1 person ultralites

I am after an ultralite as I'm not too keen on a bivy bag.

I need to be able to use it year round, so that includes height of summer and depths of winter with everything including high winds and rain, and low weight is extremely important as I'll be self sufficient. It will not need to deal with high altitude but should be good for most areas in the wilds of the UK.

I've taken a look at things like The North Face Solo 12 and the MSR Microzoid, but nearly all seem to have their problems, either with internal size or with condensation build up in the summer.

I'm 6ft 2in tall and I'll need enough space for me and my pack. Total weight I'm hoping to keep below 1.5kg, although there is some wiggle room there.

Price doesn't really enter in to it as I see it as a long term investment.

Any suggestions or help (as I'm going blind reading reviews!) would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

Go to www.integraldesigns.com and check out the "Mega Sola", I have one and it is a superb shelter for what you want. ID supplies gear to the Royal Army and Canadian Army special troops who train here in Canada, in the high Arctic and their gear is among the finest made....it's NOT cheap. tho'!

Hey, kutenay, gotta disagree with you here - ID stuff is cheap, in the long run. I have found that a cheap number on the price tag always means replacing the item multiple times, so in the long run it is much more expensive, while getting quality gear from a company like Integral Designs, with people who stand behind their product, pays for itself within a couple years. Besides, when you at the sharp end, and the weather is going downhill rapidly, what's your life worth - that few pennies saved when you bought the less-than-adequate tent?

Anyway, Martin, as kutenay says, take a good look at Integral's gear. I have had jackets (including my 5-yr-old Dolomiti, and the one I just got custom-fitted for my wife), my small Siltarp that I always have stuck in my pack in case of emergencies, my VBL that doubles as an emergency bivy sack (5 ounces), my most-used normal bivy sack, couple of sleeping bags, etc. TNF and MSR make good gear, but for what you say you are looking for, I agree with kutenay - get the ID (reminds me - I need to order a Guide Silsack from them)

Good points by Bill, he and I seem to agree on most things here. My oldest ID bivy is from 1993 and I have three bivies plus the Mega Sola, a MKI-XKL tent, a custom down/Endurance bag, Dolomiti jacket, their Primaloft two bag combo and various tarps, etc. from them.

In my opinion, Integral Designs is one of the top makers of gear and I have never had cause to complain. Like Bill, I believe in buying the best as it is less costly in the long run.

I would be looking at the Hilleberg Akto. A little short on headroom, but plenty of space for you lengthwise and a lot of room for your pack, etc, in the vestibule. The side entry is great.

I own the Hilleberg Akto. It is light, double-walled with good 4 season ventilation, bomb-proof in storms, and extremely well made. Finally, the vestibule is "the real deal" with ample room for boots, pack, cooking, and a leg or two poking out for comfort.

I hike alone, both summer and winter and use a Black Diamond Megamid shelter. If money weren't an option, I'd have purchased a Megalite, but I got the Megmid on sale. The Megalite is exactly the same shelter except it only weighs 1.05 Kg. You can reduce the weight further by using your trekking poles tied together, as the center pole. I love it because it has 81 sq. ft. of room to stretch out in and it is over 50" high in the center. It has no floor, but a piece of Tyvek works great. If you wash the Tyvek in a washing machine on gentle cycle over and over until it gets soft, it becomes like a piece of cloth and weighs basically nothing. Living in Washington State, a lot of my hikes are in the rain and cold. But this tent is ultralite, sets up quickly and once set up, I get inside and position my Tyvek to sleep and put my pack on. Because of the tent's steep sides, condensation is not a problem, since it all just runs down onto the ground. I tie the Tyvek up on the sides with some cord to keep rain from coming in. The tent has ample loops to tie to all the way around the base. The only time I bring a tent with a floor now is when my wife joins me, since she doesn't appreciate critters running over her while she sleeps. I think it is just part of the adventure. Hope this helps.

I bought a Chouinard Pyramid some 20 years ago, used it a LOT in BC conditions, but, finally went to the ID-MS as it is much warmer and easier to find space for. I do have a Kifaru 8-man for a base camp, but, I find that these require a bit too much "footprint" in typical BC conditions.

I LOVE Hilleberg tents, have a Saivo plus XP-20 tarp as a part of my base camp gear, but, the ID-MS is easier to erect than the Akto, so, I prefer it, YMMV.

Other interesting possiblities not mentioned above might include the Golight Trig and Hut models, each available in 1 and 2 person sizes. Also Black Diamond First Light.

Many, or perhaps most solo tents available are too heavy relative their advantages over a light 2 person design. If you can carry an extra pound (or even much less depending on which tents we're comparing) you can double the space by using a light 2-person.

Maybe it's just me, but after a few nights, or sometimes a few minutes, in a "solo" tent I invariably start wishing for more space.

I acquired a Sierra Designs Divine Light in 1990 (20 sq ft) and used it for perhaps 200 nights in a 10-year period. It's a very nice design, discontinued now, using goretex knock-off.

I've mostly (but not completely) stopped using it in favor of the rather tiny Integral Designs SilShelter (1 pound and allegedly fits 2) and the nicely spacious GoLight Hex (3 pounds, alleged to fit 3).

PS on question

Black Diamond makes two separate "bivvy tents," the very small, two-person First Light, and a one-person that is of similar materials and design.

The First Light is 11% heavier and 30% larger. It weighs 2 pounds 11 ounces.

A similar equation may be often applicable to the general question at hand. I think it raises an interesting question about whether a one-person tent is really worth the trade-offs.

Another calculation:
Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2-person at 58 ounces is 37% heavier but 60% larger than SD Light Year solo tent, which uses comparable materials and design.

Understand that I'm not arguing completely against 1-person tents, but I formerly had much more enthusiasm.

Correction

I'm now being somewhat abusive of the posting procedure, and must appologize for this. But I made a mistake with the above Black Diamond calculations. The First Light is apparently 17.3% heavier than the One Shot, not 30%. Obviously this doesn't change underlying point.

The square-feet calculation appears to be correct.

Please take any of my math calculations as questionable and check them for yourself if interested.

The Atko is a nice layout, but I read it will sag under snow.