Lightweight shelter for 6′ side sleeper?

[Aaron Savka]

Noob here… I am planning to thru hike the River to River trail in October. It's 160 miles. Looking for a suitable tent to carry. I'm coming from a background of mountaineering, so my current tent selection is bomber. I do have a BD beta light and the beta bug shelter. Bug protection is almost a must have around here most of the year. At least for me…

I was eyeing the Nemo Meta 1P, but looks like it might be a little tight. I'd prefer a trekking pole tent over poles, but more worries about fit for now.

Anyone have a suggestion?

[Kevin Schneringer]

Bear Paw Wilderness Designs has several good shelters- I own the Canopy 1 w/minimalist 1 & Bear Den 1
Mountain Laurel Designs has great Products
HMG has a new mid

and of course Zpacks has the Hexamid which is quite popular and very light.

You have a dozen or more options between these 4 mfrs.
All have excellent service as well!

[Adam Rothermich]

I'm looking to replace my BearPaw Luna 2 in the fall. It weighs about 26 ounces with all the bits and pieces and for the same weight I could be using a Tarptent Notch or SMD Lunar Solo, both of which add bug protection over my current set up. I'm heavily in favor of the Notch with its two vestibules and removable inner. I live in Missouri so I appreciate your desire to get away from the bugs. I find I can deal with them until about May and after September. Coincidentally that time period lines up with the heat and humidity being out of my comfort zone.

Adam

[Jake D]

Lightheart Solong Sil or Cuben for even lighter

[John Martin]

The Big Agnes Slater tents are long 96 inches.

[Franco Darioli]

With vertical end walls a 6' person will fit inside an 80" long floor.
With sloping walls 100" could still be not enough (on a thick mat…)

[Jeff Sims]

At 6 ft you have a lot of options. I am 6 ft 5 and spend most of my time solo, so I do not like to carry a big mid. What I have found are several solutions that work well for me as I have progressed in my hiking.

Tarptent Moment is a fantastic shelter, that does use one proprietary pole but has a ton of room and is very comfy. The new version with the full dual wall design is supposed to be a nice upgrade from the 1.0 version that I used, but either way you can not go wrong with Henry Shires. Great stuff at a great price.

Zpacks Hexamid – at 6 ft you could easily fit in the solo, maybe the solo plus if you wanted the extra room for gear. I ended up going with a long and it is a palace! The enclosed tent system with the full net and cuben bathtub floor ground cloth are truly amazing if bugs or weather may be a concern. Über light, but rock solid in storm situations with the opportunity to us the ground sheet to cowboy camp if the opportunity arises.

Yama Mountain Gear Cirraform – the Single wall tent is also a really solid one piece shelter and offers a lot of usable space. I owned the shelter for a couple of months and felt it was just too similar to the Hexamid so I sold it. I missed it a ton, so I now own the cuben tarp w/o the enclosure and carry it with a Borah Gear cuben bivy. Allows the best of all worlds, unless you plan to spend a lot of time in your shelter, hiding from weather or bugs…

These are just my experiences, yours may vary. Either way, get out there and enjoy

Jeff

[Aaron Savka]

I am liking the TT Moment DW. Especially the option to add free standing for only 7 oz.

BUT, I am also liking the Double Rainbow with Carbon poles at about the same weight since it can me pitched free standing with the trekking poles I'll already be carrying. I'm not always solo, so this ne is appealing to me vs. having 2 separate shelters.

What to do, what to do…

[Jeff Sims]

What to do, what to do…

You face a tough decision, the Rainbow is an awesome shelter as well. I went round and round when looking at the TT stuff. For me it was tough not being able to experience each shelter before making the choice. I keep my Moment around for friends to use when I do take people along. (I am a light sleeper and the sound of someone else moving around keeps me awake)

If you are seriously considering a Moment and want to give it a try in the field, I am happy to loan you mine. It will only cost you postage back and forth.

With that said, if you do hike on occasion with others and do not mind sharing your space the double rainbow may be a better choice.

[Aaron Savka]

Thanks to Jeff Sims for graciously loaning me a TT Moment to field test!

I placed my order for a Moment DW yesterday.

[Alex Wallace]

I'm curious why you chose the Moment DW over the Notch since you prefer using trekking pole(s) for support? Regardless, I'm sure you'll be pleased. Additionally, a semi-solid inner will be available soon from TarpTent, which will be welcomed for the shoulder season.

[Aaron Savka]

Made my final decision on the Moment because it is now dual wall, can be free standing and has a bit more floor space.

I do use trekking poles almost all of the time, but felt the Moment DW would be a little more flexible.

[David Ure]

I am taller than you and 215 lbs and also side sleep on a 2" plus pad. There really is little argument for not getting a Tarptent Notch. Lighter than the DW Moment with a similar footprint, it is also available now with a partially solid inner tent. It sets up rock solid and has a ton of room – the two vestibules and two doors for solo use is a "can't live without now" option for me.

[Alex Wallace]

Yes, very flexible. I previously owned the single walled version of the Moment and while I liked it enough, as soon as Henry released the double walled version I couldn't resist. The option to use only the outer skin and save 12 ounces when bugs aren't an issue is what won me over.

[Rex Sanders]

I'm 6'2" and sleep on my side, back, stomach, … "thrasher" as my wife says. TarpTent Moment version 1 has plenty of room for me, and keeps the bugs out.

— Rex

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