Orson XL Raider 1

  Orson Raider XL-A better 1 man tent?

Over the break I managed to by another tent for using it is the Orson Raider XL tent and this one is in the orange. You can get this tent in orange and green. I thought the orange would be a better color to buy. The tent is easier to see as well as looking different...

..the Orson Raider 1 in orange...

Designed with tall individuals in mind this tent provides plenty of length with a size of 230cm reaching even the tallest of trampers. Often this is a problem as taller trampers find it impossible to fit inside the more shorter offerings from tent manufacturers. 

...the Orson Raider with the fly removed...

The dimensions of the tent are 230x90/50x92 which gives room for the tramper and all of their gear inside. The tent has a fly with a 3000 cu cm's head to it making it heavy enough to handle conditions here. It has a 5ooo cu cm's head on the floor and a bath tub base so it is effectively waterproof. 

..Dimensions of the tent...

The Raider tent offers easy side entry and an extra area opposite the entry for use as gear storage or for cooking in the tent. There is plenty of space in the tent with a wide vestibule providing space to allow you to use it for cooking, gear storage or what ever else you might need it for. 

Interior shot showing the taped interior of the tent

With weight of 1.75kg it is heavier then my Copperspur UL 1 but the added water proof-ness and extra pole has led to compromises with the weight. The second pole has given it added rigidity but it has also added to the weight. The tent is fully seam sealed and has a number of useful storage compartments on it...useful for storage of gear and ancillary's.

I had yet to use it so I don't know how it will perform but I hoping it will be fully water proof. I'm looking at some options for camping to practice set up and tearing it down. I have had a go with setting it up and it looks fairly easy.

Orson Raider: side view of the tent


The tent will become my go to went it is rainy and cold and I'm looking forward to use it to its full potential. I'll put some photos of the tent erected when I have them.

Tramping Equipment: Orson Indie 1P UL Tent

 Another tent for the tramping equipment cupboard

Over the weekend I brought myself a new lite weight tramping tent to add to my already extensive stable of shelters. It is the one person Orson Indie 1P UL Tent which is another lite weight shelter for use on my tramping and back country adventures. 

The Orson Indie 1P UL tent

Orson tents are made in conjunction with Intents Outdoors an Auckland based importer of outdoor equipment. Orson is their new in house brand manufactured overseas to NZ specifications. Intents Outdoors have existed from the mid 2000's and provide a range of outdoor gear including tents, shelters, camping gear, camp kitchen and car camping items. 

The Intents Outdoors website

The Indie 1P UL is a tarp shelter which means it can be erected with a treking pole or optional tent pole. I always carry a set of trekking poles so it makes sense to use a tarp tent as a lite weight shelter. The Indie 1 weighs in at just over 1 kg and is long enough, wide enough and tall enough to provide space for myself, my sleeping pad and my gear. 

Dimensions of the Indie 1P

The Indie 1 is a pyramid style tent with a outer fly with a 4000mm water rating and a 8000mm rated floor. It will have significantly more water protection than my Big Agnes tent which will allow me to camp further into the summer shoulder seasons. 

Indie 1P UL tent in green...side view

The tent is available in either bright orange or a mid green color (mine is green) and they are a combination of sil nylon, polyester and netting material. It has one vestibule and one opening and needs to be pegged to the ground to erect. The outer fly and inner tent can be erected separately, together or outer first so the inner can be kept dry if erecting in rain. 

You can also buy the Indie 1P in this bright orange color

The tent packs down to a relatively small size and has its own waterproof stuff sack for storage when not in use. There is a set of 9 Y shaped aluminium pegs and I will replace 2-4 of these with longer V stakes for the foot and head. 

The Indie 1P comes with a waterproof drybag

The inner dimensions of the Indie 1P are roughly the same as my Copper Spur UL 1 and like that tent this is a single person shelter. The Indie is a little bit taller so I will have to take some care when pitching as it will probably be more prone to wind.  This is a minor problem for me as I do not often pitch my tent on exposed hills. 

I have seen a number of other people using this tent here in New Zealand and it is the main shelter of one of the tramping vloggers I like to watch. I brought this tent from Hunting and Fishing at Tower Junction and it cost $350 NZ Dollars. This is the first time I have seen these tents here in Christchurch and H & F had a good selection of the Orson tent range in stock. 

There are two optional additions to this tent with either a metal or carbon fiber pole available and a ground sheet cut to the correct dimensions for the tent. I have ordered a metal pole for the tent but I'm not sure if I will order a ground sheet to go with it. The pole cost $30 from Intents Outdoors an online store here in New Zealand.

I have already ordered one of the optional Indie metal poles

I usually cut some plastic sheeting to size for a footprint and use this as it it is lighter and more durable than a nylon groundsheet. I have also used Tyvek and space blankets for ground sheets in the past so I will have to decide what I want to use with this shelter. 

Optional Indie1P footprint is about $60 NZD

 I am looking forward to getting this out and into the backcountry to see how it performs. 

The Indie 1 in use...

There is nothing to see here yet as I have not had the opportunity to pitch the tent. 

Here are a couple of photos I found showing the tent pitched. This particular instance is using the optional metal pole you can purchase for this tent and a treking pole. I have already ordered one of the poles from Intents Outdoors and I expect it to arrive in the mail sometime this week. 

Side view of a pitched Orson Indie 1P using trekking pole

Another view of a pitched Orson Indie 1P with metal pole

I will be taking this outside and pitching it as soon as we have some dry weather so I can practice raising and lowering before I need to use it on a tramp. I will add some photos to this post when I have been able to do so. 

Equipment for Te Araroa: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1

...ongoing ultra light gear upgrades...

I've started upgrading some of my gear to allow me to use it on the Te Araroa trail more effectively, one of my first purchases was a new ultra light tent. 

Big Agnes Copper Spur tents

Big Agnes is a well known and respected American outdoor equipment firm specialising in tents, sleeping bags, mats and ancillary equipment. Many of the Te Araroa trail walkers over the past 2 years have been using these tents very successfully. 

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1: 3+ season free standing tent

The Copper Spur UL 1 person is a true 3+ season free standing tent, i.e. they do not need to be pegged to the ground to be erected. This is an advantage in areas where it is rocky or hard to find peg  friendly spots. These tents are also supposed to be stable which is useful in windy old New Zealand. This particular tent design has won multiple international awards over the last 3-4 years.

Big Agnes Copper Spur: Inner tent and pole system

I brought the one person version of this tent (they range from 1-4 people) so it weighs around 1 kg, that is light for a free standing tent. With my normal plastic groundsheet I'm looking at 1.1 kg total!

It is also very roomy with the same dimensions as my current two person tent but with more headroom. I'm 6'3" tall and I still have ample space at head and foot when prone in this tent.

Dimensions of the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1

The vestibule on these tents is very generous...I have room under it for my pack, boots, walking pole and cooking gear with space to spare. The one person version has one entrance/vestibule but all the other sizes have two entrances/vestibules.

This tent was purchased online from Gear Shop, who I believe are the sole distributors for Big Agnes gear in New Zealand. They had a 2017 summer sale so I managed to buy mine for only $450 NZD when the usual retail price is over $700 NZD. That is a stunning price given these tents cost $375 USD in the United States.

A real bargain!

Big Agnes Copper Spur:with the fly sheet closed down

 I have yet to use this 'operationally' but will be sure to post some shots once I do. Next to buy is a new lighter pack, trail shoes and UL down sleeping bag/quilt and I'm ready to go...

That should get my base weight down to around 8-9 kgs total.