Lightweight shelters

[BigdummySteve]

With 120 hours overtime heading my way im contemplating replacement of my much loved telemark ahead of my Spain trip.
I’m not convinced by bivvys and tarps do I’m looking at something like the Luna solo, but lighter. The solo weights close to the tele by the time you add a pole.

The Zpaks plexamid looks like a contender, expensive but light, any suggestions and also how do people find the single skin stuff performs?

[RIP]

The man favours the cape - I'd like to try one but 'too many' shelters already. 120 hours you say? 0.5 DCF solomid xl then naturally.. granted not 'actually' tents but much more interesting...

[middleagedmadness]

If your looking at z packs have a look at the new soplex Scott loves his but it's £££££ plus import tax , I know you said your not convinced by Bivi and tarp but you can get your shelter all in down to less than 400 g if you want to spend

[Bearbonesnorm]

To answer your last question first - single skin is generally fine as a 'shelter' but often very poor when used for the construction of a 'tent'. The more tent-like, the greater the chance of condensation. The Plexamid, like the Lunar is a hybrid but offers plenty of ventilation options, so while a still muggy night is likely to produce some condensation, it should be manageable - sleeping with the door open, making sure any vents are open, etc makes a big difference.

Zpack always get good press and everyone I know who uses them, always seems happy. In fact I made some poles last week for Richpips for a Plexamid.

Hyperlite Outdoor Gear may also be worth a look: https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/c ... ters-tents

The man favours the cape

I do like my cape Reg. Full coverage for 300g. If it's midgy, I might add a S2S nano inner net which weighs about 35g. I reckon a cape set up ready to go (inc inner net) weighs less than 500g and would cost less than £200.

[RIP]

aaargggg. cape - 'I don't buy extra stuff any longer'.. helllppp....

[whitestone]

Ian Fitz has the ZPacks Hexamid which is the predecessor of the Plexamid.

There's the Trekkertent Phreeranger - http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/39 ... osite.html which is similar weight to the Telemark (depending on groundsheet chosen) but a little more expensive. Looking at the diagrams of the two the Phreeranger has about 10cm more headroom.

Other options might be the MSR Carbon Reflex 1 https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... ent-p11095. Bearpaw Lair, Stu has one but you'd need a net tent for an inner.

There's a few more 1 person tents here: https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... -tents-c74.

When we were looking for a 2 man tent a friend lent us her MSR Hubba NX, being freestanding we could set it up in the living room, so we could check out sizing, etc. What I found being the taller of us was that I needed headroom - my head brushed the ceiling when I sat up. This meant that we ended up with the Big Agnes Copper Spur. There's definitely a steep price increase as you get towards the ultralight stuff Take your time as it's a big purchase so worth figuring out what's important to you and what you can compromise on.

[RIP]

I probably deserve a slap here, but how light could you make still-usable poles Stu? My 9x7 tarp is a tad under 200g, 20/40g for extra curtain, 1.5 lines and mini-lineloks/tautline-hitches weightless, midge headnet 25g, 9g V pegs as reqd (which I've been blown away by), but 2x poles are 145g . Could leave one or both at home and pick up some sticks but not a 'complete shelter' then .

[ScotRoutes]

If you are bikepacking, use the bike as support and leave the poles at home.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Allow me to have a way-up Reg (no pun honest) ... the options are, reducing the diameter or reducing the wall thickness. I have both to hand.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Okay Reg, the biggest weight saving will come from keeping the same O/D and reducing the wall thickness to .5mm. However, that leads to the knock-on problem of not being able to readily find odd sized carbon for the spigots (but it is possible). A 1m length of 12mm x 11mm woven carbon weighs about 24g, add spigots, cord, resin and tips and as a 3 section pole it would likely weigh 40g.

How are you setting your tarp up? If you went for the half-pyramid, then you'd get away with a single pole and something found as a rear lifter if required.

[RIP]

(yep, need to try your wheely-good idea 'Routes, just not got round to it yet. Know you're the master at wheel-poles )

Thanks for that speedy reply Stu. I'm usually half-pyr or flying-V, but take 2 poles just in case fancy an A - all depends & is part of the fun(?) of tarps. Good point re adhoc for the less critical rear pole though. I'll have to retire and ponder further now, then hopefully go for something! Bear with. Ta.

[whitestone]

Reg, as Colin says: use the bike for support. I've a cuben fibre tarp about the size of the smallest Alpkit tarp and use a single (BB carbon of course ) pole with the bike at the other end. I pitch either mid-pyramid or dropped tail A-frame as shown here https://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.c ... guide.html. Lay the bike down with the wheels facing towards where you intend to pitch and attach the line to the rear riser to the upper handlebar.

Tarp with lines, pole and pegs come to 265g, add a Borah Gear bivy at 170g and you are still under one of them old fashioned pounds in weight (or the cuben version at 125g)

[RIP]

Thanks Bob, more food (porage) for thought. Yes I'm dropped rear (ooer) when A-frame so makes lot of sense to use wheel for that. Ponder, ponder. (Blinkin' silly all this; washing mud off bike would save 100g ;-) Fun though. ).

[PaulB2]

This sleeping lark is quite complicated really.

[ScotRoutes]

I've used a wheel at both ends but a wheel at one end and pole at the other gives quite a bit more headroom (depending on length of pole of course). If it's windy and/or it's a larger tarp then you might want a lifter/tensioner half-way along the tarp too, but bike handlebars work well for that.

I really should pitch a few options and take some decent photos.

[redefined_cycles]

This sleeping lark is quite complicated really.

Tis too and am on the same thinking (but not with the 120 hours overtime ).. Marc from Trekkertent got back to me with a query (based on what ScotRoutes said aswell as some info off his website)... He has the Soar which will be freestanding (if needed if I read correctly) and sub 1kg soon but I eanted to knoe if it could be made sub 800g and possibly sacrifice the 4 seasons rating.

I also mentioned the 1.5 being 'pole in the way' design...

[BigdummySteve]

Oh no the tarp tifiso have taken over, at the risk of being stoned as a heretic I’m yet to be convinced by tarps.
Cheap they can be, adaptable maybe but I’ve seen the faffing involved, presumably to only slightly comfortably? I want a light ( 500ish grams) easy to erect shelter which protects me from the horrors which lie in wait.....rain and midges mainly but you never know.
Perhaps I should actually try a tarp

[RIP]

Sorry Steve mate, wasn't meant to be a takeover bid but you know what it's like here - we all get carried away with our enthusiasm . If you want ziga-light, still reckon Gatewood cape (Stu seal of approval you can't go wrong), that's sort of a tent if you bung a moz net inside

[BigdummySteve]

One thing I haven’t done is weight the telemark without the inner, ive used it that way in good weather with the boy and it’s very useable and erected with only four pegs faff free. .... could be an option

[Lazarus]

gives quite a bit more headroom

Which will be a massive concern for someone like you

Interesting thread never really considered the tarp option but you are correct that single skinned tents can get a bit damp in certain conditions

[ScotRoutes]

Oh no the tarp tifiso have taken over, at the risk of being stoned as a heretic I’m yet to be convinced by tarps.

Yeah, sorry. However, once you start looking at single-skin tents the line gets very blurred, especially once you start considering inner nets etc.

As for faff, if you are always using the same tarp setup then guys can be pre-attached at the right points and it's not much more time consuming than an easy-to-erect tent. The problem I have is that I'm always playing around with different setups based on ground slope, wind direction and view.

[whitestone]

Looking at the one person tents on the ultralightoutdoorgear site, there's only five in the 500g range and they all look to have serious compromises with regards to interior space. Either there's little headroom or if there is then the side walls slope in so much that both shoulders would be pressing the material out when you did sit up.

Edit to the above: Most of the tents also have such thin groundsheets that you need a footprint to protect them so add that to the weight.

To get both headroom and shoulder space and be in the 500g range you need three things:

1. A transverse ridge design where the highest point of the tent is midway along its length.
2. Vertical or near vertical side walls.
3. Cuben fibre.

Given that, I'd suggest that your best option would be back to your original suggestion, the ZPacks Plexamid which with pole and pegs would be around 500-520g. I'd add that to the above three points you'd need:

4. Cash
5. Lots of cash

[Bearbonesnorm]

I think tarps are virtually faff-free. I can stick mine up (of course, I decided against the use of the word erect in this case) in around 90 seconds. I can also do it blindfolded as demonstrated at the WRT one year. No, it's tents that I find to be a faff - you even have to find a flat, level space before you begin. I'm also largely put off ultralight tents due to the limited room they offer, there aren't many that offer much room beyond lying down ... oh and the cost but that won't be a concern to Steve and this months portly wage packet

I really do think the Gatewood cape is a very good halfway house and actually possesses many benefits of both tarp and tent with very few of the drawbacks. Here's mine enjoying a day out with Mike's Lunar Solo.

[RIP]

I can't see him but I can tell Stevo's wavering, oh the peer pressure

[whitestone]

Stu, there definitely needs to be the suggested tarp/tent show at the WRT then folk can see what each model or setup looks like.