3F UL GEAR - Taiji 1

Used a Naturehike Cloud Up 2 in stealth green for Patagonia, GDMBR and Baja Divide. Cheap as chips with plenty of room for gear and is a surprisingly solid tent for hunkering down for a day or two in very wet and stormy Wyoming weather. My most recent purchase for a different climate (cold/dry) is a 4 season 3FUL Gear Taiji 1 tent in a stylish khaki/coyote brown. I've only set it up in the backyard and not used on a trip yet, but the zips, poles and seams look to be a little bit of a step up in finishing quality than the Naturehike. But you can't go wrong with either brand. Both tents are about 1.8kgs including poles, pegs, guylines, groundsheet etc and can be reduced further by removing any carry bags. Anyone who tells you that you need to spend a lot of money on Western branded tents doesn't know that the Chinese tent brands are about 80% the quality of the high end premium western tents at 1/3rd to 1/4 the price due to economies of scale. I would even go so far as to say that they exceed the quality of a lot of Western branded mid range tents in the $500 USD pricing tier based on my experience of seeing colleagues with a couple of very well known and popular mid tiered tents struggling under stronger winds and wetter weather. The idea that Chinese = junk is simply not true. Usually the western brands have better marketing but they are generally all made in the same factory. The other thing to consider is that all tents lose their DWR coating after a while and if your pitching in very dry desert conditions the zippers will eventually need replacing even if YKK and regularly lubed.

Check out the 3fulgear Taiji 1. It's only about $150 USD for the 4 season version. Whilst it's not the lightest tent (can be made lighter by ditching the carry bag) because it uses a crossover 3 separate pole design (seen usually in snow loading tents) it's very strong and durable and comes in nice stealth coyote brown colour. I bought this tent for Peru Great Divide and it's been pitched higher than 4,000m and as low as -10°c including windy Bolivian sait flats, heavy downpours in Brazil and extremely wet and windy exposed spots on west coast of the south island of New Zealand. In all that time I've never needed to use the guy lines because the crossover pole design on the outside works very well so the tent has not come anywhere close to what it's capable of withstanding yet. Those Hillebergs and Nord Tents are beautiful and I saw plenty of them up close in New Zealand but I still cannot justify even paying $300 for a tent, because they are essentially a wear item, like a bicycle chain and cassette (all tents zippers wear out, flys lose waterproofing due to UV etc). So yeah sure you can buy an $800 super lightweight and durable cassette or you can get one just as durable at 1/3rd the price. Many owners of Hillebergs were intrigued by my 'china' tent when they saw how well it handled bad weather especially after I told them the price :) Yes the Hilleberg is a step above most tents in quality but you could buy 6 Taijis over 10 years and have a brand new unused tent for every trip for the same price. As for Nemo, MSR etc these tents are not worth the money people are paying for them as they are 'china' made in exactly the same factory facility the Taiji is made in, but with American marketing (check out YouTube video exposing how almost all 'western' brand tents are all made in the same place in China) . If you still want something quality that is a step above Nemo/MSR etc take a look into Duston tents which look good up close and come from a small business that is passionate about design and only makes tents rather than tries to be all things to all people. They are reasonably priced and lightweight. But as someone else pointed out Keith Bontrager's famous quote "Light, Strong, Cheap....pick two".... you will have to make a compromise somewhere.

If budget minded, check out the [Taji 1.](https://www.camperlists.com/products/3f-ul-gear-taiji-1) The same manufacturer as your Lanshan. I've had it in decently blustery and squally conditions with no issues. You can reinforce with walking poles on the spreader bar if necessary. Only mod I'd do is replace the four guys line pegs. Same as yourself, I will never be testing it in a storm.

I'd get a Taiji over the Star River if you are buying a Chinese tent. Much stronger. If you can afford it though, I'd get a mid (Duomid, Pyraomm Duo) if you use trekking poles, or a Scarp if you don't. Not sure of your budget however.

Hubba tent has a single top tube, this design is made to be lightweight but it cannot withstand wind. You have to choose tents with another type of construction: half barrel designs (papa hubba type but smaller ones), two arches crossed two times designs (elexir type) or several arches forming a dome designs (3f ul Taiji and it's Hilleberg original).