Well just like everyone else I’m building up quite a stockpile of gear at this point and have no intention of stopping anytime soon.  It seems like I subconsciously look for any kind of fine print reasoning to get a new piece of gear.  This may have been the case when I purchased my Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent & Footprint but I’m pleading the fifth.  At the time I felt like I had a couple very good reasons and I still stand by them.  I definitely had a good case for purchasing this extra piece of gear. : )

 

 

 

 

Up until I purchased my Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent my only other one man tent was an MSR Hubba 1 which is an excellent tent.  This thing is pretty darn light at around 2lbs 14oz so you can imagine that it’s build is not exactly robust and up for anything.  Actually, it’s quite strong for as light as it is so I take it on nearly every backpack trip I go on except for the winter trips.  The fact that it’s so light is partly due to a lot of mesh and in my opinion it just feels better suited to the warm weather trips.  And the nylon used in the fly, floor and sides is constructed of a lighter denier so that’s another reason to relegate it for fair weather trips.  Needless to say, I kept my eyes open for a tent that was beefier without being overly heavy (like a car camping type of tent) and much more capable of handling winter weather trips.

 

 

When I came across the Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent on sale at an incredible price it grabbed my attention so I started researching the reviews and specifications.  Looking back it appears the fantastic price was due BA no longer selling this tent.  Well, it’s definitely not a lightweight tent and at around 3lbs 15oz it’s more than a pound heavier than my MSR Hubba 1 Tent.  But, that’s perfectly fine in this case because this tent is exactly what I wanted in a winter tent.  It’s robust, stout and definitely built to take more abuse than the MSR Hubba 1 Tent!  The nylon used in the fly is especially robust and the nylon used in the bottom and sides is pretty darn tough as well.  Now I know a tent won’t keep you warm but this tent is built for heavy duty use which will, in my opinion, hold up much better when it gets cold and my equipment is pushed to its limit.  The ultimate price for all this robustness is the added weight, which is far from light and is on the heavier end of the one man backpacking tent spectrum.  But that’s okay because it’s exactly what I was looking for in a cold weather tent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, at this point I’ve taken my Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent to Big South Fork, Linville Gorge and Max Patch on the Appalachian Trail and it hasn’t let me down yet.  Only one of those trips was a little sketchy and that was the trip on the AT from Max Patch to Hot Springs, Nc.  I say that because we didn’t get to our campsite until after dark and we had to put our tents up in the dark with 25 mph winds blowing freezing rain.  I awoke the next morning to about 5 inches of snow and my fly was covered with ice.  But a quick brush off and the tent was as good as can be.  I’m really glad I bought this tent and will continue to use it for all of my winter trips where snow and ice are possible.

 

 

Here is some information right off the MSR website.

The Hubba tent is MSR’s lightest and best-selling freestanding solo tent weighing less than 3 lbs. (1.4 kg), yet it’s expertly designed to deal with 3-season camping. Compact and eminently packable—for everything from trekking to ultralight backcountry adventures—this sturdy shelter still boasts ample living space.

Specs

Brand	MSR
UPC, EAN, ISBN	040818051436
Weight	2 lbs 14 oz / 1.3 kg
Minimum Weight	2 lbs 2 oz / 979 g
Sleep Capacity	1 Person
Floor Space	15.5 sq ft / 1.4 sq m
Vestibule Space	9.5 sq ft / .9 sq m
Max Inside Width	26 in / 70 cm
Max Inside Length	86 in / 220 cm
Head Height	40 in / 100 cm
Packed Size	6 x 20 in / 15 x 51 cm
Poles	1 DAC
Best Use	Backpacking
Body Material	40D Ripstop Nylon
Floor Material	40D Ripstop Nylon 3000mm Durashield Polyurethane
Rainfly Material	40D Ripstop Nylon 1500mm Durashield Polyurethane & Silicone
Doors	1
Freestanding	Yes
Seam Taped	Yes
Seasons	3 Season

Free 2-Day Air when you join the ShopRunner program at EMS.com

 

Here is some information on the Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent….

• Lone Spring 1 tent can march off to a weekend with the local scout troop, get used and abused on the weekends and offers a durable refuge for years to come
• Single side door and 1 vestibule offer easy access to tent, a protected entrance and generous storage area
• Hub/pole system is super lightweight and tent body attaches quickly and easily to the pole frame with plastic clips; fabric loops along the ridge pole increase weight savings
• Innovative pole design provides exceptional headroom without excess weight
• DAC Pressfit® poles feature a securely fixed, pressed-in ferrule, ensuring the poles will remain strong and reliable
• Canopy is made from mesh up top for ventilation and views outside, and ripstop fabric for durability and weather protection
• Fly and floor are made from polyurethane-coated ripstop polyester for durability
• All seams on tent body and fly are sealed with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane seam tape; vestibule stormflap protects zipper from the elements
• Reflective guyline and webbing on tent corners increase nighttime visibility
• Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 includes stuff sacks and 8 superlight aluminum stakes; interior pockets and gear loft loops
• As a convenient option, poles and rainfly can be set up with the footprint (sold separately) to create a lightweight shelter

Specification	Description
Best use	Backpacking
Seasons	3-season
Sleeping capacity	1-person
Minimum trail weight	3 lbs. 8 oz.
Fly / footprint pitch weight	2 lbs. 9 oz.
Packaged weight	3 lbs. 15 oz.
Packed size	7 x 17 inches
Floor dimensions	90 x 43 inches
Floor area	22 square feet
Vestibule area	10 square feet
Peak height	37 inches
Number of doors	1 door
Number of poles	1 hubbed poleset
Pole material	CAD PressFit
Pole diameter	9 millimeters
Canopy fabric	Polyester/polyester mesh
Floor fabric	Ripstop polyester
Rainfly fabric	Ripstop polyester
Design type	Freestanding
Floor dimensions – metric	229 x 109 centimeters
Minimum trail weight – metric	1.59 kilograms
Peak height – metric	74 centimeters