New solo tent

[mtnclimber]

Looking at getting a new solo tent for sheep and goat hunts here in alaska. August 10th- October 10th.

Some options so far:

Hilleberg enan or akto
Bearpaw designs Bearden 1 or 2
Seek Outside BT2

Im leaning towards the hilleberg enan or akto at this point because I'm so familiar with hillebergs and love their materials and the ease of setup. I have and will continue to run the hilleberg tents floorless sometimes as well.

The bear paw and SO BT2 style single wall/floorless style tents have caught my eye because of the weight savings mostly.

My questions are these single wall floorless style tents look like they will condensate like nobodys business. Is this the case? The venting doesn't look very well thought out.
How weather resistant are these tents as far as high wind is concerned? Many times sleeping on an exposed 5000' ridgeline isn't uncommon. Hilleberg enan and akto are 36in high vs. a BT2 64in vs. bear den 48in. The height is a concern on the BT2 and bear den.

I have spent 50+ nights in hillebergs and love their system. But I'm always up for some weight savings.

 

[Tuscor]

Well from the hilleberg line don't forget the Unna and the Suolo. Both heavier than the Akto and Enan (so no weight saving there!), but remember the Enan is not a four season tent and the fly does not reach all the way to the ground when used with the inner.

I have no first hand experience with single wall shelters beyond a simple a-frame tarp set up, but if you search the forum here you will see plenty of discussion on whether shelters like the Kifaru mega or super tarps or the Seek outside shelters have condensation issues. I think the general consensus is yes, they can have significant condensation depending on where you camp, weather conditions etc. As to how weatherproof they are, well, based on the evidence I have seen (all second hand reports of course) they are pretty bomb proof! I have never seen a review or report that indicated anything other than completely safe in a storm if set up correctly.

T

 

[Yellowknife]

For what it worth, I've found the Akto to be a bit trickier to set up (relative to the stupid easy Nallo's). With only a single hoop, it's easier to get things pulled out of square. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. The Enan is staked out a bit differently and may be an easier set up.

For cold weather (late goat) use, I've camped back to back in a single wall SL-5 and a Hilleberg Nallo on the same trip. For un-heated use, there was no doubt the Hille was warmer and less drafty. The Akto is even than the Nallo more so when used solo. The SL-5 was still usable in colder weather certainly, but I need to be more conservative on my sleeping bag choice and unless I've got a stove, I would prefer the double wall tent for late season.

I'll let somebody else talk about condensation.

Yk

 

[realunlucky]

I've never had to shelter a storm out on an exposed ridge but I have used similar single wall shelters. Thing that would I would worry about in the above situation is the stakes hold those tipi style shelters up so getting stakes in shale maybe an issue. In a floored shelter your weight would be helpful to hold in place if marginal stake strength. I trust my tipi style shelter but don't think it would be ideal to just throw up anywhere anytime to shelter from a storm right now. Just some thoughts on this from someone with no sheep or goat experience

 

[DaveC]

The BT2 will shed wind exceptionally well, if you can get the stakes sorted. With a 'mid that's a bit more complex than a tent as more anchors are required in more specific locations (read: you can't necessarily just tie off to a big rock).

Condensation will depend on your conditions and how proactive you can expect yourself to be. If it's windy and stormy a little venting goes a long way, so no worries there. If it's stormy and calm, life might be more complex, as venting is limited when you need to keep heavier rain out. It's an alpine shelter, so match it to conditions and you'll be all set.

Loads of room as a solo shelter unless you're well over 6 feet.

 

[Yellowknife]

The BT2 will shed wind exceptionally well, if you can get the stakes sorted. With a 'mid that's a bit more complex than a tent as more anchors are required in more specific locations (read: you can't necessarily just tie off to a big rock).

This has been my experience with the SL-5. It ties down fairly solid as long as I'm in a decent soil. For very rocky terrain it can be a pain to move stakes around. This has tended to drive my site selection when using that shelter. Works great on alpine tundra, but less great on boulder patches. Sleeping on tundra is better than boulders for sure... but it is a limitation to be aware of. The big 'mids also need a big site, whereas the the little solo tents can fit in a small space. Plus and minuses to that though... small tents are also small to live in!

Yk

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

I'd go with Enan. Akto is glorified three season tent anyway. Mine as well get weight saving too. Here is my Enan on a recent backcountry fishing trip. Condensation is a bitch in such a small shelter FYI.

 

[Kevin Dill]

View attachment 28586

I cannot speak to any of the actual shelters mentioned. I can definitely attest to the fact that serious condensation occurs inside a single-wall shelter any time there is opportunity. Sometimes it's an annoyance. Other times it's a real problem. I just came off a 5,000' hunt (eastern AK) where condensation was so bad it could have ended my trip. I was using a Sawtooth and had brought the inner liner, but never installed it at home. I found myself in a raging wind/rainstorm trying to figure out the installation and accomplish it while condensation was raining down on every square inch of floor area. I got it done and managed to prevent an interior soaking, but just barely. Over the 5 day storm period it was estimated that between 3 and 5 inches of rain fell where I was hunting. I could never see it coming or happening, but it did. That taught me a serious lesson about single-wall shelters and condensation. Don't take for granted that condensate is a small deal.

I also was reminded of the hassles of excess staking. I was camping and hunting in a mountainous area with almost no level sites and it was a rock garden. Stakes were hard to place. When the storm got serious and threatened to uproot things I got busy and put a heavy stone on top of all stakes so the wind couldn't wallow them out. That secured the tent, but not without a lot of effort....and I did it twice due to moving camp a mile after 3 days.

Advice: If you go single-wall and must endure condensation, be relatively sure you can deal with it...no matter how much or how constant. Five straight days of rain, fog and nonstop interior wetness will test everything you have.

 

[SJ-AK]

My partner had a brand new Enan this year and wasn't happy about the condensation in it either.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I looked at a bunch of tents capable of handling AKs worst and the ARCTIC OVE PIPELINE seems capable of handling anything nature might throw at it however the weight penalty is considerable unless you can split it with a partner.

 

[mtnclimber]

Thanks for the input everybody. Im leaning towards the enan since i won't be using a stove and i have the flexibility of using it with or without the inner tent.

 

[Floorguy]

I have been looking for the same thing and keep looking at the tarptent moment dw it can be pitched with just the fly or with the net tent or a full double wall. It also has an optional crossing pole to help with snow loads.

 

[snowcamoman]

I've looked at the TT Moment DW, but it appears as though the fly doesn't go all the way to the ground. If I decide to go with a fly only setup, it'd have to be able to go fully to the ground, or I risk too much wind, snow, dust blowing under it. Maybe somebody on here with one can chime in and discuss the fly only ability of the Moment.

 

[1shotgear]

If you end up going with a Hilleberg, shoot me a PM. Ill get you a good deal for being a Rokslide member.

 

[Eagle]

I'm currently going through research for a new tent as well. I've used a tarptent double rainbow for several years now and while condensation was an issue, it was never a deal breaker, until my most recent trip. Had I not killed on the first day of the season during that trip, things could have gotten really bad with a wet down bag.

What's the best option, stoveless, for a tent with little to no worry of condensation. I was under the impression that double wall shelters were less susceptible, but hearing the reviews on the hilleberg enan's has me second guessing that. I guess the easiest solution might just be to have a light weight DWR bivy like the TI Goat bivy along with you in case you run into a situation like Kevin did in Alaska, and like I would have in Wyoming had I been out there for a couple more days.

Any other suggestions?

 

[charvey9]

I have an Enan, and really liking it for solo adventures when the weather could go south. I still tipi tarped it most of the summer, but have about 10 days in the Enan with no complaints. 6 of those nights were on a goat hunt in BC, and it did really well.

I prefer to run it floorless without the nest and use a bivy to save weight and have a little more room. Nest weighs about 14oz, and my bivy weighs 5oz and going floorless makes it more versatile in my opinion. Going this way, I had no problem getting everything except my bow comfortably inside the tent at night. I could have got my bow in there also, but would have been a little cramped.

There was some considerable condensation a few mornings when there was not a breeze to flow through the tent, but I think this would be a given with any compact solo shelter.

 

[charvey9]

If you end up going with a Hilleberg, shoot me a PM. Ill get you a good deal for being a Rokslide member.

...and x2 on this. Thanks for the deal on my Enan!

 

[jm1607]

So the actual width of the Enan inside is only 23", is that right?

If so, I don't think my pad/bag will even fit in there

 

[Mtnboy]

If you want a Hilleberg and aren't in a hurry, I'd wait until January, they are coming out with a new 1.5 man tent that might be perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rTqe6yyq44

Edit: Just noticed this is a 3 season tent, not sure if that matters.