When is the Tent SOTMR coming out?

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I'm inclined to adjust the criteria for this SOTMR to this:

Space for 1+
Trekking pole supported
Double-wall or hybrid single/double
Supports are not in the middle of the sheltered space
Light enough for solo use"

I think your criteria is excellent. No suggestions for improvement from me.

The Sea to Summit Specialist looks like a good shelter to include IMO. The 37" wide Duo version looks like a joke, but the 27" wide solo shelter at 15.6oz sounds like a nice competitor to the LG Solong and the SMD Skyscape. I'd include it if you can. The SOTMR would be stronger for it.

Let's try to narrow it down some between the 1P and 2P versions."
I'd say go with whatever is likely to be the most popular option/version and fits your above criteria. Then just quickly mention the other options in the review and/or just include them in the comparison table but don't do detailed reviews. In general, I think 1 person or 1+ person is going to be more interesting due to a wider range of designs that aren't always available in 2P (ie. SMD Skyscape) and even when they are (ie. HMG Echo II), they're really more suited for 1+ person use because of a lack of headroom.

[MFR]

Looking at 1+ shelters to me means tents good for one person but enough room for two people if you're either very close to one another or encounter unexpected weather. Since a lot of people on here hike with their spouses but may not want two shelters (or their spouses don't want them to have two shelters), this 1+ designation seems like a strong criteria.

With that logic then, you probably wouldn't want to include anything that one person shouldn't carry. Being generous then, that would imply a limit of around 36-40 ounces. How is that for a cut off?

[CW]

Right in line with my thinking. This gives me a much more defined list to work from and start trying to obtain.

[David Ure]

"Looking at 1+ shelters to me means tents good for one person but enough room for two people if you're either very close to one another or encounter unexpected weather."

Makes sense. But something like the Notch is a bit of an anomaly. The shelter has two vestibules and the inner can be unclipped. With the inner out of the way, you could probably squeeze in 3 in an emergency. But then that means no dedicated floor and / or bug protection.

[MFR]

So that gets you down to these:

Zpacks Hexamid Solo-Plus – 9.3 oz
LightHeart SoLong 6 – 30 sq ft @ 27 oz
GoLite Shangri-La 1 – 23 sq ft @ 32 oz
MLD DuoMid + net – 29 oz with duo net or 24.5 oz with solo net
TarpTent StratoSpire 1 – 19 sq ft @ 31 oz
TarpTent StratoSpire 2 – 31 sq ft @ 38 oz
SMD SkyScape Trekker – 23 sq ft @ 24 oz
Nemo Meta 1 – 26 sq ft @ 31 oz

This seems like a strong list. I'd really enjoy reading up on that. Thanks Chris.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Regarding a weight cap, I think 36oz is a good cap for 1 and 1+ person shelters.

"Since a lot of people on here hike with their spouses but may not want two shelters (or their spouses don't want them to have two shelters), this 1+ designation seems like a strong criteria."

This is semantics, but I think the appeal of a 1+ person shelter is that a hiker can enjoy a generous amount of space for just a tiny weight penalty over a 1P shelter, thus increasing comfort on the trail. Most people who've tried to use a 1+ person shelter with their wife can probably tell you that it doesn't work out so well if you're trying to get her to enjoy camping.

[MFR]

I'd be interested to see if the extra few ounces of the SS2 is worth the weight penalty. But that might be outside the purview of this report since it seems unlikely that someone would use it for a solo shelter with the SS1 being so large already.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I sorta view the SS1 as a 1+ person version of the Notch.

[MFR]

"This is semantics, but I think the appeal of a 1+ person shelter is that a hiker can enjoy a generous amount of space for just a tiny weight penalty over a 1P shelter, thus increasing comfort on the trail. Most people who've tried to use a 1+ person shelter with their wife can probably tell you that it doesn't work out so well if you're trying to get her to enjoy camping.

Good point about the extra space for minimal weight.

As for spouses, that's how we do it, and it works well for us. Of course, my wife is pretty small, and she prefers the warmth of being so close. (Actually, I'm the one who'd rather have a proper two-person shelter for convenience sake.) Either way, 1+ is a good category.

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