Single person tent

I used to use a bivy bag made of gore tex-like fabric and even slept in the rain, but under shelter in the trees. The biggest plus is that its super light and bug proof as long as you tie the mesh net to a branch to keep it off your face / use a hoop. Downside is no shelter for your gear and you'll be cooking in the wind, but its nice to be sleeping under the stars whilst windproof and bug proof.

I never found it claustrophobic because its like a giant sleeping bag.
 
I really like my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1; big enough for my needs, weighs very little, can be used with only the footprint + fly for a ridiculously light option (sub 2 pounds). A winner for me!
 
I've always liked the Macpac Microlight as a one-man tent. I used to do a lot of bivvying using Gore-Tex bivi bags, and when the weather's bad the Microlight outer is great to have along too, weighs about 1lb and has enough room to accomodate 2 big bivvying blokes and their gear. I once had to spend eight nights of heavy rain in one with a mate and (while I'd have preferred a hotel) we stayed dry.

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Seems like they're all great suggestions. I guess it boils down to the whether or not its cost effective to shave 3 lbs off my pack opposed to sticking with my 5lb tent. Thanks for all the replies guys!
 
I was sorting camping gear for tomorrow's outing and found my other solo tent. It is a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL-1. I used it Memorial day weekend and it does have more room than my Eureka Solitaire, but it is still a small shelter without room for much gear to get out of the weather. My 45# Llewellyn Setter had room to sleep on a mat by the door to the side of my feet though, so a small pack is possible in this one. It weighs about 2.3 pounds.

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Tim20637 said:
Looks pretty nice. Is that all one pole that connects?
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Three (shockcorded sections) with a hub connector.

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Current prices run $250-270. It is a well made tent. The little(er) Eureka sells for about $75-80. Either one, having a mostly mesh body, can be used under a tarp.
 
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Everyone has listed so many good options its hard to decide which to go with. I may try the hammock and if it doesn't pan out I suppose I could resell easily depending which brand I were to get.
 
My hooped bivy has plenty of room. It's not like I do much of anything but sleep in it, after all. I keep my pack and all my gear inside, though.
It's roomier at the top than it looks in this pic. Integral Designs eVent Unishelter:
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34oz with stakes and guy line, and is what people like to call "bombproof".
Unfortunately, you're not able to sit up, so getting dressed can be a PITA. Plus, entry/exit isn't protected, so if it's raining or snowing, it's getting on your bag unless you use a tarp, which would add more weight, more stakes, more inconvenience. For me the whole point is that it sets up fast, easy, and anywhere.

I recently bought a 1P tent that addresses all of the cons of my bivy while actually weighing half a pound less, at 26oz including stakes. The bivy is a lot more durable, and has a much smaller footprint, but the convenience and versatility of the tent won me over.
I haven't gotten to use it yet, but a big selling point for me is that the inner can be used by itself as a 9oz(!) bug shelter, and the outer as a tarp shelter(19.7oz total with the bathtub floor I got for it) without the inner, when warranted.
Tarptent Notch:
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I looked long and hard at the tarptent Moment. They do have some good, lightweight shelter solutions.
 
Sorry to chime in late but if price is no object, tarptent.com is the way to go. I have two and they can't be beat for weight and ease of set-up. After you try it a couple of times, a leisurely 2 min. sounds about right. Even in darkness or in rain it is easy to pitch, once you've found a good spot, of course. The no-see-um netting is great if you're a mosquito magnet like I am, not to mention if you ever go backpacking with a gf/wife (or now, for me, daughter). The flooring is very durable, too. At first, years ago, I used to lay down a tyvek sheet due to concerns re toughness. But I stopped after a few treks and the flooring on my original Cloudburst (a retired design, got it in 2004) is still holding up. They are pricey, however.
 
One of the lightest (and actually the lightest, if you buy the cuben fibre version) one man tent is the Terra Nova Lazer, very similar to the Hilleberg Akto.

UK design, not sure how expensive they are stateside though.
 
Always worth checking the weight of tents (and other gear) at the shop if you can. I reviewed a dozen or so tents for a UK outdoor mag some years ago, and of the tents I got sent, all but one was substantially heavier than the weight stated.
 
Price doesnt bother me too much but if I go spend 200.00 on a 1p tent and it's only going to shed 2-2.5 lbs I may be better off just sucking it up. I'm used to carrying a pack as heavy as 47lbs full of climbing gear =P
 
As others have mentioned Big Agnes makes some great lightweight 1 person full featured tents; I LOVE mine! Hammocks; I'd try taking a nap in one first before you buy, either you love em or you hate em, I personally can't sleep in a hammock (unfortunately!). But if you sleep well in them then they might be a fine option; but remember they are basically a hanging bivy sack; no room to cook, store gear, etc.
 
geargeek said:
but remember they are basically a hanging bivy sack; no room to cook, store gear, etc.
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Not exactly true; you can easily tie the hammock aside under your tarp and you have suddenly plenty of space to sit, cook, read, do your pilates, whatever. I have much more "dry" space under my hammock tarp than under my small tent vestibule. Good advice on trying to spend a night in one before shelling the cash!
 
I'm not a huge fan of bivy sacs, I just spent all last weekend in one.

If I was in the market for a solo tent, I'd be looking at these three: MSR Hubba, MSR Carbon Reflex 1, and the Hilleberg Soulo. All good options. The Soulo is pretty sweet and the most expensive of the three.
 
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