MSR - FreeLite 3

We uses this as a family, when we do our four week cycle tours in summer: my wife and me share a MSR Freelite 3 and our three kids share a Blacktail Hotel 3. On rainy days we all five hang out together in the Hotel 3, eat and play games in there. It is a bid heavy, but quite robust. So I don't mind when the kids do their party in there or fight in there about whatever.

I don't hate my lunar solo, but I wouldn't say I love it either. Sure its large for the kind of tent it is, but a lot of that room isn't usable - like my dog is right against the outside wall. The bathtub part is pretty hard to get right, and takes a lot of faffery, for often no gain. Its not that light, nor does it pack that small for what you get. Don't get me wrong, I think the value is there, in terms of cost vs weight vs usability, its for me the kind of tent I take on one or two night trips but since I've bought a MSR freelight I just take that because it weighs almost the same and I am biking so I carry a pole for t he solo.

I have never gotten a 'good pitch' of the bathtub despite trying many different iterations of how to pitch it. The best I've gotten was using a height adjustable Durston pole. I've never gotten wet because of a bad pitch either, but condensation is a thing with this tent, and a good pitch helps with airflow. Nothing like having those bottom vents pointing at the ground. I use the 2 person version of the freelite so no! The walls are quite steep on the solo version so it might not feel cramped, but cannot confirmed. Its really a matter of the lunar solo and the pole and stakes is not that much lighter than the 2 person freelite... Maybe shelling out for a fancy dynema tent like the solo makes the comfort sacrafice worth the weight savings?

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.