Ultralight Tents?

[craig]

Is there really a point in investing in ultralight tents? OK, here's my logic: having ultralight backpack and other stuff is OK but tent will suffer a lot of abuse from weather and you. It needs to be strong. Any thoughts on that?

[2Tired4]

Sometimes, in the summer for shorter trips it is much better to carry a lighter tent, to me at least it is. I don't know what other, more experienced hikers might say.

[Grandpa]

Some of these ultralight tents are very strong and hold up well in bad weather and high winds. However, having been caught in multi-day storms, I prefer to carry a little more weight and have a 2 man tent. Much more comfortable when having to take shelter. But for backpacking there are just too many sub 5 pound tents out there and plenty in the 3 lb range.

[ponderosa]

Heavier doesn't necessarily mean stronger. DAC featherlite aluminum poles are much lighter AND much stronger than fiberglass. Lighter tents often have fewer zippers, which means fewer places where water can seep in, and less chance of zipper failure. UL tents also usually have better design features. They are typically engineered to be aerodynamic and have more guyout points, to withstand winds rains better than cheaper tents. Lower end tents often have skimpy rainflies that don't completely cover seams and zippers clear to the ground. They often don't have bathtub floors to keep the seams off the ground. It isn't just the materials that are different in UL tents; it's the engineering and design that also make for a better shelter.
Aside from all that, I'm personally strongly motivated to have UL gear, because the kids are heavy enough without adding several pounds of unnecessary gear weight.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't go backpacking if you don't have UL gear. Getting out there is always better than staying home. When I was a kid, all our gear was cheap. We used big garbage bags for rain gear. We always survived, and always had a good time.

[georgia_outdoors]

Originally Posted by craig

Is there really a point in investing in ultralight tents? OK, here's my logic: having ultralight backpack and other stuff is OK but tent will suffer a lot of abuse from weather and you. It needs to be strong. Any thoughts on that?

I think it depends on the person, what they consider heavy and how long they are willing to carry a "heavy" tent. If you're looking at backpacking, even a relatively "light" tent will start to feel heavy pretty quick. Try carrying a five pound dumbell around in your backpack for a while and see how quickly you tire of it, then you'll see the benefit in an ultralight tent!!

[Survivo]

I don't have a lot of money to spend on two good tens (light and strong). What I would usually do is compromise by buying one that is fairly light and can endure all seasons.

[IndianaHiker]

Another option that I use is that I don't use a tent. I simply use a 1 lb ultralight tarp. Haven't used a tent but once in the last 2 years or so.

[Lamebeaver]

I would say that "ultralight tent" is sort of an oxymoron.

If you want to reduce weight, go with a tarp or a bivy sack.

[Gunny Webb]

The big agnes seedhouse 1 and golite shangri la 1 are 2 lb tents, the msr hubba is almost 3. The Rainbow is somewhere in there as well. I have the golite, my buddy has a big agnes. The golite is great in wind, the big agnes has more room. I went camping with a guy that has a Double Rainbow and I really like it. Saw a msr hubba that has been set up over a hundred times according to the owner it and he swore by their quality.
I have an old Moss that was in a rainstorm for 4 days and held up well, but it tips the scales at almost 5 lbs.
There's all kinds of good tents out there. Eureka even has a sub $100 version.
I have a tarp that weighs a pound, but it does nothing to deter mosquitos.

[Gondor]

I'm not much of a tarp/bivy guy because I don't like the bugs. I could settle with hammock/solid mosquito net scenario to keep these pests away from me.