Around 1993 or 1994 the time had come to get rid of the 3 and 4 man tents. When a man is young he pays little attention to weight, because he is “tough” and can carry that load. When a little age gets behind him, little things start becoming more clear. One of the questions that presents itself, why should one person be strapped with carrying an oversized tent, when everyone can carry their weight and their own tent.
While on a trip to Academy Sports and outdoors, there was a certain Wenzel Starlite one man tent on the shelf. After further inspection the decision was made to buy the tent and give it a test run.
Fast forward 14 or 15 years.
It is amazing that a cheap, one man tent could take camping trip after camping trip and never have any problems. How Wenzel built such a durable tent, and at such a easonable price is a wonder in itself. The tent (even though it is durable), does have some drawbacks.
During moist nights, dew collects on the inside of the tent. One solution is to hang a rain poncho just over the tent so the dew can settle on the poncho instead of the tent. One of the drawbacks to lightweight hiking and using a one man tent, there is limited room inside the tent for other gear. To help fix this problem – carry a second rain poncho. One poncho can go over the tent for extra rain protection and one poncho is used to cover the pack or other gear.
These pictures were taken on a recent cool weather camping trip. This picture also sets a bad example by showing gear spread out all over the place. Gear should be stored in a secure location, were it can not be stepped on or lost in the leaves. By leaving the packs open, this also invites bugs to get into the gear.
Cool weather camping trip in February 2008.
Notice in this picture, top right hand corner, there is a black pack hanging from a tree limb. To help prevent creepy critters from getting into the pack, it is recommended that the pack be suspended instead of just letting it stay on the ground. During the warmer months of June, July and August pest like ticks and spiders can become a real problem.
This type of light duty tent is not appropriate for cold or wet weather camping. There are better and higher quality products on the market. But when on the trail, and weight is a consideration choose your gear carefully.
If the decision is made to go with a compact 2 season tent, bring along at least two rain ponchos. If the weather turns off bad, the ponchos can be combined to cover just about the entire tent for extra rain protection. The pack can be stored under the front guide wire with the rain ponchos acting as cover.