Looking to get a reasonably cheap but OK small tent for various travels, and been offered a T-N Laser Comp for £150.

To me this seems like a very good price, and I am very likely to take it, but just wondered if anyone knows anything about it? I looked at the Akto, but it's too expensive, but cant find a huge amount of information about the Laser Comp (at least i cant find much that isnt comparing it to the Akto...)

Anyone got one? Or used one?

Thanks! Shay.

seems a pretty good price.

there are one or two threads on OM that have discussed the TNLC (and vs Akto) many times over recently.......

I used mine for the first time last weekend, and although it had no weather to contend with, it worked well as far as easy pitching and a light. compact load are concerned. The porch is cavernous. The inner was ok (I'm 6ft) but I suspect that in wind I may find myself in contact with the fabric quite a lot.

Minor niggles - I wish they'd put a two-way zip on the porch door so you could ventilate at the top (that said I had no condensation on this occasion), and a small pocket in the inner would be nice. But I was pleasantly impressed.

Check out ptc* on his blog for a more extensive review andd some pics of him pitched high on Scottish summits in his....

http://www.petesy.co.uk/?s=laserlite

His is the slightly older but essentially identical laserlite model, as was the one used a couple of years ago by Steve Perry on his winter continuous round of the Munros. They both like the tent a lot! ptc*'s opinions particularly pursuaded me to take the plunge and get one.

Edit, LOL, the man got there before I did!

My spider sense was tingling

Edit, PS The red Comp in the photo is brand new hot-of-the-press version and that's the first time I've pitched it (at 1008m). It's different from the Lite, but absolutely fine. The new pegs though...we'll see about those.

Seen the review done by V&G hikers?

V&G laser comp review

Compared to the Akto it's lighter and has fewer tweaks, bells and whistles to make life easier inside it, so the Akto has a mesh panelin the door with a zip-out cover, the LC just has a mesh panel, the Akto has more venting opions, the inner on the LC tapers to not-so-useful points compared to the flat bookends in the Akto, the Akto has a thicker (so less unintentionally bendy) pole, Hillebergs have lots of wee convenience features like eyelets to hook on footprints and easy toggles for keeping doors unfurled etc, the LC has a one way zip rather than a two way zip.  I suspect (but am not sure) the groundsheet may a bit lighter weight, and if so it will suffer more from condensation.

But that doesn't make the Akto better becuase it all adds weight, so while it may be a bit nicer to live in  it's not so nice to carry.  The Akto is probably tougher, but for most purposes the LC is tough enough: if it's good enough for a winter round of the Munros it's probably good enough for most of us, let's face it, and that one trip probably represented many years of use for a lot of campers.

So as long as you don't really object to the minor inconveniences the corners cut for weight respresent on the LC it looks fine to me for general UK use.  If you wish a bit more camping comfort (at the expense of carrying comfort) then that's not what the LC has been designed for, though that doesn't make it an uncomfortable tent.  It will bounce around a bit more and you'll get less sleep in a real blow than stouter designs, but it shouldn't make a habit of falling over on you.  As Hilleberg point out, the Akto has been to the North Pole which is pretty amazing, but how many of us actually need that?  Things like the vent options make for potentially greater comfort in the Akto, but if youcan't do with a shade less comfort would you be wild camping?  The line comes in at different places for different users, of course, but I've seen no evidence that the LC is strictly for people who like horsehair underpants like some mountain marathon tents from the past.

I've only seen the pegs.  I would have my reservations too... but it's not exactly a problem to replace them with some more serious looking titanium skewers. 

Consider a footprint for when you're not carrying it far, which will reduce condensation and add to the working life.

Pete. 

Tis a great wee tent, I got mine after listening to folks like PTC* and a few others on here. Mine took a bit of a pasting the night after I took those photies and although it was noisy and flapped about a lot it survived unscathed. I love my wee laser and would reccomend it to anyone.

Peter Clinch sums up the difference between the Akto and the Laser very nicely in his post above.

Oh yeah £150 is a good price as long as its in good condition. Mine was £175 ish from Terra Nova's clearance section.

nice photies BBF, where abouts were they taken if I may ask?

I have to admit that the laser looks good in RED

also seems that PTC* ought to get a job with TN as he would earn squillions in commission.........

I was wild camped at Gameshope loch down around Moffat (NT 13100 16340 approx). Theres some nice walking on the Moffat hills.

Nice helpfull locals aswell, one of them decided to phone the MRT that night as my car hadnt gone by after dark. I came off the hills and was greeted by a nice big policeman the next morning who advised I had better phone my mother. I did so and discovered because the car is registered to me at her house they sent two officers to the house and seeing as she had a route plan and wasnt expecting to hear from me until later that day her first thought was "Oh no there's been an accident!" She had got herself worked up into a right state after the officers left untill I phoned.

I think Santa is bringing me a SPOT Tracker for christmas

Bigbananafeet wrote (see)

I was wild camped at Gameshope loch down around Moffat (NT 13100 16340 approx). Theres some nice walking on the Moffat hills.

Nice helpfull locals aswell, one of them decided to phone the MRT that night as my car hadnt gone by after dark. I came off the hills and was greeted by a nice big policeman the next morning who advised I had better phone my mother. I did so and discovered because the car is registered to me at her house they sent two officers to the house and seeing as she had a route plan and wasnt expecting to hear from me until later that day her first thought was "Oh no there's been an accident!" She had got herself worked up into a right state after the officers left untill I phoned.

I think Santa is bringing me a SPOT Tracker for christmas

blimey......

see what happens when you are considerate and leave a route map....?

me, I just tell the missus i am going to X (X= approx 200square mile area) and see you at Y (Y = anytime between 2pm and 10pm on the day I finish the walk/trek)

ah well, when some other walker discovers my sun bleached bones on the side of some mountain in the future i will have got my come uppence....

really nice campspot though going back to the photies....midgies a problem in the summer or too high up???

Midgies in summer? I'm not sure.

The elevation there is around 570m and it was pretty windy when I was there (end of march) The wind seemed to accelerate between Din Law and Cape Law over the Loch so if it does that in the summer then the wee beasties have no chance.

(now that I have Memory map open I find myself planning another wildcamp down that way)

Crikey - what an eyesore that red tent is!  I really wonder why anyone would want to blot the landscape in such a way.  'I AM HERE', it screams ('and I don't want to blend into my surroundings').

Ducking now...

Both colours have their moments...

rob dixon 2 wrote (see)

Crikey - what an eyesore that red tent is!  I really wonder why anyone would want to blot the landscape in such a way.  'I AM HERE', it screams ('and I don't want to blend into my surroundings').

Ducking now...

Bigbananafeet wrote (see)

Maybe the Moffat area would be good for an OM meet? its fairly central and the walks can be easy or hard as you like.