HenryHast_at_aol.com wrote: > I'm in the process of buying a three season tent for kayaking camping, and > would be interested in what other paddlewisers have and like. Any > suggestions about places to buy also appreciated. Is anybody familiar with > the Kelty Windfoil ultralight and the Kelty Zen tents? Thanks Hank Hank, you don't say what size tent you're looking for. Since my beloved NF Tadpole was stolen, I have searched for the lightest, smallest tents and accumulated the following: 1) Coleman Cobra (from Sportmart, ca $80). Best for one sleeper, two in emergency. This is a "one-hooper." Extremely light, yet seems durable if taken care of. (On Lake Superior, stood fast and dry through a storm that canceled the July 4 fireworks at Munising.) Good vestibules, outstanding ventilation. Like all non-free-standers, not suitable for camping on sand without anchors. 2) Slumber Jack Predator (from Cabellas, ca $100). One person "bivy" that allows you to sit up. No vestibules. Free-standing, great ventilation. This little tent comes weighing over six pounds, due to fiberglass poles and heavy steel stakes. You can order a complete set of aluminum poles for ca $30 and substitute aluminum or titanium stakes, bringing it down to less than 4 lbs. Seems durable. Although smaller and heavier than the cobra and lacking vestibules, has been my tent of choice for two seasons over the Cobra because of its free-standing nature. Cobra and Predator both work well for solo camping. I bought granite gear compression sacks for both and can cinch them down so they nestle in 6-in.-dia dry bags. They fit well in my low-volume Arctic Hawk. In a few days, I plan to trade my Hennesey Hammock for a NF Canyonlands one hooper but cannot comment on that ultra-light at this time. The next tent is somewhat larger and heavier but still acceptable for low-volume boats: 3) Marmot Nutshell (ca $300 from Campmor -- does not appear in current catalog). Excellent quality and free-standing, although fly must be staked out at, I believe, six points. Sleeps two comfortably. Can be fit into 6-in. dry bag if desired. If you can stand a few extra cubic inches of volume in the boat, this is a monumental step up in quality and function from the Cobra and Predator. 4) Walrus Warp/2 (ca $220 from REI). This is a high-quality free-standing tent that has vestibules, good ventilation, and can be used four season. It would be my choice of the tents listed for sleeping two and would be a great choice if you were paddling with your significant other and only one person needed to carry the tent in his/her boat. However, IMHO it's too big and bulky for solo paddling and more bulky than it needs to be for tandem camping. The problem is Walrus' patented system of sewing the poles into the tent so that you don't have to thread them at setup and takedown. This makes it impossible to cram the tent into a stuff sack or roll it tight, so that the packed tent is unnecessarily bulky. Because of this feature, I have reverted to my old Diamond Dome when more than one person has to sleep in a tent. The DD is a devil to set up, especially in the wind. But, if you plan to stay a few days, it's worth it. A suggestion: Free-standing didn't appear until the early '70s, and it represented a quantum leap forward in tent design. Unless you know you're going where you can stake down firmly, it is a BIG plus. Much of my camping in the midwest is done on sandbars or beaches, so my non-free standers get little use. On one occasion when I was camped on an exposed sandbar on the Wisconsin River, a storm arose and a gust of wind actually flattened my Diamond Dome down on my chest. When the gust abated, the tent popped right back to its intended shape. Tent-makers seem to be moving away from free-standing tents to minimize weight. IMHO, that is a cop-out. The Tadpole, for example, was an excellent combination of free-stance and light weight, so good compromises are possible. Rick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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