I am looking to upgrade to a new roomier 3 or 4 season lightweight tent

I am looking hard at the VauDe ultralightweight tents and wondered if anyone had any thoughts or experience of them especially with regards to performance in poor conditions

the tents i am currently looking at are the
Hogan ultralight 1
Taurus ultralight
odyssee
ferret 1 ultralight

I am particularly interested in the odyssee as it claims to have 4 season capabilities

any experience of any of the above tents would be appreciated

cheers

Dave, I've got the Taurus Ultralight, & over the last couple of years I can't really complain about it's performance. It's certainly been out in all weathers, although it's almost always been at relatively low level - never tried it even half way up a hill in a proper hoolie, tbh.

The ridge pole, which bends at the foot end, has on occasions flipped over to one side if it's got excessively windy, but I started to pay a wee bit more attention to the pitching after the last time it did that, & the problem didn't recur.

One wee bonus is that, if your campsite slopes the wrong way for the prevailing wind conditions (as it were!) there is actually enough room to sleep with your head at the low end, without feeling entirely claustrophobic. Even with a dog in the tent! Although you certainly wouldn't want the pole flipping then, for obvious reasons.

Overall I like it, it's plenty roomy, & it's done what I asked of it. I think if I was planning on regular high level wild camping though I'd be looking at something a bit more 4-seasony.

thanks for the feedback Scott

looking at the taurus, the pole configuration tells me that attention to detail on the pitching is a must to ensure maximum stability as you indicate

that's why I wondered if the Odyssee was a better bet for harsher conditions as it has a slightly more stable pole configuration

I do like the Taurus as it is relatively light, and relatively cheap and has a nice amount of room and porch area

The good thing about the Taurus is that you can pitch it in 2 seconds flat!

I've not had the same problem as Scott with the pole flipping over, but perhaps he was out on a windier night than me :)

I only really use mine for car camping anyway.

I think my Hogan ultralight 1 is totally great, so light for such an impressive tent. The porch is minute though, if that bothers you. The Argon has better seemed seals IIRC, so would be a better bet for 4 season use.

Dave, I've got a taurus ultralight too and can't fault it. Not been out in particularly rough conditions but imagine it will cope fine with most things wales can throw at it! I take a few extra pegs and peg the inner and outer separately at the low end (to get more tension in the outer), which helps alot with the slightly flappy bent pole. And I agree, it really does go up in a jiffy! Joel

I'm flogging my Taurus Ultralight in the classifieds here. I think the Taurus is a very good tent, but for particularly windy conditions the Odyssee looks like a better bet.

thanks for the info guys

I dont know if the small porch on the hogan would be an issue for me as I have never seen one in the flesh. I know the measurement is small but in practical terms can you get a mid sized rucksack in there?

the other thing about the hogan that I am not sure about is when the front fly sheet door is in place, is it a bit "short" ie does it leave big exposed gaps through to the inner front door?

has anyone got an Odyssee????

http://www.buachaille.com/p2895-2-18/2-Man-Tents/Vaude-Odyssee.html

That website has pictures of the Odyssee when it's up. No review unfortunately. I've been trying to find a review for it for several weeks now, but no luck so far.

James

My Hogan Ultralite 1 stood up to gale force winds at Angle Tarn in the Lakes 2 years ago.Incredibly stable & taught but yes the porch is a little on the small side.

it seems there is a total absence of experience with this tent (odyssee).

before I fork out 175 quid I just want to get a feel for how it performs

If no-one has any experience then I may have to play safer and go with a tent that has had reviews etc

A mate of mine bought a Taurus ultralight and i cant say I was that impressed with it's ability to handle a stiff breeze. We were pitched behind a wall which should have made all the difference but it seemed to bend and flex all over the place. He claimed that he hadnt pitched it right but even after tinkering with it.

Well, I made up my mind and decided to take a chance with the Odyssee

its claimed 4 season status and high entrance swung it for me

I will try it out and then post a review for others!

Scott

You mentioned your dog in the tent...

How does the ultralight floor cope with doggy claws - its a bit of a worry for me as I dont want the spaniel (TFS as he is known )wrecking the tent - but a weekend on the hill without a dog seems pointless to me.

The groundsheet it thin but very tough, am I worrying over nothing? What is your experience?

Hi Shamus. The groundsheet has held up fine, dog-wise. Admittedly our Molly tends to sleep soundly when she comes in for the night, so it's not as if she's clambering all over the place & subjecting it to too much unnecessary strain!

What I did though, was cut down a cheapo foam camping mat, basically just big enough for her to curl up on. I had done that purely for the winter, for a bit of insulation for her, but funnily enough the claw marks that appeared on the mat after only one trip persuaded me that it would be a wise idea to carry it with me all year round. For all the weight it adds, it's something I'd say is definitely worthwhile. Tbh, depending on the size you have the foam mat, it could just about cover the bulk of the floor of the tent, once your own mat etc is in place.

I should say that I don't have anything to compare the durability of the Taurus groundsheet with. However, as we now have dug number 2, who is a little more, er, active & unpredictable(!) I'm going to have to get a bigger tent with a bigger porch anyway, so that might give me a better idea of how strong the Taurus one really is.

Anyway, as long as the dog's comfy, nowt else matters, eh?

;)

I'm a bit late with this thread but i've camped out with my ultralight in every type of weather but the problem of the ridge pole bending one way has happened. But I've found that two guy ropes going either way from the point at which the pole bends down keeps everything down and striaght. And also you can get get a extra ground sheet for all the taurus tents which gives extra protection.

Picking up on the Dog's in tents thing - those that I know whom take their mutts on camping trips use a chopped up poly dust sheet. Cut either to fit the porch or as a liner for the inner tent.