Shelter- How heavy is too heavy?

I love my Duplex and DupleXL! It is super light and easy to setup and pack up. I use my trekking poles to support it, so I don’t need a frame for it. It is not great in high winds, so cover is important at times.
 
My BA Flycreek UL2 comes in @ 2-1/2 lbs. has a small footprint, doesn’t condensate, and doesn’t require my trekking poles. If you really want to shed weight, it can be set with just the fly. That would shed another lb off.


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My BA Flycreek UL2 comes in @ 2-1/2 lbs. has a small footprint, doesn’t condensate, and doesn’t require my trekking poles. If you really want to shed weight, it can be set with just the fly. That would shed another lb off.


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SO Silex . Yep a lot like the Gaurdian. I have found the learning curve took awhile. I pitch off the ground always about 6" or a bit more. I use my trekking poles until we set up a semi permanent camp, then cut poles from dead wood. Orient the pitch to prevailing wind so the "doors" open into the wind. Last I usually leave doors halfway open for ventilation. We had 2" of rain in about 18 hours this year and I was fine. My Silex is 1.5# with stakes and cordage.
 
You can side sleep in a hammock no problem. Just need to buy a quality one. Hell I’ve even belly slept in mine here and there. Example https://dream-hammock.com/
No YOU can side sleep in a hammock. I have never been able to despite trying a half dozen different hammocks at least. Symmetrical, a-sym, whatever. We even traveled out to Damascus Virginia on the AT for hammock days event to try several. I eventually gave up after buying and selling 3 or 4 set ups and never finding one that I could sleep in. I still have one UL version that we take with us when we use the pack goats as it's a great "camp couch" for sitting in but it's also worthless to me for sleeping. Eno, Warbonnet, several cottage industry hammocks - I feel like I've tried them all.
 
Nothing other than being a long time stratospire user and fan. Havent followed tents too close for a few years, that xmid pro 2+ does look sweet!

Being 6'7" I bought it over the stratospire because it was a bit longer on the floor on the diagonal. I analyzed them for days though since they are so close in specs and price.

I havent had a cheance to use it though.
 
Some of those things are easily overcome such as cutting a branch instead of using poles or pitching between trees, which is what I do more often than not.

For rocky areas, you will have similar issues with free standing tents, but it could be worse because that guyline coming loose could snap one of the poles. In those cases, it’s best to use large rocks. Tie a line around a good sized rock and then get a bigger rock and put it in on top of the line.
Was going to say the same things. I use a durston x mid 2, and I often cut sticks or sometimes just tie the ridge to nearby trees or a combination of both.
I'd like to add a DD XMid 2 in Dyneema.
 
Was going to say the same things. I use a durston x mid 2, and I often cut sticks or sometimes just tie the ridge to nearby trees or a combination of both.
I'd like to add a DD XMid 2 in Dyneema.

Assuming your setting up with trekking poles Durston X-Mid Pro 2+ in DCF without stakes but with the guy lines and otherwise ready to go. 20.81 oz

its lighter then my gossamer gear the one 26.31oz and six moons sky scape trekker 28.22oz
 
Assuming your setting up with trekking poles Durston X-Mid Pro 2+ in DCF without stakes but with the guy lines and otherwise ready to go. 20.81 oz

its lighter then my gossamer gear the one 26.31oz and six moons sky scape trekker 28.22oz
Yea, even my hammock gear tarp and bora bivy ends up at ~18oz. I figure I might as well just go with dcf durston and the easy set up and room. I'm thinking the only benefit of the tarp/bivy is being able to set up it with less than ideal spots.
 
Yea, even my hammock gear tarp and bora bivy ends up at ~18oz. I figure I might as well just go with dcf durston and the easy set up and room. I'm thinking the only benefit of the tarp/bivy is being able to set up it with less than ideal spots.

I was suprised at how light it was. It is bulky though.
 
I roll with a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, which fixes some of your issues but not others. It’s silpoly, 26oz, has a relatively compact footprint, it’s a single vestibule so it’s got plenty of internal volume (similar to the XDome), it’s got a full bathtub floor, and it’s a single-pole pitch (which, granted, only solves half your issue with being able to use poles while it’s up). It’s still a single wall design so you’ll still have condensation issues, but ventilation is good and you can mitigate the usual damp footbox by putting your rain layer over your bag at night. Being dependent on having all stakes firm is a downside, though pitching with rocks can be plenty stable - I had mine pitched with only rocks on a granite slab in the Sierras and it was fine.
 
Been happy with my Trekker Tent. Got a mesh interior for warm weather, and a solid interior for cold/wet weather.

 
Been happy with my Trekker Tent. Got a mesh interior for warm weather, and a solid interior for cold/wet weather.

The Saor has always struck me as a great design. Also available in DCF$
 
Last, I didn’t love how one stake failing would lead to the whole tent collapsing. One of the trips I used it on was in a super rocky area. I struggled finding a place I could sink 6 stakes into solid soil where I needed them for the tent. It ended up getting blown over in the middle of the night one time when a storm blew up (my fault for not having it solid when I went to bed but I had moved it around half a dozen times prior trying to find solid soil and just wanted to go to bed).

This is why I moved back to a freestanding tent, I will happily take the added weight to be able to carry my trekking poles and not have to deal with stakes. I've stacked rocks too many times on rocky ridge tops, I like my trekking pole tents on some hunts, especilly backpacking trips where camping spots don't really matter. When hunting sometimes I want to camp in a specific spot and I hate making extra noise or moving around too much messing around trying to pitch a tent. We've ended up with our tents collapsing many times because of this, it's not really a big deal during Sept. archery but sucks in March shed hunting in the rain.
 
I've used A LOT of tents. Bought a Scarp 1 (silnylon) when they went on sale this summer and have been using it all fall. It's been in snow, 30-40 mph winds, rain, whatever.

It's awesome.

Much better for taller people (I'm 6'1") than other similar tents (Hilli Akto). My brother and I are similar sized (6'1" & 190-195lbs) and we've slept 2 in it on multiple occasions when trying to go really light but the weather looks shit. With 1 person it's huge. I got 3 full size backpacks, myself and my dog in it during a thundersnow event over opener of elk this year.

I did a ton of research before I purchased because I'm pathologically cheap. It has exceeded my expectations. There is a reason you can almost never find one used, they are so good no one is getting rid of them.
 
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