Table of Contents
swags, tents and inflatable / bubble tents for star gazing
see also:
- I don't sell any of these nor do I receive any remuneration if you buy them, and I have not personally reviewed all of them, they are listed here to give you perspective
Introduction
- one of the joys of camping especially on a warmer night with clear skies in summer is the ability to observe the night sky from your warm bed
- of course the best skies in Australia are in March-Oct when the centre of the Milky Way is visible at night but these will be cold nights
- the visibility of stars through mesh does also depend on the type and color of the mesh
- best viewing of meteors (shooting stars) is after midnight which is usually a time when mosquitoes are less bothersome and thus a clear view without obstruction by mesh or PVC is more an option if available
- best viewing of deep sky objects such as comets, nebulae and star clusters is with a wide aperture binocular (eg 10×50) but these work best without mesh or PVC obstruction
- there are a range of options:
- any tent will allow some view of the sky through mesh door or window but very few allow a wide ceiling mesh especially uninterrupted by poles and very few allow this to be removed (eg. OzTent RV Plus series)
- viewing stars through mesh will result in stars being dimmer (perhaps 0.5-1 stellar magnitude loss), so you see much less of them and the mesh may cause diffraction effects so bright stars might appear as 3 stars
- on cold humid nights, if you have exposed mesh without cover of a rain fly there is a significant risk of dew forming on the mesh overnight as the temperature drops and this will then fall into your tent getting you wet!
- place the rain fly back over your tent if dew is expected to form (ie. temperature will drop below the dewpoint)
Tents with ceiling mesh viewable when fly is removed
- most full inner mesh dome tents will allow this if one removes the fly but views will be interrupted by poles
- hiking tents with fabric bottom half for more warmth:
- Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL (get the olive green version for star gazing - orange version has brighter mesh not so good for stargazing)
- Big Agnes Blacktail
- Nemo Aurora
- 3P budget dome tents with lots of mesh without pole obstructions over the panels of mesh:
- fair weather, budget Spinifex Premium Nakara 120cm height 4,2kg; $AU99 https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/tents/camping-tents/spinifex-premium-nakara-tent/BP90133431-blue-white
- rear half of fly can easily be pulled back to expose a whole mesh wall but needs 2-4 clamps to keep the retracted fly in place nicely
- consider cutting out the “privacy” mesh in the fly windows as the double layer mesh significantly reduces view through the large side windows
- 4P tall budget dome tents with lots of mesh:
- fair weather, budget Spinifex Premium Albany 185cm height 6.6kg; front and rear D doors; $AU159 https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/tents/camping-tents/spinifex-premium-albany-tent/BP90133432-blue-white
- this has a significant advantage over the Spinifex Nakara in that there is a tall rear mesh door so you don't need to clamp fly back half way and you could open the mesh if there are no mozzies around, plus you can stand up inside the tent and there is more leg room when sleeping crossways
- larger tents with lots of ceiling mesh and a tall mesh rear D door:
- Oztrail Fast Frame 4P Blockout 15kg $AU339 on special https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-4-person-fast-frame-block-out-tent or the 11kg non-blockout version at $A249 on special https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-4-person-fast-frame-tent
- OzTrail Lumos 6P Fast Frame tent 18kg $AU469 on special https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-lumos-6-person-fast-frame-tent
- many rooftop tents have a ceiling mesh window
- some tents are specifically designed to allow this star gazer functionality allowing the fly to be set at half way
- budget OzTrail Skygazer family dome touring tents
- Sea to Summit Telos TR2 2P hiking tent or TR3 3P tent
- Exped Lyra II 2P hiking tent:
Tents with clear PVC ceiling panels
- https://www.lotusbelle.com.au/products/stargazer-roof - accessory for their bell yurt-like tents
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- 75D 3000mm WH PU ripstop nylon seam sealed; 14.5mm poles x 4;
- 150D PU 1,500mm Oxford attachable floor and zip on PVC windows
- fly has clear PVC panels and you can then unzip the main inner's nylon ceiling to reveal the PVC panels to see the sky
- octagonal 3.8m diagonal diam (3.6m between opp wall panels) x 1.95m high; 2 large adjacent doors 12.5kg
- packs to 75 x 30 x 30cm; made in Vietnam;
- more PVC panel ceiling larger tents from KZM in their PDF: http://www.kzmoutdoor.com/main/data/2022_KZM_ko.pdf
- Ben Nevis Observer shelter
- hexagonal dome with large clear PVC side/ceiling windows but may leak rain it seems?
- 3.8×3.3×1.97cm high; 2 large doors;
- 210T ripstop nylon PU3000mm;
- 210D Oxford PU3000mm detachable floor;
- 13mm and 11mm alloy poles; ivory or tan
- 10.9kg
- https://bennevis.camp/product/observer-shelter-ivory/13/ 930000 Korean won = ~$AU1080 floor is opt extra?
Camville hard lever type A tent
- a spacious 2P freestanding A frame tent with large TPU side windows and one end TPU window in the 3 layered fly (each have an external fly shade roll downs for privacy, all 3 layers combined can be opened to create a tarp awning effect)
- inner mesh tent which clips onto the A-frame before attaching the fly
- 250x250x160cm high in centre;
- 210G T/C (65/35); 2000mm WH 150D polyester Oxford floor?
- 3.4 or 4kg?
- tri-axis hub A-frame duralumin poles
Camvil Turtle Dome
- 4.25m diam x 2.4m high; 70D ripstop PU3000mm white, khaki or black
- 7071 aluminium 9.5mm and 13mm poles
- ventilation only via vents or open doors; no stove jack
- designed to attach to rear hatch of car via a docking connector - vestibule 2.4m wide x 1.55m high
- lots of clear TPU windows including ceiling
- 18.5kg
- http://www.camvil.co.kr/goods/goods_view.php?goodsNo=1000000025 ~$AU910 plus delivery (vestibule is half the price again?)
- http://www.camvil.co.kr/goods/goods_list.php?cateCd=001001 - other Camvil tents
Tents with large ceiling mesh which can be unzipped for telescopes
- OzTent RV Plus series of tents
- large, heavy tents (21-30kg) that pack to 2m long and need to be carried on roof racks
- these tents are weatherproof without a fly but if using the fly, this will need to be retracted or removed
Clear Pop Up Tents and Gazebos
- EighteenTek Outdoor Equipment make a variety of these including tunnel (~$AU370) and dome styles ($AU660)
- these are for fair weather use only and spring open and fold up like beach shelters
- ClearSky Pop-up Gazebo Dome Garden Igloo Tent
- no floor; 2.5m diameter; 2m height 8.5kg; $AU400
- Polaris P1 bubble tent (Korean?)
- 11.8kg; TPU popup tent with internal ceiling frame support; can use stove inside;
- https://smartstore.naver.com/7fl/products/7675773288 299,000 won = $AU340
Consumer transparent bubble tents that do not need constant inflation
- Football structure inflatable bubble tent that looks like half a soccer ball
- PVC inflatable pipe tubing supports with large clear PVC windows
- 4m diameter; 2.5m height;
- comes with a 600W 220V air blower which takes ~10 minutes to inflate (ie. 100W of power so could be done with a 12V battery and an AC inverter)
- ~$AU1600-1800 on Ebay
Consumer transparent bubble air dome tents that need constant inflation with an air blower
- these are really designed for home backyards where there is access to AC power
- often consist of a large 3.5m height clear dome attached to an 1.5m long 2.5m high entrance tunnel making a total of 5m wide
- $AU1100-1200 on Ebay
Commercial bubble tents
- these are generally set up for glampers to rent out in a specific location and are expensive
Polycarbonate clear fixed domes
- these are generally fixed structures with a standard sized swinging door designed for backyards and can have curtains fitted
- 4.5m diameter ones may cost $AU17,000 eg. Excelite Domes
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- smallest is the 3m diameter, 2m tall https://hypedome.com/shop/hypedome-mini-clear/ which starts at $AU4870
There are clear versions, mirror versions or this awesome looking translucent opal version of the HypeDomes
Hypedome installed in an eco resort at Alpine Nature Experience at Mt Hunter Hurst, Mt Hotham
Removable roof tents designed as telescope observatories with no mesh
- Octans Observatory tent