Thanks for your replies.
Shewie - yeah, I have kind of read a few things on OM about this type of tent but thought a different viewpoint form people on here would be worth having. I have considered MLD trailstar but have heard a few worrying things about quality dipping of late. I'm kind of looking for a conventional tent though not a tarp tent system even if the result is the same. I have half got into a laser comp once. A mate let me try it out for size once on the fells but with shoes tied up and poking out the door I never really tested the length properly. Will have to try it some time when next she comes out with it. I did get the impression that IF i did fit in it would be very close and tight for me. I'm not a wide guy just tall but with the slope I reckon internal length and usable length being different it would not be long enough for me.
yeha - I've got a Spectre 200 for car camping. That tent is big enough for two of me in it with two full length TAR mats side by side with space around them too. IME the Spectre is a good sized two man tent. I seriously doubt the Zephyros is anywhere near as spacious considering its based on a laser and made by a sub-brand of the same company that makes lasers. If I'm proved wrong then that tent is better than I thought. IIRC it is about 1.5kg compared to in excess of 2kg for the Spectre. It would be a good, cheap no-brainer if its closer to the Spectre than I think based on what I have read about the dimensions, specs and the rest. If i had the money I'd be looking at the power tokee or the power lizard too. Also an Atko. Heard Hilleberg are close to releasing so called 3 season tents which are tough but 25% lighter than the equivalent normal Hilleberg tents. Both tunnel and dome tents. From the blurb I read they are good for pretty extreme weather based on non-snow conditions in northern Scandinavia but without snow loading. Basically that's most of the British weather when its bad. I know we get snow but not really heavy like other countries so these 3 season would probably cope and the likes of the Allak, atko and nallo would be overkill perhaps. Of course all at Hilleberg prices.
PDA1 - a 4 man version of the Scarp?! WOW! Overkill for me, looking for a 1 or 2 man really (by 2 man I mean those 1 1/2 man really a sort of spacious 1 man rather than a full 2 man). A good design much like the various laser-like ones out now.
BPR_MIK - These have been around for a while. I have a Force10 Vitesse which is a single skin, A-frame shelter that can be put up with the poles or trekking poles. It is quite bombproof if tail into the wind but side on it does tend to fold a little in bad weather. The summer winds will be the same. I do think they can stand up to a lot though. The Vitesse has stood up to a lot in the years I've used it. Also single skins get a lot of internal floor area into a relatively smaller pitch area too. Welcome if the good pitch spot is rather tight for the tent. Also the ventilation needs to be good. Which IME means door open and vent open and the result is plenty of draft in there. Condensation isn't an issue apart from some wind blown droplets. A simple bag cover would stop that issue. I also took a UL camp towel to mop the flysheet before I got out of my back and started to pack up. Then a fully opened door sorted the condensation out once I was out of there.
http://www.vango.co.uk/force-ten/vitesse-200.html
The above shows the details. It has a very good door that can be left fully open and tied back in pretty much heavy rain without rain getting inside the inner mesh doors. Seriously I've tried it and it took direct wind blown rain to get it past the mesh.
Tiley - the two porches do interest me as its something you rarely get. Even in the Scarp 1?? That is good. I mean you pitch it at the end of the day but winds can change so the morning being able to open the other side up and close the original open side against the wind is good. Also you can have the door open to a sunset then open the other side to the sunrise. How many times have you had to choose whether to have the opening to the sunset or the sunrise? I know I've made that decision a few times before now.
A little research is needed me thinks. However any other ideas for options would be helpful from anyone. I thought I knew the options out there but someone on here posted something once about a Ringstand tent. Not sure of the make but it seems to be a slightly expensive manufacturer of tents from Scandinavia and includes a Atko type of tent too. Sometimes people on this site have different ideas to the likes of OM so its interesting too.
