First Look at Ultralight Tent

[DrNed]

So I've upgraded almost all of my gear over the last year.

My next goal - lighten up my tent, but I'm not quite ready to go into the tarp shelter world.

I've settled on the Paria Outdoor Zion 2 Person Tent.

It seems to have comparable specs to the big name, high-end tents,
but comes with the footprint and is significantly lower in price.

Wondering if anyone has experience with Paria Outdoor Products.

Thanks for your input.

 

[WasatchWill]

So I've upgraded almost all of my gear over the last year.

My next goal - lighten up my tent, but I'm not quite ready to go into the tarp shelter world.

I've settled on the Paria Outdoor Zion 2 Person Tent.

It seems to have comparable specs to the big name, high-end tents,
but comes with the footprint and is significantly lower in price.

Wondering if anyone has experience with Paria Outdoor Products.

Thanks for your input.

@Devin Ashby does, but he's not as active on the forum here as some of us others. He's got a connection to that company and reviews a lot of their products on his YouTube Channel.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

So I've upgraded almost all of my gear over the last year.

My next goal - lighten up my tent, but I'm not quite ready to go into the tarp shelter world.

I've settled on the Paria Outdoor Zion 2 Person Tent.

It seems to have comparable specs to the big name, high-end tents,
but comes with the footprint and is significantly lower in price.

Wondering if anyone has experience with Paria Outdoor Products.

Thanks for your input.

It looks like a copy of the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 design.

 

[DrNed]

@Devin Ashby does, but he's not as active on the forum here as some of us others. He's got a connection to that company and reviews a lot of their products on his YouTube Channel.

Thanks Will!

I've got to do so more research now. The company says the weight Its trail weight is 3 pounds 15 ounces. In the video review, he says over 5.

 

[DrNed]

It looks like a copy of the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 design.

I'd heard so much good about the Copper Spur UL2 that it was my baseline when looking at other tents.

 

[scoags]

Hi @DrNed
have you considered tarptent? I know you said youre not quite into tarp shelters yet, but dont let the name fool you, they are complete tent setups. they have 6 two person models. very light. i have the 1+ person protrail, and really really like it. most of them come in at a bit less than the CS UL2 (at least sticker price). may not be your style but worth a look.

tarptent.com

(i am not affiliated, i just like the product)

 

[Kullaberg63]

I doubt that Paria shelter is anywhere near 4 lbs without leaving significant portions off the scale.

 

[Devin Ashby]

Thanks Will!

I've got to do so more research now. The company says the weight Its trail weight is 3 pounds 15 ounces. In the video review, he says over 5.

Yes, the total weight of the tent is 5 ish pounds. If you take away the foot print and stakes you get down to that trail weight advertised.

It’s a nice tent and think for the price it’s worth it.

 

[Bob]

Says just shy of 4lbs trail, pretty heavy. What you say at 5lbs is not great. But price is minimal if tired back isnt ......... I use a tarptent rainbow...bout $120 more, will hold 2 and just over 2 lbs

 

[DrNed]

Hi @DrNed
have you considered tarptent? I know you said youre not quite into tarp shelters yet, but dont let the name fool you, they are complete tent setups. they have 6 two person models. very light. i have the 1+ person protrail, and really really like it. most of them come in at a bit less than the CS UL2 (at least sticker price). may not be your style but worth a look.

tarptent.com

(i am not affiliated, i just like the product)

Honestly, I was previously unaware of their existence.

I've just been watching videos on the features of the different tents.
I really like the way they look! The prices are notably lower than the CS UL2 too. (289 v 499)
I'm curious though, why do they not seal the seams as part of the tent purchase?
Seems like an odd thing to pass on to the consumer. Or maybe seam sealing isn't
what I think it is?

Thanks all for the input!

 

[LarryBoy]

Tarptent is a great hybrid shelter. Everyone I know who's had one has been happy with them.

Also check out shelters from Six Moons Designs. That may be up your alley. Again, they're tarp/tent hybrids and offer full 360-degree protection in a relatively light package. They set up using trekking poles

https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/collections/tents

 

[ascii27]

Have you given any thoughts to a Chinese tent. AliExpress sells 3F. Here's a pic.
It's a trekking pole tent, like Tarptent, but it's got a double layer tent.

There's some good reviews on YouTube.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[DrNed]

So for those of you who are using shelter without a bathtub floor, do you find that you get water in during a heavy rain?
Do you ever run into trouble with trekking poles falling during heavy rain/wind?

Also, ignore my above comment about seam sealing. Apparently, that's a thing with ultralight shelters.
Why though?

Thanks again!

 

[Bob]

Have you given any thoughts to a Chinese tent. AliExpress sells 3F. Here's a pic.
It's a trekking pole tent, like Tarptent, but it's got a double layer tent.

There's some good reviews on YouTube.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Tarptent has a single wall ..this looks like a knock off. Notch I think. Besides tarptent IS made in the USA.

 

[Bob]

Some seal some don't....adds weight for gram weenies

 

[Bob]

You would have to get the xxl tent ..... Not sized for regular US sized people.... Hehe

 

[ascii27]

Paria, the OP's original tent query, isn't made in US.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[Bob]

Didn't figure it was ..... Not much made in USA. I buy that first if quality is there in the item I need...

 

[Wanderlust073]

Didn't figure it was ..... Not much made in USA. I buy that first if quality is there in the item I need...

Yes. Think I'd also put my money towards something designed in the US and manufactured overseas before supporting the blatant thievery of intellectual property (the tent designs) by buying knockoffs from Alibaba.

 

[LarryBoy]

So for those of you who are using shelter without a bathtub floor, do you find that you get water in during a heavy rain?
Do you ever run into trouble with trekking poles falling during heavy rain/wind?

Also, ignore my above comment about seam sealing. Apparently, that's a thing with ultralight shelters.
Why though?

Thanks again!

Seam sealing - i honestly think it's just it's an ancestral part of the DIY ultralight ethos. Save fifteen bucks and do it yourself. Most places will do it for you for an additional fee.

Heavy rains: I rocked a Six Moons Designs Wild Oasis for years (now updated/rebranded as the Deschutes Plus) with a piece of Tyvek. Did the same thing with the Gatewood Cape (essentially the same shelter, minus the skirt of bug netting). Never had an issue with inundation. The only way you could have an issue with it would be if you set up your shelter in an exceptionally terrible spot for drainage. But that can be solved by a modicum of common sense when finding a campsite.

Heavy winds: this is a bit more of a legitimate concern. Heavy winds can do one of three things -

1) Blow your shelter over/cause it to collapse. I've had this happen to me once, camped way above treeline in the Uintas. It's not an issue of the shelter per se - it was due to having tent stakes that were just stupid-light. I upgraded from the slippery titanium skewers after that and it's never happened again.

2) Condensation. This isn't strictly speaking a wind-related problem, but condensation isn't really a problem unless the wind is blowing. Wind & rain will cause you to batten down the hatches, increasing condensation. Then your shelter can "flap" if it's not taut enough, spraying water all over your bag.

For pyramid-style shelters, I find the best way to reduce this is to 1) stake things out really tight, tightening things up after an hour or two (cold and wet silnylon does tend to stretch) and 2) use your second trekking pole to brace the long wall of the shelter, thus cutting in half the size of the panels held tight by tension alone.

3) Rain blowing in from underneath. I never have this issue with my SMD Wild Oasis, as the perimeter of bug neetting effectively stopped any blown rain from leaking in underneath. However with my Gatewood Cape, I've occasionally had that. Nothing that can't be prevented by pitching it lower, of course, but that increases your condensation issues.

In general, when things get really nasty, campsite selection becomes more important. That's true, though, for whatever shelter you take, not just UL shelters.A good sheltered campsite will effectively mitigate all three concerns.