LightHeart Gear - Duo

Great tent! I love lightheart gear. We use the Duo, fits us our husky and all of our gear inside with plenty of room and weighs around 2lb.

Just a couple ounces past 34oz, but the Lightheart Duo has been amazing for me. I used it for chunks of the PCT, and my wife and I used one for most of the CDT. We tried the Preamble like another poster mentioned, and while it is super cool, we personally found it a little tight and low for two people, and I'm a medium sized guy and my wife is pretty small. It worked, but felt a little crampy during a storm or for hanging out in before breaking camp. I would use the Preamble solo though, it's a fun in-between, part tarp part tent...uuuuh, Tarptent, I guess haha. We briefly tried the Durston Xmid 2 but sold it, as it was a little hard to figure where the floor would end up when trying to set up between roots or rocks (kind of like the asymmetrical Stratospire 2), and we just didn't like it more than the Duo. The Lightheart Duo is super livable and doesn't cost any more than any of the cottage company tents. I love it's integrated bathtub floor, lots of headroom, awning (if you get it with the awning it's fucking awesome). Just everything. It feels very spacious inside of it. For ME it has the least amount of sacrifices, esp for two people, but at this point in my UL journey, a hair over two pounds for my favorite tent is totally fine by me, even solo. I can't make my gear more than 12.5lbs, even with semi-winter loadout and my heavy-ish tent and ULA Circuit/Ohm (same as the tent...I've been a super hip Palante/frameless guy and while I can rock it, everything feels SO much better with a pack that can truly carry a bunch of water and food on the PCT and CDT long stretches). I've tried a good amount of tents over course of a triple crown, plus a partial PCT and Colorado Trail hike, and I think it rocks. I've sold off most of the rest and it's what I'll use until it breaks or they stop making them.

Wow the duo is amazing. My current tarp tent is 36oz and while i was hoping to cut weight with the new one i can't say that I've ever had an issue with it. The design of the duo is way better than my tarp tent too.

Yea, honestly it's ONLY the UL in me that gives me heartburn at this point. 41oz makes me cringe, i should be getting a 20oz shelter! My current tarp tent is honestly 36oz including stakes and all. But $800 for the duplex pro is insane and the duo is the same weight, isn't a tarptent, and doesn't look as nice. At this point I'm just hoping to find another option. I think the durston is it but i think maybe it's bigger.

+1 for the Duo such a usable tent. So easy to set up too.

not sure why 30° enters the equation since tents are not what keeps you warm. They keep the wind off you and they keep you dry in the rain. If you get a hot tent designed to be used with a wood stove, that’s not really great for backpacking unless it’s winter and there’s snow everywhere so you can put it on your pulk. And it only stays warm while the stove is operating. If year around doesn’t include lots of wind and snow, any tent designed for three season use will do. If you intend to use a tent in winter blizzards, you need two tents, one that works well in high winds and takes a load, and a three season tent. True four season tents are designed with extra guylines inside and out, and durable materials to withstand snow loading and 50+ mph winds, often floorless so one can increase space by digging down into snow. You’ll want snow stakes instead of regular nail stakes. Tents with steep sides to shed snow or long dome type with a large vestibule work well. Hilleburg and MSR have models that are designed for 4 seasons- heavy and weather worthy. I have a GoLite Shangri La - floorless, vented at the top, three person version, weighs 2.5 lbs with a single pole. I didn’t bother with the mesh inner because I never intended to use it unless there is snow. It is not freestanding and doesn’t have to be. it’s no longer in production, but there is a similar version that I believe is made by the company that bought Go Light. The other tent will have an inner bugnetted layer to keep mosquitoes off, regular stakes, lighter waterproof fly and be whatever shape you want. I have a variety of these that I have purchased over the years. My favorites were the Lightheart gear - I wore out the first one, replaced it with the same model, and then it was stolen from the garage when a roommate left the door open. I replaced it with a Durston Xmid. In the past, I have used several models of Tarptent. They also have a four season model called the Scarp. You might have a look at their various models. They do a balance of weight and durability. They are far too light for true severe winter conditions but would be okay generally for use in snow with appropriate stakes.

Thanks for replying. Also interested in how you would support American buyers. I'm about to pull the trigger on a Durston, but I would like to try your 2-man tent and trekking poles. I currently use a Lightheart Gear tent which is 100in long, and I love that. The only down sides tk this beauty is the zips get stuck sosmetimes and it's not free standing which makes pitch hard in some terrains.