New Rule on Ultralight Tents

New rule: don't stuff your ultralight tents any more. You've got to fold 'em or roll 'em. 

I've come to this conclusion after a few seasons of endless tent repair on my BD Hilight, a single wall.

Dainty ultralights (made from fabrics lighter than 10 denier) have their appeal, but toughness isn't one of them. The micro holes seem to be caused by abrasion inside the pack. This is being confirmed all over the web by other ultralight tent testers. And it's something that none of us can fully prevent.

It spells good news, though, for pricey footprint sales. Buy one for all your ultralights, then wrap them up inside like burritos for travel. You've got a backup in your tent floor, after all, in case the footprint tears on a rock or a root.

Don't be wet. Just buy a footprint.

This season I'm comparing two double-wall 2P tents with double doors: the Copper Spur UL from Big Agnes and the Nemo Hornet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Summer Sales: Calendar this!

Spokane based Mountain Gear has a sweet sale going on in celebration of 30 years in business.

You still have until midnight tonight, August 1 2013, to snag a single wall Black Diamond Firstlight for under $230, or a HiLight for $280. This is one of the lightest, toughest one person mobile lounges around. It's a bit snug for two without the vestibule.

I just picked up a HiLight on sale, my first single wall tent since I gave my old Todd-Tex one-person Garuda to a mentee as a high school graduation present. He was off on a motorcycle ride across the country. Man, I loved that tent. But it didn't survive the beatnik adventures of the great Dylan Comstock. 

The very studly Patagonia Nano Puff Hybrid jacket

And have you tried this? Patagonia has redesigned its Nano Puff Hybrid Jacket for fall 2013, so I'm taking a flyer on last year's model. Its precursor, the R2 half zip pullover, with beefier insulation in the chest and lightweight R1 stretch around the hips and on the forearms, served me well on backcountry ski trips and under bibs on lift access days.

Until they invented the Nano puff.

Then, ever since Ed Viesturs designed a lightweight down hybrid jacket with stretch panels for Eddie Bauer, hybrids with lightweight, "body-mapped" insulation have become the rage. 

Let's see if this really is the best of all possible worlds.

If not, I can always go back to reading Candide. At least I'll look cool in the café.

Happy anniversary, Mountain Gear! Bin good to know ya.

Get a sweet deal and wasabi dreams
with the Black Diamond Hilight
Sale ends midnight tonight
call (800) 829-2009