Getaway gear editor, Matthew Sterne, took 21 climbing tents into the sector to search out out which of them labored greatest. Listed here are his high picks for Father’s Day.
1. Finest tent for 3 individuals
Eclipse 3 Individual
3 Season Climbing Tent
R4 000
firstascent.co.za
Weight 3.74kg
Packsize 420 x 160 x 150mm
Dimensions 2 200 x
1 900mm, with 600mm vestibules on reverse ends
Waterproof score Flysheet – 2 000mm, bed room groundsheet –
3 000mm
The three-person tent class was fascinating as the 2 finalists have been so completely different. It pitted a 2.13kg tent (Cloud Up 3) versus a 3.74kg tent. The heavier one, the Eclipse, finally gained with ease.
The bigger ground house, air flow, comfy peak, four-pole cross-system for further sturdiness and higher small touches (there’s a small shelf in the midst of the ceiling) made the distinction in the long run. It’s excessive sufficient and vast sufficient that three individuals can sit cross-legged and play an honest recreation of playing cards inside whereas round them the wind howls and rain pelts down.
And it’s of such good high quality and dimension that it might probably simply double up as a snug tenting tent. The additional weight, when shared between two different individuals, means it’s only one.35kg per particular person, which continues to be fairly mild.
2. Finest tent for one
VIK Sequence Ultralight
1 Individual Tent
R3 300
naturehike.co.za
Weight 1.28kg
Packsize 460 x 160mm
Flooring dimension 2 100 x 850mm, with wings of 550mm and 650mm
A few of the tents-for-one we checked out have been laughably small with no choice of preserving your bag dry, until you clamped onto it like a koala.
Not so with this nifty quantity – the very best one-person tent by an excellent margin because it had an outdoor vestibule to guard your bag (which might be accessed by a zipper window), respectable ground house and intelligent design options.
There are air vents within the roof of the tent that may be propped open with tiny poles and the door may be transformed to a cover utilizing trekking poles and man ropes (not included). And, at 1.28kg, it feels as mild as a loaf of bread.
3. Honourable point out, tent for one
Biking Ultralight Silicone
R2 400
naturehike.co.za
Weight 1.62kg
Packsize 400 x 150mm
Flooring dimension 2 050 x 960mm, with a 600mm vestibule
Snap, snap, snap go the poles of this tent as they appear to routinely match into place – nearly like a Transformer. In a matter of moments, the shell of the tent is up, revealing an honest ground dimension and an entrance vestibule, as soon as the fly sheet is up, in your bag. The fly sheet and tent have a water column of 4 000mm, making it one of many higher wet-weather tents I checked out.
4. Lightest tent for 2
Cloud Up 2 Ultralight
2 Individual Tent
R3 000
naturehike.co.za
Weight 1.7kg
Packsize 400 x 130mm
Flooring dimension 2 100 x 1 250mm, with a 600mm vestibule
This easy-yet-effective tent will guarantee your climbing missions are quick and light-weight. Weighing simply 1.7kg – or 850g per particular person – the Cloud Up 2 comes out trumps in some of the essential climbing tent classes.
These lighter tents typically have supplies that don’t appear as sturdy because the heavier ones, however you get the sense that this tent ought to maintain up pretty effectively in dangerous climate – simply not in addition to the MSR, for instance. That’s all the time the trade-off you make with a climbing tent.
5. Really useful by the professionals
MSR Elixir 2 Tent Gray
R7 295
campandclimb.co.za
Weight 2.77kg
Packsize 510 x 170mm
Flooring dimension 2 100 x
1 270mm
Waterproof score Flysheet – 1 500mm, ground water column – 3 000mm
That is the tent that The Rim Of Africa guides prefer to take into the mountains. And I’m of the opinion that the teachings learnt on that 62-day path are classes value listening to. The rationale it’s the popular choice is straightforward: there’s no higher climbing tent to be in throughout a storm – one thing these Cape mountains are greater than able to throwing your means. Its uncommon pole construction supplies further rigidity and its completely different stake factors and man factors guarantee you’ll be able to anchor it securely.
Balancing breathable mesh material with strong cover material, the Elixir 2 supplies air flow, heat and privateness, whereas the adaptable rainfly permits for glorious views. Must stand up in the midst of the evening? No downside. The zippers glow in the dead of night.
6. Particular point out: Trekking Dome Tent
Decathlon 2-p – mt900
R3 700
decathlon.co.za
Peak 1.95kg
Packsize 390 x 120 x 120mm
Flooring dimension 2 100 x 1 250mm Waterproof score Flysheet – 2 000mm, bed room groundsheet – 3 000mm
This mild tent is a breeze to arrange and take down, and as soon as erected appears like a stingray, with the 2 vestibules on both facet of its wings. The groundsheet extension storage space exterior the internal tent is a extremely helpful characteristic that units it aside because it means that you can hold your pack and boots dry.
It have to be stated, although, that the ground-sheet is fairly skinny and might be susceptible to ripping or not holding up in chilly temperatures, so an additional groundsheet is beneficial for rougher terrain or colder climate.
ALSO READ
Backpacking the Kruger? What to pack for a three-day stroll within the wild
