NatureHike Sand Dune hot tent

see also:

• hot tents (tents with wood stoves inside)
• Pomoly Leo 2 2P hot tent
• Dokicamp Unlimited Works dome tent VAST-SK100
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TRowR4Qd80 Youtube: this tent being sent up in the wind and snow at Kosciuszko National Park - just don't set up as he does nor roll up the doors like him (roll them the other way so you don't damage the mesh
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaSrfHIWXQk Youtube: initial set up and review by TOGR

• the Nature Hike Sand Dune 7.6 is a 2023 model “4 season” rectangular floor-less tent with a stove jack and 2 meshed doors, 2 large meshed/fabric side window/doors plus a large fabric/mesh inner tent
• in cold weather, the optional TPU door gives visibility while keeping the rain and wind out, and the inner tent can be almost fully fabric enclosed apart from its ceiling - one could replace this in cold conditions with a full fabric inner tent - and of course you can have a wood stove
• in warm weather with flies or mosquitoes, there are the 2 meshed ceiling vents plus 2 large mesh side windows plus 2 large meshed front/rear doors and the inner tent can be set to having just mesh on the two large doors as well as the ceiling
• delivery to Australia for my purchase took just under 7 weeks
• this tent could be the Goldilocks tent for solo car campers (or for a couple):
  • not too big and heavy that one person would struggle with it
  • easy to set up and take down
  • not too arduous for just a one night set up
  • no floor means it is more easily dried out on site - large tents such as these with floors struggle to allow the floor to dry out on site, or even at home
  • very affordable
  • strong enough to withstand decent inclement weather
  • just enough space to have a stove and small table or camp chair
  • the TPU door option provides wonderful ability to see outside when it is raining and cold yet not have the wind adversely impact you
  • ability to use a wood stove
  • plenty of ventilation and access options with its 4 doors - all meshed plus fabric (two side doors only have upper part meshed) plus two ceiling vents
  • this makes it a true 4 season tent (even has snow skirts), although in hot humid rain conditions, you may wish to add a tarp to allow maximum protection of the doorways while open
  • removable inner tent in case you prefer to use a 1P smaller inner to give you more space outside the inner tent
  • well made with very sturdy aluminium poles
  • just tall enough that shorter campers at least can stand up in it

• “2023 Upgraded Version”
• 3.2×2.4×1.8m tall; ~7.6 sq. m;
• 4 meshed, fabric doors:
  • front door can be set up as awning and optional TPU;
  • rear door can be set up as awning but no zipper for TPU;
  • 2 side doors also act as meshed windows with inner fabric zipping UPWARDS which is really great for privacy
• internally silver-coated PU 2000mm 75D 210T polyester floorless tent with stove jack (located at rear, close to inner tent)
• detachable 2P inner tent: white B3 polyester mesh, white fabric, 150D 3000mm Oxford floor
  • detachable 2P FABRIC 2.2×1.5×1.6m 2 dual mesh/fabric doors frameless inner tent with bathtub floor and mesh ceiling;
• no fly;
• nice 13mm alloy poles - 2 main long poles which pass through short sleeves on ceiling only, plus a short cross pole that clips on to ceiling
• 2 ceiling vents
• snow skirts
• 6 guy out points - these are designed to wrap around the poles! (guys included but not needed unless windy)
• packs to 63x30x22cm; 7.5kg;
• optional TPU for front door:
  • SBS resin zipper 20 silk
  • 210x140cm 0.6kg
  • zips DOWNWARDS from the tops on each side, top section has velcro tabs
  • TPU becomes the inner-most layer - the mesh and fabric layers are external which allows setting up the fabric layer as a small awning
• optional footprint:
  • dark coffee 150D Oxford; 3.15×2.35m; 0.92kg; packs to 27x15cm;
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006028659331.html ~$AU424 and optional: TPU door ($AU53) and footprint ($AU51) + shipping $AU131
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080632530.html ~$AU436 incl. delivery
• NB. there is also an “original version” which is 50D not 75D fabric and thus lighter at 7.2kg but without the stove jack https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005399342880.html ~$AU508 free delivery by slow boat

• standing height for most people
• relatively fast, intuitive and easy to set up (especially if you leave the inner tent attached and the TPU door attached when packing up)
  • takes me 5-7min to set up or pack up by myself with inner tent pre-installed and packed up installed (excluding guy ropes)
  • NB. if using the inner tent, you will probably need to hang the whole tent up in the shade when you get home to ensure the bottom is dry before storage
• ability to add TPU door to front door only (this zips INSIDE the mesh/fabric layers) but the TPU material is fairly thin and not as sturdy as that on the Dokicamp Unlimited Works dome tent VAST-SK100
• front and rear awning doors extends shelter space
• stove jack seems to be in a usable position although it is quite close to the supplied inner tent
• 4 dual fabric/meshed doors of the outer tent makes for great versatility
• inner tent seems nice and is all fabric apart from its ceiling so warmer for those cooler nights, yet could be ventilated well with mesh doors for warmer nights
  • the doors zip away from the stove and fold to the opposite side which reduces chances of fabric contacting the stove - but you still need to be careful!
• can use without inner tent or provide your own 1P or 2P inner tent (if using a stove, a 90cm deep 1P tent is a safer option such as the 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents as it is further from the stove)
• not too heavy or bulky
• easy to set up - the 2 long sleeves are actually easy to push (or gently pull if sleeve is not cramped up tight) the poles through thanks to the extra large 13mm pole diameters which don't come apart too easily

• no ceiling fly to prevent ember melts from hot embers falling from the chimney melting the ceiling and causing issues with rain - ensure you chimney is very high and with spark arrester and avoid very hot fires - consider adding a tarp as a fly to protect from embers (and also add more waterproofing plus option to extend out to protect the side windows or rear door in the rain)
• inner tent design is not my favorite design but it does save time, allows standing height for short people, and can be replaced with a 1P or 2P freestanding tent
  • inner tent not as warm or private as a Vidalido Land Yu 2Persons TC Cotton S-T139 Tent or a 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents
    • the inner tent is very tall with lots more air volume and the ceiling is all mesh so your body heat will not be able to warm it up - but you can replace it with your own 1P or 2P tent
  • inner tent has D doors which fold to the side
    • this reduces options for privacy and ventilation - a fabric door which zips UP from the bottom allows privacy even if only zipped up part way and still allows ventilation or visibility when sitting up - but again, you can replace the inner with a 1P version of the 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents which has the zip up from the bottom design of the fabric layer
  • bathtub floor of inner tent is quite thin
    • I would advise having rubber mats and/or a tarp underneath to protect it and also provide extra waterproofing
• wind resistance may be an issue given its height and only 3 poles but they are 13mm poles so as long as guyed out well and zipped up should be capable of surviving reasonably strong winds - I would think at least 60kph - but have not tested this, although it certainly had no issues with ~30-40kph winds in my tests
• external snow skirts collect rain water
  • need to go around and clear this water out to help drying it out

• leave inner tent installed for rapid set up and pack up (only 5-7 minutes)
• as the inner tent doors unzip away from the stove end, for privacy and ability to still look out, it is best to have your head at the stove end, that way you can close inner tent's fabric layer half way and you can look out reasonably well
  • this means, you will want the stove end on higher ground and preferably have the rear of the tent on higher ground so water does not pool under the inner tent

• consider using a 1P freestanding tent instead of the inner tent for added safety distance from the stove and it will provide more warmth in winter as the ceiling is not mesh and it has less volume to warm up

• a tarp allows:
  • protection from ember burns from the chimney
  • additional waterproofing
  • additional temperature control
  • sun protection
    • despite a black tarp with separation from ceiling, direct sunlight on a 33degC day with minimal breeze results in inner temperatures of up to 38degC!
  • additional awning shelter to sit outside in the shade or cook outside on a table (and if using a 4x4m tarp this can extend to the ground for wind protection to the rear and side doors)
• a 4x4m tarp can extend backwards from the top of the front doors, around the triple shield chimney and then can be attached to tall tent pole(s) as desired pending wind direction
• ideally the tarp will be lifted off the tent ceiling as much as possible to allow ventilation and better temperature control in sunny conditions
• you could use a 3x3m tarp or 3×2.4m tarp but this would not give wind protection or as much awning options

• see https://www.amazon.com/Naturehike-Lightweight-Backpacking-Waterproof-Windproof/dp/B0C4T2B7X4
• Sand Dune:
  • has a fabric inner tent instead of a mesh tent making it warmer for winter but too warm for summer perhaps (can replace the inner with a cheap mesh mozzie tent to address this)
  • is taller and wider but not as long
  • has an extra meshed door
  • does not have the curved rear door pole making set up easier but may not be as wind resistant as a result
  • has a TPU door option
  • is 3kg heavier ?heavier poles

• see Pomoly Leo 2 2P hot tent
• the Sand Dune is:
  • taller - you can stand up
  • much wider giving much more vestibule space an the ability to use your own inner tents such as the Vidalido Land Yu 2Persons TC Cotton S-T139 Tent or 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents
  • total area is 7.6sq compared with 5 sq.m
  • perhaps more wind proof as strong poles but given it is much taller the wind resistance may be similar
  • can add an optional TPU main door for wind protection whilst maintaining visibility - and this also acts to prevent rain ingress when using the door as an awning
  • much larger vestibule / stove area which allows space for small chair and small table as well as stove
  • easier to set up as the 3rd pole is clipped on above the other poles which is a major advantage over the Leo 2 which is a bit cumbersome which requires the 3 poles to be passed through their long sleeves prior to erecting
  • stove positioning allows more radiant heat to pass to you in the inner tent whilst still being relatively accessible from the inner tent
  • mesh doors to the vestibule for improved mosquito protection whilst in the vestibule
  • but lacks various advantages of the Leo 2 which has:
    • 3 awesome dual doors for the inner tent for versatility in privacy / ventilation and temperature control (this can be addressed by the 1P version of the 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents )
    • perhaps better access to the stove door for stoking the fire
    • more compact footprint
    • almost half the weight

• see Dokicamp Unlimited Works dome tent VAST-SK100
• the Sand Dune is:
  • much lighter (7.5kg vs 11.5kg) even though it has an inner tent
  • even faster and easier to set up IF you use the integrated inner tent pre-installed
    • integrated inner tent which does not need separate setting up once installed
    • only 2 main poles instead of a centre hub and 8 poles
    • probably a bit easier for one person to set up as less weight to lift up when fixing poles into grommets
  • has doorway awnings for some rain protection
  • being rectangular rather than octagonal, there is better use of what internal space there is
  • stronger poles 13mm vs 9.6mm
  • able to add an optional detachable floor
  • a bit less ostentatious so attracts less attention - although a wood stove plus TPU door will generally attract attention
  • skirt projects outwards as a snow skirt instead of inwards as a mud skirt
  • HOWEVER, it:
    • is MUCH smaller in internal area 7.6sqm vs 12sq.m
    • has less standing height of only 1.8m vs 2m
    • has only 1 door can have a TPU door added (the Vast-SK100 can have them added to any of its 5 doors)
    • the optional TPU doors on the Sand Dune have smaller zips, only zip on 2 sides, and are of thinner TPU material and you can't have one side half zipped to allow stepping over and walking in as the zip down from the top instead of up from the bottom - but there may be advantages to this such as less dirt in the zipper
    • has less options for placement of the stove as there is a fixed stove jack whereas the SK100, it can be put in any of the 4 ceiling vents
    • does not come with an additional fly layer - so I would suggest adding a tarp in heavy rain or when using the stove

• this tent still has a stove jack and similar design overall to the Sand Dune 7.6 but:
  • is only 30D PU2000mm polyester fabric and much lower profile being 360x230x145cm and poles may be thinner which means it is much lighter at 4.4kg
  • does not have a full rear door but only a half width door and is missing one of the side doors but adds rear side vents instead of ceiling vents and does not have a TPU option
  • has an additional rear cross pole, a more streamlined rear and a much lower height of 145cm making it even more wind resistant rated at 24m/sec or Grade 9 winds!
  • https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005538491623.html ~$AU450 delivered

• this is a much larger version
• has three 7001 aluminium alloy poles (presumably also 13mm) in ceiling sleeves with the cross pole being a full pole down to the ground
• 2000mmPU UPF50+ 75D Polyester Fibre 150D Oxford ??
• 420x260x200cm outer tent with wide front door which has a extendable folding pentagonal awning, wide rear door, 4 side door/windows, 2 ceiling vents and a stove jack
• detachable white fabric inner tent 240x200x180cm with front and rear dual fabric/mesh doors (zip to the side) and two large side windows (zip up from bottom)
  • 150D 3000mm PU floor
  • zipper for power cord
• packs to 73*35*25cm 11.8kg
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006071949565.html ~$AU875 plus $AU58 for the ceiling fly “top cap” plus $AU58 for front TPU door