Hello,
My partner and I just bought a Big Agnes hotel 3 for our adventures and having had a non vestibule tent before ITS SO COOL !!
I'm planning a Baltics trip in the summer and when I ride solo I take my Decathlon MT900 and it's a great little thing at 1.3kg. but I thought, although it's excessive wouldn't it be so great to bring the Agnes just for little me? Because I could keep my bike and all my gear in there and feel a bit safer as a solo female traveller. I'm just wondering whether id resent the extra 2kg weight just to sleep like a princess?
Thoughts please, thanks!
by leperisland
17 Comments
I’d bring it! Especially if the weather is bad, that’s going to be such a great space to hang out.
Or possibly a tarp would fit the bill then you don’t have such a heavy tent as a tart would be maybe 500g to 1kg and being in the baltics there’s always a pine tree or two to tie it up and you get tonnes of space. If heading to estonia check out the RMK app for a map of all the free public camp sites and trails.
Its not that heavy! , sometimes bike touring makes you choose between confort and weight. 2 kilos is not that bad and that vestibule its worth the 0.7 k difference.
Unfortunately i bought a 1person tent and i really regret about it. But this one is seems extra big. How heavy is this?
I had a 2p mountain hardware tent for a few trips, it was nice to have the extra room. I switched to a 1p marmot eos and found the weight I saved gave me room for other gear. I am a bit of a Neanderthal creature comforts aren’t a priority. You can always buy a tent and send the big one home. I’ve mailed a few boxes home when I discovered I packed too much.
If you stay a day or two in one spot a larger tent would be nice. I’m stop and go many nights without pitching my tent. I doubt that helped but ride safely I’ve always admired women who ride solo.
Take what you have and what makes you happy. Weight doesn’t really matter on a bike tour.
Hey it’s up to you, but IMO: 1) the footprint is too big so you might have a hard time finding a spot to set up the tent; 2) you’re just adding additional weight to carry on the bike which makes me wonder how many kgs you are carrying on your bike and 3) I can’t even begin to imagine trying to pack that thing after it rains all or part of the night.
I have lots of tents. Hilleberg allak is one of the heaviest, but even solo it’s my first choice. The extra weight is absolutely worth it.
I tour with two young kids, I had the 4-person MT-900 tent on my front rack. It was fine, no bother at all. And yes, it was some days packed away wet.
Towing my youngest in a trailer was a whole lot more effort than the little bit of extra weight from a larger tent.
What brand tent is this? I want one!
typical trade-off:
2kg will probably be about 2% of your overall system weight (bike, rider, luggage). In flat terrain it’s all about aerodynamics, weight doesn’t matter much, unless you are in stop-and-go traffic or have to brake a lot due to sharp turns. When climbing 2% more weight will make it 2% harder. If you have low enough gears to compensate, that’s fine, just takes a bit longer. The only other impact is handling in rough terrain, where a heavier bike can be harder to control.
But besides weight also consider setup time: How much longer does the larger tent take to set up? How much longer will it take to stow away or clean up after a muddy night?
You might also have to pay slightly more for camping with a larger tent.
Then just weigh that up against the benefit of the extra room. I solotour with a tent of very similar size to the mt900 and I’m happy as is, still has enough space to fit all my paniers comfortably, only my bike stays outside.
It is really for you to decide. I like the phrase “hike your own hike”. Many ultra lighter travelers still choose 1+ “luxury” items that are worth carrying – for that individual. The good thing about a bike is that the gear weight simply doesn’t hurt much – it just uses some of our energy when going up.
That being said – travelers in general tend to get rid of gear over time. Few decide they’ve been carrying too little.
2kgs for peace of mind when sleeping seems like a good trade.
I’ve had that tent, it’s nice. Putting your bike in the vestibule is a good feeling. Keeps it dry and you know it’ll be there when you wake up.
I have been thinking about getting a tent large enough to do the same thing. Keep all my gear & the bike inside the tent and that would be one less thing to worry about when sleeping. I saw your post earlier on the Bikepacking page & someone mentioned the extra 2 Kg that the tent would add to your overall weight, personally I don’t see that as a major issue, with all the stuff I carry I don’t think 2 Kg will make that much of a difference. If the tent makes you feel more comfortable, secure, safer, etc. then I think it would be worth doing it.
ENJOY every ride
I take a two person tent when I tour so I can keep my stuff in the tent with me, and have a little extra space.
If you’ve got room for it, do a short weekend trip with it or something and see if it’s worth it for you.
The first time I took a two person tent, I just did a weekend trip, to try it.
I traveled with someone using a tent with a vestibule a little smaller than that. He would put all his gear in the vestibule and a little folding chair, the fiend would cook his dinner in there, out of the wind, and I was a little jealous. Especially in the morning when he would make coffee and toast sitting in that little room.
I think the extra room in the tent would feel so luxurious it would be well worth carrying the extra kilos.
For me in biketouring you should take what you need to be comfortable to a reasonable point. Unless you are doing big elevations or really rugged terrain, it’s fine. You’re going to slow anyway, contrary to hiking, the weight is on the bike and not on your bike. As long you as have easy gears for hills, get confortable. Obviously don’t pack unnecessary things, but like a slightly bigger tent is fine.