Hi Andy,

This is a very exciting part of the trip - when I was looking for tents I ended up with quite a few before I settled on my favorite (Tatonka Narvik 2). It's a very personal choice and you've had some fantastic advice from the folks here - nearly all of it I totally agree with. I'd just like to throw in one more option to your list.



The Exped Orion. The Exped site is at http://exped.com and worth a little browse. I suggest it on the back of taking it to Russia and back, it's a solid geodysic design with exceptional quality parts and materials. It has two vestibules that importantly sit at a perpendicular angle to the inner - meaning it's much easier to get in and out of the tent, and store kit without having to climb over it to get out.

It's simple to erect, and one of the most solid tents I've ever tested. In fact have a glance at the video below - scroll through to 4 minutes to see the Exped.



If you do decide to go with something along these lines then give Les a call at Travel-Dri Plus - he's the chap that helped us out for our last journey - he's the most knowledgeable person I've ever met when it comes to this kind of thing. His website isn't the best in the world, but by God his advice and help is!

__________________
------------------
http://thelondonbiker.com/blog

Watch some of my camp cooking videos

AIM: mattcashmore
SKYPE: matthewcashmore
MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com

Hi Matt!

I must say that this tent really kicks ass! It ticks almost all of the boxes and I think we'll be trying it out in one of the shops and if it is what we think it is we'll be buying it.

Thanks a lot for the info

@Alex

Hi alex and thank you for your input as well as others!

I think you're right and taking a tarp with us is a good advice. I think that's what we'll do as this will add quite a few options that you've already mentioned.

Thanks a lot all!

Stay safe!
Gosia and Andy

__________________

I'd suggest you choose from the Travel Dri, Touratech and similar specialist catalogues.

- Beware of mesh tents as they are freezing cold when you're in windy conditions--if you are interested in something like the MSR Hubba Hubba, go for the HP version with non-mesh interior.

- Get a footprint so you're not packing up a wet floored tent. It also gives you a dry area to pack everything up.

- Consider how the entrances work in the rain, some tents will tip several gallons into the tent when you open them up!

My personal shortlist was:
Exped - Venus II, Venus III, Andromeda
MSR - Hubba Hubba HP, Mutha Hubba HP
Coleman - Phad X3
Vaude - Hogan, Hogan XT, Mark II, MK II long, Mark III

There's nothing worse than being cramped in a small and low tent when you have wet biking gear. I ended up buying an Exped Venus III from Les at Travel Dri which is a three-man-and-a-dog tent with a high 1.5m interior. It's a kilo heavier than some of the tents listed above but at 48x19 it packs down smaller than most of the Vaude alternatives, so it's a real Tardis tent!

- Twin entrances
- Twin vestibules, one with a gear loft
- Freestanding
- Good ventilation
- Quick set up, though I wouldn't agree with the claimed 2.5 minute setup time, more like 5 minutes for me.
- Poles and pegs that are tent porn
- Internal pockets, hanging points for lighting

I imagine Les will be at the Horizons Meet at Ripley this coming weekend if you fancy a short jaunt south. With 300+ tents Ripley would also be a good place to ask fellow travellers what they think of their tents.

Tim

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

I have a Venus II and highly satisfied...

__________________
"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "