Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board What three seasons?

Hello all my friends.... I need gear advice.

I recently purchased myself a one/two man backpacking tent. It is a Wenzel starlight tent http://www.wenzelco.com/details.aspx?NavID=283 .

I have used it twice now, once in the Anza Borrego Desert and once (this weekend) in the local mountains here in San Diego. Out in the desert I loved it... just the right size for me and my gear. Perfect weight for what it was intended... enough ventilation to keep it nice inside the tent and not collect condensation...

Now fast foward 3 weeks (to this weekend)... the tent kept the rain out Friday night.. but the condensation inside both Friday night and Saturday night was so bad that it was dripping on me.

I really like this tent... but not if I have to have an extra clothes line to dry my gear every morning.. (and the dripping on my forehead was annoying as well)...

Does anyone have recommendations of a similar piece of equipment that I can look into that won't have me swimming every night?

Thanks!!!

I am very happy with the Eureka Spitfire http://www.eurekatent.com/p-45-spitfire-1.aspx?gclid=CKiHgciBkJoCFRBbagodswmmFA#

Unfortunately, the Wenzel starlite is a single-wall waterproof tent. Any tent with that setup will condense and drip all over you. It might be ok in a short rain shower, but for all night, it wouldn't be good.

That is why most tents have a separate rain fly, which unfortunately adds weight.

Or the top-end have waterproof but breathable fabric. But they are quite expensive.

The Eureka Spitfire that carol has cost 4x what yours did.

I got that particular tent because it was lightweight and (obviously) I didn't know any better... I'm not completely stuck on the single wall thing... just the lighter weight thing... the other tent I have weighs about 6 lbs by itself... I don't want to haul that everywhere...

Carried that tent from Yosemite to Whitney! I don't know if the current iteration includes the foot ventilation opening, but that was key. (that was the last trip for that tent). It was very hard to keep the inside dry, particularly in rain. At the ADZPCTKO this weekend, there must have been 20 tents on display by manufacturers that you would have drooled over. Many options, very light. Most in the 1#/pp range

check out Tarp Tent
Six Moon Designs
Gossamer Gear

I love the new tents made out of spinnaker cloth and Tyvek

The only ventilation on teh current incarnation of the tent is at the entrance flap... no foot vent of anything...

Thanks for the info. I had meant to go to the PCTKO just to wander around and look... but was busy getting my boy scouts lost .

I will look into that tent...

Hey Chris,
I have two tents that are light that I've very happy with: REI Crysalis (1-person with a decent vestibule, and you're not a big girl, so you can sleep with your pack when you need to). Only complaint is that it can be a bit drafty, but I've used it down to 15* plus a windchill on the side of Mt. San Jacinto and slept OK. To deal with the screened window by my head I used two-sided sticky velcro dots and cut out a section from a tent that bit the dust that fits the "window"--voila...closed window, but still no condensation. The other tent is a Big Bertha, 2-person--great for me and the daughter plus gear--not as good as the REI with junk pockets for headlamp, etc. Both are pretty lightweight (in the 2.5-3 lb range). Happy with both and have had to deal with unexpected July/August Sierra snowfalls in both and stayed toasty. Heavy wind tolerated well in both as well. These are both tents with separate rain flies, and a footprint for more insulation.