Ultralight solo tent for small hatch

[Grey-Jay]

My latest performance kayak has small hatch covers and low volume storage, forcing me to downsize from my current 2 person backpacking tent for kayak camping. I initially pondered a bivy shelter (such as Black Diamond) but see that they are actually way more expensive than a simple lightweight solo tent.

Any suggestions for an ultralight solo tent suitable for low volume boats?

Thanks.

(need to downsize my Polarguard 3D sleeping bag to down in a dry bag as well)

[Ordin Aryguy]

Not exactly a tent, but waaaay comfy and plenty small enough to fix your space problem.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/

Ordin

[redhawk]

I have a hennesy as well as an OR Bivy. Overall, for size purposes, I would go for the Bivy, take about 1/3 of the space the Hennesy does.

I think tou can get the OR Bivy for under $200 if you shop around.

[lumberzac]

You might want to also check out Henry Shires' Tarp Tents.

http://www.tarptent.com/index.html

They have quite a few compact shelters to choose from.

[JohnnyMac]

I like the Hennessey Hammocks and cannot beat a bivy for being compact although I prefer sleeping under a tarp with mine. I am also with Lumberzac - I am a real big fan of Tarptents. I have owned a few but the Rainbow is my favorite solo shelter these days.

[hikercop45]

I have a Eureka Zeus xo - it is really a back in - drive out- one man tent - Im a big guy - 6'2 - 295 and I have room for me and my sleeping gear without too much cursing....got mine at the Eureka sale in binghamton - paid like 65 dollars at the sale - campmor has them for a bit more

[Dick]

You might want to also check out Henry Shires' Tarp Tents.

http://www.tarptent.com/index.html

They have quite a few compact shelters to choose from.

We have the Squall II with a sewn in floor, for a total of 35 oz. There are lighter set-ups possible, but this one suits us just fine.

Dick

[Harvey44]

I have a Moss Outland. Not sure if they still make it. Handled a huge pounding 36" blizzard in the Siamese with no problem. Excellent one man tent.

[Wildernessphoto]

Hi Jeff,
I've got a solo Eureka Spitfire for a light weight solo tent. you can pick them up for about $65-$75 on Ebay. I also own the Hennessy hammock and would recommend one of those .
for a tarp, I use a Kelty Noah's 12' x 12' any of those I'd recommend for solo shelters. All of the above are good too.

[Wldrns]

I have a Moss Outland. Not sure if they still make it. Handled a huge pounding 36" blizzard in the Siamese with no problem. Excellent one man tent.

I also have the Outland. It is roomy and I really like it, but I consider it is far too heavy for a summer solo tent. It is most useful as a cold weather/4 season solo or when you don't mind carrying a bit of extra weight and volume. Among many other tents, I've been happy using a Walrus Swift a lot in the recent past, but for the past several seasons I am now a dedicated Hennessy hanger.

[Riosacandaga]

I have an old mountain hardwear two person ultralight tent.. I went a little bigger and wanted something free staanding , I use it for canoe camping and camping out of my seakayak, a valley pintail which is moderately low volume... even with a bivy sac it seams like having a hoop to keep it off your face would be nice... but after looking at the hammocks i think that's the way to go...I was planning on using Tyvek to shelter with on some over night whitewater kayak adventures I'm planning (not the cold river, seems like plenty of lean-to's...)

[ADKlvr]

take a good look at the eureka spitfire, you can actually sit up in it and pack your bag and mat inside on rainy mornings and side door is BIG.

[nazdarovye]

I'll second the votes for the tarptents.

Also, consider the Big Sky Evolution tents:

http://www.bigskyproducts.com

I have the Evolution 2P and really like it - probably my favorite non-winter tent at this point (but I hear he's been having some production problems - so call and make sure he can deliver before ordering).

And the Hilleberg Rajd:

http://www.hilleberg.com/2006%20Products/NewRajd.htm

[Connecticut Yankee]

The GoLite Hut1 or Hut2 . The Hut1 weighs 15 ounces and is basically like the fly on a regular tent, no floor or netting, but the front and back are enclosed. Super small and light. My son has a Hennesy Hamock and loves it. Their backpacker ultralight is 1lb 15oz and because it has no poles is very light and will fit in small places. The GoLite Hut1 is big enough for two but the Hut2 is spacious.
John M A Connecticut Yankee

[canoe_junkie]

Tent, tents and more tents!

Henry's Tarptent is a great choice. Someone also mentioned Mountain Hardwear tents, their Waypoint 1 tent is super light and super compact for your hatch, but is not freestanding, though no really light will tent be. I have not used the Waypoint 1 and have not seen it available in recent years, so maybe it had problems?
One excellent resource for gear is the comaprison matrix's at the backcountrygear site. This particular link will show you almost all of the better tents available today grouped by usage. It's interactive, so you can sort by characteristics.

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/tenttable.cfm