Tent weight

[JackOfAllTrades]

I like a floor for my tents. As much as I've tried to cut pack weight in the last couple of years, I've come to appreciate no mice in my tent. I have backpacked with tarps in loo of tent before, or just my Bivey. I don't like MICE!
 
I have a buddy with the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2. It is a very nice lightweight tent, but if you're on a windy ridge, try to set the tent to be the direction most aerodynamic. It doesn't handle sidewinds well.  I scored a Marmot Limelite 2P from a recent REI garage sale that I'm looking forward to using. The floor is more than twice as thick as the UL2 so I won't use a footprint barrier. On a UL2 I'd probably bring one along. The Limelight fly is 1/3 thicker than the UL2. That thickness adds some weight. With the extra tie points and a double crossover pole system instead of that funky 'Y' of the UL2, it should handle weather a lot better. I guess that is a trade off in weight.. for durability.
 
To cut some ounces... Most of the tents come with steel (bendable) pegs. They weigh several times as much as the aluminum ones.  I went with plastic pegs for two seasons. I've ditched them since mice like to chew on the darn things. My Limelite can use up to 12 pegs. I have the MSR's below. There is what I consider a significant weight savings by replacing them with aluminum or titanium pegs. 12 @ ~32oz total, (yes, that's two pounds), or 12 at ~4oz. Though they are aluminum and do break, I could afford the weight of a couple spares too.
 
-Steve

[b0bbyg]

REI is averaging about $400 for a tent. But they run under 4 pounds.

3Bcat104779080%3Bcat104303880]Eureka Midori[/url] that is $50 less.
Kelty - 5.8 pounds
Eureka - 4.7 pounds

Borrowed my sons Eureka for a 3 night backpack trip with the wife, I got it down to around 4 lbs after I got rid of extra stakes and ropes. Seemed like when trying to go light it had extra stuff I did not need and it worked fine. 

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Couple things, a 10x14 tarp weighs 2.4 lbs by itself, add to the fact that it can't shed wind, need some kind of erection(keep your mind right ) system, and it doesn't make sense.

I run a bivy with my tarp (packs hexamid solo plus) and come I at 1 lb total.

I've never had an issue with mice in three seasons....camped at all elevations.


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[Rob]

You will love the Big Angus Fly creek.  Its what I use, and is very light.  if you want to go ultra lite, you can use a footprint and rainfly.

I'm 6'4" and fit in it with room to spare.

[Rob]

I weigh my tents in three configurations. 
Alpine:  Full tent, fly, dirt stakes and footpring.
Glacier:  full tent and fly, snow stakes and no footprint
Ultralite:  footprint, rain fly, poles and dirt stakes (no tent body).

here are the weights for those three configs for the Big Angus Fly Creek from my tent (weights on the far right):

[jackelope]

As long as you want to stay light weight and don't mind no floor why not just take a tarp say 9 x 12 if you want a floor then stake it different /_\ wala you have a floor

It's heavier, noisier and waaayyyy more flimsy than my tent.
Also a PITA comparatively speaking to set up and keep it set up, especially if the wind blows.

[MLHSN]

I've only had a problem with mice when I'm near large horse camps, which I try to stay far far away from. 

I sewed bug netting on to my tarp and put rocks around the edge to keep the critters out. 

The only problem I've had is that the wind does blow straight through a tarptent.  It has really only been a problem in late fall in which case I just pitch the bottom of the tarp all the way to the ground with that end to the wind.

[JackOfAllTrades]

I've only had a problem with mice when I'm near large horse camps, which I try to stay far far away from. 

Seems like everywhere I go, the bottom of the valley to the alpine of the Pasayten, I get mice chewing on my plastic tent pegs. I've been in a hammock/bivey between trees and had critters run across my face during the night. Talk about an alarm clock!  And I don't keep food in my tent while in the back country. I hang my boots from a tree branch since I caught mice in them one morning.
 
More to the topic, having a tent can make or break a trip. You can often weather out a storm in a heavier tent. It's no fun under a tarp.
 
-Steve

[MLHSN]

Seems like everywhere I go, the bottom of the valley to the alpine of the Pasayten, I get mice chewing on my plastic tent pegs. I've been in a hammock/bivey between trees and had critters run across my face during the night. Talk about an alarm clock!

They make a mouse deterrent, it's called Crown Royal.  Make sure you have some sitting in your pack and you won't see/feel them running around at night.

[fillthefreezer]

They make a mouse deterrent, it's called Crown Royal.  Make sure you have some sitting in your pack and you won't see/feel them running around at night.

i like my whisky from 'merica 

[The scout]

when your in super down poor rain for a couple days, or mice are getting into your stuff you will wish you had a floor.plus you can just set it up without digging little ditches or building a lean to. weighs the same as your tarp and bivy but your sleeping in a tent not a bivy.

[7mag.]

when your in super down poor rain for a couple days, or mice are getting into your stuff you will wish you had a floor.plus you can just set it up without digging little ditches or building a lean to. weighs the same as your tarp and bivy but your sleeping in a tent not a bivy.

My tarp shelter weighs 1 pound including the stuff sack. I've never had to dig a trench around my shelter, and I've weathered some nasty storms. It's all about what comfortable with.

[fillthefreezer]

when your in super down poor rain for a couple days, or mice are getting into your stuff you will wish you had a floor.plus you can just set it up without digging little ditches or building a lean to. weighs the same as your tarp and bivy but your sleeping in a tent not a bivy.

id be curious what tent youre running that weighs the same or even close to my 'mid and bivy. discount the fact that  ive got 86sqft and a stove jack. or 76 sqft and no stove jack.
im not trying to sell anyone on, or talk anyone into floorless. but i dont think its fair to talk it down, just cus its not your preference.

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

when your in super down poor rain for a couple days, or mice are getting into your stuff you will wish you had a floor.plus you can just set it up without digging little ditches or building a lean to. weighs the same as your tarp and bivy but your sleeping in a tent not a bivy.

id be curious what tent youre running that weighs the same or even close to my 'mid and bivy. discount the fact that  ive got 86sqft and a stove jack. or 76 sqft and no stove jack.
im not trying to sell anyone on, or talk anyone into floorless. but i dont think its fair to talk it down, just cus its not your preference.

Exactly.

Run whatever you want, but it seems to me you are significantly misinformed about floor less shelters, and disseminating that misinformation to other trying to make a decision.

The only water I've brought into a floor less shelter was from myself after I hunted all morning in the rain.

Also I didn't know that they made fully enclosed tents that weighed in at 1 lb?

Scott what's the weight of the sl5 and the LBO?


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[fillthefreezer]

lbo is 35oz in double base w/stove jack, with the slightly smaller 3 pc. vestibule its 26oz. plus 5.5oz of stakes. including guylines.
sl5 was 32 plus 7 oz of stakes if memory sevres me correctly for 92sqft