Gossamer Gear “The One” Video

I believe that the video shows how to use the optional poles. They are inserted through guides, hence they are supported at four points along their length and not just "hanging out in the breeze" supported only at the top and bottom.

There are two poles – one in front and another in the rear.

Glen van Peske is 6 feet 3 inches tall so looking at the video you can properly guage how he fits in a 7 foot length.

Nice shelter.
Since the inevitable comparison with the Contrail has already started, I just like to point out a couple of things.
The One ( the The ONE ?) is lighter however effectively it is also shorter. Both are 84" long, except that both ends of the Contrail are vertical, the The One has a fairly acute ( read unusable space) angles.
Another point is the great pitch variation available with the Contrail. It can be set high for headroom and ventilation but can also have the fabric all around touching the ground (except the beak , it misses by about 1" ) and anywhere in-between.
This is pure conjecture, but I suspect that the Contrail will stand up better to cross winds.
Nevertheless, the lighter weight and non "elastic" fabric will appeal to some, and why not ?

Franco
At the end of the clip Glen sets up his shelter in about 25 sec,more than twice as fast as my Contrail World Record (58 sec) I must get a faster camera

OK, Henry – maybe it's time for a spinnaker version of the Contrail.

Personally, I prefer the maximum peak heighth to be over my reclining head so I can just sit up in my sleeping bag and start cooking in the vestibule. That's one thing I miss when moving from my Contrail to my Double Rainbow.

Oh well, it's always too hot or too cold or too dry or too wet or too something else wherever I go. I've learned to suck it up and try not to complain too loudly. Doesn't always work.

nm

> OK, Henry – maybe it's time for a spinnaker version of the Contrail.

I can only speculate what the fabric is in this Tarptent prototype photo, but it sure looks white like spinnaker to me.

>"I can only speculate what the fabric is in this Tarptent prototype photo, but it sure looks white like spinnaker to me."

The caption below that photo, or a similar one, on Ron Moak's blog said it was a prototype made from Tyvek. Apparently Henry brought it on a trip he took w/ Ron & GVP.

Hi David
I had another look at the video, a 1 hour download on my dial up modem…., and you are correct, there is some vertical space at both ends.
I know that Glen uses his ThinLite mat but for the ones that use a thicker mat, particularly the tubular types like the MaxThermo , there would be not that much space above the head if you are of Glen's size . (could be ideal for me and I wish all of those abnormally long people would stop winging about tent sizes).
One point to consider is that most of the condensation comes from one's breath, so the closer your mouth is to the fabric, the more condensation you will have. However looks like there is plenty of ventilation there. Of course people will complain about the wind whistling through….
As far as rain is concerned, after my experience in Nepal where rain was thick,hard and lasted for hours, I really cannot see any problems with the Contrail. Never had snow on the Contrail but a layer of frost over it . Using my mid rear pole guyout it was still taut in the morning , so no sagging there. But it was not designed as a winter tent.
Franco
Congratulations to Brian Van Peski. Great production.Informative ,entertaining and nice close-ups.Still looks good on full screen.

I would like to point out, for the ones that don't already know, that since I use and like the Tarptents I am biased towards the brand ( really ?, no kidding !) but then again Glen would not sell the Squall Classic if he did not like it….
And, yes, I do think that the One could be THE ONE for many.But the year is young…

This was an early prototype without the pole loops. –Glen

According to the website it's available on the 15th.

We could also compare this to the MLD SuperFly with floor… which comes in at around 20 oz… but sleeps TWO! Not a "true" bathtub floor though. The only thing I'm not so sure about with the SuperFly is the idea of having those poles in the middle of my shelter. Would be awesome to have all that room though! That shelter is HUGE inside. No vestibule though. Which I guess is fine if you go with the floorless version… you can just keep your muddy shoes inside.

Anyway… for a full protection shelter… The One looks like it can't be beat. It does have those angled walls… but it's not as "bad" as the SMD designs with one pole inside to form a pyramid. With the two poles (on the outside… which I like) on The One… at least two of the four sides are vertical. With the SMD designs… all of the walls angle in.

Damn nice shelter. VERY tempting :)

WRT the post above about SMD offering the Gatewood with the Serenity bug tent… I assume you mean Ron's Serenity bug tent? How would that work… since the Gatewood is a pyramid and the Serenity is an extruded triangle? Will it be redesigned specifically for the Gatewood?

The Serenity NetTent is a new SMD product that’s in the works and that’s designed specifically for the Gatewood Cape. It was discussed in this recent thread:

SMD Gatewood Cape Bug Net

Thanks Ernie! Ron maybe should have called it the Tranquility or something though so as not to confuse it with the MLD Serenity. Then again… I think MLD had the Serenity taken off the site for the past 2 years or so. They just put it back on the site recently.

Yeah…two bug tents named Serenity made by two guys named Ron could prove to be very confusing! I didn't know that Ron Bell's Serenity Shelter was available again until your post sent me to check the MLD website.

Hey Bob… WRT to a Spinnaker TarpTent… I don't know. I LOVE my Spinnaker gear as much as anyone else, but to me, TarpTent is like the Rolls Royce of UltraLight. Pure luxury. And still crazy light compared to mainstream gear. To me… a Spinnaker TarpTent wouldn't be a TarpTent. I think Henry is right to do his thing… keep the "luxury ultralight" niché and let MLD/GG/SMD battle it out for the title of lightest shelter, smallest pack, fabric most likely to be mistaken for rice paper… etc. LOL :)

OK, who bought (The) One today?
First day on sale.
Feb 15, 2008

One for me.

cameron.

*Raises hand*

nm

Gear sluts! Every one of you!

So you guys that have (the) one, are you taking it on any BIG hikes this year? Where are we going to see them? :-)

No BIG hikes. I'm going to be guiding in Denali this summer (Kantishna, at the end of the road) and taking this on weekend overnighters. I wanted something that was light, very weather resistant, and comfortable in the midst of killer mosquitoes, and decided this was worth the high price tag. The Contrail came in a very close second, but the weight difference (although slight when you add in the ground cloth, stuff sack, and stakes), side-entry, and lack of tiny poles to sink into soggy tundra won. A tarp and bivy would be a lot lighter, but the luxury/weight ratio of The One is too tempting!

I bought one, too. It was actually not a spur-of-the-moment purchase, though. Since 2003 I've shared discussions with Glen about shelter design and ideas for something like the One came up every now and then. As the Gossamer Gear website alludes to, the development of the One was a long, slow process that took many iterations to finally make it into something viable for commercial release.

I've had my eye on this type of design for a long time and even made several of my own similar designs prior to seeing the first prototypes of the One. I could never tweak the problems just right, though. I thought I found what I was looking for with the Rainbow (which is quite similar as a type of shelter), but I found a number of problems that didn't suit my needs (one of my ideas, the hiking pole grommets in the apex pole sleeve, was incorporated into the final Rainbow design).

I think the One does what I want a shelter to do, especially for summer alpine conditions. It is a very mature design (as most of the UL cottage gear designers will now be moving on to), based on the years of trial and error of earlier UL ideas. When I saw it I knew that it addressed just about every concern I have. The material is time-tested (and GRAY! One concern about the SpinnShelter, though not a big concern, was that it was white), the vestibule is big, it has a side entrance, a small footprint, is wind-shedding, doesn't have unnecessary weight by using a tent pole when I use hiking poles, has a bug screen and floor, uses a zipper for the door, and incorporates good venting. Until I have more experience with alpine tarping this is probably what I've been waiting for and I may never move beyond it. (being an architectural designer though, I'm bound to start seeking new solutions!). It is exactly what I would have wanted when I was in the Alps last year.

I've loved everything I've ever bought from early Glen van Peski gear and later Gossamer Gear and have never had any disappointments in any of the gear (except that the headroom of the SpinnShelter when in storm mode is way too low for comfort, but that's it). I fully expect the One to quickly become my favorite shelter.

Since ransacking for the last two months my apartment of all extraneous goods I'm down to three shelters (after having eight!!!). Now I need just two staple shelters: a good solo winter tent and yet something else to use with my wife. Does ANYONE have any experience with the GoLite Xanadu 1 ???

I agree with Miles… "The One" has probably the best "luxury to weight" ratio of any shelter I've ever seen. Very very tempting. Yes… there are lighter options… but those options are all more fussy to setup and leave you more cramped and less protected from bugs. "The One" is a winner. For sure. I may buy one and retire my SpinnShelter.

Bought mine the day they came available! Using it for an 11day JMT through hike at end of July… there are four of us going, each person bought "The One" the day it came out! Just got the tracking number, should be here in a few days! Have a few trips planned to try it out over the next month or so here in NY, I'll try and post some arrival and unpacking pics.

Just joined the forum, hello everyone,

Chris