To freestand or not to freestand? That is the tent question

[Jesso]

Hi all,
I enjoyed the reviews about small hiking tents so far and have taken on board the comments, this question builds on those discussions.

I am searching for a tent under 2kg, that I can sit up in,3 season which is warm at night, and could hold 2 people if needed, it will mainly be for solo hiking.

So far, I love the look of the Macpac microlite, however my 2 concerns are: it may be too short (although I'm only 175cm) and I initially wanted a freestanding tent cos they seem easier.

What do you all think?

My 2 freestanding favourites are: MSR Hubba hubba HP 1.9kg- the HP has fabric instead of mesh on the inner so will be warmer (very expensive though I think- as far as I can tell they aren't in Oz for a couple more weeks), and a tent I only viewed on web, the North Face Vector 1.8kg. I did consider Dart 1 but it's too small, Dart 2 too heavy, but I did like the look of them.

Trying to enjoy a complicated, trikky process of finding the best tent for me!
J

[corvus]

G'day Jesso,
You wont have any problems lengthwise with the Microlite my prolite mat is 183 cm with a bit of floor space to spare however it is not a 2 peson tent except in an emergency and in warm conditions condensation can be a problem.
I have been advised by long term users that the condensation can be overcome (check this topic) so go for the Microlite with confidence just dont pay full asking price $499.00 get at least a 10% discount
I am happy with my purchase.
corvus

[Penguin]

I love a free standing tent. Much easier to to find a comphy spot for the night, and easier to get a taut tent in cold, windy weather. The advantage of the microlight is the dual pitch - great to be able to pack up the tent inside the fly on a rainy night.

More interesting tents available overseas in the three season light weight. Hopefully they will come soon.

[Jesso]

Thanks Corvus, thanks Penguin for your thoughts.

I ended up with a Mountain Hardware Meridian 2, 2.2kg. It's a freestander, in the end ease of set up and a bit more space won me over, although I would enjoy the warmth and cosiness of the Microlite. Happy I have made a decision!

If I had more time and was more techno savvy to order over internet I would have gone Big Agnes (USA) or would really like to have tried out The North Face Vector 22.

Cheers,
Jesso.

[Penguin]

Great Jesso

Mine is the Big Agnes with the Event sides. Very happy with it.

Daryl