Tents on Bikes

[Nanci]

So I'm looking over the bike calendar for this spring, and there are several overnight rides. I'm thinking it would be cool to have a small tent to carry along and be self-supported rather than piling my stuff in a van. I see that Topeak makes a sort of cool tent that uses the bike front end and the removed font wheel instead of poles, but the disadvantage there is you can't set up your tent then ride your bike anywhere.

Big Agnes makes a couple ultra light tents, in the 2-3 pound range. They seem like they would roll up small enough to carry, too.

What are you guys using?

Nanci

[pkq]

I've been looking at the MSR Hubba tent, which is published to weigh 3 lbs. I bought a Mountain Hardwear 2 man for backpacking and car camping. It has turned out to be a bit heavier than published. One backpacker guy said MSR is one of the few companies that publishes the true weight of its tents. Don't know the validity of that statement, since I have not tested tent weights. So I am considering the MSR.

The Mountain Hardwear has a vestibule and extra space, which is great to have in bad weather. When I got in the MSR at the store, it had extra space and has enough vestibule space. Pretty nice for a 1 man.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...ory_rn=4500666

[Nanci]

Big Agnes publishes (and explains) a bunch of different weights for its tents, like trail weight, packed weight and fast fly weight.

Here's the SL Seedhouse 1 for example:

Trail wt 2lb 6oz
Packed wt 2lb 13oz
Fast fly wt 1lb 12oz

I looked at the MSR and Mountain Hardwear, too. I think freestanding would be nice, though.

Nanci

[DeniseGoldberg]

I have a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD that I bought before my first solo tour back in 1998. At the time it was the lightest tent out there, but today you (obviously) can find lighter tents. I carried the 2-man version because I was afraid of getting claustophobic if I was stopped for a day by bad weather. If I start camping again on my trips I may consider getting a lighter tent.

Don't forget that you should use a ground sheet under the tent (which unfortunately does add some weight). I bought the one made for the tent, although you could also do something like cut up a shower curtain.

Another option - depending on where you plan to camp - is to look at a Hennessey Hammock . Here's a link to a discussion about the hammock on crazyguyonabike.com: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...essage_id=3079. Oh, I just re-read your post. This suggestion may not work if you're going on a large group ride since the camping spots probably don't include a place to hang a hammock! But I'll leave the entry anyway - they are light and maybe you'll be interested for some solo trips.
--- Denise

[annie]

Nanci,

How do you plan on carrying the tent? Rack and panniers? A trailer? Are you also going to carry other items that you'll need? Definitely, you want something lightweight, but you have to consider the actual size, too, so that it fits in whatever you're going to carry it.

annie

[Pedal Wench]

Nanci,

I have never taken them on the bike, but I have hiked them across the Grand Canyon numerous times, where ultralight is a necessity.

The North Face Slickrock went on our last two week adventure. It is a single-wall design, half mesh, half nylon, and very light because the rainfly only has to cover half the tent. We're going on another epic hike in May, and we're gonna bring The North Face Pebble. This one only has one door, but is even lighter and has more ventilation - essential in some locales. When every ounce doesn't matter, I love the North Face RoadRunner. Also a two-door design. All three are free-standing.
(If you're noticing a trend, there used to be a North Face outlet store nearby, and we got some AMAZING deals. We cried when it shut down!)

[SadieKate]

Have you considered a bivy bag?

By the way, we loves our BA bags and pads. We have semi-rectangulars and can actually breathe. Sweet dreaming! In a stuff sack with the girdle, it is one small package.

Campmor sometimes has screaming deals on tents and bags. We've bought several through them.

Also, these trips are supported with a vehicle to haul your gear? If you haul your own gear on one of these, your speed will be significantly impacted which will significantly impact everyone else. Don't take me wrong, I think loaded touring is way cool but everybody has to be doing it. It affects everybody's schedule and if the vehicle hauling gear is also the SAG wagon and can't pass the slowest rider, uh, unhappiness happens. Just a thought.

[pkq]

SadieKate makes an excellent point.

I have only owned free-standing tents as an adult. They are great for me.

I looked at the BA and don't remember why I shied away from it. Maybe it a hiccup in the old brain.

[Nanci]

Well, I'm hoping it will be small enough to put in a handle bar bag. The one I like the most, for example, is 4x15 inches. It's so warm here I won't need a sleeping bag. I have a decent sized trunk bag with small panniers, but am thinking about an actual frame-mounted rack as opposed to seatpost-mounted which I have now which has a weight limit of 20#. OTOH, I'm not going touring (yet) just an overnight as part of a double century.

Nanci

[Pedal Wench]

Oh! That's right. The North Face Pebble came from Campmor - I completely forgot.

Have you considered a bivy bag?

By the way, we loves our BA bags and pads. We have semi-rectangulars and can actually breathe. Sweet dreaming! In a stuff sack with the girdle, it is one small package.

Campmor sometimes has screaming deals on tents and bags. We've bought several through them.

Also, these trips are supported with a vehicle to haul your gear? If you haul your own gear on one of these, your speed will be significantly impacted which will significantly impact everyone else. Don't take me wrong, I think loaded touring is way cool but everybody has to be doing it. It affects everybody's schedule and if the vehicle hauling gear is also the SAG wagon and can't pass the slowest rider, uh, unhappiness happens. Just a thought.

[MomOnBike]

One other thing you might think about, if you are sure that there will be trees at your camp site, is a hammock. The people who have the Hennessy hammock seem to like them.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/index.htm

I don't have one, but I have been staring at the web site pretty hard. They are small and light. I'm under the impression that you will lose a lot of heat, being up off the ground and all, so you might want a light sleeping bag even in the summer (or not...). This rather negates the weight savings, though, doesn't it? Sigh.

Anyway, it's another option for you to consider.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Well, I'm hoping it will be small enough to put in a handle bar bag. The one I like the most, for example, is 4x15 inches.
Nanci

Nanci -
I suspect that you won't like the way your bike handles with something like a tent in the handlebar bag. That's a pretty hefty bag that you're talking about to hold a tent, and it's more weight than I would put up high over the front wheel. Is there some reason why you plan to carry it there?

--- Denise

[DebW]

I've been trying to decrease pack weight while backpacking and have gone from a 3.5 lb solo Kelty tent to a hammock to a tarp. Current minimum is a 14 oz Integral Designs SilShelter floorless tarp tent. Hiking equipment is getting really light, so I think you'd be advised to look at ultralight hiking gear for bike camping. I've made my own hammock and tarp and it's pretty easy if you can sew - comes to about 2 lb, or you can buy the Hennessey and go even lighter. Hammocks are cold on the bottom unless you use a foam pad or an underquilt, but they're COMFY. Guess the good thing about bike camping is you'd seldom have to carry more than 1 days worth of food.

[pkq]

I love floors sewn to sidewalls. Don't want no night crawlers on me. Call me cream puff!

[annie]

I love floors sewn to sidewalls. Don't want no night crawlers on me. Call me cream puff!

Okay, if you insist........ Cream Puff!

don't they call those "bathtub floors?" I love 'em, too.

annie