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Travel to South America

Hi. Hi. Hi,

At the beginning of 2020, I'm going with my gilfriend on a 'one-year' journey through South America. We start at the bottom and finish at the top ^^. We are looking for the perfect tent to spend most of our nights in. So far, our travels have been limited to one region and one type of climate, and we have all gone through the quickhiker-ultralight-2 tent.
And he was my biggest friend in Norway (in winter and summer). Winter was not for him, although it was possible to survive. I liked him very much, but it is not a tent that I would take on a year-long journey through almost all geographical zones. We are going to hike a lot in the mountains, which means that the tent must be resistant to the local winds. We will try to climb Acouncague and a few other peaks (here it is a matter of it will be in our tent or rented on site). High altitudes and high air humidity are certainly issues to be kept in mind when choosing. I wonder how with the ground (it's a matter of choosing a free-standing tent or not). I also think whether it is worth investing in a 4-season tent or better to rent a storm tent for a few days when climbing the summits. Later, however, we will be in Colombia and the return will probably be from Mexico, so the tent has to handle the humidity and temperatures.
I have researched a lot of websites, read several forums, tests and reviews and listed a few tents worthy of attention. So I would like to ask you about the opinion of what kind of tent would you choose for such a trip?
The list I managed to create (I suggested weighed up to 2.5kg):

MSR Hubba NX - 1.7kg, a lot of good reviews, but I am worried about two issues. One is an overlayed tropic, which when set up in the rain will cause water in the middle of the tent. The second one is also connected with the tropics - from what I've read some opinions and films of reviewers, it's not long enough to "close" the whole bedroom and seal it off from the bottom, strong winds and jamming rain. Here also the question of safety of leaving backpacks in the vestibule in more dangerous areas, if they stick out from outside the tent :/

MSR Access 2 - 2kg - 4 seasonal, good reviews. Same thing with the tropics. I am also worried about the water resistance values - 1200 thousand mm in the tropics and 3 thousand floors. And lack of information about the wind power that can push it (the same as in the case of NX), people's opinions in this regard very unspecific.

Hilleberg Nallo 2 - 2,4 - 4 seasonal, non-free-standing. Waterproofness of the tent shell: 5000 mm, Floor waterproof: 15000 mm. Well, I must admit that it sounds better :)

Hilleberg Anjan 2 - similar but 3 seasonal, much lighter - 1.8kg

Hilleberg Niak 2 - different design, 1.7kg, one side output ;/

Robens Verdin - 1.8kg, he is said to survive 170km/h - probably unrivalled here. I don't know how to deal with waterproofness.

Salewa Litetrek Pro II - 2kg, 90 km/h

Blizzard 2 Terra Nova - has a very interesting performance but the red color rather disqualifies him.

Southern Cross 2 Terra Nova - 2,3kg - Here is a very strong competitor for Hilleberg with similar prices.

Voyager 2 Terra Nova - 200 g lighter than above. Here good opinions among older colleagues using :)

Copper Spur HV2 Expedition - 2,4kg - here it is hard to find any specific opinions

A little bit of it came out, it's hard to decide for now, at first I couldn't find anything for myself and then suddenly as I dig deeper, it turns out that there are some interesting options. Only as if there were more travelers who would like to share their opinions from similar trips!

I would be grateful for any feedback! At the moment I feel a little lost and I decided that when you buy a tent for a year trip, you should choose the best :) And maybe it will last much longer!

Posted by
23610 posts

Think you need to asking this question on a backpacking oriented site. Very few people here travel with a tent and even few - I would say none -- travel for an extended period of time with a tent.

I can't give you direct feedback. I have been to Guatemala a few times. The weather, seasons, and climate is similar to Florida. So, if you can prepare for the Florida outdoors - you will be set for central and South America. Be prepared during the summer months for heavy downpours primarily in the afternoon. (Very good rain jackets, tarps, backpack covers). If you are going to get stuck in a tent - I think you will desire more than a Bivy. That is, something you can at least sit-up in. Some kind of mesh to keep out the bugs and snakes, bath-tub bottom to keep rain out, footprint and excellent tarp coverage. Fleece zip-ups or pullovers for the Winter. I also recommend light-weight, synthetic long sleeve shirts to protect from rain, wind, sun, and cold. Brands like reel legends, Columbia, etc.. Wear a good hiking hat with a rim and neck cover. You will not believe what a difference a hat makes against sun/rain, hot/cold, glare. It's one of the best things to take.

Posted by
1194 posts

I’m concerned because you are asking for technical tent advice on a packing forum Vs an ultralight backpacking forum. This tells me that some of your outdoors experience might be limited. It seems to me that your mountaineering plans are far beyond your abilities.

Aconcagua is not to be trifled with. It shouldn’t be your first high altitude attempt.

Walk before you run and all that.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank You for Your advices FLORIDA :) i considered to take a hat, but maybe i will buy it there, to disappear in the crowd of local people !

Cindy H - I don't underestimate Aconcagua. I hike a lot in Polish Mountains, was at Elbrus, Blanc, hike routes in Lofoten, and wanted to try higher mountains beeing there. I don't know if I can manage it. But why are You impolite?

Posted by
1194 posts

I am not impolite. I don’t want to see you die.

Your questions sounded more like beginner questions, not those of an experienced mountaineer.

While Aconcagua is technically easy it kills several people a year. They die from high altitude and also from exposure (cold) due to high altitude. With Aconcagua it is not how many steps per breath, but how many breaths per step.

Did you summit Elbrus and Blanc? Then you know altitude and I owe you an apology. If you merely trekked around them then I stand by my assertion.

South American has significantly less support services than Europe. You’re on your own for the most part.

Posted by
6 posts

Elbrus yes, returned from Blanc without summit :/
People dies in mountains, not only on Acouncagua.
We want to try.
Always can return.

Posted by
6 posts

Maybe we could change the subject.
What kind of shelter did You use in South America? :)

Posted by
17362 posts

The serious Mountaineers I know here favor Hilleburg tents, and that would likely be a good choice for attempting Aconcagua and other mountains such as in Patagonia But that does not take tropical conditions (heat and humidity) into account.

I personally have the MSR Hubba Hubba and yes it is nice and light. It stood up well to a storm with heavy rain and 60 mph wind gusts, but as noted the rainfly does not come down to the ground. Wind-driven rain got in under the fly, hit the dirt and splashed up through the mesh into the tent. It was not a lot of water, but the grit it brought in was annoying.