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View Full Version : Why fart around with a lean-to, etc. when you can just get a decent 1 man tent?



dougz
12-19-2008, 09:22 PM
https://www.taigaworks.ca/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=267

Thoughts? Looks alright, but what do I know?

I realize it's more expensive and bulky than a tarp, but..

crashdive123
12-19-2008, 09:25 PM
Looks fine. If it works for you, it works for me.

FVR
12-19-2008, 09:30 PM
Because my lean to is made of a piece of $22.00 canvas. Sheeeesh................

120 bucks for a one man tent, wow. I have a two man downstairs, I let the kids play in it, bought it back in 86 for 20 bucks.

If I'm lazy, just throw my 20 dollar tent in, piece of canvas and I'm done. But hey, do what's good for ya.

Runs With Beer
12-19-2008, 10:06 PM
Because my lean to is made of a piece of $22.00 canvas. Sheeeesh................

120 bucks for a one man tent, wow. I have a two man downstairs, I let the kids play in it, bought it back in 86 for 20 bucks.

If I'm lazy, just throw my 20 dollar tent in, piece of canvas and I'm done. But hey, do what's good for ya.

Im with you brother.

primeelite
12-19-2008, 10:24 PM
I have always liked these
https://www.taigaworks.ca/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=13

But I would never pay that much for it when I could probably build something like that myself for a lot cheaper and make it lighter weight. I am a one man tent person though I have never been a lean person but that is because I am not that experienced and its easier to just pitch a tent somewhere that will work.

Stairman
12-19-2008, 11:07 PM
For an all out wilderness outting a man made shelter is a fun endeavor.For solo camping I would rather carry a small dome tent where I have a little room to store items in or set up a piss pot in or a sterno stove perhaps on a flat stone.

FVR
12-19-2008, 11:24 PM
Really depends on how cold it is. Dome tents are nice for summer, spring, and fall. Come winter, give me a lean to.

Open front, close fire, small wood pile, built out of the wind and I'm set.

Can't build a fire in my dome tent.

Can't even build one in my pyramid, yet. It will be mod. oneday for a small wood stove.

Stairman
12-19-2008, 11:40 PM
Really depends on how cold it is. Dome tents are nice for summer, spring, and fall. Come winter, give me a lean to.

Open front, close fire, small wood pile, built out of the wind and I'm set.

Can't build a fire in my dome tent.

Can't even build one in my pyramid, yet. It will be mod. oneday for a small wood stove.

agreed,in real cold weather.

dougz
12-20-2008, 02:59 AM
Dome tents are nice for summer, spring, and fall.

That's what I'm thinking..

At the very least you have an effective bug screen..

RobertRogers
12-20-2008, 12:03 PM
I agree with FVR. Heat can be an important factor, in some places any time of year.

red lake
12-20-2008, 01:15 PM
For ultra-light weight a sil-nylon tarp is stronger and 1/4 the compacted size of a typical nylon tarp. Does not do much for bug season. Winter time you can make quinzee's for long term shelters.

MCBushbaby
12-20-2008, 06:27 PM
I use a 1.5lb Tarptent Contrail which is great. It doesn't have taped seams like the one you linked to, but with some silicon seal it's fine. But 3.3lbs for a 1-man? Ouch. I might actually sell my Tarptent if my new USMC MSS work out simply because setting up a dainty little tent on a flat, unvegetated surface with plenty of solid dirt to stake in, and facing it towards the wind to prevent sidewall bowing is losing its appeal to me. Rather would be all rough-and-tumble by unstuffing my MSS, tossing it on the ground and crawling in wherever it lands, lol. The appeal of a tarp rather than a tent is simply more openness with nature, less hassle with setup and money, repairs are simple, and you can keep a fire going right next to you without worrying about melting your $200 silnyl tent

FVR
12-20-2008, 07:39 PM
I do think that this spring I may pick up one of those mil. hammocks with the bug netting around it.

In worked great in Panama, should do well in the Ga. mountains, gets you off the ground.

SARKY
12-20-2008, 07:58 PM
For me it comes down to this:
1: Am I staying here for a while or constantly moving?
2: Weather conditions?
3: Time available to put up a shelter?
4: Do I have a tent with me?
5: Do I even want to pack a tent?
How you respond to these questions will determine your needs.

Stairman
12-20-2008, 08:27 PM
I do think that this spring I may pick up one of those mil. hammocks with the bug netting around it.

In worked great in Panama, should do well in the Ga. mountains, gets you off the ground.

I bought one a few years ago.The width is only 24 inches.Not really wide enough and the mosquitos can still bite you from the bottom and the sides where your arms are pushing outward from the narrowness.Sure looked better in the magazine.You might can get wider ones now I surely would.

dougz
12-21-2008, 01:39 AM
The appeal of a tarp rather than a tent is simply more openness with nature, less hassle with setup and money, repairs are simple, and you can keep a fire going right next to you without worrying about melting your $200 silnyl tent

All good points..


I do think that this spring I may pick up one of those mil. hammocks with the bug netting around it.

Do you have a link?

crashdive123
12-21-2008, 06:34 AM
Here are a few to choose from. (I do not own any of them so can't give you a review on performance).

http://hennessyhammock.com/sp-expedition.html

http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Hammock-Mosquito-Net-Green/dp/B0016JFHCA

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1472652

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ASEJSU

http://www.keenzo.com/showproduct.asp?M=PROFORCE&ID=1325927&ref=GB

http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/6462-hanging-hammock-mosquito-net.html

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67888

edr730
12-21-2008, 01:09 PM
The ease of setting up a quick tent is very valuable. It's quick shelter right? It was easy right? You're protected from the elements and your comfortable right?....well maaaybe.
Let's say it rains...or worse....it sleets. And lets say that you have been out in the woods hunting, fishing, hiking or whatever. Your legs and boots are soaked from walking through wet grass and small trees. Maybe your shoulders too if hated to put on your rain gear too soon. You're very cold and you'll be glad to get back to your shelter and warm up in your state of the art sub-zero sleeping bag for a while and warm up before you plan what to do with the wet clothes you are wearing....just for a little while...till your fingers and toes warm up. Well the tent worked great and the fly which extended close to the ground covered almost the entire tent. Well....maybe your fly didn't extend that far and it's a bit wet inside....maybe it covered everything real good except for a small area where the screen was, so you just mop up the water with your socks which are wet anyhow.....or maaaybe.....the tent worked like an eaves trough and collected the water from the fly and dropped it into the corner of the tent where the fly wasn't pulled tight enough. And to make matters worse you placed a piece of plastic on the ground and, in error, it extended two inches farther than the base of the tent......if you needed the extra water, it's a great way to collect it...inside the tent. Everything is soaked because your bag had been opened and prepared for sleep ahead of time .....now, you're really pissed now at the manufacturer. These little trials happen in the woods and as the old saying goes...It can happen to anybody.....it's just that it happens to the dumbest ones first.

Perhaps your buddy opts to start a fire and get warm. He stands in the rain close to the fire which is fifty feet from both your tent and his...after all, you don't want to put spark holes through your state of the art single man tent....you did that last time and you've learned better. This scenario gets worse and worse as you stand by the fire alternately lifting the front, then the back of your poncho to dry off. Your clothes steam, parts of them singe a bit, part of the poncho melts, but no biggy. The wood is wet and very smoky, the stormy wind sends it in swirls into your face....but you're tough and you expect such adversities. Try multiplying this times a week and see how tough you are. You couldn't very easily stack a bunch of wood inside your new tent to keep dry, but maybe you put some wood under a tarp. But, it's just great to be outside again instead of cooped up in that boring little cage of a tent.

That's just it.... In foul weather tents are boring.....reeeal boring. And they have a bigger learning curve than other shelters. You have to know what tents work by just looking at them, you better not make the common mistakes that many people make and you have to take care to adjust this natural funnel constantly in rainy, windy conditions. Even a simple tarp shelter almost always stays dry, you can stuff wood under it and you can stick it darn close to the fire. A fire's really great entertainment in foul weather. I know that there are many people at this site that know a great deal about tents...they won't make the common mistakes...they are exceptional and they realize it. But, by the time you learn all about the problems with tents, you will have learned that you need something more. You need to dry your clothes, you need to be close to them so they won't burn and you'll crave to stand outside, move around under a small tarp and be close to the warm fire. The comfort and entertainment of a close fire, in foul weather, either sleeping or standing can not be underestimated.

dougz
12-21-2008, 09:21 PM
Like I say, all good points..

Glad I put it out there.. :)

wareagle69
12-21-2008, 10:25 PM
for me i feel seperated from my surroundings in a tent. i like a lean to in decent weather and an a frame when it turns really crappy, plus with a tent to many parts that can go wrong but every one has their different opinions

FVR
12-21-2008, 10:49 PM
Stairman,

Ya bring up an excellant point. Last time I used one, I was 160lbs, not the 200 I'm carrying around now.


Crash, great links, thanks.


I must agree with WE. Tents are nice when you camping in a controlled environment. I pref. the one pole at the rendezvous, or the family tent while at the campgrounds. But everytime I've gone back into the mountains, I've used a lean to or a diamond fly. Just feels like false security, ya zip up in nylon, like it's going to protect you from something. More like cages you, or traps you.


I will be starting to get my gear ready as my trekking bud and I have been talking about a 3 day hunt, trek back up to Bear or Hanging Rock mountain. I can't wait.

klkak
12-22-2008, 01:32 AM
I do think that this spring I may pick up one of those mil. hammocks with the bug netting around it.

In worked great in Panama, should do well in the Ga. mountains, gets you off the ground.

I used one while living in Arkansas. No bugs and no snakes. I had a small tarp I would throw over it if it was raining hard.

sh4d0wm4573ri7
12-22-2008, 01:54 AM
I much prefer my 8/10 tarp so many ways to setup if bugs are bad I have a bugnet fire in front I find it so much more versatile then my tents and dont get that closed in feeling.