Come Over to the Light Side
Rob Howard / 28.06.2011
On a recent visit to see the latest Terra Nova and Wild Country equipment it was the superlight kit that drew my attention. When you are told a mountain marathon tent, sleeping bag (rated down to -2 C) and a 20 litre pack weight in at less than a kilo, it does make you sit up and take notice, especially if you are thinking ahead to this year’s OMM.The superlight gear is part of the Terra Nova range, and 5 years ago they made news with the Laser Lite tent, which was the first double skinned tent to weigh in at under a kilo. Now things have moved on and the new world record holder is the Laser Ultra 1, which will squeeze in two at a pinch, and weighs in at 495 grams at its minimum pack weight (580 grams with the pegs, instructions and tent bag). It packs down to just 35x8 cms and will easily fit into any pannier or pack and the weight saving is a combination of design and materials. The Ultra fabric is alarmingly see-through but has a high hydrostatic head (=very waterproof), the pole is Scandium alloy and the pegs are titanium and weight just one gram each.
It’s even possible to use the new FastPack system on next year’s model, doing away with the inner and using an Ultra fabric ground sheet with a footprint shaped to fit the outer, to bring the weight down to 385 grams! All this comes at a cost though, the price tag on next year’s Ultra 1 will be close to £800, and adding the Ultra fabric ground sheet will push the combined price over the £1000 mark.
There are alternatives however, with other 1 and 2 person tents in the Laser range coming in at weights still under 1Kg, but without the premium price tag. For example the Laser Competition 1 weighs in at 930 gms and costs £335, while the Laser Photon 2 is the first sub 900 gm 2 person double skinned tent in the world, so gives that extra sleeping space over the ‘mountain marathon tents’, has extra ventilation and a price of £475. The Wild Country tents use traditional polyester fabrics and are lower down the price range without pushing the weight up too much. The Zephyros 2 model is only 1.8kg and costs £150. When it comes to AR and endurance racing kit there is a fine line to be drawn between weight, durability and price, and there did seem to be something for everyone in the tents on display.
