Hi jags,
It is really important to be happy with your tent. It is your home away from home, your refuge, and protection. As nice as your tents are (and they are
really nice!), I can surely see why you might well wish for another.
Most people I know who tour prefer to have a larger tent, and usually choose one size larger than themselves. For example, a single person might buy a 2-person tent, and a couple might choose a 3-person tent. The idea is most tents offer pretty tight quarters at their rated capacity and having that little bit more room gives one space to spread out a bit and even take the rest of their gear inside, where it is readily accessible during extended bad weather.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and I guess I'm one of them. I go for minimal tents, leave my stuff outside, and only stay in the tent when I'm sleeping, so don't listen to me.
I like to look at the REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc. co-op) user reviews to see how tents work for users in the field. The tents and reviews for them appear here:
http://www.rei.com/category/4500001_Tents+and+SheltersOne I can suggest you look at is the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 tent. See:
http://www.rei.com/product/807368/big-agnes-fly-creek-ul3-tent There are some videos and 360° views there, too.
Here is a video of one guy putting it up alone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4813ZNsCwg He has the main tent all up and pitched by the 2min30sec mark of the video. The only thing lacking is the wind stabilizers/pullouts and vestibule.
It is free-standing, and should be plenty roomy for one person. Floor space is 90x66in/229 x 167 centimeters, and it has a vestibule. 42in/107cm high. It weighs 3lb3oz/1.4kg, and packs down to a pretty small bundle, considering: 5x20in/13cmx51cm. I saw one being pitched at the local store, and it went up pretty quickly. The downside? It's USD$450, which is not cheap. It is a cheery gold inside (floor) with a grey fly to help it blend in to its surroundings.
It is billed as the lightest, double-wall, free-standing tent on the market according to the Big Agnes spokesman on the REI video. It is certainly packable for a bike tour. The weight listed is without stuff sacks, stakes, or footprint. You really need to get a footprint to protect the floor of the tent and so extend its service life. I made mine, and have been very happy with the result. Some lightweight woven plastic tarp, some ultralight nylon d-rings to attach it to the pole ends, and some ultralight nylon grosgrain ribbon and I'm set. It cost me about $4 and a few minutes' time at the sewing machine. It won't last forever (neither would the tent floor without it!), but it can be easily replaced when it wears out.
The trouble is, like all tents of this sort where the inner goes up first, it's going to get wet inside until you can get the fly up (second). This is a real problem if you're setting up camp in a torrential rainstorm. I've done it, and that's where the sponge comes in.
This is a very light tent for its size, but if you're going to be regularly pitching it in a rainstorm (Oregon or Ireland?), then it might well pay to get a model that pitches fly-first or fly-and-inner-at-once, so the interior stays nice and dry while it's being setup.
My Dutch friend highly prizes his 3-man Tatonka Alaska for solo touring, and it is indeed very nice (I spent a good part of 5 weeks in it as well). I have pitched it alone and it goes up pretty quickly for such a large tent. Trouble is, it packs large and weighs about 3kg. Worth every bit of it to him for the comfort and space. Understandable, but we approach tenting from a slightly different perspective, so our priorities differ.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Dan.
