Extreme climbing tents. Tourist equipment Alexika Sport Group. Original designs - variations on the theme of the classic dome

After suffering on Ushba (forced) with my "forest house", it became clear what I want from the assault tent. Ushba was full of places where you can put up a tent, more than necessary, there were no special requirements for a tent. But other mountains or routes may not be as convenient.

What do I want from an assault tent:

Self-supporting: normally stands without pegs and stretch marks.
As simple as possible: there is nothing to break, you can easily fix it, if anything.
Quick to install in any conditions, you can put one: rain-snow-storm-night.
Lightweight: no heavier than 2 kg.
Windproof: so that it does not break from winds near large peaks.
Rain-resistant: waterproof (use in the Alps and the Caucasus in summer).
Affordable if possible: Subject to other requirements, “affordable” is up to 500 euros.
Comfortable within the listed requirements: not very condensing, long enough and wide.

Desirable: so that you can squeeze in and sleep the three of us (although I'll think about it), the width is 130 cm.

Weight, simplicity and reliability limit the choice to single-layer tents. In order not to drown in condensate, such a tent must be made of membrane fabric. If you apply the list of requirements, there will be two-arc hemispheres, the weight of which varies from 1200 to 2000 grams for a deuce.

From what, in principle, exists and can be bought, it turned out something like this:

Black Diamond Firstlight
Black Diamond Highlight
Black Diamond I-tent
Integral Designs MK2 (and its clone Rab Latok MK2)
Mountain Hardwear Direct 2
Nemo Tenshi
TNF Assault 2
Crux X1 strike
Crux X1 assault
Red Fox tent Solo Pro
Sivera Odrina Pro
Sivera Az Odrina
Basque, Gleb Sokolov's tent

Looking at the prices of good tents, I decided to consider another option:

"Sew to order". Materials: awning fabric, bottom fabric, ultra-light frame and fittings, YKK zippers and spare parts, Velcro, seam insulation with glue, sticker, slings, etc., etc. Materials will come out about 200-250 euros (membrane, bottom, racks ~ 180 euros in an expensive store), work - about 100. Total - about 300-350 euros and a lot of headaches :) A rough calculation of materials gives: bottom - 140 x 250 cm (rolls are often 140 cm wide), membrane - 7 sq.m. , frame - 19 sections x 40 cm, zipper - 2 m. For little things - accessories (regulators, eyelets), Velcro for ventilation and fastening of arcs inside, threads, Kevlar cord in braid ~ 10 m, reflective materials (for easy finding of the tent in fog), plastic inserts in the ventilation for the rigidity of the visors, mesh for pockets and ventilation, slings for attachment points, etc.

In the process of searching for reviews, the “terrible truth” was suddenly revealed about single-layer tents for bad money (500-800 euros). Some "4-season" tents in practice are "1-season" - winter. Because for the summer they either flow in the rain or are not well ventilated. Examples: Black Diamond Firstlight (although Black Diamond claims the tent is "waterproof" and not "waterproof"), The North Face Assault. On the other hand, good water resistance and a minimum of condensate are guaranteed (if there are no errors in the ventilation design) - tents made of eVent membrane.

What would you like from a single-layer membrane double-arc tent:

Entrance from the end, with a zipper: there is often nowhere to go out to the side, less digging a slope, a tube is inconvenient.
Length 215-220 cm: in 208 cm tents, the sleeping bag rests against the walls already at a height of 180.
Normal height (you can sit down).
Good membrane: waterproof, with good vapor permeability.
Good adjustable ventilation.
A canopy over the entrance so that snow does not fall asleep.

Desirable: eVent fabric, "gut" under the ceiling for self-insurance, enough pockets on the sides for things (and not "tears" of the palm format).

The length and membrane screens out most membrane tents (most often 208 cm long and 120 cm wide).

What's left?

Siver Az Odrin and Odrin Pro (which seem to be, but they are not) and Integral desings MK2 Lite, aka Rab Latok Mountain MK2. Weight 1.5-1.7 kg, entrance from the end, good membrane, simple, length 215-220 cm, normal height, Odrina Pro has good pockets, foreign ones have a lanyard, but no ventilation holes (!). A little over the quoted price. The first two are not available for order ( update 2018: they are now not only on sale but also in the catalog). Rab in the States can be bought for 350 bucks, but they are not sent abroad, in Europe - 600 Euros. Each of these tents suits my requirements. I'm afraid to get involved with sewing to order, because. the price is approaching the market stalls, and the result is not guaranteed.

Selection and experience of using an assault tent.

I would like to continue the topic of choosing the right shelter for a novice tourist. Therefore, today I will tell you in more detail what tents are. I will classify according to purpose.

For me, please, a light, durable, multifunctional, comfortable, wind-resistant, waterproof, fire-resistant, roomy tourist tent ... oh yes, and so that it was inexpensive!

Smiled? It is well known that a universal tent for all occasions (like many other things) does not exist. Each person has his own, special requirements and no one has yet been able to combine them all in one universal product. Such attempts inevitably lead to some kind of "revolutionary" equipment, the universal properties of which are hung with colorful spaghetti by skillful marketers on the ears of a gullible buyer.

You need to understand right away that for hikes of different levels of difficulty and appropriate weather conditions, types of tourist tents have long been invented for their intended use. So, for extreme hikes, assault or expedition tents are used, for more “light” ones, trekking, camping, etc. It is also obvious that a summer tent is of little use in winter.

And so, let's try to understand all this. Consider the pros and cons of each type.

Assault tents (extreme, difficult hikes, alpine climbing)

Assault tents belong to the group of extreme equipment. Their main feature is durability and ease of installation. Application conditions - difficult long ascents in the highlands. These tents are designed for the toughest hikes, so every detail must be done with the highest quality. The emphasis is mainly on the strength of the frame and awning, as a result - we have an average weight. The arcs are made of the strongest and lightest materials, the material of the awning is dense, most often with refractory impregnation. A mandatory attribute is the presence of snow skirts. Attention is also paid to wind resistance, since at significant heights (more than 4 thousand meters above sea level) the wind speed sometimes reaches 30 m/s, and this is a significant indicator, given that a person cannot move with such a wind.

Pros: reliability; frame stability; excellent wind protection; ease of installation.

Cons: high cost; these tents are designed to overcome difficult weather conditions at the expense of comfort.

There are also assault ultralight (ultralight) tents. They are distinguished from the above by their lower weight and smaller dimensions. Designed for "alpine" climbing style with low route duration. They have many stretch marks for maximum stability. They, like assault ones, are very durable, but low weight is achieved due to their small size. It is simply inconvenient to live in such a tent, and a long stay causes psychological discomfort. In a word, in the foreground - the conquest of the summit.

The advantages of "ultralight" are obvious, but the disadvantages include small size and high cost.

Conclusion: if you are an inexperienced tourist and do not plan the most difficult ascents, purchasing an “assault” tent is unjustified. Equipment of this class for the "pros".

Expedition tents (multi-day hikes, expeditions, Himalayan climbing)

Expedition tents are something like assault tents, but designed for less extreme conditions of use. The boundaries of this type are rather vague, some identify them with assault ones, since there are no fundamental differences between them and both types can be considered an extreme tent. But if we single them out as a separate group, then there is reason to believe that such tents are intended for the so-called "Himalayan" climbing style (when several base camps are created along the route). Many models no longer have snow skirts, but the frame is still strong and stable. In the manufacture of an awning, simpler materials are used compared to assault tents.

Pros: quality of materials; usually have a slightly larger volume than conventional assault tents, respectively - they are more comfortable; with such a comparison, the weight can also be lower.

Cons: in comparison with trekking, the weight is greater due to the large number of braces, dense materials; they assemble longer - they have a lot of fasteners (which can be considered a plus).

Conclusion: An excellent choice for mid-level hikes (forest overnight stays in the middle lane, "light" ascents). Also well suited for lovers of long expeditions with a large number of overnight stays.

Trekking tents (easy hikes, forest overnight stays, trekking)

Trekking tents make up the most versatile group, often they become the choice of a novice tourist. They look like expeditionary ones, but a little simpler, they are not designed for serious bad weather and operation in difficult trips. This type, so to speak, is the golden mean in the world of tents. It can be used both for forest overnight stays and for simple hikes along mountain ranges. Qualitative characteristics are at an average level - the awnings of trekking tents are quite durable and cope well with moisture. The weight is also slightly lower than in extreme models (not always).

Pros: versatility; light weight; low cost.

Cons: can be distinguished only in comparative characteristics with expeditionary and assault tents.

Conclusion: depending on the level of difficulty of your hikes, it may be the best choice, because if the conditions of use do not provide for long routes with difficult climatic conditions, a trekking tent will be enough for you.

Tents for cycling (overnight stays with a bike in a tent, long bike rides)

The main feature inherent in bicycle tents is the increased volume or the presence of an additional vestibule for placing a bicycle inside. Since cycling essentially cannot be combined with extreme mountain climbing in difficult weather conditions, bike tents are most often designed on the basis of trekking models - their characteristics are quite enough to get the desired result. A typical tent for cycling is a two-layer awning with a half-barrel or other type of frame. The elongated interior space allows you to place the bike, if not standing, then at least lying down. For cycling tours, ordinary 2-3 local tents with two vestibules are sometimes used. In this case, the internal area of the tent is calculated in such a way that bicycles can be placed in one vestibule and partially in the tent itself.

pros: very roomy; relatively light, like track tents.

Cons : perhaps not if they are chosen for cycling trips.

Conclusion: A special bike tent is worth buying only if you are planning only cycling trips. If the trips are mixed, it is better to give preference to a more versatile option - a larger trekking tent.

Tents for the base camp (long stay, Himalayan ascents)

Base camp tents are very comfortable. They are used in the Himalayan style of climbing as camps along the route, while for the very conquest of the summit they use a light assault tent. The main requirement for such a dwelling is a large area of \u200b\u200binternal space and the height of the structure, weight does not matter much. It should easily accommodate groceries, backpacks and other equipment. Basic tents are designed to stay in one place for a long time, so they must first of all be comfortable, windproof and sufficiently waterproof.

pros: comfortable; comfortable; have good capacity.

Cons: a lot of weight.

Conclusion: base tents are used only for setting up camps along the route. The purpose of their installation is to provide temporary comfort to the tourist between difficult summits.

Camping tents (car tourism, camping, comfortable overnight stays)

Camping tents are the most comfortable dwellings of all the listed options. They are as spacious as possible, as high as possible and as comfortable as possible. Naturally, camping enthusiasts do not worry about the weight of the tent, because all the equipment is delivered to the parking lot by some kind of vehicle. Traveling by car with a tent is suitable for people who are alien to extreme sports, who do not want to carry all things on their backs.

Pros: high height, lots of space inside.

Cons: heavy (which is not a minus if you have a vehicle); poor warming due to large volume.

Conclusion: camping tents are the choice of the most fastidious tourists, for whom spending the night in one place is enough to have fun, but with a high level of comfort.

Beach tents (overnight stays in summer, in dry weather)

Beach tents are the cheapest and easiest shelters. They are usually a single-chamber construction of materials that leave much to be desired. Weakly save from bad weather, but will serve as an excellent shelter from the sun.

pros: light, thin awning is well breathable; the lowest cost.

Cons: useless in the rain, have poor quality materials.

Conclusion: Beach tents are good as a shelter from the summer heat.

I hope I managed to lift the veil to the world of tourist tents. I think, by comparing the information received on the site, a novice tourist will be able to make a choice.

Extreme tents for the most difficult operating conditions (assault climbing, basic alpine camp). Tents of the extreme series are distinguished by high reliability, ease of assembly, small footprint, resistance to significant wind and snow loads; The best materials and the most advanced technologies are used in the production of extreme tents.

Extreme tents. Mountain tents. Storm tents. Climbing tents.

The best Russian travelers participated in the development and testing of mountain and climbing tents of the extreme series. It was the extreme tents of BASK that visited the 2 poles of the Earth and the most difficult ascents around the planet.

extreme tents

Choose the one that is right for you: a light tent, bivyak, or vice versa reinforced for extreme wind loads and low temperatures. Especially popular among professionals is the RAMP single-layer single-layer tent. A well-thought-out design for organizing self-insurance inside the tent, the ability to install close to stone walls, the ability to use a 2-man tent in an extreme situation, an affordable price - all this made it a bestseller in the world of extreme sports.

Shark Fin mountain tents

The best combination of weight, wind resistance, reliability and price, unsurpassed versatility has made these tourist tents the most popular among tourist clubs in Moscow. If you can't decide now in what conditions you will use the tent - take the Shark Fin (or Shark FIn FLAP). Such a tent can also be used as a camping tent on the shores of Lake Baikal, it will show itself perfectly in the mountain six. And it is suitable for a camping trip for schoolchildren. I have exactly a 2-person Shark Fin FLap tent since 2006. During this time, she went through about 10 long hikes and about 40 field trips, but I'm not going to change her! at least I expect it to serve another 2 or 3 years until 2014!

3 person tents. Large custom tents

If you have not found a tent suitable for your specific extreme project, contact us and BASK designers will help you create a tent exactly for your needs. An example of specific tents is a 3-person platform tent or single bivisacks for top level climbers.

A tent is a house on a camping trip. Not only comfort, but also safety depends on its reliability and convenience of design. It is for this reason that the Italian Ferrino tent became my first branded foreign item from my tourist equipment back in 1997, which, thanks to its classic universal design, optimal dimensions and the highest quality of production (then still made in Italy!) lasted 15 years (! !!).

At the moment I have five tourist tents! Double 4.1 kg for mountain climbing, 2.2 kg for mountain hiking, light 1.3 kg for trekking, ultra-light triple 1.8 kg for family trips and a single selfie tent weighing 800 grams. I'll try to talk about each.

THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25

Purpose: 2-seater 4-season assault tent. My biggest tent ever!

Strengths : Incredibly strong, warm and comfortable. Durability is achieved through the construction of four (!) bars made of strong but lightweight aluminum and a large number of conveniently adjustable guys. The tent is warm due to the very dense fabric of the "inner" tent. But the main thing in this tent is the convenience and comfort of living. It is provided thanks to a large number of pockets in the inner tent, two entrances, two vestibules (one of which is full-fledged, and the second is very small), as well as the presence of a simply fantastic ventilation system (comfortable temperature inside the tent can be provided in almost any weather and in any situation. It's hot - you can open through ventilation windows located under the dome of the tent and duplicated with mesh, cold - you can completely close everything. I consider this very important and use this opportunity all the time, because good ventilation is the key to good sleep and rest. In general, the tent is really very comfortable , you can really live in it for a week and not bathe! It's also great that the design allows you to set up only an inner tent if the weather is good. That's exactly what we did on Elbrus on days when there was no rain!

Weak sides : in the tent of the "expeditionary", assault class, a skirt would be useful, at least on the vestibule, so that it would not blow out the snow, as in Kamchatka (in later versions this drawback was corrected!). I would also like the second vestibule to be a little more spacious, and not just "exit + 30 cm of space for boots." Then it was possible to cook and arrange a kitchen in one, and through the second - to walk / go out. And of course, the weight of a tent of 4 kilos is a lot for a kopeck piece. But, on the other hand, miracles do not happen - after all, it is very spacious and functional, and not "minimalist".

Specifications of THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25 2007 model:

Year of purchase: 2007
Capacity: 2 people (Jack includes 3!!)
Frame: aluminum
Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
Weight: 4.1 kg
Manufacturer website: thenorthface.com
Tent THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25 in Sport-Marathon store

The North Face Mountain 25 tent is so "severe" and powerful that I went with it only three times - on the Elbrus traverse with an overnight stay on the saddle, on a trip to the volcanoes of Kamchatka and on a family trip to the Bzerpinsky cornice, when I just needed all three of my tents to accommodate six adults and two children. Below are some photos from these hikes and ascents:

Camp "3700"
North of Elbrus

We rent a camp
Kamchatka, Tolbachik volcano

In the clearing of Emanuel
Elbrus, July 2012

At the top of the volcano Plosky Tolbachik,
Kamchatka

Camp on the Bzerpinsky cornice
Krasnaya Polyana

Time off!
North of Elbrus

General view with and without awning

Tent dimensions

As you probably already understood, tents of this class are not cheap. Professional brands today cost from 40 to 80 thousand rubles! In addition to THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25, among other double-layer two-layer assault climbing tents, you should pay attention to the American MARMOT Thor 2, the Swedish HILLEBERG Tarra or the Italian FERRINO Snowbound 2. If you need a 3-seater - check out THE NORTH FACE VE 25, Norwegian BERGANS Helium 3, Italian FERRINO Snowbound 3, Swedish HILLEBERG Saivo or domestic ALEXIKA Matrix 3. Among 4-seaters - domestic ALEXIKA Mirage 4, TNF Bastion 4. For five people, the American tent MSR Stormking is the best option. For those who are seriously concerned about reducing weight, manufacturers also make single-layer assault tents. In addition to the well-known Bibler, there is a one-and-a-half-layer kopeck piece with a removable vestibule MARMOT Hammer 2p weighing 2.2 kg and THE NORTH FACE Assault 2 of approximately the same design!

BIG AGNES Blacktail 2

Purpose: classic double tourist tent. The most versatile of all my tents. If I did not have the opportunity to have many tents, I would buy one of this kind.

While hiking in Switzerland in the summer of 2015, my favorite tent Ferrino Movin 2000 (description on the page "Equipment previously used") "died", which had served faithfully for more than 15 years, since 1998. The tent lasted 24 hikes and 154 camping days! When choosing a replacement for this tent, I came to the conclusion that I want to replace it with two tents: a lighter three-piece for family trips and a two-piece for full-fledged mountain trips. My requirements for the "kopeck piece" were as follows:

Strong frame. The frame of a tent for mountain hiking must be with a full-fledged classic crosshair of two arcs in the center of the tent (the so-called X-frame), and not the now fashionable Z-frame, which is lighter but holds the wind worse.
Strong fabrics. The wind and rain in the mountains are much stronger than in the plains. The requirements for fabric materials for a mountain tent are increased. In my opinion, the density of the tent should be at least 30-40D, the bottom - at least 70D.
Two vestibules. Believe me, two vestibules are convenient. Very comfortably! And in the end - comfortable. And we go to the mountains to rest, not to suffer. Those who deny the need for two vestibules for a two man tent usually cite the added weight. But damn, I'm ready to give up an additional two to three hundred grams (100-150 grams per brother) of weight for the sake of convenience!
discreet color. Specific requirement! Actually, I always said that the mountain tent should be as bright as possible, ideally orange. This is an element of the so-called "passive safety". A bright tent is much easier to find. It doesn't matter who - you, returning to the fog and bad weather from a radial or, God forbid, rescuers. But there is one BUT: the bright tent is also noticeable to other people, including the rangers of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, on hikes in which I like to go. And although there are a number of absolutely legal routes in the reserve (my guide to Krasnaya Polyana), sometimes you really want to go to the violation! In general, I realized that I need NOT a bright tent.

After buying a three-person tent for hiking with the whole family, I realized that I would like to take a second tent from the same company. By design, the BIG AGNES Blacktail 2 tent is a classic! Reliable and stable classic frame with a crosshair, materials that are optimal in terms of weight / reliability / durability, two vestibules on the sides, strong fabrics, eco-friendly color, good weight / price ratio. Someone will say that the weight - almost 2 kg - is a lot for a kopeck piece. But pay attention to what strong materials it uses? I think the tent will last a very long time!

With closed vestibules

inner tent

Separate installation of only an awning

Tent floor dimensions

Tent Height

Characteristics:

Year of purchase: 2015
Capacity: 2 people (a jack will also include three !!)
Frame: aluminum
Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
Total weight: 2.2kg
Price in 2016 - 19,000 rubles

The tent is still quite new and has only been used on three trips so far: on two trips around Abkhazia (hike to Malaya Ritsa and hike along the Arabica plateau, as well as on a hike. I will do a more detailed review later. Now I can note two small drawbacks - the lack of a double zipper on the vestibule (and this is very convenient, if there is one, for additional ventilation, you can open the zipper in the upper part of the vestibule, which removes condensation very well from under the tent). But again, the "Blacktail" series is not the top, but the "classic" series of BIG AGNES, and it is not true to demand all the "chips" and lotions from this tent. If it were all this, the price of the tent would be significantly higher .

Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
Big Agnes tents in the Sport-Marathon store

BIG AGNES Slater UL2+

Purpose: Ultralight double three-season tent for spring-autumn trips

I bought this tent as a very light yet roomy double tent for fast & light camping trips in spring or autumn when it can be cold and windy. Bribed me one moment - with the actual three-season (the inside of the tent is not made of mesh, but of dense material), the weight of the tent in the complete set is only 1.3 kg. The tent is planned to be used primarily in spring and autumn trips with outside night temperatures around zero and below.

Pros:

Low weight. Only 1.33 kg for a THREE!-season double tent.
Large internal length. The length of the inner tent is as much as 244 cm (which is why there is a prefix “+” in the name). This was done specifically so that in bad weather (snow, blizzard, cold wind) it was possible to store things (backpacks) right in the tent. They really fit in the legs without any problems. And of course, such a tent is perfect for tourists of high and VERY HIGH GROWTH!

Peculiarities:

As with everything in our life, the disadvantages of this tent are a direct consequence of its advantages. To reduce weight, the designers had to sacrifice some points.

The tent is not a free-standing ("self-contained") design. For its installation, fastening of guy wires is required. For "experienced" tourists, this, of course, is not a problem, because ten years ago we did not know other tents at all). However, sometimes it can be stressful, like our very first night with this tent in the Bavarian Alps. Then we stood right on a dirt-gravel road (the road was a traverse of a steep slope and there were simply no other flat areas) and no pegs entered the ground. I had to climb through the forest in the dark and look for stones in order to somehow delay the guy lines.
The entrance is one and from the end (from the head), and not two on the sides, as I like. This is of course much less convenient.
Despite the large area of the bottom of the tent, due to the design features, the internal volume is not so large. The side walls in it are inclined, and not vertical, as in the already classic "hub-hub" designs.
Well, the last nuance, which directly follows from the three-season purpose of this tent - in hot weather it is stuffy and hot in it, since the inner tent is not made of mesh, but of windproof fabric.

So far, the tent has only visited the Bavarian Alps. A more detailed review will be in a year or two, when more statistics are collected.

Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
Big Agnes tents in the Sport-Marathon store

BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3

Purpose: ultralight 3 person tent

Last year, our son turned two years old and I realized that we needed a light, but as comfortable as possible three-person tent for our family hikes in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana. My old FERRINO Movin 2000 model of 1997 was still alive then, but fundamentally did not suit me for at least three reasons. Firstly, it was heavy - almost 3 kilos for a three-ruble note for dad, who is too much to carry equipment for three in our time! Secondly, with fig ventilation - in the heat it was unrealistic, and in Krasnaya Polyana, where we live now, in the mountains, in general, it is usually quite warm. And thirdly, she had only one vestibule, which is extremely inconvenient for family trips with a small child!

Choosing a tent for a long time and slowly, and having studied, among other things, our popular MSR shawls, I settled on the Copper Spur UL 3 model of the legendary American company BIG AGNES, famous for its ultra-light tents. What I liked about this tent:

Incredibly low weight. On our family trips, I will have to (and already have to) carry a lot of equipment for the three of us, so every gram is now more important than ever. And the BIG AGNES Cupper Spur UL3 is one of the lightest free-standing three-man tents with two vestibules to date. Here is an overview in our "Blog". Weight in the basic configuration - 1.9 kg. The total weight, including pegs, guy lines and even an additional bottom (not included) is a little over two kilograms!
Space and internal dimensions. Family trips are not hardcore and hardcore "sport trips". When hiking with your wife and child, you want maximum comfort, and if you have a small child and a girl with you, then believe me, you will have just a bunch of clothes, and it would be nice to place all this inside the tent. BIG AGNES Cupper Spur is just huge and spacious! You climb into it, and you can’t even believe it! The length of the bottom of the tent is 229 cm (!!), the width is 178 cm, and it also has practical vertical side walls. Thanks to all this, the tent is very spacious. Subjectively, compared to the old Ferrino, there is twice as much space inside!! If we now calculate such an indicator of the tent as the ratio of the useful internal volume of the tent to its weight, then according to this indicator, this scarf of mine is almost three (!!!) times better than my old Ferrino! That's what progress means!
The presence of two vestibules. When the whole family is with you on a hike, and even with a small child - two vestibules are not a luxury, but practically a necessity! “Logistics” in a tent with two vestibules is incommensurably more convenient and simpler: one vestibule is used for the “kitchen” and storage of things, and the second one is used for entering / exiting the tent. It is not only very convenient, but also safe.
Mesh inner tent top and not thick fabric. Thanks to this, you can admire nature without even getting out of the tent (through the vestibule or even throwing back half of the top awning (an unrealistically cool feature of such tent designs !!). Of course, the use of “retina” in the inner tent, and not dense fabric, makes it much less warm. But living in Sochi, we can afford to go on family trips around Krasnaya Polyana, choosing days with good weather, so I don’t need a “warm” tent for these purposes. which you plan to spend the night at negative temperatures - this tent is not for you.
positive design. Purely subjective, I really liked her positive appearance. The tent is sunny, joyful, bright! She's very cool. In many tents, the sensations, unfortunately, are completely different ...

I want to note the following important features of the BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3 tent:

Not very wind resistant. The type of construction of the tent - Z-frame with four braces from the ends - does not imply use in the highlands. The wind resistance of the tent is not very high, and it is necessary to take it on hikes with camps above the forest zone with great care. This is especially true for the double version - Copper Spur UL2. But I took it for family trips (when you have to carry everything for three), and with my family we go to the mountains only with a good forecast, so I think that my choice is justified. If you are planning long autonomous hikes in the highlands and or in areas with a high probability of prolonged bad weather (Kamchatka, the Polar Urals, the Sayan Mountains), this tent is not for you.
Very thin materials. The lightening of the tent was achieved, among other things, through the use of very thin materials of the awning and especially the day in its design. So, the tent is not designed for those tourists who “give it strong”, because everything always breaks and breaks with them .. With this tent, as with all ultra-light equipment, you need to handle it skillfully - understand how and where to put it right and do it carefully. If your hands are... the BIG AGNES Cupper Spur UL3 is not for you.
Additional pegs required. The pegs in the basic configuration of the tent are not enough to stretch all the guys, as there are in the tent. I bought four extra pegs for end guys.
Tent requires daily drying. The third feature is also related to the general property of modern ultra-light tents. To ensure waterproofness, the awning of the tent is siliconized. Because of this, the tent "breathes" relatively poorly, and in the morning collects condensation on the inside of the tent. This feature of tents with siliconized awnings requires them to listen to the tent every morning before packing in a backpack. The matter, in general, is not at all complicated, and requires an additional ten to fifteen minutes of time (laying out a tent in the sun, drying, collecting) and, in fact, the sun itself (which, unfortunately, does not always happen in the mountains). In this case, in principle, it is enough, as always, to simply shake the awning well to shake off drops of moisture on the inner surface of the awning.

With that said, I want to warn tourists with minimal hiking experience against buying this tent. In order to fully enjoy the advantages of this tent in terms of weight and comfort of the internal space, you need to know and be able to do a lot ... Know how to choose the right place for a tent so that it is not blown away by the wind, know how to place it correctly in this very wind, be able to handle it in such a way that don't break. If you are an experienced hiker, then this is probably the best tent on the market for you, because a three-person tent with two vestibules weighing only 1.8 kg is not a miracle! And for me, as expected when buying, this is a very light, spacious and comfortable tent for simple trekking and hiking and mountain trips without spending the night at altitude or on passes.

Against the backdrop of the four-thousanders of the Alps
Switzerland, July 2015

On the Bzerpa cornice
Krasnaya Polyana, July 2015

Inside the tent
Krasnaya Polyana, July 2015

inner tent

Installing the awning only
(padding sold separately!)

Tent dimensions

Characteristics:

Year of purchase: 2015
Capacity: 3 people (Jack includes 4)
Frame: aluminum
Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
Weight: 1.8 kg (!!!)
Price in 2016 - 34,900 rubles

P.S. Immediately after the purchase, I invested a little money in order to make the tent please me more and longer. Namely:

I made an additional bottom from an aluminized rescue blanket (teared it at the seams, it turned out 1: 1). It just seems that the additional, second bottom in the tent is some kind of unrealistic crap. Actually, it's very smart! For in addition to additional protection of the bottom of the tent from cuts, you get a complete absence of condensation on the bottom of the tent in the morning. And it's worth it! As a result, only the awning of the tent requires drying.
Bought four extra pegs for end braces.
Replaced the end braces with "smart" ones from NiteIze. Now it is very convenient to adjust the tension of the guys without bothering with knots and / or “tapping” the pegs after, after or during the rain, the awning of the tent naturally stretches and sags a little.
After all these manipulations, the final weight increased by 150 grams, the tent began to weigh 2 kg.

The tent is still quite new, it is not yet three years old. To date, the BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3 tent has been used on a hike in the Swiss Alps, as well as on several hikes in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana, for example, on family trips to the Bzerpinsky cornice and. After a few years of trips, I will definitely rewrite this text, taking into account more significant use experience.

Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
Big Agnes tents in the Sport-Marathon store

NEMO GoGo Elite

Purpose: single person ultra-light ultra-compact tent

Market analysis showed that the global outdoor industry offers a lot of models for freaks (geeks?) like me. Of course, the English TerraNova Laser Comp with a carbon arc and a weightless cloth and a total weight of 450 grams is a miracle, but the price of $1500 stopped me. As a result, I settled on the Nemo GoGo Elite with the "inflatable arch" technology, unique for serious tourism. I liked its compactness (less than 2 liters in a complete set), bright yellow color and an ideal price-weight-quality ratio. 17 thousand for a tent weighing less than 800 grams seems to me to be the "golden mean" in this endless race to reduce the weight of equipment!

In Austria

Tent with things inside

My feet and a mat in a tent

Tent in original case

Tent dimensions

Sectional design

Characteristics:

Year of purchase: 2014
Capacity: 1 person
Frame: one arc with air chamber
Awning: 10D OSMO™ Elite W/B membrane
Bottom: 20D PU Nylon Ripstop
Number of entrances / vestibules: 1
Total weight: 800g
Price: $430

Weaknesses: It's too early to tell. You can, of course, say - there is no space, small, low, cramped, in order to get into a sleeping bag, you need to undress in advance, "on the street", because you climb into the tent only feet first (not for the superstitious, in short). But after all, ultra-light is not about “comfortable sleep”, but about “walking a lot on the route”;) Although, to be honest, there are no problems in sleep - you sleep, stretched out to your full height, there is also a place on the sides. So the dream is full, no problem!

So far, the Nemo GoGo Elite tent has been on two hikes - my third hike in the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve and weekend hiking in the vicinity of Innsbruck. Here are some photos from these trips:

Manufacturer website: nemoequipment.com
Nemo equipment in the Sport-Marathon store

SEA TO SUMMIT UltraSil 15D Tarp Poncho

"In battle" since 2014

Purpose: 3-in-1 ultra-lightweight poncho

A camping awning, with which you can quickly build yourself a shelter from rain and wind, is actually an indispensable element of bivouac equipment for serious hikes. By stretching it in the camp, you can get an additional area protected from wind and rain, ideal, for example, in order to equip the kitchen. The second purpose is a quick shelter from rain and wind right on the route, when you want to quickly and comfortably wait out the bad weather, and not sit in a tent>. There is a third, more original use of a camping tent - in case of rain, you can easily get clean drinking water with it. Once, when spending the night on the crest of a wooded Altai ridge, we did just that!

I lost the previous large Bask tent, 3 by 4 meters in size, after a hike in Kamchatka and decided that the new tent should weigh not 2 kg, but 200-300 grams;)

But posto awning is the last century! The modern solution is an awning in which you can walk (!!!). Yes, yes, walking in the rain, with a backpack, using it instead of a waterproof jacket. Such a miracle is called - a poncho awning. A poncho awning is a 3-in-1 solution - an awning, a rain cover and even a replacement tent (rain cover + mat and sleeping bag, that's a den for you to sleep!). In general, consider yourself. But I will say - the weight savings are fantastic!! So it is not at all surprising that in our Sport Marathon this model is wildly popular with participants in various kinds of forced marches and adventure races!

Characteristics:

Year of purchase: 2014
Size: 145 x 280 cm.
Weight: 230 g
Price - 7300 rubles in yellow-green or seatosummit.com
Sea to Summit poncho in store