HMD Ultamid 4 and center pole

a) cuben has a LONG track record for shelters these days – and a good one. I'm sure you COULD ruin one if you tried, but if they can handle thru hikes all over the world then I'm sure you're fine.

b) When I have to leash CharlieDog on a hike I simply use a carabiner on the leash handle and attach it to my hip belt. works like a champ, and I could sometimes get a bit of an assist up hills with that set up! (well, I used to anyway. Chuck's a little slower these days…)

As for the pole, that seems awfully heavy – have you checked out MLD, HMG, zpacks, and ruta locura for pole offerings??

Thanks Jennifer. I guess its me coming from the likes of Hilleberg who do have this strong reputation "tents for life", and into the new territory of cuben. New for us that is, Ultamid will be the first CF product we'll own! I tried to do some research on it, and abrasion susceptibility appears the only thing to worry about with cuben hence I'm worried…

We did consider the hip belt attachment though our two are young terriers, very active and eager to hunt, constantly sniffing everywhere and circling around us. We use extendable leashes to give them some freedom, and even if we do attach these to hipbelts I think I'd feel safer keeping hands free in case they're needed (at least until the dogs mature and hopefully wise up)

Thanks for heads up on the pole – I did suspect it was a bit too heavy. Ruta Locura does offer one of comparable diameter and half the weight! Only its out of stock at the moment, I'll try and contact them about it. Zpacks/MLD/HMG don't seem to offer any.

If you search around this site you'll see TONS of information about the longevity of cuben shelters (where's Link when you need her??)

Unless you have some weird camping style I've never seen before, not much abrasion happens to the walls of a 'mid.

Cuben floors, packs, groundsheets, etc etc MAY be another story because they are exposed to abrasion – which is cuben's weakest attribute. Those items are a bit more controversial because SOME people have had issues, and SOME people have had years of successful hard-use out of these items with no issues whatsoever.

But I think very few people would disagree (except maybe Henry Shires?) that there are no significant longevity issues for a casual user of a cuben 'mid. Now – if you were planning several 3,000-mile thru hikes with it, then it will NOT last a lifetime……

Mids exert a lot of tension on center poles. You want a fairly thick and stiff pole. I recommend the .600″ diameter carbon fiber poles from Ruta Locura. Also long and sturdy stakes are important, especially at the corners. Stakes are dependent on soil type, and I usually use the long Easton or MSR Ground Hogs. Guy line tension is critical. Loose the tension on one line in the wind and the entire shelter can collapse. Silnylon stretches and is easier to set up than Cuben. It also stretches when wet, unlike Cuben, often requiring re-tensioning in bad weather – I find LineLoc3 tensioners with 3mm cord works best. Cuben, if you don’t abuse it is best although some Cuben mids are much more difficult to setup — stake location needs to be near perfect. Cuben shelter construction is not equal. MLD and SMD have probably been using it the longest and have the best construction quality.

Click here for a review of the SMD Deschutes tarp and a lot of discussion about mids, tips, and techniques.

Thanks Nick, that's some detailed and informative blog post! Yes it seems RL .600 pole is the way to go, good thickness and weight compromise. Will wait till its back in stock.

Feeling more and more comfortable with our choice of tent, large CF mid is probably the lightest and strongest option for our requirements (two people, floorless vestibule for cooking and muddy dogs, wet and windy environment).

If you end up ordering the center pole from Ruta Locura, I highly recommend picking up some of the long sorex stakes that they sell as well. These are perfect for the corners of a mid, providing a great amount of holding power for very little weight. They are also reasonably priced compared to other carbon tent stakes.

Thanks Nathan – you read my mind! We already have a dozen of Ti shepherd hooks 7.6" length, but definitely need something more stronger and suitable for soft soil for corners.

I also own the Ultamid 4, and are looking for a dedicated centerpole.

The Ultamid is listed as 75 inches tall
The BD MegaLight pole is at maximum 75 inches
The Ruta Locura .600 Tent Poles can be ordered at maximum 66 inches + 8 inch adjuster = 74 inches in total.

As i would like to pitch the tent taller then 75 inches to get some ventilation, both of these poles are too short for my needs.

Does anyone know of any other options (not counting trekking poles)?

Is it correct to assume the the Ruta Locura .600 is .6 inches / 15.24 mm in diameter?

Thanks
Peter

Yes, the Ruta lovers pole looks to be about 15 mm outside diameter.
Since it simply uses sections, you could get two poles and use more sections. The question in doing that would be the strength though…
I have used the Ruta Locura pole in my Golite Hex 3 and it has worked well in wind and rain. In winter I usually just use my skis or ski poles.

Found a couple of recent threads on mid poles:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=99523

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=102697

Thanks Tjaard.

Sorry for the late reply, for some reason replying on my smartphone screwed all the words up, had to wait till i got to my PC.

I'll write Rutalocura.