Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. I have decided to go for the Terra Nova Voyager Ultra 2 - heavier, but much more space and a front porch, which I prefer. If I could have been certain of delivery in time for the Challenge I might have gone for the Duplex, which I really like the look of.

Ken

Hi Ken,

I own a Terra Nova Laser Ultra 1 and will be using it on this year's crossing. I've used it for the last three years, having purchased it at a significant discount to the suggested retail price.

The tent does set up as a single unit. The inner is clipped to the outer such that simply inserting the poles and staking out the ends results in the whole tent going up in one step. This is quite a nice feature when setting up in rain as it keeps the inside of the tent dry.

I've used the laser in both heavy rain and strong wind and felt that it performed well. It stays dry and I've never worried that it might blow over. It is a bit small. At 6'0 tall I find that both my head and feet are nearly touching the ends of the tent. This coziness does have an upside: the tent keeps me quite warm compared to other shelters I've used.

Despite the good performance of the laser, a significant caveat:
Terra cut corners to get the weight of the tent so low. Firstly, the included stakes are completely useless. I'd call them "tent needles" rather than stakes. Secondly, the weight of the cuben fibre fabric used in the floor of the tent is insufficient. The material is so thin that after camping on small rocks - not even sharp ones - I've found holes in the tent floor. This necessitates adding proper stakes and a ground sheet. I’ve weighed the tent at 630g. Good stakes will add 30g, more for exceptionally windy conditions. A groundsheet will add another 50-100g.

Hope that helps.

Cheers
Justin