Bushwalk Australia

Hi , I'm wondering what tent people use for Tasmanian conditions. I will be camping at high altitude sometimes . Im an ultralight hiker so weight is a priority but not as important as strength in high wind. Im looking at Hilleberg , Terra nova , and Tarptent.

Most Hillebergs are good.

The Scarp (1&2) with crossing poles are bombproof.

Terra-nova are variable.

I use a MLD trailstar.

I love my Hilleberg Akto, and have been very comfy in rain with strong wind (not cyclonic). But as it really needs a footprint with Tasmanian vegetation/rock, I wouldn't really call it lightweight. Norts has had a lot more experience with his.

Hi Lightfoot
Anything solid is the answer for alpine Tasmania.
Vango or its upmarket offspring The Force 10 range also has some options,
But not a TT Stratospire!!!
John

johnrs wrote:Hi Lightfoot
Anything solid is the answer for alpine Tasmania.
Vango or its upmarket offspring The Force 10 range also has some options,
But not a TT Stratospire!!!
John

Why not a Stratospire, john? I am led to believe they are even stronger than the Scarp.

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Are you looking for 1 or 2 man?
Hilleberg Akto is a great tent. I have used it most conditions.
I would look at the 2nd Arrow , if I didnt already have 4 tents I would like one, now that they have got the weight down to a reasonable amount. Weighs the same as an Akto now. Great design. I have a 1st Arrow, an old model.
norts

The TT SS isn't fully Tassie proof. It's only Tassie resistant. I've spent a very windy night up the top of Frenchman's cap in one, expecting it all to go flying.

icefest wrote:The TT SS isn't fully Tassie proof. It's only Tassie resistant. I've spent a very windy night up the top of Frenchman's cap in one, expecting it all to go flying.

I doubt Tassie high camps are the domain of any lightweight tent. Good to hear yours survived the night

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Strider wrote:

icefest wrote:The TT SS isn't fully Tassie proof. It's only Tassie resistant. I've spent a very windy night up the top of Frenchman's cap in one, expecting it all to go flying.

I doubt Tassie high camps are the domain of any lightweight tent. Good to hear yours survived the night

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I agree. If you want to be certain that your tent won't blow down in Tassie's highlands buy a 2kg+ bomb proof tent (even then you can't be certain), but if you want a light weight 1kg tent then you need to know its limitations and how to pitch it for the conditions your confronted with.

I know John had a SS blow down on him and had to spend a horrible night using it as a bivy so I wont get into a debate in regards to its effectiveness in bad conditions mainly because there are so many variables that may or may not of contributed. Ill just say that you will always find a few bad experiences that people have had with a product but the important thing is that you also find 100's of good experiences

In regards to the OP's question grab the Hilleberg feel confident you have invested in your best possible chance of keeping a tent over you in bad Tassie conditions.

Yeh sounds like the Hilleberg Soulo would be the 'bomb proof' 2kg option.

Travis.

The Soulo is a 1 person tent at 2 kg.

The WE Second arrow and Aarn Pacer 2 and both around 1.7 kg. Both tough tents

Or you could get the bigger WE First Arrow for 2-3 person which weighs about 2kg too.

Tasmania, Alpine and ultra-light don't really go together, IMO. I've had a Scarp in horrible conditions on the Eldons and while both it & I survived the experience was not particularly comfortable. Had the Akto in similar conditions in the Southern Range & elsewhere and it coped easily.
If there's any chance you're going to be out when it gets really nasty, you'd be better with one of the Hillebergs. Akto or Soulo for a single person, or maybe a Nallo or one of the larger domes for two or more.

The upgraded Second Arrow norts mentions, looks interesting. They have always been a solid design.
http://wildernessequipment.com.au/detai ... ode=WE2AUL

Just to throw in another candidate and also partly for my interest:

Would a Macpac Olympus be sufficient for the conditions in Tasmania?

I have bought one recently and definitely have plans to take them to the 'wilder' parts of Tassie.

Being a 3 pole dome an Olympus should be strong and is designed for use in snow so should be ok for most weather. Fairly heavy tent if not being used in its intended environment though.

Mickl wrote:Being a 3 pole dome an Olympus should be strong and is designed for use in snow so should be ok for most weather. Fairly heavy tent if not being used in its intended environment though.

Yea true it is relatively heavy when compared to the lighter offerings. However divided between my partner and I, isn't too bad. What we're after most importantly is safety and (some) comfort in the unforgiving Tassie/New Zealand weather.

The Olympus is a tunnel, not a dome, and has a very good reputation for strength but is known to be on the heavy side. I guess it comes down to what your priorities are and under what conditions you will be using it.

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Strider wrote:The Olympus is a tunnel, not a dome, and has a very good reputation for strength but is known to be on the heavy side. I guess it comes down to what your priorities are and under what conditions you will be using it.

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Oops sorry that's what I meant just typing too fast! Would you need something that can be used on platforms as well? Not sure how the Olympus would go with that if you did.

Choosing a tent for a given purpose is highly dependent on the site's location. We camped once on the exposed grassy Ironbounds, adjacent to the high camp (every spot was taken, so we had no other choice). A cold front came through with winds of +100kph. Our North Face Mountain 25 survived, but it had to be tied down to the shrubs (pegs didn't hold). It is a true mountain tent, but the trade off is it weighs 4kg for a 2 person tent.
Most places you can find a 'slightly' more sheltered spot instead of being in the open. This means you can go for a lighter weight tent with big vestibules - great for cooking, storing gear, weathering out a storm, having a friend over to share the boredom, etc)
I now gone MUCH lighter and have used a Tarptent SS1 or 2 in Tassie (mostly on the central plateau, also along exposed ridgetop walks).
I have now gone over to the TT Double Moment (I haven't used it yet, about to use it soon).
I will report it pros and cons soon