@davebugg I appreciate all your posts and know you never push products, just put out information. I certainly enjoy your inputs and have learned a lot.
I looked into trekking pole length and I guess mine are ladies poles. They have a range of 100 - 115 cm ...I looked at my poles! I bought them in 2018, kit does change frequently and it looks like the current ladies version goes up to 120 cm. I'm only 5'4" so mine suit me just fine (for trekking
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Adding tent poles is not that heavy, so this tent does look really good value. I looked at buying it from the USA and paying the various taxes/charges. If it keeps this price once they have it in stock it could be cheaper for me than buying it in Europe, depending on delivery charges. The best European price was the equivalent of $450...but they are out of stock too.
Price I'm prepared to pay is not a simple question. I honestly don't know how much use I will make of a tent so I need to consider that alongside what I would get for the money spent. I like this tent; it is light and it looks easy to use, both very important for me. This price could work. But I can probably borrow a small light tent so I am thinking that borrowing is my best starting point and will give me more experience on which to base buying decisions. Especially as I can't obtain one of these right now!
That being said I would be interested to hear your opinion of the Big Agnes Scout 1 Platinum? Being a new tent I can not yet find any reviews but a perusal by your expert eye would be interesting
I appreciate it's a lot smaller but it is wonderfully light and my poles would fit!
I keep forgetting that the VAT can really increase the bottom line cost of anything from the US, in a addition to whatever import duties or fees. . . even if there are EU dealers that sell the same item.
If you are finding such items out of stock, contact the store via email and see if they'll give a 'rain check'. With the shutdown of businesses due to COVID-19, a lot of backpacking gear makers have either stopped or decreased their production of goods. I keep hearing about the frustration and concern that these smaller gear makers have at being able to meet customer's demand, but decreasing inventories are a temporary reality for them.
Gossamer Gear, Enlightened Equipment, ULA, MLD, etc. are all running on minimal staff at this time. I imagine the same has happened across all industries worldwide.
The Big Agnes tents can be good with their construction. . the Scout series uses the same type of silnylon that Gossamer Gear and TarpTents, etc. use in their tents.
With a footprint under the tent made of polycro, or Tyvek or something else lightweight, that provides a bit of protection from stuff on the ground, it will last quite a while. I still have a 5 year old silnylon TarpTent that has a couple of thousand miles of backpacking history
The only concern I personally have with BA tents that are part of their ultralight lineup, is that BA shaves off weight by decreasing usable space. The tents can be narrower and have less headroom than tents from some other tent makers, or they may have a more pronounced taper from head to foot.
In practical terms, some folks are fine with the size issues and accept the sizing trade off for the weight savings. . . they just need a tent to sleep in, not 'live' in. Just a place to hunker into at night to ward off insects or foul weather during sleep. That normally works for me, too. In fact, if weather and mosquitoes are cooperative, I might not even bother setting up a tent or tarp at that night.
Where size does matter more for some folks, is if you are facing long periods of rain, and need to stay in the tent. BA, and other models and makes of tents, don't give much space to sit up and move around in with one-person models. This is why some folks, regardless of tent maker, will decide to go with larger two-person tents.
This means that it is important to deal with a shop that has an easy customer return and/or exchange policy. You will want to be able to set one up, and try it out for your own determination of 'elbow room'. If you find the sizing is not an issue, then the Scout will work just fine in terms of durability and quality of manufacture.
Repairs are going to be needed with any tent, eventually. With silnylon tents, patches are easy to do if needed. I always carry a small length of something like Tenacious Tape which makes a permanent patch should a hole or tear eventually happen.