I am considering the Eureka Spitfire UL and the Sierra Designs Light Year. Any suggestions?
Both the Spitfire and the LightYear are good UL tents. The Spitfire 2 was recognized in Backpacker Magazine’s 2006 Gear Guide as an excellent price-for-value bargin in the UL category (although at 4lbs it is a bit heavy for a UL).
If you want to go really UL (and no frills), than look into the Golite Trig 1 (and other GoLite products) and the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (less than two pounds). Both of the above use trekking poles as tent poles.
Note that all of the above tents are not free-standing. They must be staked down in firm ground to remain standing. I do a lot of backpacking in the southwest US where the ground is often rocky (hard to put in a stake) or very loose and sandy (stakes get loose or fall out). After having less than happy results with a number of stake-dependant tents, I always go with free-standing tents now (ie: ones supported by their poles that are not dependent on stakes).
My current tent is the REI Chrysalis which I bought after considerable research. I just used for a week-long backpacking trip in Olympic National Park and I give it very high marks. Most solo UL free-standing tents have a single pole spine, which often results in sag on the sides. But the non-rectangular shape of the Chrysalis creates extra tension and helps keep the walls taunt. It has a nice vestibule and true 2-wall protection (something many ULs skimp on) all for a full package weight under 4lbs.
Below are some good links to gear guides (particularly UL) and some of the above mentioned tents.
Wenzel makes a $20 solo tent. Never tried it, but it is light and cheap!
References :
NorthPoint
References :
Both the Spitfire and the LightYear are good UL tents. The Spitfire 2 was recognized in Backpacker Magazine’s 2006 Gear Guide as an excellent price-for-value bargin in the UL category (although at 4lbs it is a bit heavy for a UL).
If you want to go really UL (and no frills), than look into the Golite Trig 1 (and other GoLite products) and the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (less than two pounds). Both of the above use trekking poles as tent poles.
Note that all of the above tents are not free-standing. They must be staked down in firm ground to remain standing. I do a lot of backpacking in the southwest US where the ground is often rocky (hard to put in a stake) or very loose and sandy (stakes get loose or fall out). After having less than happy results with a number of stake-dependant tents, I always go with free-standing tents now (ie: ones supported by their poles that are not dependent on stakes).
My current tent is the REI Chrysalis which I bought after considerable research. I just used for a week-long backpacking trip in Olympic National Park and I give it very high marks. Most solo UL free-standing tents have a single pole spine, which often results in sag on the sides. But the non-rectangular shape of the Chrysalis creates extra tension and helps keep the walls taunt. It has a nice vestibule and true 2-wall protection (something many ULs skimp on) all for a full package weight under 4lbs.
Below are some good links to gear guides (particularly UL) and some of the above mentioned tents.
References :
Arizona resident and frequent hiker and backpacker
http://www.backpacker.com/gear/0,3436,,00.html
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/rei/chrysalis-ul-tent/
http://www.backpacking.net/
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/
http://www.golite.com/products/prodlist.asp?category=9