what’s your preferred type of shelter?

[Amy Bithiah]

What is your preferred type of shelter and why?

Tent? Tarp? Tarptent? Bivy sack? Igloo? Something else?

[Christopher Yi]

Tarptent Moment atm. Lightweight, fast setup, plenty of space for me, ease of getting a drum tight pitch. I'm switching to tarp and bivy for the first time this season so I'll see how that goes.

[John S.]

Currently I like the floorless, shaped tarp like the Golite Shangri-La 1 or older Hut 1. It's lightweight, easy to set up (requires trekking poles), has full coverage, and has no floor so you don't have to worry about taking off shoes to be inside.

[Paul Wagner]

Depends on the conditions

WE have a lightweight (3 lb) two-person tent I made that we use most of the time. But we also have a heavier 4-season tent.

And we have a three man Eureka Apex tent for when we take along a guest!

[mark wuethrich]

Hammock + Tarp, gets you off the ground, and if you can't hang you can use the hammock as a ground sheet

[John Donewar]

It's the one that I most recently purchased, the LightHeart Solo – Standard tent.

I went from traditional A frame tents to hammocks, tarps & bivys and finally to this type of tent.

I chose this shelter based on its 27 ounce weight, design and price. The weight of this tent was 4.5 ounces more than my tarp and bivy. I decided to go with the added weight because of the ease of entry due to its zippered rain fly and large zippered door. Its all in one design was less "fiddly" when it came to setup than my tarp and bivy. The increased headroom was also a factor in my choice. Finally its packed size allowed me to carry it in the dedicated exterior pocket of my pack where I originally carried my tarp and bivy. This meant that I did not have to come up with an alternate packing scheme or a new pack.

Party On,

Newton

[Jerry Adams]

If there's a lot of rain – floorless pyramid.

The MLD Trailstar looks very similar with a little less weight.

You can sit inside and do stuff, out of the rain, as opposed to a shorter tent or tarp that only has enough room to lay down.

[John Myers]

My preferred shelter is a hammock. Mostly because I sleep SO much better in it.

[Thomas Burns]

Depends, of course.

For general winter camping when bugs are not a problem, I am currently enamored of my zPacks Hex+ tarp. If bugs are present (most of the time in Ohio), I use my zPacks Hex Single. If I'm expecting snow, my Tarptent Moment with the crossing pole is perfect.

The weather in Ohio never gets extreme. You may want to choose a heavier-duty shelter if you expect serious conditions.

As my pappy used to say, "Git the rite tool fer the job."

Stargazer

[todd]

Amy I can't hardly answer that question!!!! I have three favorites!

1) I use my Gatewood Cape w/ Serenity most often. Lite, double-wall, multi-purpose, just plain like it. I could go on!

2) MLD trailstar. Heavier, but not heavy, paired w/my SMD Serenity.

3) When I can hang, it's usually my JRB Bridge hammock. Way comfy and don't have to worry w/level ground or roots, rocks, etc.

[EndoftheTrail]

I am the type who's more focused on achieving "comfort weight" rather than obsessing over "am I in the SUL club yet and if so what else can I cut to qualify for XUL?" …

Within the confines of carrying a "comfortable" load, I much prefer a tent that is quick and easy to set up and take down. As such, my hybrid dome tent is just about the fastest/easiest tent to set up, and it has performed marvelously even in the relatively humid PNW — with zero to minimal condensation. A good option for 3-season use in all but truly humid places:

This two-person tent is a palace for my solo use. Lots of space plus two doors/vestibules — all for 2.5 lbs.

[Gerry Volpe]

If I have to pick just one it iwould be a mid or tipi style though I also like tarps. I switched to a Go Lite SL3 when my old BD megamid wore out because it was 40% off, I like it well enough but would probably go with a duomid if money were not a consideration.

[Mark Verber]

Hmm… there isn't something that makes me 100% happy. I want the lightest shelter that will provide adequate protection. The problem is adequate protection varies. Sometimes I just need something to keep the bugs off. Sometimes I need protection from rain. Other times it's heavy winds and snow. If Ryan guess is right, and the SMD Skyscape pole configuration is up to fairly strong winds, then that would be my 3 season shelter preference for easy of setup, good protected space, low weight, and good views when fly is open. I have written a bit about the trade-offs I think about in my recommended shelters page.

–mark

[Brian UL]

I like mids and domes -nice simple shapes.
Currently I have a duomid and a skyscape. I consider the skyscape, lightheart, and similar to be mids. The Notch looks awesome too even though it stretching the definition of a mid.
I will have to wait until spring to see how they actually work out. I predict I will probably use the Skyscape most because its so easy to set up in one piece and its so open when the doors are rolled away, something I liked about tarp/bivys.
Some of the things I like about mids and domes is the nice side entrance paired with the room and storm protection.

[Ken Thompson]

I like a house 95% of the time.

[josh wagner]

houses are quite comfy!

i prefer to enjoy the comforts of a hammock/tarp:

open net if the bugs let me get away with it. nothing like a cup of joe above the rocks in a levitating bliss…

[KRS]

I'm a tree hanger I have a DIY gathered end hammock and a DYI Grizzly Bridge love them both. My cover is a Hammock Gear 4 season Cuban tarp. My insolation is a Hammock Gear SevenD incubator made just for me by Stormcrow. If I'm talking Greek check out the Hammock Fourm. If I'm with the wife and kid I hit the ground and use a Tarptent Rainshadow 2. I also had a MLD Trailstar I loved but the wife wanted some bug protection for the kid.

[Author]

Posts