be aware that nearly all of these tents do have loops at their top/ridge corners even if they don't advertise them. You can use most of them with ridgelines pretty easily if you know you'll have good timber around to do it with, and that's actually my preference because you don't have a pole in the way of getting in/out. You can also get folding and non-folding/sectioned ultralight poles to replace the trekking poles with, from SixMoon and other sources. Even if you HAVE poles that's nice sometimes for a bit of extra weight so you can leave your tent pitched while you go on a hike (with your poles). I'm getting into my 50s now and really like having my poles when I'm collecting water so I don't dump myself in a cold creek as often.

 

[RidgeReaper2002]

Just did a bit of research, and I really seem to like the offerings from Tarptent. The Moment DW and the Stratospire 2 (I know this is a 2p tent) seem to fit my needs. Does anyone have experience with these specifically?

 

[Grady.J]

One tip that I’ve found to be helpful with the Borah bivy (especially if you get the silpoly version like me) is to use some seam sealer or something similar and apply a few beads or dots on the inside of the bivy where your sleeping pad rests on it. This creates some grip and helps keep the pad planted on the bivy, otherwise it’s like a slip n’ slide if you’re on anything but flat ground and is super annoying and makes it a lot harder to get a good nights rest.

Great tip, thanks man. I don't remember what fabric i got, I got a semi solid fabric with mesh running up the middle. I wanted a little bit of protection on the sides for rubbing up against the tent or rain splashing under, but still pretty much full breathability.

That's pretty sharp! Kinda looks like a Kifaru supertarp

I forgot I have one of these kicking around as well. Only used it for a few nights. It's heavy but it's super solid, it's a relatively heavyweight material so it feels bombproof. For the money you can't beat it, I think I paid under $100 Canadian 7 or 8 years ago.