Why are trekking pole shelters popular with cyclists?

[Alpinum]

Don't get carried away with the idea that folk choose tarps over tents due to the weight reduction.

Edit: Just weighed my Lunar Solo and pole: 690 g and 51 g respectively.

Bearbones pole?
Would you mind to share its outside and inside diameter?
Does it hold up (the Lunar Solo) for trips say across the Cairngorms with high camps? Regular Cairngorms weather, not those ferocious 160 km/h storms (funny... every time I was there, we experienced just that...).

[Bearbonesnorm]

Would you mind to share its outside and inside diameter?

If it is one of mine Gian, then it'll be 12mm OD, 10mm ID. Sometimes I use 14mm OD on big stuff and sometimes I use soild spigots for anticipated bad conditions ... if it's not one of mine, sorry for butting in

EDIT: 51g sounds like an SMD one.

[ScotRoutes]

Don't get carried away with the idea that folk choose tarps over tents due to the weight reduction.

Edit: Just weighed my Lunar Solo and pole: 690 g and 51 g respectively.

Bearbones pole?
Would you mind to share its outside and inside diameter?
Does it hold up (the Lunar Solo) for trips say across the Cairngorms with high camps? Regular Cairngorms weather, not those ferocious 160 km/h storms (funny... every time I was there, we experienced just that...).

That's the original Easton pole. It has never quite let me down, though I did have a very bad night last year when I had to sit holding the pole upright in very strong winds. It just flexes too much.

I now have a BB pole too, partly because it's less flexy, but also because I had it made in shorter, easier to pack, sections and I can use it for tarps. I just choose whichever is likely to be most appropriate.

[Thisisnotaspoon]

Dunno where you lot hang out but arround here poles are growing out of the ground. There's so many I dont bother with carrying poles. We call them trees

[oreocereus]

Would you mind to share its outside and inside diameter?

If it is one of mine Gian, then it'll be 12mm OD, 10mm ID. Sometimes I use 14mm OD on big stuff and sometimes I use soild spigots for anticipated bad conditions ... if it's not one of mine, sorry for butting in

EDIT: 51g sounds like an SMD one.

How much do your ~120cm poles weigh?i couldn’t see weights on the shop.

Dunno where you lot hang out but arround here poles are growing out of the ground. There's so many I dont bother with carrying poles. We call them trees

Works well with flat tarps, shaped tarps where a specific heigh is needed turned out to be quite a nightmare.

[Bearbonesnorm]

How much do your ~120cm poles weigh?i couldn’t see weights on the shop.

I don't put pole weights because each pole can be slightly different due to the resin. However, expect a weight of around 80g.

Dunno where you lot hang out but arround here poles are growing out of the ground.

Why limit yourself to only riding where there's trees? Doing so rules out an awful lot of interesting places.

[Alpinum]

Would you mind to share its outside and inside diameter?

If it is one of mine Gian, then it'll be 12mm OD, 10mm ID. Sometimes I use 14mm OD on big stuff and sometimes I use soild spigots for anticipated bad conditions ... if it's not one of mine, sorry for butting in

EDIT: 51g sounds like an SMD one.

Cheers. Big, like 160 - 170 cm?

I now have a BB pole too, partly because it's less flexy, but also because I had it made in shorter, easier to pack, sections and I can use it for tarps. I just choose whichever is likely to be most appropriate.

Cheers again.

We call them trees

Always full of trees where I like to ride.


What are trees again?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Cheers. Big, like 160 - 170 cm?

For that kind of length I'd probably suggest solid spigots. They're the weakest link.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I was having a think earler and thought that the Gatewood cape is one of my favourite shelters. Ready to pitch with pole and pegs it's sub 400g. For full bug protection a nano net adds maybe 50g (I forget exactly) or something like a Borah adds about 180g. It also provides full coverage and will shrug off most things.

I can sit up, get changed, cook and sleep comfortably and all for less than 600g. I'm not sure there's many tents of a similar weight I can do that in without spending an awful lot of money?

[oreocereus]

Well, most minimal mids would achieve that I think? The deschutes would be comparable from the Same maker. Though I was surprised the Gatewood is lighter - I guess even small in terms of dimensions?

Edit, just had a read of the dimensions, 101cm wide at the end and 206 in the center vs 68 and 168cm. Same height and length.

Is the poncho hood annoying in shelter mode?

I use a similar set up, but a Tipik pioulou is my tarp. Used to be quite affordable, but his pricing has gone up with less times... still good value for a one-man workshop in France (SMD outsource a lot of their manufacturing to cheaper factories).

[Bearbonesnorm]

Is the poncho hood annoying in shelter mode?

No, it's brilliant as it's a superb peak vent.

Well, most minimal mids would achieve that I think? The deschutes would be comparable from the Same maker. Though I was surprised the Gatewood is lighter - I guess even small in terms of dimensions?

Yes, but they're trekking pole shelters too. I thought we were wondering why trekking pole shelters were seemingly popular amongst cyclists and why they may choose one over a fully blown tent?

[sean_iow]

Though I was surprised the Gatewood is lighter

The Gatewood is 15D fabric and the Deschutes is 20D so that might be part fo the reason.

[oreocereus]

Though I was surprised the Gatewood is lighter

The Gatewood is 15D fabric and the Deschutes is 20D so that might be part fo the reason.

Ah yeah, missed that detail too. It's significantly narrower, too.

Is the poncho hood annoying in shelter mode?

No, it's brilliant as it's a superb peak vent.

Well, most minimal mids would achieve that I think? The deschutes would be comparable from the Same maker. Though I was surprised the Gatewood is lighter - I guess even small in terms of dimensions?

Yes, but they're trekking pole shelters too. I thought we were wondering why trekking pole shelters were seemingly popular amongst cyclists and why they may choose one over a fully blown tent?

Ah gotcha. It does seem one of the few poncho tarps that actually works well (at least according to reputation).


Touche. Well, we'd moved onto light tarps in general. In the opening post I did specially ackowledge that no full tent could compete with a tarp for weight and volume Hence comparing another popular tent here, the lunar solo, to some popular non-trekking-pole-but-still-lightweight shelters.

[sean_iow]

Probably the main reason I like my Deschutes (and tarps) so much is I don't have to pitch it if the weather's good.

As it's just the tarp bit I use a Borah Gear bivi inside which acts as my ground sheet, bug protection and keeps any condensation off my bag. If the forecast is dry I can choose to just use the bivi bag.

With my Laser there is no option but to pitch it as the groundsheet/bug protection are part and parcel of the package.

It's also much easier to be stealthy in just a bivi bag.

My understanding of the Law regarding wild camping is that to be 'camping' you need to erect a tent or shelter. In the bivi I've not done this so as long as I'm allowed to be in the location I'm sleeping it's lawful.

Plus. as an added bonus, when not in a tent the first thing I see when I wake up is my bike

[RIP]

It's also much easier to be stealthy in just a bivi bag.

The single (excellent) reason I'd get a bivvy bag.

My understanding of the Law regarding wild camping is that to be 'camping' you need to erect a tent or shelter. In the bivi I've not done this so as long as I'm allowed to be in the location I'm sleeping it's lawful.
Plus. as an added bonus, when not in a tent the first thing I see when I wake up is my bike

Yep, the word I found is 'structure'. So chuck the trekking pole away, string your shelter up to some trees and you're all legal (cf hammocks ). Even if the trees are 'structures' they were already there so you're not 'erecting' them. That's my take on it anyway, Officer.

[sean_iow]

so you're not 'erecting' them. That's my take on it anyway, Officer.

So to summarize, as long as there are no erections it's legal... which was my defense in another unrelated case but lets not go into that now

[RIP]

Knew that was, er, coming!

[RIP]

So to summarize, as long as there are no erections it's legal... which was my defense in another unrelated case but lets not go into that now

Probably ought to set ourselves up as a double-act Sean. You know, Morecambe & Wise type of thing. Or Reeves and Mortimer.

Something like Cannon & Ball are perhaps more our level of competency though .

[psling]

Probably ought to set ourselves up as a double-act Sean. You know, Morecambe & Wise type of thing. Or Reeves and Mortimer.

Something like Cannon & Ball are perhaps more our level of competency though .

Derek & Clive ...?

[RIP]

Some bloke came up to me and..... would start most of our "jokes" then .

[sean_iow]

Derek & Clive ...?

[whitestone]

Time for a joke

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are out bikepacking. After the first day, Holmes has his laudenum whilst Watson makes the meal and they retire to bed. At some point during the night Holmes nudges Watson.

"Watson my dear chap tell me what you see?"

"Well Holmes I see the myriad of stars in the night sky."

"And what does it tell you?"

"It tells me that the universe is truly enormous and that man, even the most intelligent will never be able to explain all of God's munificence. So, what does it tell you?"

"It tells me, my dear Watson, that someone has nicked our tarp!"

[RIP]

Very good . I'm not sure we've had a bikepacking-specific joke before have we?

[ScotRoutes]

This thread has prompted me to try something I've been thinking about for a while, the hooped tarp



This is a mock-up using what I refer to as the 'race tarp' mainly because I used it on the HT550 and I have so many I have to tell them apart somehow. Instead of the normal straight front pole I've substituted the pole from my Lazer, mainly because it's the first flexy pole I had to hand. There's a bit of string across the bottom to hold the shape of the pole and the tarp is only balanced over it.

It confirms my thoughts that it would give more usable space to sit up in at the front for cooking/chores as it creates steeper walls. If I was to make one (which I've no plans for yet as I have too many shelters already) there would be a sleeve for the pole and I'd make a proper tape with eyelets to for the ends of the pole to keep the shape. The pole could also be set back and the front shaped down beak-style to give more protection from driven rain but I've always just pitched it with the front down-wind and not had an issue so maybe that would just be an unnecessary complication? The shape of the tarp might also need to be changed for the transition from curved to straight.

The Lazer pole is heavier than the straight pole by 77g. In the normal set-up the tarp, poles and pegs comes to exactly 500g on my scales. The poles are 10mm DAC so there is scope to save some weight. The tarp on it's own is 249g.

For comparison I pitched it with the straight pole and rested the curved one in front which shows up the extra width created by the curved pole. The straight pole is 1050mm long which is enough room for me to sit up.



I've been meaning to try this for about a year so thanks for the prompt

Coming back to this.

I was thinking this morning of how a micro-tarp could work with a hooped pole. Ideally, I'd have the sleeve for the pole terminate some way off ground level so that I could lift a side or two for added view/ventilation. I've not got to thinking about dimensions yet. I guess my main question is about flexibility of the poles and whether it would be necessary go have them pre-curved given the relatively small radius.

[sean_iow]

That ^ was using the pole from my Laser. I don't recall them being pre-curved and looking at the spares page on the Terra Nova website they appear straight when new

https://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tent-acces ... blue-pole/

I think they just assume a curve over time? Depending on the pole length a pole from them would be a good way to buy the pole for a tarp?