Here's some slightly bonkers, but actually quite logical news for
you, from early next year, you'll be able to buy Mountain Equipment
tents...
We say logical because over the years, ME has expanded from a
company best know for its down products to one that's producing
highly respected, technical mountaineering clothing that's among the
best designed on the market, so why not bring the same principles to
the tent market?
Euro Designed...
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Advanced venting promises to
minimise condensation
in cold, damp, UK conditions
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No expertise? With the company having been bought out a while back,
there's obviously more money in the R and D kitty, so the company
brought in top European tent designer Frank Merks, an innovative
Dutch designer and the man behind Lowland tents, a big brand in
Europe. He's won several awards for original designs and is well
known on the continent, a big market for ME.
Merks' brief was to produce a range of technical mountain tents
specifically designed to cope with the UK's uniquely damp and
unpleasant weather plus a serious expedition tent. The latter's the
most predictable in the range, a £500, four kilo geodesic called
the Hielo 2, it's obviously aimed squarely at the Quasar's
sturdy throat.
ME's Mark Clifford reckons it aces the Quasar on internal space,
plus uses a load of innovative and carefully thought out design
features and top spec components like DAC poles and YKK zips. It's a
hardcore expedition mountaineering tent, underlined by the snow
valances that come as stock...
Local Tents For Local People
More interesting for most Brits are the Torres and
Helium tents. The three-strong range of Torres tents are
semi-geodesics with a twist. Aimed at all round three/four season
mountain use, the main area of the tent can be pitched with three
poles for spring/summer use or you can add an optional fourth pole
for increased strength in winter conditions at the cost of an extra
250 grammes in weight.
The spec' looks thoroughly modern with an integrated gear loft,
glow in the dark zip pullers and optional supportive struts to
strengthen the base of the poles in windy conditions. Two aspects
that ME is particularly proud of are something called Xcross pole
sleeves, which are taped, crossover sleeves that apparently up the
strength of the overall structure and the numerous,
carefully-designed vents - see the pic - which funnel as much air as
possible over the inner tent to minimise condensation problems in
classic British cold, damp conditions.
The Torres is available in three versions - a two-person,
two-person with extended porch area and a three-person with extended
porch. Weight is reasonable rather than superlight ranging from 2900
grammes up to 3800 grammes depending on model and spec. Prices are
£325, £360 and £400, so right up in the high quality
end of the market alongside Macpac, Terra Nova, Hilleberg, MHW and
the like.
Lightweight Backpacking
The Helium range is aimed squarely at lightweight
backpackers - two models, the Dragonfly and Dragonfly XT - and based
on the Torres design but with lighter materials for three-season use.
So we're talking three pole design, double-skinned and again lots of
vents in what should be a tough but light package.
The two person Dragonfly weighs in at 1950 grammes and costs
£290, while the XT version with extended porch costs 30 quid
more and weighs 2250 grammes in total.
Even Lighter
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Finally,
there's also a lightweight two-man adventure race tent, the AR
Ultralite which tips the scales at 950 grammes despite being two
skin and, says ME, very roomy, so no more sleeping in your race
partner's armpit...
The design uses two trekking poles instead of conventional poles,
though you'll be able to buy conventional DAC poles as an option. You
can also hang the tent between two trees using loops on the flysheet,
which will save even more weight, unless you insist on carrying the
trees with you.
It's priced at £160 and should have adventure racers as well
as lightweight bike campers and the like reaching for their credit
cards...
For details of Mountain Equipment's current range, see their
web
site.
Evil Darren
