MSR - FreeLite 1

My MSR Freelite 1 working well second year; always with groundsheet. Mostly running with it, but last summer used it on bike tour. Double walled - no condensation.

What did you end up with? I'm also looking for something with nearly exactly same requirements (similar height and weight, but I don't mind keeping nearly all stuff in the vestibules to reduce tent's weight), mostly for multiday MTB trips (so I need to get pretty strict with volume and weight and still cover broad temp range in humid conditions). Trekking pole tents require you to take extra poles and are not freestanding (or even semi-freestanding, you can always use your bike as an anchor or two), what instantly kills their weight gains. X-Dome sounds great, but when you add the weight of the stakes, guylines, extra groundcloth it enters the range of +- 1.2kg tents. Also, in Europe VAT taxes make it a really expensive choice. Marmot Tungsten 1P UL always pitches inner-first, what for me (and many others) is a deal breaker. Copper Spur 1 UL is hard to get in Europe without crazy price (not only VAT tax but also customs). Naturhike Taga(r) 1 could a great bang for a buck (on discounts it costs 3-4x less than other mentioned here tents), so cheap that using it with no ground cloth doesn't hurt the wallet as much. With no groundcloth it also gets into +- 1.2kg range. It's a hybrid that is technically a single layer tent, but with wisely placed mesh sides of an inner, so most of the condensation drips on the ground, not the bathtub... But it's so sloped that at 6ft I found impossible to not to touch the wall with either feet or head. I heard that smallest NEMO OSMOs get really cramped for taller people, but never had a chance to try out one. FreeLight 1 on discounts can be found for like 300 EUR and with the groundcloth stays a reasonable contender - potentially slightly stronger than XDome (european version with alu poles), much cheaper, but semi-freestanding + that annoying fly cutout introducing some condensation on inner, in your legs. Chinese silnylon 3x3 tarp + some (most likely custom) mesh bivy -- I'm afraid that cheap & light Lixada bivy will not let my sleeping bag gain enough loft when I cram into it. On the other hand, other mesh bivies are much more expensive (like 5+ times, while materials for DIY cost twice the Lixada's bivy) and use way less robust bathtub materials, likely requiring some extra groundcloth. Using bike as a support and taking few mini-groundhog clones and a bunch of paracord / dyneema guylines total weight should be below 0.85kg extremely low price...

MSR makes a 1p that is under 2 lbs and the poles are super small. I have a MSR 2p now as I don't care about weight. I used the 1p on my first outing and it was very awesome. MSR Freelite https://cascadedesigns.com/products/freelite-1-person-ultralight-backpacking-tent?_pos=3&_fid=c788cde60&_ss=c

I definitely struggled to get a proper pitch. It's easier with a trekking pole or adjustable carbon pole (the SMD pole is absolutely not the right choice it's too flimsy). I've had to reattach the front guyline, it tore off and the zippers seem pretty flimsy but that's par for the course with tents like this.  The bathtub invariably lies flat at the back of the tent so I imagine you could get some water in there if it really poured but maybe that's to do with pitch.  It's shape gives you some extra room but in practice it's fairly negligible because the back and side walls are sloped more than a typical mid. I thought it would be good for camping with a dog but the back wall is so sloped that there isn't really a lot of space for my medium sized dog (she pushes the back wall up with her back even curled in a ball). I don't think it's bad but by the time you include all the stakes it needs, and add up all the downsides I tend to just take my freelite (it only weighs a bit more and is way more comfortable/drier) or a dyneema mid.

I do a few national trails in the Uk, and fit them in when I can. That might mean a train after work, and starting till 8pm or later, last one I started walking at 9:30pm and by nearly midnight had covered 8-miles of mostly canal path. I went past a few decent spots early on then nothing for ages. Eventually found a crappy pitch with no decent pegging, I set off again at 07:00. Wouldn’t have been an issue in my free standing tent, sadly I took a single hoop, and thank goodness it was dry. It certainly allows more freedom in pitch choice. Which the situations you describe might well occur. Have even used the inner indoors just to deter flies/midges. Currently I’m replacing my tent. Hubba Hubba Bike pack 1 is preferred, or possibly msr freelit.

Yes the Freelite is semi, the Hubba Hubba is closer to fully free standing. Still needs the odd pen for fly. It’s not perfect. Freelite is 750g, I don’t see a shelter at 150g except maybe a tarp but then that’s a whole different proposition. Sure the Hubba Hubba adds 600g to a tarp/pole based solution. But if comparing it to no bug net there are significant differences in comfort. And we each have different comfort/discomfort levels.

My only comment on Big Agnes in my experience is that the tents are fragile because they are so ultralight. I’ve had my Copper Spur poles snap twice. BA is great with repairing stuff but it’s not great when you’re in the back country and you’ve got to hold everything together with duck tape just to make it through the rest of the trip. My MSR on the other hand, while a little heavier, seems a lot more substantial while still being a light weight backpacking tent.