Tarptent - ProTrail Li

Have a dipole li 1 now (had the pro 1 previously)… the vents on the dipole make a huge difference in KY weather. I’ve tried a few different 1 person tents and the li1 has more ventilation than anything other than a tarp/bivy or hammock

A lot of the comments here recommending 3 pound freestanding tents or recommending a 2p tent for 1 person is bad advice if you want to get your base weight down. OP, if you're looking for a tent for one person with a budget of ~$500 (judging by the Nemo tents) look at something like the Tarptent Protrail Li.

The Protrail is now 20d Sil Poly and based on how compact and well designed my Dynema Protrail is, I would strongly recommend the Sil Poly Protrail for compactness and reasonable price. Plus if you are tarp familiar it would be pretty easy to set up very quickly as well (much faster than setting up a tarp, for me at least).

I have several tarps and bivys and the Protrail li is surprisingly compact compared to a tarp+Yama or Slingfin bug bivy.  I just measured the Protrail li in its stuff sack and it is 11”x5” and still fairly compressible.  I use 11” as a reference for length to fit it into my 11” wide backpack(Nero).  The benefit of nylon/poly is the ability to stuff the tent into non cylindrical spaces.  However I would probably put more emphasis on side entry vs front, as well as staked out footprint and number of stakes.  Probably can’t go wrong with either one I’m just partial to Tarptent because that is the manufacturer I have the most experience with  (the family fleet, Protrail li, Aeon, Double Rainbow DW). 

You should take a look at the various gear exchange reddits. There have been several Slingfin Splitwing shelter bundles up for sale in the $250 range. They will pack down quite well and will provide reasonable room and pitching flexibility. You can also try the Yama Mountain Gear Cirriform tarp/bug bivy setup. Less compact but still compact is a Tarptent Protrail. I have all of these shelters (the Protrail in Dynema) and have easily fit them in my 38L Zpack Nero for longer hikes or 30L Sub Nero for warm weather weekend hikes. I also use a Katabatic bivy on short trips however it gets very claustrophobic after a few nights. I am able to fit my gear in all of these options. The Katabatic is wide/long and my pack fits above my head. You seem very set on what I assume is a 36L pack. However if you are going to successfully hike long distances on the AT you will need an incredibly compact and dialed in kit as well as incredible discipline and planning as food carries and accommodating cold weather gear etc will be quite a challenge. I find I struggle with the Nero in cold weather when the food carry gets over 4-5 days.

I got the ProTrail Li, only used for one trip that was 6 days but I love it. Getting used to single wall however. Next time I'm bringing a sweedish dish cloth to dry, hoping that helps. I also have Stratospire 2 Sil. I'm debating the Li as my tent is from when the SS2 first came out (like 10-15 years?) and has like 500 nights on it, just starting to see some failures here and there. I'm a slim 6'1" and can easily use either of these tents happily.

I switched from the Moment DW to the ProTrail because I didn't like packing with struts.

Love my Protrail, it's my go-to for high bug pressure. Plenty roomy inside. No major condensation issues, especially once you learn to properly pitch the side walls. Never any issues with staying dry inside either

The bathtub floor on the protrail is great, never had any issues with rain While you're shopping for tents, consider the Preamble

I fit fine with my 4 and 6 year olds in a 2 person tent. Kids use half CCF pads. When everyone comes (us 3+ mom and baby) we use 2 tents. Easier to fit at campsites and divide weight. When it was just parents and a kid or two, I would tarp camp while they shared the tent. Just got a protrail li, and I can fit a kid in there with me too!

Alpkit tarptent, can become a 2 person if you want it to but as a 1p you have loads of space

Tarptent all the way - has kept me dry and cozy for thuousands of kilometers in snow, rain and heat. I have never owned a better ultralight tent. Bonus: you buy from a small, independent company, founded and owned by a great guy - when I bought my first one (years back) he answered all my questions personally… What a legend!

I thought about the xmid and the Tarptent Dipole. Ended up with the Dipole because I'm tall and I didnt like the large footprint required to set up the Tarptent. I got the 1p and it's huge in the inside (for a ul tent).