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Seconded. I'm working up to a 50 mile trip and I'd love some recommendations.
Not OP, but I have an MSR Hubba Hubba NX that is pretty amazing. I've had several backpacking tents over the years and its my favourite.
What happens if the tent catches fire? Does it burn?
That plastic really doesn't burn too well. It's easy to test with bit of it and a bic lighter. And I did test it a lot and read up on it.
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I'm not a physicist but wouldn't this reflective effect be tiny compared to the prevention of convective heat loss?
Considering average human body area is around 2 square meters and body temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius I get around 1000 W of radiation from the human body according to this calculator: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/radfrac.h...
The range is a low of about 50--75W (1,000--1,500 kcal, effectively starvation levels), and a maximum ceiling of around 485W (10,000 kcal day, perhaps a elite endurance athlete). Well below 1 kW in all cases.
It’s got a lot of the cottage gear manufacturers mentioned in this thread - part of the goal with building the site was to try to bring some awareness to their services!
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It's a little like igloos and snow caves. Fun to play around with once or twice but not really practical in general.
Snow caves can be quite practical if the snow and terrain are suitable for them. Not a reason not to carry a tent but I've built snow caves even though I had a tent with me because they are so much more comfortable.
"It's said that Henry David Thoreau lived alone in a Bakers tent on Walden Pond." Who says this? Thoreau lived in a cabin and had his mother bring him food every day.
Thoreau says this, in The Maine Woods [0]. (EDIT: Thoreau says that he lived in a tent in Maine, not at Walden Pond.) The author of TFA got it a little wrong. Note to those wanting to replicate this: I'm pretty sure Thoreau's tent catches fire at some point. I'd have to re-read to confirm or deny if it had anything to do with setting the tent in front of the fire, as the author of TFA does. [0] https://www.thoreau-on…
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Now you need to tell us which tent you own.
I've been sleeping in Hilleberg tents for probably close to a year of my life. They are very robust at a great (though not ultra-light) weight. I own a Jannu and a Keron 3 GT.
I owned a Hilleberg Nallo GT-class tent that did seem like the five-star hotel of tents, but when the zipper gave out after less than five months of use, I decided in future to simply go with an MSR Hubba-class tent that doesn’t feel much of a step down in comfort, and is less than half the price, so I can replace it if need be and still have spent less than I would for one Hilleberg.
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Now you need to tell us which tent you own.
Yes, please! Also curious about preferences for other related equipment - backpacks etc.
Modern backpacking tents have achieved an exquisite pinnacle of engineering and usability perfection. I am a UX baby (constant whining about almost every tool/service/product I interact with, sorry to everyone who has to be around me) and I love my tent. It is magical the degree to which it has been thoughtfully optimized in so many little ways. DIY tents like this one are interesting and fun if you are into geeking…
Fabrics are a really underappreciated aspect of a lot of modern outdoor gear, especially with respect to weight. My main objection, as I mentioned in another comment, is that durability is one of the tradeoffs. A few years ago I had one of the super light and compact sleeping pads develop a leak after literally about three days. It was replaced for free but that didn't help at the time. I have a new very lightweight…
Therm-a-Rests are a dependable brand in this regard, as while a leak may happen from time to time (I have had two punctures in about one year of sleeping outdoors), it is usually very easy to find the hole and patch it yourself, just like you do with a bicycle inner tube. I think Therm-a-Rest even includes the patch kit with some of its models now.
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Seconded. I'm working up to a 50 mile trip and I'd love some recommendations.
I'm guessing it's a Zpacks Duplex, it's basically the favorite tent of any through-hiker for the last couple years: https://zpacks.com/products/duplex-tent They are very well designed and built--100% DCF so they're strong and light, yet great resistance to weather. Unlike most other UL shelters it makes almost no sacrifices and has all the niceties of heavier shelters, like a full floor and interior mesh, big vestibu…