HMG UltaMid 2 first impression and pics

[Anthony Weston]

2-Man UltaMid, $650
1.04lbs / 16.6oz
83"W x 107"L x 64"H

4-Man UltaMid, $800
1.3llbs / 20.8oz
111"W x 111"L x 75"H

HMG Ultamid 2 107 x 83 x 64H
MLD Duomid 95 x 60 x 54H
MLD Supermid 107 x 107 x 69H
HMG Ultamid 4 111 x 111 x 75H

[Derrick White]

I have set up my new Ultamid 2 and can confirm the following (pictures to follow later):

1. The zipper is incredibly water resistant and +1 to Dan re the garage insight. The issue the reviewer encountered was likely caused by the absence of the garage and leakage occurring around the top of the zipper only and running down inside. The zipper is a 2-waydouble zipper. This garage is very easily rectified with a piece of anything I suppose with cuben tape being the ideal. I have some, so no worries there.

2. As for interior tie outs, my tent includes 2 (unlike the reviewers), one in the center of each side panel about 1 to 1.5 feet down from the apex. Anticipating the need for more when I ordered it (for a planned Bear Paw inner net, yet to be spec'd and ordered), I asked HMG to include tie outs which I could attach myself later and they sent me 6.

3. As for the absence of the buckle at the bottom of the doors to reduce strain on the zipper, the tent functions fine without it. Accepting that sustained strain over time may weaken the zipper, this would likely be a good idea. But is all add weight of course. As it is, the 2 peg tie outs at the base of the doors provide a great points for any number of connection solutions someone may want to add themselves.

Fortunately, the noted issues, to the extent they are issues, are easily addressed. HMG may want to address it themselves on future builds, but for those of us who have ordered early, they don't pose any problem that can't be fixed at home.

In general I am very pleased with the tent. It is my first mid and even with limited experience it is very easy to get a taut pitch. It appears very strong and well sewn.

More later.

Derrick

[Philip Marshall]

Thanks Dan and Derrick for confounding one of my prejudices, that's why I love this site. You're right, none of my better rain jackets have a storm flap, and they take a lot more abuse/abrasion than my shelters do. It's the 21st century – no more storm flaps! (though a garage would be nice)

Would also love some reports on how the zipper on the short panel is working out – particularly when there are two occupants.

[Anthony Weston]

I read the outdoorgearlabs review of the ultamid and I didn't think it was balanced review. It's a beautiful sheltor and instead of comparing it to other sheltors of a similar type like duomid, Locus Gear Knufu etc he says get a 9 oz tarp and I've been in a blizard in a 9 oz tarp in Oct in the Sierra's and I would much rather have been in a pyramid shelter. Also it depends what part of the country you are in and what conditions you face. How much good did zipper flaps ever do when the wind is blowing the rain in sideways anyway.

The price of the Ultamid is obscene at $650 but then when I look at zpacks Hexamid Long, not quite a pyramid but about the same length as the ultamid, it's going for $530 and it's a lighter cuben and does have a ground cloth built into the price, Khufu was $489 plus extra shipping charges from Japan. MLD Duomid is not as long but is $415. The Ultamid price is still obscene but functionally it does the job I want it to do and with great comfort. I don't like the foot of my sleeping bag rubbing up against the side of tent. Maybe it's my imagination but cuben doesn't seem to get condensation like silnylon and it doesn't sag. If it rains this is the sheltor I want to be in, if there is wind, snow, heat, bugs it works for me (the top vents have bug screens and I ordered the bug skirt). I'll have to put the garden hose on the zipper to test it if it leaks. Could HMG have done a better job on the top of zipper, yes, but a drop of silnet fixes it.

I was able to pitch it with two hiking poles and 16 inch extension pole jacks.

I liked the bug net locking system

huge amount of space, I'm 5'11" and I had 15 to 20 inches above my head and about the same at my fee.

[rmeurant]

This rising prejudice against rain flaps reminds me of the Modernist prejudice against building eaves – who needs them? With the new miracle materials, we can have pure forms! No need for eaves cluttering our perfect changes in plane!

Of course, the rains came, and inevitably, eaves-less roofs leaked, as buildings settled and materials aged, or perhaps the detailing wasn't quite right, or the application by the builder or tradesman wasn't quite ideal.

Me, I much prefer the traditional rain flap to keep me dry. A little redundancy is a worthwhile asset.

[rmeurant]

And while I'm at it, I respectfully disagree with your (Anthony Weston's) comment:

"How much good did zipper flaps ever do when the wind is blowing the rain in sideways anyway."

Firstly, proper rain flaps as on the Locus Gear Khufu and I presume the MLD Duomid, are held down by velcro.

Secondly, the purpose of a rain flap is not to provide a 100% seal against rain penetration. What it is designed to do is to break the speed of the wind-driven rain, so that it is much slower, and reduce the effective water pressure, so that the water can be disposed of by the design elements of the opening – the slope of the wall, allowing gravity to drain the rain, and possibly ridges of seams and zip to provide small upstands, which also help channel and drain the rain.

[David Alexander]

I recieved my Ultra Mid the other week and have only been able to set it up in a freinds back yard once (I live in NYC). I will give it its firt real test over labor day. I have a revised version where they have added a zipper garage and snaps to relieve pressure on the zipper when zipped. I have a question for the few other ultra mid users out there, I was wondering what people are doing withthe tie out loops, are they running lines from the bottom edge tie outs to a single stake and up to the loops or using seperate lines with an additional stake for each tie out loop?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Now just open the door(s) and let the rain or snow in.

Nuff sed.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"…proper rain flaps…are held down by velcro."

You can certainly argue that a robust rain flap has some protective value – and I agree they do add some function – but it's not the ideal approach. By the time you've added extra fabric and velcro you've added a fair bit of weight and complexity for a crude solution. The outcome is a more complex and heavier doorway that is more of a hassle to use as you battle with the velcro. A better solution is to utilize to a zipper that is weatherproof enough that it doesn't need a flap. This approach is simpler, lighter and easier to use. It's also more robust, since high winds can't open a #5 toothed zipper nearly as easily as they can a velcro secured flap.

In my opinion, water resistance "uretek" zippers are good enough to be used without a flap (ie. it's standard in the jacket world), but if you're rather have something even more robust, I referenced some high end zippers that are fully wind and water proof in my earlier post. These waterproof higher gauge toothed zippers are a more elegant solution, as they have a lower probably of weather ingress, and they're also much nicer to use (smoother) than a low end zipper – and they hold up better to regular wear like sand. My guess is the evolutionary outdoor industry will start to use them in 3-5 years and label it is a new breakthrough.

[rmeurant]

I don't agree the rain flap is a crude solution – the area of velcro is quite small, but the key fact is not that velcro is used, but that some means is used to approximately hold the flap down, thus allowing reduction in water velocity and pressure, so the water can drain away, and is not forced into and through the zip area. I find it an elegant, and time-proven solution.

But if you use only zips, without flaps, as you suggest, what happens when the zip fails in a remote area? e.g. someone stands on the zip with crampons? Then, you are likely screwed. But with a flap,a vertical zipped opening can be secured just by stakes, or you could even sew a temporary closure to the lapped opening with cord.

More to the point, I think the tendency towards minimalism in UL philosophy at times becomes too extreme, so there is little or no redundancy. It is really an aesthetic, which in part I relate to, in that it tends towards a reduction of paraphernalia to what is considered essential. But (in my opinion) it is then taken too far. Then it becomes not a wise policy in the wilds, which are, by their nature, unpredictable.

Edit: Of course I meant lace, rather than sew…

[Alaskaoneday]

David
I have not used the panel tie outs at this point as I have not encountered high enough winds to cause any real deflection of the sides (yet). When I do need them, I will use a separate line to it's own stake. I am interested in seeing any pics you might have of how they implemented the zipper garage and bottom snaps.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Robert, I imagine we both like the idea of a minimalism, while also appreciating redundancy where it's truly important. I carry redundant gear in some areas (ie. firestarting methods, waterproof pack + drybag for my sleeping quilt on some trips).

Ultimately I suspect we both want to achieve the same thing: an acceptably low risk of failure via the lightest/cheapest/simplest/most elegant design. To that, I submit that:

1) A higher gauge zipper is less likely to fail (break) than a lower gauge zip + flap
For the weight of a flap + velcro, you could instead opt for a larger gauge zipper. So whatever flap + zipper combo you can imagine, I submit that putting that weight into a beefier zipper will be (1) lighter and/or (2) less failure prone. While this choice is never directly given to consumers, we're debating theoretical designs so I think it's fair to bring up.

2) A very weatherproof zipper is less likely to fail (let water in) than a modestly weatherproof zip + flap
There are zippers that are extremely good at keeping out wind and water. These zippers are used on marine safety equipment like full body survival suits for crew abandoned on the ocean. In my opinion, a shelter with one of these stands a better chance of keeping the wind and rain out than a shelter using a modestly weatherproof (or not weatherproof at all) zipper plus a flap which can be torn open by high winds. Pragmatically, both designs are likely totally sufficient but theoretically I suspect the waterproof zip wins.
http://www.ykkeurope.com/en/news/2011/01/14/aquaseal/

3) A flap doesn't make field repairs substantially easier.
Ideally we'd have a design that doesn't break (which is what #1 gets at), but of course anything can always break so it's smart to have gear that can be repaired. Since this is an unlikely thing, we don't need a fantastic way to repair the tent, but just something simple and do-able. With a flap-free design, I suppose I'd have to use a needle and actually sew in a closure system with cord – much like you would with a flap unless fortuitous weather allowed the camper to gamble on just using velcro. So a velcro flap system has the advantage of avoiding temporary repair if the weather is nice.

4) Flap-free designs are nicer to use
A flap free design makes for a more fluid ingress/egress experience. There's no velcro re-adhering while you're trying enter, nor is there is a flap jumping in the path of the zipper slider to cause a jam when you're dashing for a pee in the night. Plus a larger gauge zip simply works better (smoother) with less hiccups from sand etc. This is really my main motivation, and why I refer to flap-free designs as being more elegant.

BTW, MLD doesn't use velcro on their flaps (or at least the ones I've seen).

[David Alexander]

I will try and take some pictures for you next weekend when I get it set up of the zipper garage implementation and the snaps. As far as the zipper garage goes though it is just a cuben fiber square just below the logo that covers the top of the zipper and I don't think it is even as long as the entire pull of the zipper.

[rmeurant]

Dan,

You might well be right.

My opinions are colored somewhat by some of the radical buildings appearing here (Seoul), with free-form geometries and very organic shapes – generally museums and similar public buildings. They have very high-tech surfaces, with butt-jointed curved panels, and no real external definition of walls, roof or floor (though they are tending to plant grass on the topmost sections). They both fascinate and repulse me.

Their aesthetic strikes me as being unnatural, notwithstanding their organic shapes and snake scale-like cladding. Unnatural, because they do not pay proper homage to gravity, and to the elemental forces of nature.

By contrast, traditional architecture tends to respond with subtle mastery to the environmental forces from which it provides shelter, of sun, wind, rain and snow.

I agree your point 2 re survival suit zips is quite relevant, excepting that I would like my wilderness experience to be more than survival, and more a dwelling (verb) in the wild; I want my shelter to celebrate beingness in the cosmos, which is something traditional (sacred) architecture does provide. The environment in which I then operate is not just the physical, but extends to the metaphysical.

For somewhat similar reasons, I disagree with your point 4; for me, the act of passage through a doorway partakes of a ritual movement from one state of being to another. Traditional architecture is rich in this sense of gesture and ceremonial transition, so the notion of sweeping a curtain aside to pass through, of allowing it to sometimes partially close the opening, to act as a screen, like a veil that reveals as it conceals, which is something that I find more satisfying.

When I look at nature, I see the flap in many guises, in the eyelid, the fingernail, and the overhang of the brow. By contrast, I don't see the butt joint in (animate) nature; and even tectonic plates, where they meet, slide upon one another. I see your reductionism to a minimal serviceable opening as a machine aesthetic, that reduces the richness of spatial gesture and of depth of meaning to an idealized homogenized purity of instantaneous transition and transformation. But I would like to dwell, as I pass through, to metamorphize; as I would like the rain to take its time, in shedding itself from my shelter, to pond and to drip, and to evaporate…

So the tent/tarp/shelter becomes not just a highly functional machine, but an expression of something deeper, of some valued insight into the heart of nature.

At this point, I think I can sense the stars preparing to barf on me, so I had better shut up. As I said at the start, you may well be right; and I appreciate your insights and speculations…

[David Ure]

I agree with Dan. Once the door is zipped up, how do you close the flap against the Velcro?

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"I see your reductionism to a minimal serviceable opening as a machine aesthetic, that reduces the richness of spatial gesture and of depth of meaning to an idealized homogenized purity of instantaneous transition and transformation. But I would like to dwell, as I pass through, to metamorphize; as I would like the rain to take its time, in shedding itself from my shelter, to pond and to drip, and to evaporate…"

Great post Robert. It's hard to argue against a missive that beautiful, so I won't try. I think we've both explained our sides well.

Okay one little thing: These high end zippers I've referenced do still use flaps, just at a different scale. They incorporate rubber micro-flaps along the edges of every tooth to seal each to the next. Maybe there's some beauty in that.

[rmeurant]

Peace, bro.

[Author]

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